25 h. ago Xi steps up crackdown on press freedom in China: ‘Even moderate voices are being silenced’

Speaking to Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, the son of a jailed veteran state media journalist calls on US and European governments to pressure Beijing for his release

Politics

44 h. ago What drove gen Z protests that brought down governments and called out corruption? Five activists explain

We spoke to protesters in Togo, Kenya, Nepal, Madagascar and Morocco about how their actions helped shape the world in 2025Mass protests in Nepal and Madagascar toppled both governments this year, even when the young people at the forefront of the demonstrations were faced with heavily armed police and the threat of arrest.Many called 2025 the year of the protest although the revolution in Bangladesh in 2024 that unseated the authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina is often credited with inspiring young people to take to the streets across parts of Asia and Africa. Although not all achieved the change they wanted, from Sri Lanka to Timor-Leste they shared a common factor: gen Z was the driving force. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago UK government calls for Brits to 'mask up' as deadly virus 'sharply increasing' across country

With the increase in large socialising groups this festive season, health officials have suggested 'masking up' as the threat of seasonal flu continues to loom

Politics

4 d. ago Dozens of energy projects pushed through against local community wishes

Calls are now being made to abolish the government’s Energy Consents Unit.

Politics

4 d. ago No gels, no foams: Catalonia turns to grannies to teach traditional cooking

Region famed for molecular gastronomy begins video project to collect and share rustic recipesCatalonia’s avant garde chefs have made a name for themselves with their revolutionary techniques and molecular gastronomy, yet they are fond of saying they are merely paying homage to the simple dishes served at their grandmother’s table.Maybe so, but now the grannies have been given a chance to show off the real thing under a Catalan government initiative called Gastrosàvies. Continue reading...

Society

5 d. ago Conservative and Christian? US right champions psychedelic drugs

Texas governor among those to call for expanded access to ibogaine, said to help with treating veterans with PTSDFor half a century, psychedelics largely belonged to the cultural left: anti-war, anti-capitalist, suspicious of the church and state. Now, one of the most politically consequential psychedelic drugs in the US – ibogaine – is being championed by evangelical Christians, Republican governors, military veterans, and big tech billionaires.Many of them see ibogaine, an intense psychedelic derived from a central African rootbark, as a divine technology. In fact, some pointedly do not refer to it as a psychedelic, given the apparent baggage of the term in some circles. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Scottish Government calls on families impacted by youth suicide to help save lives

The government has asked to work with families to help them shape policy in order to save lives.

Politics

1 week ago Our bond of trust with patients is being undermined, Scottish GPs warn

The Royal College of General Practitioners called for continuity of care to be prioritised by the Scottish Government

Events

1 week ago Family of British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges call on British government to end 'stalemate'

The son of a British woman detained alongside her husband in Iran has called on the UK Government to 'come out and defend them'

Politics

1 week ago Pressure grows on DWP over ‘misleading’ response to carer’s allowance scandal

Senior officials face criticism after review found systemic failings plunged hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers into debtSenior officials who oversaw a flawed benefits system that plunged hundreds of thousands of carers into debt are under mounting pressure over their “misleading” response to the scandal.Prof Liz Sayce, the chair of a scathing review into the government’s treatment of unpaid carers, last week called for an overhaul of management and culture at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Keir Starmer’s callous answers on farm tax show why his government is failing

The Prime Minister’s response on being told farmers with terminal illnesses were considering end their lives early to avoid Labour’s new inheritance tax on farms showed a startling lack of empathy

Politics

2 w. ago Government to ‘consider’ ruling in response to calls to name Stakeknife

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the ruling on Wednesday had ‘wide-ranging implications’

Politics

2 w. ago Government responds to calls for major tax rule change for state pensioners

Almost 40,000 people have signed a petition calling for the tax free allowance for the state pension to be doubled

Politics

2 w. ago South Africa in talks with Russia over men ‘tricked’ into fighting in Ukraine

Government says it received distress calls, as daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma accused of luring men to frontlineSouth Africa’s government is in talks with Russia to bring home 17 South African men fighting for Russia in Ukraine, after the men were allegedly tricked on to the frontlines of the war by a daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma.Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been accused in multiple lawsuits of luring the 17 South African and two Botswanan men to Russia in July, by telling them they would be training as bodyguards for her father’s uMkhonto weSizwe political party or attending a personal development course. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Ministers to back regulation of England’s funeral industry after scandals

Demands for oversight grow after inquiry calls sector an ‘unregulated free for all’ and families seek stronger safeguardsMinisters are expected to back calls to regulate England’s funeral industry for the first time, after a series of scandals over the handling of remains.Bereaved families have called for a new investigatory body and rules governing professional qualifications after an official inquiry declared the sector an “unregulated free for all”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Son of serviceman killed in RAF Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash says families 'expect answers'

The latest questions come ahead of the families' meeting with government ministers on Tuesday amid growing calls for a fresh judge-led inquiry.

Events

2 w. ago Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he warned the Australian government calling for a Palestinian state 'encouraged antisemitism'

At least 11 people have been killed and 29 injured after two gunmen opened fire on a festival celebrating Hanukkah at around 6.40pm local time on Sunday.

Politics

2 w. ago Myanmar calls on countries to take back citizens held in crackdown on scam centers

Myanmar has called on foreign governments to take back their nationals who have been detained in a crackdown on scam hubs in eastern Kayin, state near the Thai border

Politics

2 w. ago Every police force to get rape probe teams as part of Shabana Mahmood's blitz on sex crimes in 'largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history'

Specialist rape and sex offences investigation teams will be set up in every police force in what the Government calls 'the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history'.

Events

2 w. ago Jamie Oliver claims nine out of ten free school breakfasts in Britain are 'unhealthy'

Mr Oliver, a long term campaigner for healthy food in schools, said noone was imposing standards on the food served and more should be done to do so.

Society