5 d. ago Allo la France review – romance of French phone booths exposes funding cuts to rural services

In an endearingly whimsical road trip documentary, Floriane Devigne takes calls from her interview subjects in the last remaining phone boxes dotted across rural FranceThe humble telephone box, a souvenir from the days of analogue, can also be an intriguing cinematic locus. Floriane Devigne’s road trip documentary begins with such a relic: the last public phone booth in Paris, which also appears in Jacques Rivette’s mesmerising 1981 film Le Pont du Nord. Unlike their Instagrammable British counterparts, French phone boxes are usually painted in a demure grey and blend seamlessly with their surroundings.As it moves from the capital city to more remote areas, Devigne’s film observes the vanishing of a formerly essential utility as her cross-country odyssey sparkles with an endearing whimsicality. Instead of using talking heads, Devigne ducks into various phone boxes scattered across France, as she takes calls from her interview subjects. Stories of love and longing fill these unassumi...

Politics

8 d. ago Grenfell: Uncovered review – heartwrenching account of avoidable tragedy

Bleak, enraging documentary combines firsthand accounts of the disaster with appalling record of official negligenceThe 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London which caused 72 deaths is now the subject of Olaide Sadiq’s heartwrenching and enraging documentary, digging at the causes and movingly interviewing survivors and their families, whose testimony is all but unbearable. At the very least, the film will remind you that when politicians smugly announce they wish to make a bonfire of regulations, they should be taken, under police escort if necessary, and made to stand at the foot of the tower. As for the housing secretary at the time of the tower’s refurbishment, the abysmally arrogant Eric Pickles, he was made a life peer in 2018.With the very considerable help of the housing-issues journalist Peter Apps, the film shows how the horror was created by a perfect storm of incompetence, mendacity, greed, and (that heartsinking phrase) systemic failure. The local council were keen to spruc...

Politics

9 d. ago UK interest rates expected to remain on hold; rate cuts in Norway, Switzerland and the Philippines – business live

Central bankers warn that trade war worries, and conflict in the Middle East, could hurt growthNewsflash: We have a third interest rate cut this morning!Norway’s central bank has surprised analysts by cutting its policy rate by a quarter of one percentage point, to 4.25%. The rate had been set at 4.5% since December 2023.“Inflation has declined since the monetary policy meeting in March, and the inflation outlook for the coming year indicates lower inflation than previously expected.A cautious normalisation of the policy rate will pave the way for inflation to return to target without restricting the economy more than necessary.”“The uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is now greater than normal. If the economy takes a different path than currently envisaged, the policy rate path may be adjusted. But our objectives stand firm. We will finish the job and ensure that inflation is brought all the way back to 2 percent.”The Monetary Board also noted indications of a deceleratio...

Politics

9 d. ago Bank of England expected to leave interest rates on hold as Middle East conflict pushes up oil price – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Switzerland and Philippines cut interest ratesNewsflash: We have a third interest rate cut this morning!Norway’s central bank has surprised analysts by cutting its policy rate by a quarter of one percentage point, to 4.25%. The rate had been set at 4.5% since December 2023.“Inflation has declined since the monetary policy meeting in March, and the inflation outlook for the coming year indicates lower inflation than previously expected.A cautious normalisation of the policy rate will pave the way for inflation to return to target without restricting the economy more than necessary.”“The uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is now greater than normal. If the economy takes a different path than currently envisaged, the policy rate path may be adjusted. But our objectives stand firm. We will finish the job and ensure that inflation is brought all the way back to 2 percent.”The Monetary Board also noted indications of...

Economics

1 week ago The battle of Calais: Gangs of migrants stream past French police and through tear gas to waiting 'taxi boats' yelling 'England, England!'

Extraordinary scenes showed dozens of French police and coastguards looking on as men and some women crammed onto an overloaded boat off Gravelines beach.

Events

1 week ago Migrants slump to the ground as French police again use tear gas to stop them setting off for Britain... but many more make it to waiting 'taxi boats' yelling 'England, England!'

Extraordinary scenes showed dozens of French police and coastguards looking on as men and some women crammed onto an overloaded boat off Gravelines beach.

Events

1 week ago Soccer Aid star Aaron Lennon's 'life was saved' when he was sectioned after police stand

Aaron Lennon will be competing in this weekend's rendition of Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, more than eight years after he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act

Events

2 w. ago Police issue statement after fan falls from stand and dies during Nations League final

Portugal won the Nations League final against Spain on penalties, but the game has been overshadowed by the tragic death of a supporter, who had fallen from a stand just before both the shootout began

Sport

2 w. ago British photographer undergoes emergency surgery after being shot during LA protests

Nick Stern was documenting a stand-off between anti-Ice protesters and police when a 14mm ‘sponge bullet’ tore into his thigh

Events

2 w. ago British photographer, 60, is shot by police at LA riots and forced to undergo emergency surgery

Nick Stern, 60, from Hertford, had been taking pictures of a stand-off between protestors and armed police in the Californian city when a 14mm bullet pierced his thigh.

Events

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves in standoff over policing and council budgets days before spending review

Chancellor still at negotiating table on Sunday as Home Office demands more cash Rachel Reeves has been locked in a standoff over the policing and council budgets just days before this week’s spending review, which is set to give billions to the NHS, defence and technology.Yvette Cooper’s Home Office and Angela Rayner’s housing and local government ministry were the two departments still at the negotiating table on Sunday fighting for more cash, after weeks of trying to reach a settlement. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago A French police officer will stand trial over the killing of a teen that sparked nationwide riots

A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide for the killing of a 17-year-old of North African origins

Events

3 w. ago Defence chief slams 'shocking' images of smugglers picking up migrants like 'taxi'

Defence Secretary John Healey has pointed the finger at French authorities after 'shocking' images of migrants being picked up by smugglers 'like a taxi' to be brought to the UK

Events

3 w. ago Smuggler boats pick up Channel migrants ‘like taxi service’ while French police stand by, minister fumes

Labour’s John Healey hits out after small boats leave beaches near Calais – and authorities in France fail to intervene

Politics

3 w. ago Healey slams ‘shocking’ scenes of smugglers picking up migrants ‘like a taxi’

French police officers were seen watching as migrants, including children, boarded at a beach between Calais and Dunkirk.

Events

4 w. ago French police stand back and watch as migrant families including small children pack themselves onto small boats heading across the Channel to the UK

It is thought six migrant boats left France in the first attempt to cross the English Channel in days on Saturday.

Events

4 w. ago Lyons crime family boss pulls out of gang feud as cops turn up heat

The head of the Lyons family has ordered his men to stand down due to the number of people being arrested by Police Scotland in the last month.

Events