13 m. ago Tony Blair risks sending absolutely wrong message, says climate expert

Former PM also sparks Labour fury, with top MP accusing him of ‘handing talking points’ to Tories and ReformUK politics live – latest updatesTony Blair has come under criticism from climate experts and politicians after warning that any strategy relying on rapidly phasing out fossil fuels was “doomed to fail”.The former prime minister’s comments, published in a report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), triggered an internal row within Labour, with some accusing him of playing into the hands of a narrative used by rightwing parties to delay climate action. Continue reading...

Society

22 m. ago Martin Kemp admits 'it was the worst mistake of our lives' in Live Aid confession

The actor and musician says that the internationally-broadcast concert provided both a career highlight – and an embarrassingly poor choice of material

Politics

79 m. ago UK passport holders urged to claim free travel card before going abroad this summer

The UK Global Insurance Card (GHIC) allows travellers in up to 34 different countries to free healthcare if an accident was to occur when on holiday

Transport

93 m. ago Scientists hope sequencing genome of tiny ‘functionally extinct’ frog could help save it

Corroboree frog belongs to 100m-year-old family of amphibians but is now found only in the puddles and peat bogs of Kosciuszko national parkScientists have sequenced the genome of the critically endangered southern corroboree frog – one of Australia’s most threatened amphibians – in hope that the information could be used to aid its recovery.The striking alpine frog, which has distinctive yellow and black markings, is so threatened by disease and the drying of its habitat due to climate change, that it is considered “functionally extinct”. The species survives in the temporary pools and peat bogs of Kosciuszko national park in New South Wales, with the help of zoo breeding and re-introduction programs. Continue reading...

Politics

97 m. ago Algeria drafts wartime mobilization bill amid regional tensions

Algeria’s government proposed a law to streamline military mobilization amid tensions with neighboring countries Morocco and Mali, as well as former colonial ruler France

Events

98 m. ago Three ways to help the developing world survive the end of aid | Winnie Byanyima

Wealthy nations are slashing funding for essential services such as the HIV/Aids response, but poorer countries cannot absorb the impact overnightCountries across the world are cutting aid budgets, abandoning the decades-old consensus that supporting health and development is both a moral duty and a strategic interest. But the end of aid cannot mean the end of global solidarity – because our global economy is stacked against low- and middle-income countries to such an extent that they simply cannot afford to respond to global crises alone.Developing countries are drowning in debt, facing interest rates up to 12 times higher than wealthy countries. When interest rates shot up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the global south was worst hit. Low- and middle-income countries now pay $4 (£3) to the richest in the global north for every $1 they receive in aid. Thirty-four of Africa’s 54 countries spend more on debt than on healthcare. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Harry to head back to Vegas – for charity mission in honour of Diana

The Duke of Sussex is launching the Pledge To Invest initiative for the Diana Award on May 6.

Events

3 h. ago UK joins US in Yemen military strikes against Houthis in joint operation

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that yesterday's strikes were in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Events

5 h. ago UK joins US as military launches strikes against Houthis in Yemen in joint operation

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes on Tuesday were in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Events

5 h. ago Carême review – a sexy French romp about a chef who’s too spicy to handle

It’s hard to resist this moreish story about Napoleon’s renegade pastry chef (who is also a spy). Orgies, opium and tantalising fun with whipped cream are all on the menuMuch like the desserts whipped up by its titular cook, Carême is a rich, moreish and knowingly indulgent treat. This swashbuckling French period drama follows the “world’s first celebrity chef” Antonin Carême as he cavorts around Paris in the early 1800s under the watchful eye of first consul Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he has sworn to hate as he holds him responsible for the death of his adopted sister. It is about as understated as a 12-course tasting menu. But as it scoffs and seduces its way through the Napoleonic era, it’s hard not to fall for the extravagant charms of the Bake Off: extra spice.Carême (a twinkly-eyed Benjamin Voisin, in full rock-star mode) is a principled young renegade and preternaturally talented pastry chef who makes his disdain for Napoleon clear from the beginning. Despite being midway throu...

Politics

6 h. ago Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change

Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travelers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet

Society

6 h. ago Trump's tariffs loom over the economy as shipments from China fall

American businesses are cancelling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next

Politics

6 h. ago India and Pakistan already sweltering in ‘new normal’ heatwave conditions

Temperatures south Asians dread each year arrive early as experts talk of ever shorter transition to summer-like heatThe summer conditions south Asian countries dread each year have arrived alarmingly early, and it’s only April. Much of India and Pakistan is already sweltering in heatwave conditions, in what scientists say is fast becoming the “new normal”.Temperatures in the region typically climb through May, peaking in June before the monsoon brings relief. But this year, the heat has come early. “As far as Asia and the Indian subcontinent are concerned, there was a quick transition from a short window of spring conditions to summer-like heat,” said GP Sharma, the meteorology president of Skymet, India’s leading private forecaster. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Cocaine, corruption and bribes: the German port under siege by Europe’s criminal drug gangs

After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecutingIn Hamburg’s spring sunshine, 200,000-tonne cargo ships almost half a mile long, piled high with the same weight in shipping containers, are docked quayside along the Elbe River. Cranes slowly offload the metal boxes packed with everything from raw materials to food and electronics, and, in some, cocaine.Between 2018 and 2023 cocaine seizures rose by 750%, marking out Germany as another major European hub in the ever-expanding global trade. But the influx is not just ramping up addiction, it is also fuelling corruption in a country perceived as being one of the least corrupt in the world. Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago British planes take part in air strike against Houthis in Yemen

Britain has targeted buildings used by the group to make drones to target ships, the Ministry of Defence has said

Events

11 h. ago UK is not ready for coming climate ‘disaster,’ government advisers warn

Despite increased examples of extreme weather, advisers say “we are seeing no increase in action”

Events

11 h. ago Labour's promise of 6,500 extra teachers paid for with VAT on private schools 'might not fix shortage', watchdog warns

The National Audit Office (NAO) said it is 'not clear' whether the pledge will solve the problem as there is currently no 'delivery plan'.

Events

14 h. ago Stephen A Smith says Trump’s poor approval rating actually hurts Dems because they have no one to beat him

Trump’s approval rating marked the worst showing for a president in 80 years, but Smith argued ‘the Democrats still can’t beat him’

Politics

14 h. ago UPS to cut 20,000 jobs as it prepares to halve Amazon shipments

Delivery group declines to update its outlook for the year owing to macroeconomic ‘uncertainty’

Politics

15 h. ago Harvard pledges reforms following internal reports on antisemitism and anti

Harvard University is promising to review its academic offerings and admissions policies in response to a pair of internal reports on antisemitism and anti-Arab prejudice at the Ivy League campus following pro-Palestinian protests

Politics