41 m. ago The 'stupid' joke that cost me £500MILLION: How 'King of the high street' lost his home, his company and almost his sanity with the quip his jewellery was 'total crap'

EXCLUSIVE: Gerald Ratner's company, Ratners Group, was the biggest jewellery retailer on earth, owning H. Samuel, Ernest Jones, Leslie Davis and even Watches of Switzerland.

Economics

7 h. ago SPOT THE DUPE: Which of these white suit looks totals £173, and which is nearly £3,200?

A white suit is a striking option for event dressing. But do you need to break the bank to perfect the trend? With more than £1,500 between these, we'll let you decide

Economics

8 h. ago How wedding guests are coping with rising costs: ‘the total will come to £3,000 this year’

As celebrations become more lavish, those invited face higher costs. Here’s how some people juggle spending and expectationsBy the time Layla had paid for flights, booked a hotel, bought a dress and contributed to the honeymoon fund, her friend’s wedding had cost her more than £1,600 – and it is just one of three she is attending this summer.With more couples planning bigger celebrations – often with multiple events, and with some away from home, guests are left footing ever bigger bills. Continue reading...

Economics

16 h. ago Sinaloa cartel hacked FBI phones to track and kill informants, US says

Cartel run by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán also made use of Mexico City surveillance cameras, DoJ report allegesA hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official’s phone records and use Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency’s informants in 2018, according to a new US justice department report.The incident was disclosed in a justice department inspector general’s audit of the FBI’s efforts to mitigate the effects of “ubiquitous technical surveillance”, a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago Sinaloa cartel hacked security cameras to track and kill FBI informants, US says

Hacker working for cartel run by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was also able to access phone records of an FBI legal attaché at the US embassy in Mexico CityA hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official’s phone records and use Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency’s informants in 2018, according to a new US justice department report.The incident was disclosed in a justice department inspector general’s audit of the FBI’s efforts to mitigate the effects of “ubiquitous technical surveillance”, a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data. Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago The Oasis effect: Bucket hats and Adidas are as ubiquitous at Glastonbury as an unsolicited cover of ‘Wonderwall’

Despite the Manchester rock band’s absence at Worthy Farm this year, Olivia Petter has spotted their fashion influence everywhere, from oversized vintage football tees to cargo shorts and sports trainers

Politics

28 h. ago Jeremy Clarkson makes huge business decision after 'total disaster' at his pub

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host has had a turbulent few months, with his Diddly Squat farm shop and pub businesses causing him a headache and a recent health scare that almost cost him his life

Events

28 h. ago Samira Wiley is revelatory in Intimate Apparel at Donmar Warehouse

Wiley totally inhabits the part of a spinster seamstress in Lynn Nottage’s portrait of 1905 New York

Events

28 h. ago Add to playlist: the year’s best electronic debut from Sheffield’s NZO, plus the week’s best tracks

The mysterious new artist’s thrillingly complete sound world is glitchily complex but beguilingly light on its feetFrom Sheffield, via LeedsRecommended if you like Mark Fell, Jlin, Beatrice DillonUp next Live set at No Bounds festival in OctoberIt’s thrilling and satisfying when an artist’s debut album is so fully realised: as if they have their own hyperlocal dialect, and are saying something genuinely new with it. So it is with NZO, a mysterious Sheffield-based electronic artist whose album Come Alive is a defibrillating jolt of vitality. You can find affinities with other artists and styles here, for sure: the bookish but playful minimalism of another Sheffield musician, Mark Fell; Objekt’s trickster vision for bass music and techno; the white-tiled cleanliness of some of Sophie’s work; Jlin’s paradoxically static funk. But the way it’s all pulled together is totally NZO’s, making for music that’s so light on its feet despite its incredible complexity. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago What does the UK spend on welfare – and how much will it rise?

Spending on pensioners accounts for nearly half of the total welfare budget.

Economics

29 h. ago Army report reveals minimal damage done to DC streets during Trump’s military parade

Pentagon also reveals attendance figures were a long way short of total claimed by White House

Events

29 h. ago British tourist visits Dubai charity shop and prices leave her totally floored

Deanne Bronsell was amazed to find a charity shop in Dubai with rails full of designer goods, including Prada, Ralph Lauren and Jimmy Choo - and she was stunned after spotting the price tags

Economics

30 h. ago This £179 garden parasol with speaker and lights is now just £69 on Wowcher

It’s the party-ready parasol that combines shade, sound, and style – and thanks to a Wowcher deal, it’s a total steal at just £69.

Economics

33 h. ago Local bus services in England still declining despite investment – report

National Audit Office questions viability of many routes, with half of all operator income from public subsidyLocal bus services in England have continued to decline despite attempts by successive governments to bolster investment in services, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report.The spending watchdog found that efforts to revive routes and attract more passengers had so far failed, with a 15% fall in the total miles operated by buses outside London since 2019 and passenger numbers still 9% below pre-Covid levels. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago Protesters blockade Palantir’s offices calling for an end to ‘totalitarian police surveillance’ as tech company aids ICE deportations

Six people were arrested in New York City in protests over the firm’s alleged work building a massive new surveillance apparatus for President Donald Trump

Events

38 h. ago Secret meanings behind how Gen Z use punctuation: Dashes, full stops and commas now stand for something totally different

For many young people around the globe, grammatical rules go out the window when messaging their friends and family on their phones.

Society

38 h. ago Diddy had ‘total control’ of criminal enterprise, prosecutors claim in mammoth closing arguments: ‘He doesn’t take no for an answer’

The mogul got away with committing crimes for two decades because of his ‘wealth, power and influence,’ the prosecutor argued

Events

44 h. ago Poll predicts Reform could win 13 seats in Greater Manchester – map shows where

Nigel Farage's party is prjected to win 271 seats in total

Politics

44 h. ago Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande among new invited film Academy members

The annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy also includes Andrew Scott, Gillian Anderson, Mikey Madison and Jason MomoaStephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande are among the names invited to join the film Academy in this year’s just announced list.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended the invite to 534 names this year, up from last year’s total of 487. Continue reading...

Events

49 h. ago Army reveals scale of damage done to DC streets following Trump’s military parade

Pentagon also reveals attendance figures were a long way short of total claimed by White House

Events