25 h. ago Fear, hope and loathing in Elon Musk’s new city: ‘It’s the wild, wild west and the future’

Starbase in Texas, where the world’s richest man has a rocket-launching facility, was incorporated this week. Mars obsessives are flocking there – but some long-term locals are far from happyAlong a flat coastal highway in south-east Texas, surrounded by wetlands and open plains, the artefacts of a new American oligarchy appear in quick succession. Three towering rockets stand upright on the horizon. A fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks speeds by. A large mural of the Shiba Inu “doge” dog stares ahead, its arms crossed. There is a 12ft-tall bust of the world’s richest person, painted in bronze, facing a dusty roadside. “ELON aka MemeLord”, a plaque beneath reads. It’s not exactly romantic poetry, but the whole scene reminds me of the sonnet by Shelley: “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”While old Ozymandias may have seen his fiefdoms crumble, Elon Musk’s empire is possibly only just beginning. Here in Cameron County, on the southern tip of the Lone Star state, where Google Maps prou...

Politics

5 d. ago Consumers to get more protection from ‘wild west’ of buy now, pay later products

Citizens Advice welcomed the legislation, saying it was ‘a crucial step towards better protections for consumers’.

Economics

5 d. ago Rangers has turned into Wild West ahead of California cavalry arriving and Ibrox needs peace treaty from culture war

Our man Hugh Keevins has his latest say on the current situation at Ibrox

Events

6 d. ago Bianca Censori shows off new look as she goes nearly topless in fishnet bra during wild outing with Kanye West

Bianca Censori debuted a sort of Jane of the Jungle look as she was spotted shopping with husband Kanye West on Saturday.

Politics

7 d. ago Creepy theme park abandoned after nuclear disaster looks like Wild West 'left to rot'

An intrepid traveller managed to locate an abandoned theme park in Japan – but appeared to take a huge step back in time and stumbled upon the US Wild West remade

Events

9 d. ago London Grammar's Hannah Reid: "The Music Industry Is Like the Wild West"

London Grammar's Hannah Reid: "The Music Industry Is Like the Wild West"  Esquire

Politics

1 week ago English Channel migrant boat blaze leaves one dead and seven injured when motor catches fire during crossing

Around 60 men, woman and children had to be rescued off the coast of northern France early this morning after a fire broke out on their boat.

Events

1 week ago Greek island of Zakynthos named most crowded resort in Europe

A new Which? Travel report on overtourism also cites Mallorca and Paris as destinations suffering from an influx of visitors, but some argue that bad behaviour is as much of a problem as numbersIn Great Yarmouth there are some signs of regeneration: the vast glass palace of the Winter Gardens is being refurbished and the ornate Cafe 1903 next to the historic Hippodrome is busy. But the bustling tourist industry of the Edwardian era is long gone. “When Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show came in 1903, the tent held 5,000,” says local historian Roger Silver. “A couple of years earlier the Bass Brewery brought 10,000 workers on a day trip from Burton upon Trent. It took 16 trains.”Coincidentally, that is the same number of visitors who poured into the Italian mountain village of Roccaraso (population 1,500) in January, drawn by the presence of Tik Tok influencer Rita de Crescenzo. But the similarities end there. The Yarmouth invasion received no complaints, while the residents of Roccaraso r...

Politics

2 w. ago Traitors star was on 'murder' cruise ship 'that was like Wild West'

James Messham, 60, died when a fight allegedly broke out aboard the MSC Virtuosa around 8.30pm last Saturday.

Events

2 w. ago ‘It’s like putting a whale in a blender’: the rise of deadly ship collisions in Chile

On average, five fatal whale strikes occur in the country’s waters each year, the highest in the world – and just a fraction of the total number killed, say researchersPhotographs by Francis PérezThe memory of a blue whale gliding past his small boat haunts Patricio Ortiz. A deep wound disfigured the crustacean’s giant body – a big chunk had been ripped from its dorsal fin. Cargo ships are the only adversary capable of inflicting such harm on a blue whale, he says.“Nothing can be done when they’re up against those floating monsters.” Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe review: why is it set in the Wild West?

Lola Shalam is strident, standout Juliet - but the production could do without those massive white hats and all that shouting

Politics

2 w. ago Martin Lewis issues urgent crypto scam warning costing victims dear: ‘It’s the Wild West’

Martin Lewis has issued an urgent crypto scam warning to the public after people continue to fall victim on social media.

Events

2 w. ago Mark Twain by Ron Chernow review – the story of America’s first literary celebrity, from the author of Hamilton

A definitive new biography takes in adventures on the Mississippi, racist stereotypes and get-rich-quick schemesIn his lifetime, Mark Twain was the greatest literary celebrity the world had ever known. In the US, he hobnobbed with presidents; on his many travels, he would dine privately with the German kaiser, the Austrian emperor, or the Prince of Wales. Visiting England to collect an honorary degree from Oxford University, he was cheered off his ship by the stevedores of the London docks, before making his way to Windsor Castle for tea with the king and queen.He was the bracing, irreverently humorous voice of America. Like Charles Dickens, whom he heard read from his own work in New York, he became a performer as well as an author. In London he was feted when he read passages from his travelogue of the Wild West, Roughing It. Everyone loved the “twang of his drawl”. He went on to take his work in progress, Huckleberry Finn, round more than 100 American towns and cities, earning ha...

Culture

2 w. ago Investigation after topless championship ace 'involved street brawl after pub row’

Footage appears to show Hull City captain, Lewie Coyle being led away from a traffic-stopping street brawl by his ex-boxer and teammate brother Rocco, with one witness likening the row to the 'Wild West'

Events

2 w. ago Topless Championship captain 'involved street brawl after pub row’ as club launch probe

Footage appears to show Hull City captain Lewie Coyle being led away from a traffic-stopping street brawl by his ex-boxer and teammate brother Rocco, with one witness likening the row to the 'Wild West'

Politics

3 w. ago Kanye West appears to come out as GAY in wild rant about Kim Kardashian and their kids

The 47-year-old, adorned in an all-black outfit and face mask, had been talking about not seeing his four kids that he shares with Kardashian, 44.

Politics

3 w. ago Kanye West comes out as GAY in wild rant about Kim Kardashian and their kids

The 47-year-old, adorned in an all-black outfit and face mask, had been talking about not seeing his four kids that he shares with Kardashian, 44.

Politics

3 w. ago Faye Tozer to play historical Wild West figure in Dita Von Teese show

The singer said the role feels ’empowering’.

Culture

3 w. ago Kanye West goes on wild rant over custody battle with Kim Kardashian during manic livestream

The Chicago native, 47, who has publicly clashed with ex-wife Kim Kardashian 44, about the co-parenting of their 11-year-old daughter, North.

Sport

3 w. ago The best holidays to book for June 2025, from coastal Corsica to train rides through Canada

Whether walking the wild west coast of Wales or holing up in the Lazio countryside, there’s jet-setting and staycations to boot at the start of the summer season

Politics