57 m. ago Jac Morgan handed Lions start as Owen Farrell to captain final midweek match

Andy Farrell has named his team to face the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday

Politics

57 m. ago Two days less holiday? France is up in arms but my sympathy is limited

This small cutback is hardly a draconian austerity purge for a country that is broke. But the howls of outrage show a rational debate is unlikelyFrance is skint, but the French are in denial. To judge by the howls of outrage from the left and the hard right of the French political spectrum, you would think the prime minister, François Bayrou, had just taken a Javier Milei-style chainsaw to public services, announced Doge-style mass layoffs or imposed swingeing pay cuts.But it was Bayrou’s suggestion that the French should give up two of their 11 cherished public holidays – Easter Monday and 8 May, the anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe – and work instead to increase economic output and hence government revenue that provoked the anger.Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

Politics

57 m. ago ‘Robin Williams said: “I’ll buy the club!”’: how The Comic Strip set the UK comedy scene ablaze

It started in a strip joint and ended up bringing alternative comedy to our TV screens. Ahead of a new Edinburgh show, Peter Richardson tells us why his riotous creation still makes audiences laugh 40 years onIt was the moment comedy broke with sexism – yet it happened in a strip club. It was a fervour of free creative expression – yet it retained a commercial, careerist edge. It was one of the longest-running and most successful brands in UK comedy history – which few people could now recognise.At the Edinburgh fringe this summer, The Comic Strip Presents will be memorialised in a series of film screenings and Q&As with its creator and prime mover Peter Richardson. Richardson was the impresario behind the legendary comedy club The Comic Strip, which opened in 1980. When he and his star performers – Rik Mayall, Alexei Sayle, French and Saunders among them – created Channel 4’s The Comic Strip Presents a couple of years later, he could legitimately claim to be the man who brought...

Politics

65 m. ago ‘Everything here is just better’: Ellen DeGeneres confirms she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump

US comedian and Portia de Rossi have stayed in the UK since Trump’s re-election, and are considering getting married again in case the US overturns same-sex marriageEllen DeGeneres has confirmed that she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump, saying, “Everything here is just better”.At a conversation event on Sunday at Cheltenham’s Everyman theatre – the comedian’s first public appearance since leaving the US – broadcaster Richard Bacon asked DeGeneres if it was true Trump had spurred her decision to relocate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Stanley price matches Amazon with huge 40% off Quencher deal

The iconic Stanley Quencher is a celeb-loved favourite and it's currently at the cheapest price we've ever seen it in the UK

Economics

4 h. ago Liam Neeson jokes that his favourite part of making The Naked Gun was filming 'sex scenes' with co

Liam Neeson has joked that his favourite part of making The Naked Gun was filming 'the sex scenes' with his co-star Pamela Anderson.

Culture

5 h. ago Mum's 'new hell' of financial abuse after split from violent husband

Keira, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said her ex-husband started 'playing games with money' from day one after they split more than a decade ago

Events

9 h. ago 22 Kids and Counting's Noel Radford breaks down as viewers given stark warning

22 Kids and Counting star Noel Radford broke down in tears after an emotional revelation

Events

9 h. ago The Open 2025: Rory McIlroy lauds 'amazing' Scottie Scheffler after falling short at Portrush

Rory McIlroy expressed his admiration for Scottie Scheffler after the world number one denied him the chance of an emotional win in his home Open with a runaway victory at Royal Portrush.

Politics

9 h. ago Christie Brinkley details devastating heartbreak that 'nearly broke her'

Christie Brinkley revealed she was almost driven to tears while recording the audio version of her memoir, Uptown Girl, which recounted her four marriages and near-death experiences.

Politics

10 h. ago Asylum seekers caught making sex film in hotel room paid for by Brits

A Syrian man and a woman refugee were discovered getting ready to romp with sex toys and a camera on a tripod by a member of staff conducting an inspection at the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool

Events

10 h. ago World's oldest KFC worker who first started frying chicken in 1978 dies after more than four decades serving MILLIONS of drumsticks

Pauline Richards (pictured) has sadly passed away from cancer aged 74 after 47 years of dedicated service at the branch of the fast food chain in Taunton, Somerset.

Events

12 h. ago 'I started my own makeup brand at 65 designed with mature skin in mind'

"As we get older, our makeup needs change - from finding a foundation which gives enough coverage without looking heavy to eye makeup which stays put and doesn't end up looking messy"

Politics

12 h. ago Two seriously injured as car crashes into barn roof in Germany

Vehicle veered off road in Bohmte, hit a boy on a trampoline then catapulted into the air, police sayPolice in northwestern Germany said on Sunday that several people were injured when a car veered off a road, hit a seven-year-old boy on a trampoline and crashed into a barn roof on its side.Police said that the car first collided with a parked vehicle in the town of Bohmte, broke through a hedge and drove into a garden where it hit the boy. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago Tour de France 2025: Tim Wellens goes solo to win stage 15 amid Alaphilippe confusion – as it happened

The 34-year-old Belgian rider won his first-ever stage before Julian Alaphilippe, in third, crossed the line thinking he had won143km to go. The peloton is about one minute behind Pogacar’s group. A slightly chaotic start to stage 15 which has limited any breakaway threats.146km to go. The peloton is back together at the front, but there are some gaps further back. UAE Team radio has just been played on the broadcast requesting that Pogacar slow the front of the race as a Vingegaard was caught in the crash incident. It’s not clear whether or not the Dane was involved in the crash itself. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago 'Are they hoping he pops his clogs and it's buried and gone? It isn't gone for me'

Simon Byrne wants to see stricter processes in place for elderly sex offenders

Politics

13 h. ago Second safe haven built by The Independent for women fleeing domestic abuse now complete

After a hugely successful campaign - supported by readers, royalty and the PM - both safe houses can now offer a fresh start to families in need

Events

13 h. ago Essex migrant hotel charge: Man, 33, charged with violent disorder and criminal damage following clashes outside the Bell Hotel

Eight police officers were injured during what started as a peaceful protest at the Bell Hotel in Epping on Thursday evening.

Events

13 h. ago Tour de France 2025: Tim Wellens goes solo to win stage 15 amid Alaphilippe confusion – live

Rolling updates from 169km ride in south-east FranceStage-by-stage guide | And you can drop Tom a mail143km to go. The peloton is about one minute behind Pogacar’s group. A slightly chaotic start to stage 15 which has limited any breakaway threats.146km to go. The peloton is back together at the front, but there are some gaps further back. UAE Team radio has just been played on the broadcast requesting that Pogacar slow the front of the race as a Vingegaard was caught in the crash incident. It’s not clear whether or not the Dane was involved in the crash itself. Continue reading...

Society

13 h. ago Football disorder on the rise as police struggle to find resources to crush trouble

"Clubs need to start playing their fair share towards policing matches."

Events