24 m. ago Pope Francis dies aged 88: Live updates and reaction as Vatican announces death of pontiff

MAILONLINE BLOG: Follow live updates as the Vatican announces the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.

Events

25 m. ago Pope Francis dead: Incredible life of pontiff who captured world's imagination with his passion

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, following a long asthmatic respiratory crisis, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and greater acceptance

Events

26 m. ago Pope Francis' cause of death after being hospitalised with double lung infection

The head of the Cathollic Church, Pope Francis, has died at the age of 88 just weeks after being realised from hospital with a near-fatal double lung infection

Events

32 m. ago Who will be the next Pope? We could see the first black or Asian Pontiff, or the cardinal who called same

After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the world is waiting to see who will succeed him, as the Cardinals gather in Rome for the Papal Conclave.

Politics

48 m. ago The Upper House, Hong Kong: Is this the best city hotel in the world?

This boutique bolthole was voted the world’s fifth best hotel, so does it live up to the hype? Joel Porter finds out

Society

48 m. ago Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert review – how pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves

The Pulitzer-nominated journalist recounts how modern misogyny has been shaped by a mass culture attuned to male desire and all-pervasive pornographyIn 2021, JD Vance told Fox News that senior Democrat women were just “childless cat ladies”, lacking cultural or social value compared with their married and procreating counterparts. When Taylor Swift looked down the barrel of this insult with a post on Instagram showing her posing with beloved feline Benjamin Button (from Time magazine’s photoshoot naming her 2023’s person of the year), she embraced the role of killjoy, rejecting Vance’s attempt to divide women. But even this gesture of defiance and solidarity was not enough to push back the red tide of misogyny and corruption: Trump was elected to a second term, the US was denied a female leader, and millions of women held their breath.When Sophie Gilbert, a Pulitzer-nominated journalist and critic at the Atlantic, was writing Girl on Girl, the 2025 Trump administration was just a wo...

Politics

48 m. ago Cloud review – bizarre internet action thriller descends into hail of bullets

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s baffling crime farrago follows a cyber fraudster pursued by an angry gang of disappointed shoppersHere to prove once again that movies about internet crime can so easily unravel into implausible silliness is that otherwise estimable Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who has written and directed a bizarre, baffling action thriller based on the (initially interesting) idea of an online retail entrepreneur ripping off his customers and suppliers – who then seek revenge.Masaki Suda plays Ryôsuke, a guy in the rackety business of buying in bulk and selling the items individually online at a retail markup. Some of the things he buys are fake designer items, which he markets as genuine. But some are perfectly legal: collectible action figures and the like which are advertised entirely honestly. At the beginning we see him ruthlessly buying “therapy devices” from a medical business that has gone bust and then exploitatively putting them up for sale. (But wait. Even if w...

Politics

2 h. ago Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman review – don’t just stand there, do something

An altruistic companion to Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks aims to encourage anyone with a conscience to stop being a spectatorMany years ago there was a BBC children’s TV programme called Why Don’t You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead?. Its aim was to encourage kids to spending their summer holidays helping grannies across the street or litter-picking rather than lying on the sofa filling their faces with cheese puffs. If I’m anything to go by, it didn’t work.Moral Ambition is Why Don’t You? for grownups, written by a Dutch historian but deploying psychologically sophisticated nudge techniques, shaming devices and a hectoring imperative mood to encourage clever if spiritually bankrupt people like you (no offence) to do something beyond making mortgage payments by means of a job you hate. Don’t you realise that the average worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job and, judging by the look of you (again, no offence), 79,999 of th...

Politics

2 h. ago Neirud review – a mysterious family relationship that unravels Brazil’s complex social fabric

Film-maker Fernanda Faya weaves together a loving homage to her circus performer grandmother and her elusive companionBuried secrets bubble to the surface in Brazilian film-maker Fernanda Faya’s tender and searching documentary, which seeks to disentangle the hidden knots of her fascinating family tree. The film opens with lovingly recorded home videos of various gatherings, including her childhood birthday celebrations, the only time of the year when her paternal grandmother, Nelly, would visit. A formidable woman of Roma ancestry, Nelly came from a long line of skilled circus performers, an illustrious ancestry that ended when Faya’s father did not join the family business.One particular aspect long eluded Faya: Nelly was always seen with woman called Neirud, whom Faya called aunt, but their actual relationship was a mystery; when Neirud died, her house was emptied of all personal photos and keepsakes. Through meticulous research, Faya gradually uncovered Neirud’s story. A Black w...

