The Times & The Sunday Times Homepage
David Lammy says there is a ‘clear risk’ weapons may be used in violation of humanitarian law
updatedBritain has suspended some arms sales to Israel in response to fears that UK-manufactured weapons may be used against civilians in Gaza. The government has suspended 30 of Britain’s 350 arms export licences after a review raised concerns that the weapons could be used in breach of international...Britain has suspended some arms sales to Israel in response to fears that UK-manufactured weapons may be used against civilians in Gaza. The government has suspended 30 of Britain’s 350 arms export licences after a review raised concerns that the weapons could be used in breach of international...Britain has suspended some arms sales to Israel in response to fears that UK-manufactured weapons may be used against civilians...
video
Hamas has threatened to kill more hostages as it appeared to accept Israeli claims that it had killed six people being held in Gaza before IDF troops arrived to rescue them. The Hamas military spokesman, who operates under the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, said hostages would “return in coffins” if Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister...Hamas has threatened to kill more hostages as it appeared to accept Israeli claims that it had killed six people being held in Gaza before IDF troops arrived to rescue them. The Hamas military spokesman, who operates under the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, said hostages would “return in coffins” if Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister...Hamas has threatened to kill more hostages as it appeared to accept Israeli claims that it had killed six people being held in...
A civil servant who missed opportunities to stop the Grenfell Tower tragedy is now working as a fire safety expert in tribunals over combustible cladding, The Times can reveal. Brian Martin, the ex-head of technical policy for building regulation at the former Department for Communities and Local Government, is...A civil servant who missed opportunities to stop the Grenfell Tower tragedy is now working as a...A civil servant who missed opportunities to stop the Grenfell Tower tragedy is now working as a...
US Open | Stuart Fraser
political sketch
ask professor tanya byron
Q. I met my closest friend 30 years ago at university and we have been in each other’s lives constantly. We are both...Q. I met my closest friend 30 years ago at university and we have been in each other’s lives...Q. I met my closest friend 30 years ago at university and we have been in each other’s lives...
first person
The whole nation has been affected by the Bayesian yacht tragedy off the coast of Sicily. Watching events unfold, it...The whole nation has been affected by the Bayesian yacht tragedy off the coast of Sicily.The whole nation has been affected by the Bayesian yacht tragedy off the coast of Sicily.
video
Shadow housing secretary says Conservatives have lost voters’ trust
analysis
New system will not be in place until 2025
Nigel Farage’s party is taking inspiration from the success of right-wing movements in Germany and France
Robert De Niro got a New York cab licence for Taxi Driver in the name of method acting, and Andrew Garfield eschewed both sex and food as he prepared to play a Jesuit priest. And Jude Law? He stalked his co-star. Law and Nicholas Hoult, his...Robert De Niro got a New York cab licence for Taxi Driver in the name of method acting, and...Robert De Niro got a New York cab licence for Taxi Driver in the name of method acting, and...
THE TIMES DIARY
With Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump in the polls, America may finally get a female president. It has been coming...With Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump in the polls, America may finally get a female president.With Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump in the polls, America may finally get a female president.
A 15-minute test that could detect signs of prostate cancer before symptoms appear has been hailed as a breakthrough...A 15-minute test that could detect signs of prostate cancer before symptoms appear has been...A 15-minute test that could detect signs of prostate cancer before symptoms appear has been...
Catherine Philp in Ukraine
President Zelensky’s gamble of invading Russia ‘has failed’, warn Ukrainian analysts
The woman stumbles down the street towards her home, her breath thick with vodka. It is one way to deal with the imminent arrival of the Russian army in her hometown, Pokrovsk, the target of the 40,000-strong force bearing down from the east. “Let them come, we will not be leaving, what will...The woman stumbles down the street towards her home, her breath thick with vodka. It is one way to deal with the imminent arrival of the Russian army in her hometown, Pokrovsk, the target of the 40,000-strong force bearing down from the east. “Let them come, we will not be leaving, what will...The woman stumbles down the street towards her home, her breath thick with vodka. It is one way to deal with the imminent...
