11 m. ago Baby seal stabbed on Oregon coast prompts search for suspect

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it is searching for the person who stabbed a baby seal multiple times on a beach in Oregon

Politics

24 m. ago World awaits chimney smoke as conclave starts to elect new pope – live

Doors to the Sistine Chapel have been closed and first vote expected to be taken today Who will be the next pope? Potential candidatesPapal in-tray: new pontiff will have to hit ground runningHow does the conclave work?If you’d rather get up to date on the pomp and the politics of the conclave, the process to elect Pope Francis’s successor, good news: we’ve got you covered.It is, as Guardian journalist Harriet Sherwood explains, an election rich in ceremony and ritual. Yet it can get very dirty too: cardinals lobbying in corridors and Vatican gardens; allegations of leaks to the media to discredit rivals; even the emergence of a video of one cardinal – a bookies’ favourite to be the next pope – singing ‘atheist anthem’ Imagine by John Lennon. Continue reading...

Events

56 m. ago How much Swansea Council subsidises running of city leisure centres

The current model using a specialist provider is 'way more affordable', according to one senior officer, compared with the council running the facilities itself

Politics

79 m. ago Mapped: Where UK councils have collected £360 million from parking permits over five years

The 10 highest-earning councils generated more than £238 million alone

Economics

81 m. ago Conclave begins as locking of Sistine Chapel signals formal start to process to elect new pope – live

Doors to the Sistine Chapel have been closed and first vote expected to be taken today Who will be the next pope? Potential candidatesPapal in-tray: new pontiff will have to hit ground runningHow does the conclave work?If you’d rather get up to date on the pomp and the politics of the conclave, the process to elect Pope Francis’s successor, good news: we’ve got you covered.It is, as Guardian journalist Harriet Sherwood explains, an election rich in ceremony and ritual. Yet it can get very dirty too: cardinals lobbying in corridors and Vatican gardens; allegations of leaks to the media to discredit rivals; even the emergence of a video of one cardinal – a bookies’ favourite to be the next pope – singing ‘atheist anthem’ Imagine by John Lennon. Continue reading...

Politics

92 m. ago When will Bury New Road reopen after collapse caused major closure?

The council and United Utilities are embroiled in a row over who’s responsible

Politics

93 m. ago South Ayrshire Council remains paralysed with no sign of action on power vacuum

South Ayrshire officials are yet to arrange a meeting one week on from the scenes which brought shame on County Buildings.

Politics

1 hour ago Tracy Beaker's Dani Harmer shares show secret – and spills on life now as a mum

The Story of Tracy Beaker actor Dani Harmer has shared behind-the-scenes secrets from the iconic children's show, as well as what she's been up to since leaving the 'Dumping Ground'

Politics

1 hour ago Paddy McGuinness admits he feels like the 'odd one out' in the home he shares with ex

The comedian, 51, and former model, Christine divorced last year after 11 years of marriage following their shock split in 2022, but the former couple still live together with their children.

Politics

2 h. ago South Ayrshire Council planners rubber stamp community park proposals for coastal town

The site of the former Vogue Cinema and bingo hall had been earmarked for the exciting development.

Politics

2 h. ago On the ground in Kashmir: The Independent reports live from wreckage site

India said it had conducted precision strikes in Pakistan in an overnight military operation on Wednesday, 7 May, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir that left 26 people dead and escalated tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Politics

2 h. ago Revised plan for new watersports hub in Ayrshire town is given the thumbs

Council planners have given their blessing to the fresh proposals under delegated powers.

Politics

2 h. ago Olympian Strictly star is forced to flee her home after she was stalked by obsessed schoolgirl, 15, who caused her 'fear and anxiety' when she turned up on her doorstep

The 4ft 7in star, 27, described feeling 'fear and anxiety' when the 15-year-old schoolgirl knocked at her door.

Politics

2 h. ago Buildering in London: How Urban Climbers Are Turning the City Into Their Training Ground

Buildering in London: How Urban Climbers Are Turning the City Into Their Training Ground  Men's Health

Politics

2 h. ago Linda Robson admits feeling 'envious' of Pauline Quirke's career success

Linda Robson has opened up on her feelings towards her Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke, admitting that she was 'envious' of the roles that she landed away from the sitcom

Politics

2 h. ago Abandoned 'Deadman's Island' littered with human remains and coffins

Deadman's Island in Kent served as a burial ground for convicts who died on 'prison ships' in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is now known for its haunting shoreline littered with human remains

Events

2 h. ago How are you supposed to handle cold callers nowadays? You can’t even slam the phone down | Adrian Chiles

I’m being plagued by a particularly pushy estate agent. I’ve tried blocking them, reasoning with them, even barking at them. And still they keep coming back for more Every breath I take, and every move I make, every bond I break, every step I take, they keep phoning me. This is a chain of London estate agents, well known to be – and doubtless proud of the accolade – the pushiest of a pushy breed. I bought a flat through them more than 10 years ago and I’ve had no peace since. It seems they think I might want to sell or rent it. I’ve told them I don’t. I’ve even told them I don’t own it any more. But it does no good. They always come back for another try. Perhaps they just want to keep in touch. Sweet, really.About once a month, a London number I don’t recognise flashes up. It’s them. Clever, really, that they don’t withhold the number. Looks as though it might – might – be a call that needs answering. But now that I’m wise to their ways, I reject the call. You would hope they would ...

Politics

3 h. ago "Resentful" stalker who thought he was victim of council conspiracy is jailed

“Deen’s actions crossed the line from lawful protest, to stalking, not only impacting the victims he was targeting, but also his local community."

Events

3 h. ago ‘The pain, the tears, it’s all there’: how Putin’s war has left Ukraine haunted by its past

For occupied parts of Ukraine, Russia’s war and the propaganda fuelling it has forced many to relive the horrors of previous warsMariia Sinhayevska was 11 when the Germans occupied her village, near Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She can still remember some German words from the year she spent in school under occupation. The soldiers were friendly, she said, though not if you were suspected of being a Communist or a Jew.“There was a place about three kilometres away where people used to say the ground was breathing; it was where the Germans put the bodies of all the people they had shot,” she said. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago How VE Day and Putin’s war are forcing Ukrainians to relive their painful past

As Russia marks 80 years since the second world war with wild celebrations, in Ukraine the tone is very differentMariia Sinhayevska was 11 when the Germans occupied her village, near Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She can still remember some German words from the year she spent in school under occupation. The soldiers were friendly, she said, though not if you were suspected of being a Communist or a Jew.“There was a place about three kilometres away where people used to say the ground was breathing; it was where the Germans put the bodies of all the people they had shot,” she said. Continue reading...

Politics