6 h. ago Labour has denounced me as ‘deeply misleading’ on its planning reform. I wish that were true | George Monbiot

Even it now admits that brick by brick, these proposals will wreck habitats. This could be Starmer’s most damaging mistake yetThe precedent is uncanny, and the failure to learn from it downright mystifying. Keir Starmer is rushing gladly towards the catastrophe Boris Johnson inflicted on himself in 2020. Had he set out to stymie Labour’s chances of re-election, he couldn’t be doing it better.In 2020, Johnson promised “a whole new planning system” for England, which, he claimed, would promote “economic growth”. He said he wanted to see 300,000 new homes built every year. He sought to “build, build, build”, but falsely claimed that his plans were thwarted by newts, which he used as shorthand for environmental protections. He would sweep these protections away. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago UK energy suppliers pay out £7m after overcharging 34,000 customers

Ten energy suppliers overcharged customers with more than one electricity meter point between 2019 and 2024

Economics

7 d. ago ‘You were much better at the Electric Slide’ Bessent reveals to Waters they partied together years ago

Scott Bessent surprised Rep. Maxine Waters during a House committee hearing with the revelation that they had partied together years before in the Bahamas.

Politics

7 d. ago John Swinney trying to make Holyrood election about 'bogeyman' Nigel Farage

Anas Sarwar used a speech to tell Scots they faced a "stark choice" between Labour and the SNP at next year's Holyrood election.

Politics

8 d. ago There’s now fantasy football for the Conclave – here’s how to play

Fantapapa offers “eternal glory” to the winner, which gives Italians discouraged from betting on the new Pope’s election a gaming outlet

Sport

9 d. ago MOVIE REVIEW: Did we get stung watching thriller 'The Wasp?'

Electric leading duo but tight tale better suited to its stage origins.

Politics

1 week ago Anas Sarwar admits Labour government must go 'further and faster' to counter surge of Nigel Farage's Reform

Anas Sarwar has warned his Labour colleagues at Westminster need to better deliver on election promises to counter the surge of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Politics

1 week ago Play your cardinals right: Betting on next pope gains popularity ahead of the conclave

Growing numbers of people are making bets on next week’s conclave to elect the next pope

Culture

1 week ago Tory wipeout as Conservatives lose every single council and Labour is decimated... while Nigel Farage's Reform bags local election landslide

The Conservative Party has lost every council it was defending in the elections after it found itself squeezed between Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

Politics

1 week ago Alternative for Germany party classified as ‘extremist’ by intelligence agency

The move enables the agency to better monitor the party that came second in February's federal election

Politics

1 week ago 6 local election takeaways you missed from overnight as Nigel Farage gets huge win

From a full recount of votes at the Runcorn by-election to a blistering row between MPs on live TV, catch up on a dramatic night since polls closed for the local elections

Politics

2 w. ago Snake on a train line: Japan’s busiest bullet train route brought to a halt

Outage occurred between Maibara and Gifu-Hashima stations after the snake appeared to have climbed an electricity poleJapan’s busiest bullet train line was brought to a halt on Wednesday after a metre-long snake wrapped itself around a power line, shorting the electricity supply and stranding hundreds of passengers.Shinkansen trains running between Tokyo and Osaka were brought to a standstill by the snake, with news reports showing footage of people inside trains waiting for services to resume. Power did not appear to have been cut inside trains, with lights and air conditioning still functioning, according to passengers. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Vatican issues 'sede vacante' postage stamps valid until a new pope is elected

Vatican post offices and selected collectors’ shops started selling this week special stamps marking the period between Pope Francis' death and the election of his successor

Politics

2 w. ago Cocaine, corruption and bribes: the German port under siege by Europe’s criminal drug gangs

After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecutingIn Hamburg’s spring sunshine, 200,000-tonne cargo ships almost half a mile long, piled high with the same weight in shipping containers, are docked quayside along the Elbe River. Cranes slowly offload the metal boxes packed with everything from raw materials to food and electronics, and, in some, cocaine.Between 2018 and 2023 cocaine seizures rose by 750%, marking out Germany as another major European hub in the ever-expanding global trade. But the influx is not just ramping up addiction, it is also fuelling corruption in a country perceived as being one of the least corrupt in the world. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Thursday’s elections will be ‘tough’, PM admits as campaigning enters final week

The upcoming Runcorn and Helsby by-election will run alongside local elections and it is expected to be a tight contest between Labour and Reform UK.

Politics

2 w. ago 'If him punching someone has changed people's views of Labour, they were looking for excuses'

Residents of Runcorn and Helsby are set to go to the polls for a by-election in what is being seen as a close race between Reform UK and Labour

Politics

2 w. ago 'Everything has gone to pot in this place': On the streets of town after scandal

Residents of Runcorn and Helsby are set to go to the polls for a by-election in what is being seen as a close race between Reform UK and Labour

Politics

2 w. ago Digested week: Magic Circle and life in the Vatican return to our psyche

Disappearances of a school and handbag of head of Homeland Security past the Secret Service remain unexplainedI did what a lot of people did on hearing news of the death of Pope Francis on Monday: I watched Conclave. The Oscar nominated movie, adapted from the Robert Harris novel, unpacks the process of electing a new pope and between Sunday and Monday, it enjoyed a 283% surge in streaming figures. I’d like to say it deepened my understanding of life in the Vatican, but the truth is it just made me wish we could have Ralph Fiennes for pope, while reminding me – I’m not alone in this – that we’ve seen quite enough of Stanley Tucci for the time being. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Tories 'face losing 500 councillors' in local elections next week as Kemi Badenoch dismisses Robert Jenrick's hint at 'coalition' with Reform

Lord Robert Hayward, a Conservative peer and top pollster, said he expects the Tories to lose between 475 to 525 councillors at next Thursday's elections.

Politics

3 w. ago Welsh MS charged with betting offences pulls out of next Senedd election

MS Russell George said he will fight to clear his name

Politics