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Aditya Chakrabortty and Yanis Varoufakis dissect democracy: best podcasts of the week
This week’s podcast recommendations feature five shows exploring politics, history, family dynamics, social justice and pop culture. – Aditya Chakrabortty interviews former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis about democracy and UK politics in an entertaining new weekly show. – A University of Leeds series explores the life and works of 19th-century poet John Nicholson, known…
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Environmental groups critical of housing levy idea
The government wants to pilot a new nature levy in central Norfolk and parts of the Broads, requiring housing developers to contribute to conservation projects. The plan is intended to allow thousands of homes to be built despite river protection rules, while funding work to improve habitats and offset pollution from new developments. Environmental groups…
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Reggie McFadden, ’90s Comedy Star of ‘In Living Color’ and ‘Def Comedy Jam,’ Dies at 57 in Tanzania
Reggie McFadden, a prominent American comedian and actor from the 1990s television scene, has died at age 57 in Tanzania, the U.S. State Department confirmed to his family. His death marks the end of a career spanning multiple decades in entertainment, from stand-up comedy to acting roles across television and film. Born in Brooklyn in…
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Former SAS Officers Break Silence on IRA Operations, Reviving ‘Shoot-to-Kill’ Policy Debate
Fifteen former SAS soldiers and intelligence officers have publicly disclosed accounts of covert operations against the IRA during the Northern Ireland conflict for the first time, with their testimonies featured in a ne
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France to close up to 500 schools amid student unrest
Up to 500 French schools will be partially or totally closed on Monday following violent clashes between riot police and student protesters demanding educational reforms. The demonstrations, which began last week and have spread from Paris to cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille, are driven by student grievances over insufficient teachers, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating…
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Labour hits 30 per cent as school nurses crisis deepens
Labour’s support has surged to 30 per cent, its highest Opinium rating since 2024, following Andy Burnham’s conference speech. A King’s Fund report warns of sharp declines in school nurses and health visitors.
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Experts warn UK lacks plans to feed its population in a crisis
More than 150 experts have written an open letter warning the British government that the country lacks adequate plans for feeding its population during a crisis and is unprepared for future food shortages. They argue that the government is dangerously complacent about food security as a national issue, despite mounting threats from climate change, geopolitical…
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I was the bait to lure the IRA into a deadly confrontation with SAS
Former SAS officer George Simm says he posed as a coal delivery driver to draw an IRA unit into an ambush near Drumnakilly, County Tyrone, in August 1988. The operation ended with three IRA members dead and remains controversial, with their families and Irish Republicans describing it as evidence of a state “shoot-to-kill” policy. Simm…
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The Shadow War: Inside story of deadly SAS conflict with IRA revealed for the first time
Fifteen former SAS soldiers and intelligence officers have spoken publicly about covert operations against the IRA during the Northern Ireland conflict, including encounters in which people were killed. Their accounts, shared in a new podcast, add personal testimony to a long-running debate over whether some operations formed part of a state-backed “shoot-to-kill” policy. The testimonies…
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Why as an SAS soldier it goes against decades of training to speak out
A former SAS officer describes how publicly discussing his military service defies years of rigorous training in secrecy and discretion. The culture of silence within the regiment is so deeply embedded that even close colleagues would never ask about operations or whereabouts. By speaking out, he challenges one of the regiment’s most fundamental principles. The…