-
Burnham scrambles to revive stalling EU ‘reset’ bid in talks with Irish PM – as Brussels plays hardball on trade and youth free movement
Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Manchester to advance negotiations on deeper UK-EU relations, a bid that has been struggling amid rigid demands from Brussels. The meeting aims to revive momentum for a planned EU-UK summit, currently targeted for later this year after being delayed from July, with the goal…
-
Empress Of: Dream House review – a tender and openhearted rebirth after wildfires razed her house
Lorely Rodriguez, recording as Empress Of, has released her fifth album Dream House, written in the aftermath of her family home burning down during the 2025 California wildfires. The album explores both the literal rebuilding of her physical home and the more metaphorical question of what it means to feel at home emotionally. Despite the…
-
Revealed: The popular children’s yoghurts that contain dangerous amounts of sugar – with Nestle’s Smarties Vanilla Split Pot at the top of the list
Action on Salt & Sugar has analysed 104 popular yoghurts sold in UK supermarkets and found that most contain dangerous levels of sugar. Of the yoghurts examined, only two were low in total sugars, raising concerns for parents who purchase these products assuming they are nutritious options for their children. The research highlights a discrepancy…
-
Todd Boehly exits Chelsea diminished after having his fingers burned
Todd Boehly has left Chelsea after Clearlake Capital bought out his and Mark Walter’s shares, but the change is unlikely to affect the club’s daily running because Clearlake was already the dominant force. His departure nevertheless highlights the breakdown of the ownership partnership and could have implications for major decisions such as Stamford Bridge’s future.…
-
‘I toured with a hole in my brain. I don’t regret a thing’: punk duo Lambrini Girls on fighting extreme times with extreme measures
British punk duo Lambrini Girls have announced their second album, No Refunds, following a period where the band faced health challenges that required one member to step back from touring. The Brighton-formed band, who emerged in 2019, have achieved notable commercial and critical success with their debut album charting at number 16 in January 2025…
-
Iron review – a real-life mother and daughter add extra dimension to prison drama
Rona Munro’s 2002 prison drama “Iron” is being revived with real-life mother and daughter Christine and Lois Mackie playing the central roles. The play explores a fractured relationship between Fay, a lifer imprisoned for murder, and Josie, her daughter who has not seen her in 15 years and has become an estranged, career-focused woman. Through…
-
Russians begin voting in staged election Putin is guaranteed to win – with parties that support his war the only ones allowed to enter
Russia began a three-day parliamentary election on Friday, with polling stations opening first in the Far East before progressing through the country’s eleven time zones. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is all but certain to win the vote for the 450 Duma seats, the first such election since the invasion of Ukraine in February…
-
No Land to Stand On by Mahmoud Khalil review – a searing account of political imprisonment
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-American Columbia University student and green card holder, was detained by US immigration authorities for 104 days in 2025 after advocating for pro-Palestinian causes on campus. The book review presents his detention as emblematic of the Trump administration’s authoritarian approach to immigration enforcement and suppression of political speech, with no criminal charges…
-
Paul, John… and Yvonne? The French novelist asking: what if a woman had written the Beatles’ greatest hits?
Celebrated French thriller writer Michel Bussi has released a new novel, Code Yesterday, which imagines that all the Beatles’ greatest hits were actually written by a French-born woman named Yvonne McKenzie. The fictional premise serves as a commentary on the historical exclusion of women from classic rock music and songwriting, with Bussi noting that he…
-
Best of the Best review – college comedy formula gets a Bollywood makeover
Netflix comedy *Best of the Best* follows two lifelong friends who join rival Bollywood dance groups at UCLA and compete in a college dance contest. Although its storyline and characters closely follow familiar campus-comedy conventions, the film stands out for its rapid-fire humour, energetic direction and inventive choreography. Maya and Anjali, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan…