43 m. ago Intervision Song Contest: why Russia is reviving its ‘cultural counterweight’ to Eurovision

Conceived in 1960s Czechoslovakia, Vladimir Putin ordered the competition’s return and the US has now confirmed its participation – is this domestic theatre or international outreach?When singer-songwriter B Howard takes to the stage in Moscow this month, he’ll be making history. On 20 September the Los Angeles-born artist will be the first to represent the US at Russia’s revived Intervision Song Contest, a cultural spectacle that manages to be both nostalgic throwback and very modern geopolitical manoeuvre. While Eurovision has famously stretched its geographic boundaries to include Australia, Russia’s alternative contest represents a rather different kind of international outreach.Russia dusting off the Intervision brand, largely dormant since 1980 apart from a brief reprise in 2008, follows the country’s exclusion from Eurovision since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its expulsion cut off access to a platform that – while often mocked by British audiences – had served...

Culture

2 h. ago Gardeners can get glorious spring blooms by planting perennials in September

September is the perfect time to start planting these gorgeous perennial flowers which will blossom in spring and keep coming back to your garden year after year

Politics

2 h. ago Man Utd news: Ruben Amorim dealt fresh injury blow as Benjamin Sesko explains slow start

Ruben Amorim led Manchester United to their first win of the season at the end of August but the head coach still has work to do ahead of September's derby away to Manchester City

Economics

2 h. ago LAURA CRAIK: Giorgio Armani was the colossus of the fashion world who ruled the red carpet... but never courted the limelight himself

LAURA CRAIK: Giorgio Armani, who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family aged 91, was a colossus of the fashion world.

Events

4 h. ago Furious family left unable to use their back garden for three years after developer puts up scaffolding and then stonewalls them

Husband and wife Adi Bhargava and Sugandha Rana, who live with their four-year-old daughter in Ealing, west London , were first approached by Naman Pathak, in March 2022.

Politics

5 h. ago SQA staff balloted on industrial action after ‘unacceptable’ pay offer

The ballot will run until September 25, with the Unite union saying it will include staff at all grades and in all job roles.

Politics

5 h. ago I don’t want childen. Is it hypocritical to not be forthright about this soon after meeting someone? | Leading questions

Not wanting kids isn’t especially unusual, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. It might help to frame the conversation as what you’re saying yes to rather than what you’re refusingRead more Leading questionsI know that I don’t want to have any children, and that to not offer this up early in any relationship would make me a hypocrite. But I have become convinced that the reason I never meet anyone is because I am forthright about my opinion about children. How can I meet someone without having to be a liar or a hypocrite?Eleanor says: If it’s your job to figure out when to share this, it’s also a partner’s job to figure out when to ask. Wanting kids isn’t like monogamy or working for a living, where until instructed otherwise people can basically assume that’s your plan. More people than ever are deciding they don’t want kids. The fact that you’re one of them is not shocking, confronting or even especially unusual. If that’s a dealbreaker for a partner, they need to share ...

Politics

7 h. ago Hydrangeas will be 'stronger' after winter if a simple task is done in September

Hydrangeas are perfect for British gardens as they can survive cold winters and one simple task can help to ensure you get plenty of flowers next year

Politics

7 h. ago The Golden Bachelor season two: Meet the 23 women — all but one over the age of 60 — who will compete for Mel Owens’ heart

The new season will premiere September 24 on ABC

Politics

7 h. ago Trump set to host US tech leaders at Rose Garden – minus Elon Musk

Tesla CEO’s absence is marked departure from his constant presence at the White House in early days of Trump 2.0When Donald Trump hosts leaders from the US’ biggest tech companies at a lavish Rose Garden dinner on Thursday night, there will be one notable absence. Elon Musk, once inseparable from Trump and a constant, contentious presence in the White House, will not be in attendance.The dinner, which will include Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, is exactly the type of event where Musk would have sat at Trump’s right hand only a few months ago. Instead, the Tesla CEO stated on his social media platform X that he was invited but could not make it. He said he planned to send a representative. He spent the day on X posting a familiar stream of attacks on immigration and trans people. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago Erupcja review – Charli xcx gives acting a trial run in shallow friendship drama

Toronto film festival: the star fails to make much of an impression in a slight and unpolished project filmed in Warsaw over the Brat summer of 2024The singer Charli xcx is, by her own admission, a workaholic – no sooner had she released Brat, the most dominant pop album and aesthetic of 2024, than she began work on its sequel, dropped just four months later. Insouciant and party-centric as her image may be, the pop star born Charlotte Aitchison is a sharp student of pop culture; she knows the audience demand for pop stars’ constant reinvention. The next career phase, it seems, is acting, with no less prodigiousness than music; the 33-year-old has seven films in the pipeline as a supporting or lead actor.Charli is neither the full star nor the anchor of Erupcja (Eruption), directed by Pete Ohs, but she will inevitably be the reason most English speakers hear of it. Filmed over a few weeks in Warsaw, Poland, in August 2024, in the heat of Brat summer, Erupcja seems, on paper, like a ...

Events

7 h. ago Ribbon cutting ceremony sees new butcher's shop officially open in East Calder

The business at J&R Veitch Garden Centre is currently recruiting staff

Politics

8 h. ago Screen Babble: our early The Great British Bake Off favourites

Screen Babble is back and devouring the new season of The Great British Bake Off

Politics

8 h. ago Homeowner ordered to tear down parts of huge garden decking structure

They had argued the decking had been there for at least 20 years but estate agent pictures suggested otherwise

Politics

9 h. ago EastEnders' Jacqueline Jossa reveals real reason behind Jake Wood's explosive return

EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders' Jacqueline Jossa and Jake Wood open up about the Branning on-screen dynamic as Jake returns to the BBC soap as Max Branning, admitting it will be 'electric' when all the Brannings are reunited

Events

10 h. ago 10K race held for more than 30 years blocked by council over 'one complaint' claim organisers

The Helena Tipping 10k - run in memory of a former runner - was due to take place in Wrexham on September 14 but has been cancelled amid a row between the organisers and the council

Politics

10 h. ago Expert reveals why your dog drags his bum along the carpet – and three top tips to help

You might have the cutest dog in the world, but there are still a few things you don’t want to watch them do. Luckily Star Paws columnist Catherine Lamb has some helpful advice

Politics

10 h. ago Giorgio Armani: The master of the power suit’s boldest celebrity looks from Julia Roberts to Adele

Italian fashion legend, who died aged 91, left an indelible mark on red carpets and runways alike

Politics

10 h. ago Comic Con brings cosplay fun to East Kilbride this September Weekend

The BGCP organised showcase will feature free meet and greet opportunities with your favourite comic book characters.

Politics

11 h. ago Trump snubs former first pal Musk by refusing him invite to White House tech summit

Meanwhile, Musks’s rivals from companies like Apple and OpenAI will join president for Rose Garden dinner after AI event

Politics