Politics

2 h. ago Katherine Ryan performs scientific tests on comedians: podcasts of the week

The acid-tongued host is joined by other funny folks to work out their biological age. Plus, Kirk Flash explores the globe’s most exciting music scenes Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Murder on Line One review: Another British broadcaster hops on the whodunnit bandwagon

For many, the words “the first in a new murder mystery series from Jeremy Vine” will feel more like a threat than a promise. Ever since Richard Osman’s monster hit The Thursday Murder Club five years ago, there has been a barrage of crime novels written by British broadcasters — Robert Peston (ITV), Richard Madeley (ITV), Stig Abell (Times Radio), Richard Coles (Radio 4), to name but a few. Yet Vine (Radio 2, Channel 5) can be forgiven for jumping on the bandwagon. In a niche but growing sub-genre, his small-town whodunnit, Murder on Line One, is one of the better offerings.

Events

4 h. ago ‘It was very difficult to hold on to’: are Michelin stars a blessing

The esteemed restaurant guide has struggled to stay relevant, with some leading chefs even barring reviewers or asking for their stars to be removed. Is this the end of fine dining?Time was, the ultimate honour for any ambitious chef was to gain a Michelin star or two. Better still, three. But these days, the world of fine dining is in a state of flux. Far from going to any lengths to schmooze critics or diners, restaurateurs are taking them on, from publicly berating customers who don’t spend enough to ejecting anyone who even threatens to leave an unfavourable review.Nowhere is this gear change more noticeable than in attitudes towards the esteemed “red book”, the Michelin Guide. Last October, Giglio, a restaurant in the Italian town of Lucca, asked for its star to be removed from the guide. It had become a burden, according to co-owner, Benedetto Rullo. Many diners were deterred by the prospect of “fussy” food and a formal atmosphere. “One should be able to go to a fine restauran...

Politics

4 h. ago A ‘strange dance’: media mogul Saad Mohseni on making TV under the Taliban

Once dubbed the ‘Afghan Rupert Murdoch’, Mohseni’s media business was founded after the fall of the Taliban and is now navigating their returnSaad Mohseni wants more female faces on his Afghan TV channel. He hopes he might get a deal with the Taliban for him to air a historical drama – in which all the women have been through the menopause.“If a woman menstruates, [the showing of an uncovered female face] is haram [forbidden], right?” Mohseni said. “But as soon as they go through, you know, menopause, then you can have them uncovered. It’s ridiculous, it’s so offensive. So now we try to negotiate with [the Taliban] to do a soap opera that’s going to have these women over the age of 50. We have to try.” Continue reading...

Culture

5 h. ago Funnyman Craig Ferguson swaps £4m Scots castle for a swish New York apartment

His 13-bedroomed Cassillis estate in Ayrshire was snapped up in weeks after going on the market for offers in excess of £3.95million.

Economics

6 h. ago Family affair! Nicole Kidman stuns in floral gown as she celebrates Easter with sister Antonia and glamorous niece Lucia in Nashville

Nicole Kidman marked Easter in the most elegant fashion this year, joining her sister Antonia Kidman and glamorous niece Lucia Hawley for a stunning family celebration in Nashville, Tennessee.

Society

6 h. ago Greg Larsen: Geggy review – a very funny standup on why he’s quitting comedy

Melbourne international comedy festival, then SydneyAssured performer leads a chaotic journey through his career’s highs and lows – and the decisions that led him to a McDonald’s drive thru Greg Larsen is broke. Having his card declined at a McDonald’s drive thru just weeks before this year’s Melbourne international comedy festival was a watershed moment for him. He is 41. He’s been performing comedy for more than a decade. This, he says, is his last festival show. He’s done.Geggy is his swan song, a chaotic journey through his career’s highs and lows and the decisions that led him to that drive thru. For those who have followed Larsen’s career, this show is a treat, offering a hilarious insight into the chaos behind the scenes of the various projects he’s been involved in. It includes a cast of others who rose through the circuit with him, many of whom are doing pretty well for themselves, including Larsen’s early collaborator Sam Campbell.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown...

Politics

8 h. ago DOMINIC LAWSON: For all the scientists' new efforts to talk to the animals, I don't think humans will ever be speaking Dolphinese

Like millions of Britons of a certain age, my childhood was made more joyous by Johnny Morris, the presenter of the TV programme Animal Magic.

Science

8 h. ago Millions at risk of being left without student loans and having personal data exposed to hackers as minister orders urgent review

IT systems at the Student Loans Company are said to be at risk of 'critical collapse' due to out-of-date technology, according to government sources.

Politics

16 h. ago Neighbours star Madeleine West gives birth to 'utterly perfect' seventh child

Actress Madeleine West has welcomed her seventh child at the age of 47 as she shared an adorable first look at her baby with fans and gushed they are 'utterly perfect'

Politics

16 h. ago The Greater Manchester darts club that kids are quitting football for

"He thinks it’s too much pressure at such a young age and he finds darts more relaxing."

Sport