8 h. ago ‘People say my music helps them heal’: Canada’s First Nations musicians revitalise the powwow

Confronting the historic trauma of forced assimilation, a wave of artists are rejuvenating hyper-diverse Indigenous cultures in the kinds of festivals that were once forbiddenOn a sunny, breezy August afternoon in Mani-Utenam, a reservation on the Quebec coast for the Innu people, a powwow ceremony is under way. Two sets of drummers beat out a steady rhythm while chanting in tandem, as dancers sway in their traditional, colourful regalia, ringing with the sound of small bells attached to their clothing. It is part of Innu Nikamu, one of the largest Indigenous festivals in North America, but this joyful performance is taking place on troubled ground.This was once the site of a residential school where children were taken away from their families to force them to assimilate to western culture and forget their heritage. Active from the 1800s, such schools were run by the Canadian state and the Catholic church, who would inflict severe punishments on children who spoke their Indigenous ...

Politics

29 h. ago Wales manager Craig Bellamy likens Premier League players to ‘cyborgs’

Bellamy says game is becoming increasingly physicalWales play Canada in Swansea on TuesdayCraig Bellamy compared Premier League players to “cyborgs” as he discussed the growing physicality in the game after Thomas Tuchel said long throws and direct tactics were in vogue.The Wales manager said he handpicked friendlies against Canada on Tuesday and England next month – two higher-ranked nations – to provide a barometer of his team’s progress and believes facing the latter at Wembley will be the perfect warm-up for hosting Belgium in a crunch World Cup qualifier four days later. Continue reading...

Sport

3 d. ago Blur’s Dave Rowntree: ‘People think music was better in the old days, to which I say: bollocks!’

The drummer for the Britpop band on why Oasis aren’t his nemesis, his failed bid to become a UK Labour MP and how he finally conquered mathsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailYou’ve just put out a coffee table book of photographs of your early years with Blur. I imagine you didn’t have too many expectations at the time. Why had you stopped taking photos by the time the band blew up?I told myself that I was not experiencing life, that I was looking at it through the lens of the camera. But what really happened was, after a few years, things stopped being bright and shiny and new and exciting. It was pretty clear that we were going to have a career, that this wasn’t just a 15-minute Warholian burst of fame. I just moved on to other things.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningNo One You Know: Dave Rowntree’s Early Blur Photos is out now Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Girl, 18, is knifed to death after her brother, 26, goes on mass stabbing rampage and is KILLED in getaway car

An 18-year-old girl was killed by her brother after he injured six others in a mass stabbing at a tribal headquarters in Canada on Thursday.

Events

5 d. ago Canada: one person killed and six injured in stabbing in remote First Nation community

Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the suspect who attacked Hollow Water First Nation has also died One person has been killed and six others injured in a mass stabbing in an Indigenous community in central Canada, according to federal police who said that the the suspect also died in the incident.The violence occurred in Hollow Water First Nation, a remote community with about 1,000 residents, 217km (135 miles) north of Manitoba’s provincial capital, Winnipeg, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told AFP. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago I carried Poppy for almost 24 weeks until I delivered her, knowing she had already died. This is what they never tell you about losing a baby: Novelist ALI HARRIS

Novelist ALI HARRIS on the devastation of losing her baby daughter and why, a decade on, she has written the book she desperately needed to help heal her own grief

Events

1 week ago 'Our hearts were full of love, but our arms desolately empty': Novelist ALI HARRIS on the devastation of losing her baby daughter

Novelist ALI HARRIS on the devastation of losing her baby daughter and why, a decade on, she has written the book she desperately needed to help heal her own grief

Politics

1 week ago Beach returned to First Nation after 170 years following Canada legal battle

Stretch of Lake Huron shore was promised to Saugeens in 1854 treaty with Crown but wrongly omitted from mapA stretch of beach will be returned to a First Nation in Canada 170 years after it was mistakenly omitted from its reserve. The sandy sliver of land measures less than two miles long, but has nonetheless sparked an outsized battle, with a nearby resort town claiming the case sets a foreboding precedent for property rights in the country.Canada’s supreme court said on Thursday that it would not hear a challenge from the town of South Bruce Peninsula, which is contesting a lower court’s ruling that the Saugeen First Nation’s reserve was erroneously smaller than promised. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago How a trip to ‘Moomin island’ made me rethink summers in the Med

Spending the summer attending music festivals, foraging and island hopping amongst the happiest people in the world is far preferable to sweltering on a beach in southern Europe, says Matt Charlton

Politics

1 week ago Spotify has launched a new feature that has left users FURIOUS

It's the go-to music app for millions of people around the world. But Spotify has angered its users this week, with the launch of a brand new feature.

Politics

2 w. ago London Underground and bus passengers urged to stop one 'annoying' habit that others hate

The Mayor of London will launch a campaign on today encouraging people to use headphones when playing music on the capital's public transport network

Politics

2 w. ago Major travel firm warns passengers over common 'nuisance' behaviour that's on the rise

With the introduction of 4G on most routes across the London Underground , the rise in people streaming music and videos from their phones has been extremely apparent. But now, TfL is cracking down.

Events

2 w. ago London mayor rolls out campaign on people blasting music on public transport

Posters will begin appearing on the Elizabeth line reminding travellers not to play music out loud or to have conversations on speaker mode.

Politics

2 w. ago Should people be fined for playing music on public transport? Take our poll and have your say

After the Tories 'copied' the Lib Dems' plan to introduce fines for 'headphone dodgers' who play music out loud on public transport, we want to know your thoughts on the idea

Politics

2 w. ago People blasting music on trains and buses must face ‘swift justice’

Railway byelaws currently prohibit playing music “to the annoyance of any person”

Politics

2 w. ago People blasting music on trains and buses must face ‘swift justice’, say Tories

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said journeys should be free from the blight of antisocial noise.

Politics

2 w. ago Confusion as people attending Manchester Pride denied access to Gay Village without wristband

Those attending the four-day LGBTQ+ celebration have reported being turned away from the Gay Village

Politics

2 w. ago When my birth mother rejected me, another woman’s words helped me heal | Corin Hirsch

I struggled to cope with her refusal to meet me, until a straight-talking judge gave me a new perspectiveSometimes we learn the deepest truths in the most quotidian moments. One afternoon when I was six, I watched a character give birth in an army tent in the sitcom M*A*S*H. I immediately rushed from the den into the kitchen with a very important question for my mother. “Did you give birth to me in a tent like that?” I blurted out, hoping to learn my origin story.Unexpectedly, my mother dashed from the room in tears. When she returned, she sat me down and broke the news I had somehow always known. “Your Uncle Ana brought you home from the hospital to Mommy and Daddy,” she said. “You’re adopted, which means we chose you.”Corin Hirsch is a writer who covers food, drink and travel Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Canada makes stunning tariff move as nation bows to Trump... here's what it means for YOU

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that it was making a big U-turn.

Politics

2 w. ago Apply safety rules to more trains carrying flammable cargo, lawmakers urge

Federal safety investigators and some members of Congress want to expand special safety rules that apply to trains carrying flammable material to many more trains, saying the risk to many U.S. communities is far greater than currently known

Transport