Russia has warned that it will change its rules for the use of nuclear weapons in response to western involvement in the war in Ukraine. President Putin has threatened on several occasions that Russia could carry out nuclear strikes over the West’s military support for Kyiv. President Zelensky and some western officials have dismissed the...Russia has warned that it will change its rules for the use of nuclear weapons in response to western involvement in the war in Ukraine. President Putin has threatened on several occasions that Russia could carry out nuclear strikes over the West’s military support for Kyiv. President Zelensky and some western officials have dismissed the...Russia has warned that it will change its rules for the use of nuclear weapons in response to western involvement in the war in...
in depth
The scrawled handwriting across six pages of notepaper contained sordid details of drug use, trips to ranches owned by cartels and the tale of an innocent mother caught in the spiral of her partner’s addiction. Kouri Richins, 34, already the published author of a children’s book about grief inspired by the death of...The scrawled handwriting across six pages of notepaper contained sordid details of drug use...The scrawled handwriting across six pages of notepaper contained sordid details of drug use...
The party won the state elections in Thuringia
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, is struggling to hold his coalition government together after what he described as a “bitter” victory for the radical right in the eastern state of Thuringia. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, after a campaign spearheaded by the unapologetically ethno-nationalist Björn Höcke, won 32.8 per cent of the vote on Sunday. AfD was...Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, is struggling to hold his coalition government together after...Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, is struggling to hold his coalition government together after...
analysis
The resounding defeat of Germany’s ruling parties in Saxony and Thuringia has inevitably prompted a great deal of...The resounding defeat of Germany’s ruling parties in Saxony and Thuringia has inevitably prompted a great deal of gossip-mongering about whether the chancellor might be ousted or his coalition might finally fall apart. The conjecture is not completely futile. Even if the government is likely to hold together through...The resounding defeat of Germany’s ruling parties in Saxony and Thuringia has inevitably prompted a great deal of...
video
One of the Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck on the International Space Station reported hearing a “strange noise” from inside the capsule. Butch Wilmore radioed mission control over the weekend to say there was a pulsing sound from a speaker...One of the Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck on the International Space Station reported hearing...One of the Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck on the International Space Station reported hearing...
A Chinese artist whose work satirises the personality cult of Chairman Mao has been arrested in his studio near Beijing. Gao Zhen, 68, and his brother Gao Qiang emerged in 1990s and early 2000s Beijing when monumental works that depicted key...A Chinese artist whose work satirises the personality cult of Chairman Mao has been arrested in...A Chinese artist whose work satirises the personality cult of Chairman Mao has been arrested in...
IN maps and CHARTS
George Clooney, whose damning op-ed badly damaged Joe Biden’s desperate attempts to stay in the race for re-election...George Clooney, whose damning op-ed badly damaged Joe Biden’s desperate attempts to stay in the...George Clooney, whose damning op-ed badly damaged Joe Biden’s desperate attempts to stay in the...
As a conservative anti-abortion activist, the past few weeks have been confusing and more than a little disheartening...As a conservative anti-abortion activist, the past few weeks have been confusing and more than a...As a conservative anti-abortion activist, the past few weeks have been confusing and more than a...
Rea Group is considering a potential cash-and-shares offer for Rightmove
Rightmove is facing a potential takeover offer from an Australian rival. Rea Group told the Australian stock exchange that it was considering a cash-and-shares offer for the British property search website. The Australian company, which said it was responding to media speculation, has not...Rightmove is facing a potential takeover offer from an Australian rival. Rea Group told the Australian stock exchange that it was considering a cash-and-shares offer for the British property search website. The Australian company, which said it was responding to media speculation, has not...Rightmove is facing a potential takeover offer from an Australian rival. Rea Group told the Australian stock exchange that it...
Alstom has completed a €2 billion recapitalisation and fire sale of assets with the disposal of its American rail signalling business for $690 million. The French train builder has been laid low by its €5.5 billion acquisition during the depths of the pandemic of Bombardier Transportation, a struggling Canadian rival. With that purchase...Alstom has completed a €2 billion recapitalisation and fire sale of assets with the disposal of its American rail signalling business for $690 million. The French train builder has been laid low by its €5.5 billion acquisition during the depths of the pandemic of Bombardier Transportation, a struggling Canadian rival. With that purchase...Alstom has completed a €2 billion recapitalisation and fire sale of assets with the disposal of its American rail signalling...
The Qatari owners of Harrods have banked another £180 million dividend, despite a 17 per cent decline in operating profits at the world’s most famous department store. The luxury retailer is owned by Harrods Ltd, a company in turn owned by the state of Qatar via its Qatar Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund.The Qatari owners of Harrods have banked another £180 million dividend, despite a 17 per cent...The Qatari owners of Harrods have banked another £180 million dividend, despite a 17 per cent...
powering up britain
business commentary
Pre-budget lobbying is a predictable affair. Who yet knows if Offshore Energies UK, the campaigner for the oil and...Pre-budget lobbying is a predictable affair. Who yet knows if Offshore Energies UK, the...Pre-budget lobbying is a predictable affair. Who yet knows if Offshore Energies UK, the...
mehreen khan
This week’s European rentrée from the summer break has been hijacked by a deepening Franco-German headache. In Berlin...This week’s European rentrée from the summer break has been hijacked by a deepening Franco-German...This week’s European rentrée from the summer break has been hijacked by a deepening Franco-German...
