86 m. ago ‘Normal’ Cole Palmer assumes control of Chelsea’s attack from No 10

Modest 23-year-old still does not understand the fuss around him as he prepares to face Flamengo in the Club World CupCole Palmer sees himself as a normal kid. Strangers watch him with something close to fascination, though. What’s going on beneath the chilled exterior? The shrugging demeanour adds to the mystique. Kids copy the Chelsea attacker’s “cold” celebration. Interviewers walk away amused but bemused after spending time with him. What’s the story with those answers? Why are they all so short and sweet?The Philadelphia sun is beating down when Palmer mooches over for a quick chat at Subaru Park, where Chelsea are training before facing Flamengo in their second game at the Club World Cup on Friday. So, Cole, can you tell us why you walked out wearing a mask when the team plane landed in the US last week? Are you ill? Enzo Maresca, your manager, thinks you were playing a trick on everyone. Continue reading...

Events

86 m. ago ‘No one is immune to grief’: the team turning A Single Man into a sexy, grimy, heartbreaking ballet

Musician John Grant was blown away by Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, finding deep resonances in its tale of gay love and loss. Now, he’s put songs to choreographer Jonathan Watkins’s new dance adaptation“I can’t believe that somehow I was able to make it all the way to the age of 55 without having read that book!” says American singer-songwriter John Grant. “It’s a transformative book. I was just completely blown away by it; I’ve been trying to get everybody that I’ve ever met to read it.”The book Grant is telling me about, enthusing from his sofa at home in Reykjavík, is Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, published in 1964, turned into 2009’s most stylish film by first-time director Tom Ford, starring Colin Firth, and now about to be a ballet, premiering at this year’s Manchester international festival. Grant, the former Czars frontman and now an acclaimed solo artist (with albums including Pale Green Ghosts and his latest, The Art of...

Politics

95 m. ago Met Office weather maps shows how hot it will be in Manchester today as UK heatwave hits

The heatwave continues in Greater Manchester this week

Society

2 h. ago I was pressured into calling myself a lesbian. This is the truth about me and Chris Hughes: In her only interview JO JO SIWA reveals what REALLY happened after Celebrity Big Brother

She was a US child dance sensation who'd made millions by her teens - but now JOJO SIWA is making headlines for her unlikely romance with a British Love Island star.

Events

2 h. ago In Uganda, a tougher bicycle offers hope for better health coverage in rural areas

Roads in parts of rural Uganda can be rough in dry weather and a churn of mud in wet

Politics

2 h. 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

2 h. ago Penthouses with a private terrace for sale in England and Scotland – in pictures

From an historic building in the heart of the city to a seaside complex inspired by an ocean liner Continue reading...

Economics

2 h. ago Airdrie friends spread love of football and God to the Vatican in Rome with The Caritas Cup

Cup was founded five years ago by school pals Adam Costello, Aiden Paterson, Bailey Gallagher and Daniel Timoney, who all attended St Margaret’s High.

Politics

3 h. ago Wales breaking news plus weather and traffic updates (Friday, June 20)

All of the latest news from across Wales and further afield

Politics

3 h. ago Experts warn water levels could ‘deteriorate quickly’ despite recent wet weather

Farmers, distilleries and industry urged not to wait until situation reaches “crisis point” to start using water more efficiently

Events

4 h. ago UK weather: Exact date showers bring relief to Brits after sweltering 32C heatwave

After a warm week and weekend, temperatures are set to become cooler next week - and some parts of the country could even experience some rain, according to BBC Weather

Society

4 h. ago Victims of illegal puppy trader open up on heartbreak of desperate attempt to save dogs

New owners fell in love with defenceless pups and were immediately faced with a desperate fight for life - and huge vet bills.

Events

7 h. ago Heartbreak and troubles abound in this week's literary fiction: The Scrapbook by Heather Clark, Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski, The Mobius Book by Catherine Lacey

Featuring unsure lovers in post-war Germany, a sexy, summer romance reuniting two young female lovers and a high-concept memoir that literally turns itself upside down.

Events

7 h. ago 'Unspoilt' UK seaside town overshadowed by posh resort just 6 miles away

This charming UK seaside town, with a population of just 7,000, is a true melting pot of lush countryside, rugged mountains, and turquoise waters - but most tourists don't even know it exists

Politics

7 h. ago JoJo Siwa gushes over boyfriend Chris Hughes and quips they've already discussed marriage as she admits she 'wishes he was with her' after she flew home to the US

The Dance Moms star, 22, is back in America after spending two weeks with the Love Island star at his home in the UK, where the pair finally confirmed their romance following weeks of speculation.

Politics

7 h. ago I'm not ashamed of reading troll paradise Tattle. It exposes grifting influencers and their hypocrisy... I'll be bereft if it shuts down: CLAUDIA CONNELL

Given my experience of trolling, you might expect that the news the man behind gossip forum Tattle Life has been sued for defamation would bring a smile to my face. Not so. I, in fact, love Tattle.

Politics

7 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia ‘on verge of recession’, Putin minister tells economic showcase

Drone attacks on Kharkiv and Odesa; don’t forget about Ukraine because of Iran-Israel fighting, say Kyiv officials. What we know on day 1,213 Vladimir Putin’s economy minister has warned that Russia is “on the verge” of recession as he spoke on the second day of a signature event meant to bolster economic confidence. The minister, Maxim Reshetnikov, said at the St Petersburg economic forum that his view was based on “current business sentiment and indicators” pointing to a slowdown. “Everything else depends on our decisions,” Reshetnikov said, calling for the central bank to show a “little love for the economy”.Russia’s central bank raised interest rates to an eye-watering 21% in October 2024 to combat inflation and kept them at that level until this month when it eased them to 20%. Russia’s economic growth slowed to 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest quarterly figure in two years. Prices are rising across the economy driven up by massive government spending ...

Politics

8 h. ago Canadian rescuers rush to a remote part of Banff park following reports that a rock slide hit hikers

Rescue crews, police and paramedics scrambled to a remote Canadian Rocky Mountain region of Banff National Park amid reports that a group of hikers were hit by a rock slide, causing possible injuries and deaths

Events

8 h. ago Lee Ryan's colourful love life: From celebrity engagements to explosive love triangles, a secret love child and even a threesome with bandmate Duncan James

He's just announced he is set to become a father for the sixth time, as he prepares to welcome his fourth child with his now wife Verity Paris. 

Society

8 h. ago Intimacy by Ita O'Brien: How Normal People can have great sex

by intimacy coordinator to the stars Ita O'Brien, who says making love should be more like a tapas menu than a three-course meal!

Politics