56 m. ago ‘Made for sex’: the hedonistic party palaces of New York’s Fire Island – and the blond bombshell who made them

It is a ‘queer Xanadu’, a sliver of sand where weekend-long revelling takes place in fabulous modernist beach-houses. As Fire Island gets its mojo back, we celebrate the Speedos-wearing architect who defined its lookPosters advertising a “bear weekend” cling to the utility poles on Fire Island, punctuating the wooden boardwalks that meander through a lush dune landscape of beach grass and pitch pine. It’s not a celebration of grizzlies, by the looks of the flyers, but of large bearded men in small swimming trunks, bobbing in the pools and sprawled on the sundecks of mid-century modernist homes. You might also find them frolicking in the bushes of this idyllic car-free island, a nature reserve of an unusual kind that stretches in a 30-mile sliver of sand off the coast of Long Island in New York.Over the last century, Fire Island Pines, as the central square-mile section of this sandy spit is known, has evolved into something of a queer Xanadu. Now counting about 600 homes, it is a pl...

Events

2 h. ago Drought fears in Europe amid reports May was world’s second hottest ever

Copernicus data shows month was 1.4C above estimated 1850-1900 average used to define pre-industrial levelIt has been an exceptionally dry spring in north-western Europe and the second warmest May ever globally, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).Countries across Europe, including the UK, have been hit by drought conditions in recent months, with water shortages feared unless significant rain comes this summer, and crop failures beginning to be reported by farmers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago How Blake's team won the first blow against Justin Baldoni... revealed by KATIE HIND

It was a girl's dinner in New York's Meatpacking district that revealed the identity of Blake Lively 's new A-list buddy.

Politics

4 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Deaths in Kharkiv as Russia continues strikes on civilian targets

Latest prisoner exchange includes Mariupol defenders; European Commission unveils 18th round of sanctions. What we know on day 1,204At least two people were killed and 28 injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday morning. “Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out in two districts of the city this night,” said the Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov. More than 15 apartments were on fire in a five-storey building and several houses were hit. Terekhov added “there may be people trapped under the rubble”.Separately the death toll rose to at least three with 13 wounded after Russia attacked Kyiv and Odesa with waves of drones and missiles early on Tuesday. The civilian targets hit included a maternity ward and a cathedral. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, voiced his frustration with Donald Trump by calling for “concrete actions” rather than “silence” after seven of the Ukrainian capital’s 10 districts were hit, writes Daniel ...

Events

5 h. ago Justin Bieber snaps at fan inquiring about his wellbeing in shock comment

Justin Bieber had a barbed response to a fan inquiring about his health in a shock social media comment.

Sport

6 h. ago Johnny Vegas' new show explores his ADHD diagnosis and how art became his 'saviour'

Comedian Johnny Vegas is set to star in a new two-part Channel 4 series, in which he gets to grips with his recent diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Politics

8 h. ago EastEnders fans 'rumble' Joel Marshall's real mum as Walford legend who is set for 'return'

EastEnders viewers are convinced that Joel Marshall is the secret son of a Walford icon - meaning he has more relatives on the Square than he originally thought

Politics

8 h. ago Fiona Harvey 'going blind' after mounting stress over Baby Reindeer lawsuit

Fiona Harvey, who is the inspiration behind Martha from Netflix's Baby Reindeer, has claimed she's going blind due to the mounting stress from the series

Politics

9 h. ago ‘It felt impossible’: McIlroy struggles in practice at Oakmont before US Open

Masters champion admits struggle with motivationBryson DeChambeau to renegotiate LIV deal in 2026For an example of how fiendishly difficult Oakmont may play in this, the 125th US Open, take the testimony of Rory McIlroy. The Masters champion visited the venue just outside Pittsburgh at the start of last week on a scouting mission. On Tuesday, he gave a grisly definition of what unfolded.“Last Monday felt impossible,” McIlroy said. “I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good, it didn’t feel like I played that badly. It’s much more benign right now than it was that Monday. They had the pins in dicey locations and greens were running at 15.5 [on the stimpmeter]. It was nearly impossible. This morning it was a little softer. The pins aren’t going to be on 3 or 4% slopes all the time. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Was Justin Baldoni lying about Ryan and Blake? Legal expert reveals what judge's dismissal of $400million lawsuit really means

Justin Baldoni's $400million countersuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed amid their ongoing It Ends With Us legal battle. 

