35 h. ago "You can't change the world, but you can change things locally": The Greater Manchester town which is about to be run like a co

The comedian and his co-chair designate, Rose Marley, say the scheme is less about gentrification and more about empowering locals in line with co-operative values.

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7 d. ago I visited the world's fattest town... where residents eat McDonald's four times a day and 80% of people are obese

Will Tennyson, 30, from California, visited a town where 80 percent of the population are overweight or obese. He then proceeded to eat like the locals do, consuming 10,000 calories.

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7 d. ago On the brink of world domination Oasis played a Scottish town 30 years ago this month

'The ticket was the hottest in the land and there are stories of unlucky fans holding their own impromptu listening parties on Irvine Moor, where the music was blown loudly and clearly by the wind from the harbour.'

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8 d. ago The Welsh town that looks like 'little bit of Italy' but is much closer

If you're looking for the perfect picturesque holiday destination but you don't want to venture too far from home, this stunning destination in Wales could be the perfect pick for you

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1 week ago 'I went to 'world's most beautiful village' but nearby town was much prettier'

The world's most beautiful village has cobbled streets, gorgeous views and historic buildings but there's a nearby town that impressed a little bit more

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2 w. ago ‘They attack us without provocation’: West Bank town mourns its dead after settler raid

Sense of helplessness pervades Kafr Malik where IDF killed three Palestinians after locals resisted masked maraudersThe men from Fatah arrived on Thursday morning, hours after the attack on Kafr Malik, to put out more flags along the main streets, adding bright primary colours to a mournful scene, but they did nothing to relieve the all-encompassing sense of helplessness.Three men from this central West Bank town, one a teenager, lay dead and several others were still in hospital after an attack by about 100 Israeli settlers on Wednesday evening. The men of Kafr Malik had run to its south-western edge to form a screen against the settlers and rescue women and children trapped in a house set alight by the masked attackers. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Netanyahu 'biggest loser in town' as 'man of peace' Trump has taken back control

EXCLUSIVE: The US has long been a key ally of Israel, but one expert believes the PM Benjamin Netanyahu is the biggest loser in America's intervention in their conflict with Iran

Politics

2 w. ago ‘A timebomb’: could a French mine full of waste poison the drinking water of millions?

Scientists fear thousands of tonnes of chemicals dumped in mining tunnels in Alsace may seep into an aquifer, with devastating consequences for people and wildlifeEight police officers linger with their backs to the two-hectare (five-acre) site known as Stocamine. The place is nondescript in the morning drizzle: two mine shafts, some modern-looking office buildings, a staff car park, lines of landscaped trees. The reason for the police presence, however, is what lies beneath: 42,000 tonnes of toxic waste stored under our feet.Stocamine, which lies in the old industrial town of Wittelsheim, Alsace, once held an old potash mine. Now, the mine shafts are closed, storing poisonous waste from elsewhere. Above the mine shafts is one of Europe’s largest aquifers. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Recovered Mike Lynch superyacht transferred to Sicilian town

Investigators can now examine the Bayesian in Termini Imerese to determine cause of sinking in a storm last yearThe superyacht belonging to the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been moved to a town in Sicily where British and Italian investigators will examine its sinking.Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank off the Italian coast on 19 August 2024. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Poison in the water: the town with the world’s worst case of forever chemicals contamination

When a small Swedish town discovered their drinking water contained extremely high levels of Pfas, they had no idea what it would mean for their health and their children’s futureIf Agneta Bruno closes her eyes, the soapy smell takes her back to childhood. Cycling home to the barracks where she lived with her father, an air force major, she would whiz through patches of snowy-white foam near the entrance of the base. The foam resembled the bubbles you get in the bathtub, just thicker. “I had to lift my feet up to avoid getting wet,” Bruno told me.Aqueous film-forming foam (Afff) is a miracle of firefighting: it’s highly effective in putting out flammable liquid fires, such as those caused by jet fuel spills. Chemicals in the foam create a stable blanket over liquid fuel, trapping the flammable vapours and extinguishing the fire. At the air force base in Bruno’s home town of Kallinge in Sweden, firefighters were trained to douse flames using the foam. New recruits came every few week...

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3 w. ago The grand tour: one playwright’s quest to set foot in every African country before turning 60

Worried that he didn’t understand the continent of his heritage, Femi Elufowoju Jr challenged himself to visit all 54 of its nations. His trip took him from bustling Ghana to the tranquility of Tanzania – and sparked the idea for a playAt 53, I made myself a promise. Having built a reputation as the go-to authority on African culture in UK theatre, I realised with uncomfortable clarity that my knowledge barely scratched the surface of the continent’s vast complexity. What followed was an extraordinary seven-year quest to visit all 54 African nations before my 60th birthday – a journey that would ultimately transform into my ambitious new theatrical project, 54.60 Africa.The catalyst came during a 2015 world tour with theatre company Complicité that took me to Cape Town. Standing in the shadow of Table Mountain, I confronted a paradox that had long troubled me: despite my Nigerian ancestry and theatrical expertise, my understanding of Africa remained frustratingly...

Politics

4 w. ago ‘We’ll have done it first’: what it takes to set a new Guinness World Record

As an Australian town prepares to perform the world’s largest happy dance, previous titleholders share what it feels like to lose the crown after months of preparationGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailEver since she was a little girl, Sruthy Saseendran wanted to “achieve something remarkable” – something that would earn her a place in the record books. But growing up in what she describes as a traditional Indian family, that dream had to take a backseat to more conventional markers of success: university, marriage, career.Decades later – after she had married, become a mother and taken a job as a business analyst in Melbourne – she felt the itch return. It was time to do something for herself. So she embarked on a personal challenge: to set a Guinness World Record.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

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