The pound is on course to be one of the best-performing leading currencies in the world this year as strong economic growth in Britain and the change in government help to “dispel overly negative views”, leading American investment banks have said.The pound is on course to be one of the best-performing leading currencies in the world this year...The pound is on course to be one of the best-performing leading currencies in the world this year...
POWERING UP BRITAIN
comment
On October 14, Sir Keir Starmer will host the UK International Investment Summit, a flagship event for a government...On October 14, Sir Keir Starmer will host the UK International Investment Summit, a flagship...On October 14, Sir Keir Starmer will host the UK International Investment Summit, a flagship...
tempus
On paper, Drax should be a knockout FTSE 250 stock. It presents itself as a sustainable energy business, helping...On paper, Drax should be a knockout FTSE 250 stock. It presents itself as a sustainable energy...On paper, Drax should be a knockout FTSE 250 stock. It presents itself as a sustainable energy...
Clive Watson is switching from pubs to indoor cricket for his next business venture after teaming up with a former Middlesex cricketer to raise funding of £10 million. The co-founder of Capital Pub Company and City Pub Group has joined forces with...Clive Watson is switching from pubs to indoor cricket for his next business venture after teaming...Clive Watson is switching from pubs to indoor cricket for his next business venture after teaming...
market report
Solid foundations are never a bad idea when it comes to investing and a bullish analyst’s note suggested that Barratt...Solid foundations are never a bad idea when it comes to investing and a bullish analyst’s note...Solid foundations are never a bad idea when it comes to investing and a bullish analyst’s note...
The amount of new office developments starting has fallen to its lowest level since the financial crisis, with...The amount of new office developments starting has fallen to its lowest level since the financial...The amount of new office developments starting has fallen to its lowest level since the financial...
international trade
RICHARD HARPIN | COMMENT
six from the best
As a former high-flying London headhunter, Natalie Fee had a house, car and high-paying job by the age of 21. But a chance viewing of a trailer for the film Albatross, about plastic pollution, led her to a career pivot. Now, as the founder of City to Sea, she campaigns to stop plastic pollution at source. 1. For all the good you want to do in the world, start with...As a former high-flying London headhunter, Natalie Fee had a house, car and high-paying job by...As a former high-flying London headhunter, Natalie Fee had a house, car and high-paying job by...
recruitment
Did you dread heading back into the office after the Bank Holiday, or did you bounce back to work? Whichever it was...Did you dread heading back into the office after the Bank Holiday, or did you bounce back to work? Whichever it was, it will have been influenced by your organisation’s culture. Elusive to measure and even harder to achieve successfully, company culture encapsulates the shared norms, values and behaviour of a...Did you dread heading back into the office after the Bank Holiday, or did you bounce back to work? Whichever it was, it will...
Omar Berrada, the new chief executive of Manchester United, and Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, have given their backing to Erik ten Hag, insisting that the Dutchman is the right person to help them realise their aim of challenging for major domestic and European trophies. Sir Jim Ratcliffe...Omar Berrada, the new chief executive of Manchester United, and Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, have given their backing to Erik ten Hag, insisting that the Dutchman is the right person to help them realise their aim of challenging for major domestic and European trophies. Sir Jim Ratcliffe...Omar Berrada, the new chief executive of Manchester United, and Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, have given their backing...
Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed that the car design being used by McLaren and Mercedes is giving them an unfair advantage in the Formula 1 title race. Their complaint focuses on the flexibility of the front wings, which are crucial to the aerodynamics of the present generation of cars, and comes after Red Bull’s march to the constructors’...Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed that the car design being used by McLaren and Mercedes is giving them an unfair advantage in the Formula 1 title race. Their complaint focuses on the flexibility of the front wings, which are crucial to the aerodynamics of the present generation of cars, and comes after Red Bull’s march to the constructors’...Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed that the car design being used by McLaren and Mercedes is giving them an unfair advantage in...
MOLLY HUDSON
From a winning machine to an undriveable monster, Red Bull have witnessed their championship lead diminish in front of their eyes in a matter of weeks, thanks to an engineering issue with their once dominant car. Now they must work around the clock to fix it and set up a fascinating conclusion to the season. In...From a winning machine to an undriveable monster, Red Bull have witnessed their championship lead...From a winning machine to an undriveable monster, Red Bull have witnessed their championship lead...