Economics

10 h. ago Emma Raducanu ‘really feeling it’ at Queen’s as she eases into second round

The 22-year-old secured an emphatic 6-1 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa.

Politics

10 h. ago England v Senegal: men’s international football friendly – live

Updates from the 7.45pm BST kick-off at the City GroundLive scores | Read today’s Football Daily | And mail RobThis is a good piece from Jonathan Wilson on why Thomas Tuchell is so keen to have Jordan Henderson aroundThe details of Henderson’s performance against Andorra are largely irrelevant. Some players thrive against minnows, some struggle in a game very different from the high-level fixtures with which they are more familiar. How you play against Andorra is not going to determine whether you have a part in a potential World Cup-winning side. But one recovery run to stymie an Andorra counter after Dan Burn had lost possession caught the eye; Henderson, at least, was switched on. And it was after he was substituted after 63 minutes that England slipped into the individualism that so annoyed Tuchel.Henderson is a professional, the non-commissioned officer maintaining discipline and morale, ensuring the plan is followed and standards maintained. He has captained a team that won th...

Society

10 h. ago Why Cristiano Ronaldo's Club World Cup refusal is still a victory for Gianni Infantino

FIFA's president says the Club World Cup is the pinnacle of the game but absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the two defining players of the past 25 years, is now being framed as a major blow

Politics

11 h. ago Now it's Blake Lively's turn to squirm as compromising video resurfaces... and case against Justin Baldoni hits new snags

The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal the 'total victory' that Lively's legal team claimed this week is not as clear cut as it may seem.

Events

11 h. ago Donald Trump health fears surge as 'catheter' spotted during White House event

Donald Trump's health is once again the subject of speculation after some eagle-eyed social media users spotted a strange bulge in his pants leg while he was speaking in the White House's Rose Garden

Politics

11 h. ago Loose Women star says she 'always loathed it' as she slams ITV show over one major issue

One Loose Women icon has called out ITV bosses for enforcing one rule during her lengthy stint on the show which used to make her 'shudder'.

Culture

11 h. ago ‘Send me some money!’ My unforgettable encounters with the legendary Sly Stone

He went from the towering highs of the 60s and 70s, where he changed the face of music, to the shambolic lows of a decades-long addiction. But interviewing the music genius over the years showed me a man who was awed, revered and strangely shySly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82A trailblazer and icon of hope and painSly Stone – a life in picturesIn 2013, there didn’t seem much point in requesting an interview with Sly Stone. It was 31 years since he had released an album of new material, Ain’t But the One Way, which he had abandoned midway through, vanishing completely from the studio and leaving the producer Stewart Levine to patch together what he could. It was longer still since he had produced any music that was even vaguely close to the standard he had set himself in the late 60s and early 70s – a six-year period bookended by the release of the groundbreaking single Dance to the Music in 1967 and his last truly classic album, Fresh, in 1973 – when he could...

Politics

12 h. ago Queen's Club 2025: Emma Raducanu breezes through first round as Katie Boulter survives wobble

It was a strong day for the British contenders in South-West London

Politics

12 h. ago BBC axe Wimbledon pundit after being told to 'hang its head in shame'

Nick Kyrgios has been ruled out of Wimbledon due to injury and will not be part of the BBC's punditry team, with the Australian also snubbed by ESPN

Politics

12 h. ago Justin Baldoni furiously hits out at Blake Lively's 'false victory' as lawsuit axed

Actor Justin Baldoni has been locked in a legal battle with his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively as a judge dismissed his £294m defamation lawsuit against her

Society