15 h. ago ‘On a peak under a blue sky’: the joy of summer in Europe’s mountains

Our writer recalls his favourite mountain experiences, from hard-won views to splendid isolation and the comforts of simple refugesAfter a tough scramble to the summit of Rhinog Fach, we look down into the deep valley holding the chilly waters of Llyn Hywel, then west across several miles of heather, bilberry and bare rock to the Welsh coast. Turning my gaze north, there is the entire Llyn peninsula leading east to the peak of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), no doubt weighed down by thousands of visitors. Up here there are just two of us in an utterly peaceful landscape. No clouds on the horizon. No surprises.I lie down for a few minutes and feel myself drift off. There are no human voices to be heard, only birds. Summer has come early to these mountains and I wouldn’t be anywhere else, drinking in that particular kind of tranquillity to be found on a peak under a blue sky. Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago Zoe Ball lands surprising new TV project with dad and son after BBC Radio 2 Breakfast exit

The broadcaster, 54, left the BBC radio programme last December

Politics

59 h. ago Warren Gatland and Owen Farrell land Lions roles alongside Welsh legends

The TV line-up for the Lions' first game against Argentina has been announced as well as for the summer tour to Australia

Events

60 h. ago Owen Farrell to join Sky Sports for Lions series as pundits revealed

Former Lions coaches Warren Gatland and Ian McGeechan will also be part of the team

Politics

4 d. ago How to Train Your Dragon review – faithful yet utterly soulless remake

DreamWorks tries to find success with the Disney live-action remake template but falls shortIt was only a matter of time before DreamWorks jumped on the lucrative live-action remake bandwagon with its soulless new How to Train Your Dragon. Disney has been playing this cynical game since 1994 – releasing their Jungle Book remake (the one starring Jason Scott Lee) the same year DreamWorks was founded – and striking gold with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010), which arrived in theatres just weeks before the original How To Train Your Dragon landed.It also comes as no surprise that DreamWorks moved with Night Fury speed to revisit a movie that’s only 15 years old. As the recent Lilo & Stitch proved, there’s plenty box office gold to mine from introducing new children to a young and beloved property, while banking on the nostalgia that a generation without fully formed frontal lobes would carry for the not-so-distant animated films and TV spinoffs they were weaned on. Continue ...

Politics

8 d. ago Stuart Broad to help out South Africa bowlers but not interested in coaching job

Broad will join the Proteas as a consultant for one day ahead of their World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.

Politics

1 week ago Inside Billie Piper's career resurgence as she lands string of lucrative new roles including surprise Doctor Who return

Now, with Billie, 42, confirmed to be returning to Doctor Who, her career is looking brighter than ever, with a string of lucrative new roles in the pipeline.

Science

2 w. ago Warren Gatland gives first interview after taking shock new job and reveals who he spoke to about it

The Kiwi coach says he's been impressed by the standard of talent so far

Events

2 w. ago The real reason Warren Gatland took shock job in Uruguay as fee details emerge

The former Wales head coach has taken on an advisory role with Uruguayan club side Peñarol Rugby

Events

2 w. ago Warren Gatland lands surprise new job in South America three months after Wales sacking

Former Wales boss Warren Gatland has found himself work in Uruguay and will head to South America to serve as an advisory following his sacking during the Six Nations

Events

2 w. ago Warren Gatland's shock new job confirmed in overnight announcement as club reveal how it happened

The former Wales head coach has landed a new role three months after he stepped down during the Six Nations

Events

2 w. ago Desperate hunt for missing British backpacker: Woman spent a month living on the streets in South America after being violently robbed of her passport and all her money

Hannah Almond, 32, a fashion graduate from Grimsby, was left stranded, penniless and unable to contact her family after the attack, with all her remaining belongings torched by local thugs.

Events

2 w. ago Warren Gatland to take on shock coaching role as reports emerge

The New Zealander has reportedly agreed to take on a surprising new role three months after leaving Wales

Events

2 w. ago Judge questions whether laws for landlords are strict enough after jailing cannabis gardener

The judge said he and his fellow judges were surprised police did not 'more vigorously' investigate landlords of properties being used as cannabis plantations

Events

2 w. ago Stacey Dooley takes baby daughter Minnie to a brothel as she reveals prostitutes' response

Stacey Dooley opened up about the locations she took her baby to while filming a documentary in America when Minnie was eight months old

Politics

3 w. ago Form star Warren Gatland never rated gets second chance and is now in straight Wales shootout

Johnny Williams' international career has been reignited

Events

3 w. ago Lando Norris says ‘complicated’ Monaco Grand Prix could provide surprise winner

The FIA has opted to impose a minimum two pit stops for this year’s race.

Sport

3 w. ago On the road to somewhere Cannes film festival reminds us world cinema and ‘globalism’ are not the same

It might look like a platform for the films ‘produced in foreign lands’ that Donald Trump despises. But a surprising number of pictures at this year’s festival side with the locally rooted over cosmopolitan elitesIf Donald Trump really wants to save Hollywood, maybe he needs to venture outside his comfort zone and watch more European art house cinema.The Cannes film festival, which closes on Saturday, is in many ways the very definition of the “globalism” that the American president’s Maga movement despises. Walk past the queues snaking alongside the Palais des Festivals and you hear languages and accents from every corner of the globe. The Marché du Film, where industry professionals strike their deals, is brimming with smart people from all over the world beckoning US producers with irresistible tax incentives – resulting in the kind of movies “produced in foreign lands” that the US president earlier this month proposed punishing with 100% tariffs. At the opening gala, Cannes gave...

Culture

3 w. ago The Traitors star flooded with support as he lands surprising new role on BBC's Morning Live

He found fame on The Traitors but now has a very different role.

Events

3 w. ago Matt Sherratt returns as interim coach as Wales confirm squad for Japan tour

Cardiff coach Sherratt oversaw the final three games of the Six Nations and will resume duties as the search for Warren Gatland’s permanent successor goes on

Politics