46 m. ago Nagasaki cathedral blesses a bell that replaces one destroyed by the US atomic bomb

Nagasaki cathedral has blessed the final piece to complete its restoration nearly 80 years after being destroyed by the second U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Japan: a reproduction of its lost bell restored by a group of Americans

Events

50 m. ago Eight hours, 250 singers and as many bananas as it takes: Tavener’s Veil of the Temple

Who’d be brave enough to programme John Tavener’s choral epic? We talk to the team behind the staging that’s opening this year’s Edinburgh international festival, and veterans of its 2003 premiere remember the challenges and rewardsWhat’s the longest concert you’ve ever been to? Ever found yourself sitting through more encores than you’d bargained for, worrying about your last train? Or mid-symphony becoming desperate to stand up and stretch?What about the longest single piece of music? Opera-goers may or may not sympathise with Rossini’s quip about Wagner’s “good moments but awful quarters of an hour”, but there is no denying the monumental scale of Die Meistersinger, for instance, which runs to about four and a half hours, not including intervals. And then there’s the same composer’s Ring cycle – about 15 hours in total, albeit split across four instalments; as close to a marathon as classical music usually gets. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Grapefruit were tipped to be the next Beatles – what happened to the band once loved by John Lennon?

If John Lennon and Paul McCartney were to be believed, Grapefruit were poised to be the next big thing in music, with one member even invited to sing on ‘Hey Jude’. Neve Dawson revisits the four-piece band that time forgot

Events

4 h. ago Dentist issues warning over drinks consumed by millions of Brits every day

Dr Deepa Chopra said even 'sugar-free' variants are still doing enormous damage to your teeth

Events

12 h. ago M&S introduces invisible UV tags to track packaging through recycling system

The supermarket is the first to roll out the packaging tags on shop shelves.

Politics

14 h. ago Merz calls for UK, Germany and France to align on migration and defence

German chancellor’s proposal for strategic axis comes as London and Berlin sign first treaty since second world warThe German chancellor has called for a strategic axis between London, Paris and Berlin to tackle illegal migration and deepen defence cooperation, despite declaring that he “deeply deplores” Brexit.Friedrich Merz appeared alongside Keir Starmer at a press conference in Stevenage after the signing of the Kensington treaty, the first formal pact between the UK and Germany since the second world war. The agreement, signed at the V&A Museum and followed by a meeting at Downing Street, sets out plans for closer cooperation on migration, defence, trade and education, including a framework for school exchanges.A mutual assistance clause on national security, including shared recognition that Russia poses “the most significant and direct threat” to both countries.Joint procurement and development of defence technologies including Typhoon jets, Boxer vehicles and long-range ...

Politics

14 h. ago The H&M x Mia Regan drop is live, and these are the pieces I'm buying before they sell out

Model and creative Mia Reagan lends her stylish eye to a breezy new H&M collection, and I’m completely obsessed

Politics

15 h. ago Tesco shoppers floored by shopping trick you can use to get 'free samples'

One shopper has explained how you can get free samples with your Tesco shop, just by following one easy trick

Economics

15 h. ago Labubus are near impossible to get hold of – but you can find them in this new shop

The collectibles can sell out in seconds

Politics

16 h. ago Details of Brits including spies and special forces included in Afghan data leak

The details of MI6 spies, SAS and special forces personnel were leaked along with the personal information of nearly 19,000 people who applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy

Politics

16 h. ago Cure by Katherine Brabon review – moments of grace in meditation on chronic illness

Doubles and reflections abound in this subtle exploration of the stories we tell about sickness, centring on a mother and daughter who travel to Italy in search of healingGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailKatherine Brabon’s fourth novel follows a mother and daughter with a shared experience of chronic illness who travel to Italy in search of a cure. It feels like a companion piece to her elegant previous novel Body Friend, about three women who seek out different ways of managing their chronic pain after surgery. Cure continues Brabon’s metaphoric use of doubles, mirrors and reflections to explore the social dimensions of the body in pain. It opens in Lake Como, where, we are told, in autumn “clouds devour the hills around the lake” and the water “reflects the scene of disappearance. [It] cannot help but replicate the obscuring fog.” Vera has been here before; she is now taking her 16-year-old daughter, Thea, to a small town in Lombardy, where she herself travelled with her...

Politics

17 h. ago Kylie Jenner tugs at bikini and unleashes curves as fans brand her 'dream girl'

Kylie Jenner has released a new line of swimsuits and to celebrate she recently posted pictures of wearing the new two pieces, which has left fans begging for more

Politics

18 h. ago Best 'new in' buys from Marks & Spencer: You can browse the best fresh pieces online again

After a long time out of action, the 'new in' section of the website is now back, which means we've had a chance to hunt for all those pieces we've been missing over the past few months.

Economics

18 h. ago A real wag: Superman gets the bleak realities of dog ownership spot on

Hollywood has hitherto been ridiculously soppy over canines. The scrappy, wild and disobedient beast here is as annoying as the real thingSuperman might be one of the most confusing blockbuster films to hit the big screen this year. The tone, as you might expect from a goofball superhero movie that is plainly about the invasion of Gaza, is all over the shop. Too many characters contribute too little to the plot. There are moments when it feels like it was written specifically to provide work for the silly-glasses and ironic-haircut industries. It is a bit of a mess.But that said, one thing is demonstrably true: the dog is cool. As shown in the trailer, Krypto the superdog is Superman’s secret weapon. A mile away from his last screen outing, where he was muscular and proud and voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Superman’s Krypto is scrappy and wild. He doesn’t obey commands. He destroys whatever equipment is put in front of him. Whenever he may or may not save the day, it seems lik...

Politics

19 h. ago Why sustainable fashion from Buy Me Once UK is winning over shoppers

Get timeless fashion pieces that are built to last with the Buy Me Once website.

Economics

19 h. ago Morrisons makes major change for customers at tills and in aisles

Supermarket chain is trying to ensure staff are on hand to assist at self service tills and finding items

Economics

19 h. ago PSA: The H&M x Mia Regan drop is live, and these are the pieces I'm buying

Model and creative Mia Reagan lends her stylish eye to a breezy new H&M collection, and I’m completely obsessed

Politics

20 h. ago ‘Time to get excited!’ Why Stranger Things could be back to its best for its final episodes ever

The Netflix show’s last season just dropped a trailer full of heavy metal, demons, tornados and flamethrowers. And even better – it might have rediscovered its devastatingly emotional coreObjectively, you should not be excited about the return of Stranger Things. Over the years, the Netflix smash has in many ways come to represent everything bad about television’s streaming era.It began as a fun piece of fluff, a one-and-done collection of overt 1980s film references, designed as the first part of an unconnected anthology. But then it exceeded expectations, so the Duffer brothers found themselves having to pull an entire mythology out of thin air. And a bloated one at that, full of (at best) bottle episodes about punky young superheroes and (at worst) self-indulgent episodes that grind on for hours and hours. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Chinese chippy gets pulses racing with hilarious ad encouraging customers to bonk

Canton House Chippy and Chinese fuses Chinese cuisine with traditional British chip shop food with a side of risqué humour, to the delight of customers and social media users

Economics

21 h. ago Lego's ultimate portable toy for school summer holidays drops to £2 with deal

The cute suitcase contains 213 pieces offering endless building possibilities

Economics