US Open | Stuart Fraser
MIKE ATHERTON
At my first glance on Monday morning there were 170 comments under the digital report of Sunday’s play in the second...At my first glance on Monday morning there were 170 comments under the digital report of Sunday’s...At my first glance on Monday morning there were 170 comments under the digital report of Sunday’s...
PAUL JOYCE
First of all Mohamed Salah put the ball in Manchester United’s net and, after that, firmly in Liverpool’s court. The...First of all Mohamed Salah put the ball in Manchester United’s net and, after that, firmly in...First of all Mohamed Salah put the ball in Manchester United’s net and, after that, firmly in...
DEEP DIVE | BILL EDGAR
ian hawkey
It was almost as though a guiding angel had shone his light on the expatriates of France. In the lead-up to match-day three of Ligue 1, here was an unsung hero of Lille finally given the senior international recognition his club’s supporters...It was almost as though a guiding angel had shone his light on the expatriates of France. In the...It was almost as though a guiding angel had shone his light on the expatriates of France. In the...
second test | mike atherton
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
Simon Wilde
This was a day that sealed another series win for England — their 14th in their past 21 home series, as against one...This was a day that sealed another series win for England — their 14th in their past 21 home...This was a day that sealed another series win for England — their 14th in their past 21 home...
STEVE JAMES
‘I do enjoy batting, I’m not going to lie,” Joe Root said on Saturday night when asked by Sky Sports’ Ian Ward about...‘I do enjoy batting, I’m not going to lie,” Joe Root said on Saturday night when asked by Sky...‘I do enjoy batting, I’m not going to lie,” Joe Root said on Saturday night when asked by Sky...
ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
gallagher premiership | John Westerby
As much of an achievement as winning a title can be, it is often said that reaching the top is not half as hard as...As much of an achievement as winning a title can be, it is often said that reaching the top is...As much of an achievement as winning a title can be, it is often said that reaching the top is...
stuart barnes
Twenty-seven phases of possession. To some people this is a stunning figure. On a corner of a television screen the...Twenty-seven phases of possession. To some people this is a stunning figure. On a corner of a...Twenty-seven phases of possession. To some people this is a stunning figure. On a corner of a...
premier league | Paul Hirst
premier league | Paul Joyce
premier league | martin hardy
premier league | alyson rudd
Interview
Spotted by Pharrell Williams while still at college, the indie pop singer has performed with Florence Welch and Bruce Springsteen
hilary rose
For the first time since his split from Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actor has publicly debuted a relationship. Here’s all you need to know
first person
Yulia Putintseva has been criticised for ignoring a ball girl at the US Open. I found dealing with difficult players tricky
first person
In 2013 a speedboat accident killed Victoria Milligan’s husband and their eight-year-old daughter, Emily. In the aftermath of the Bayesian tragedy, she describes her experience of grief
dr mark porter
The actor has spoken about his recovery after falling off stage
Shane Watson
In all the furore about the pub garden smoking ban, what everyone seems to be forgetting are the social benefits of...In all the furore about the pub garden smoking ban, what everyone seems to be forgetting are the...In all the furore about the pub garden smoking ban, what everyone seems to be forgetting are the...
Sarah Jossel
My first published beauty article was “The top 10 lipsticks to buy now”. It was for Glamour magazine when Glamour was...My first published beauty article was “The top 10 lipsticks to buy now”. It was for Glamour...My first published beauty article was “The top 10 lipsticks to buy now”. It was for Glamour...
video
REVIEW
The Tower (ITV1/ITVX), while a perfectly good cop drama, has never hugely grabbed me by the you-know-whats before and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s because the characters aren’t as compelling as the ones in, say, Blue Lights, and it doesn’t feel as pacy. However, I do like a long-term undercover cop story because it’s such a terrifying, selfless job to do...The Tower (ITV1/ITVX), while a perfectly good cop drama, has never hugely grabbed me by...The Tower (ITV1/ITVX), while a perfectly good cop drama, has never hugely grabbed me by...
venice review
The creative evolution of Pedro Almodóvar continues ever onwards in this, his first full-length English-language...The creative evolution of Pedro Almodóvar continues ever onwards in this, his first full-length English-language feature: a movie about friendship, family and the omnipresent spectre of death. We’ve had the sexy, early era Almodóvar (Dark Habits etc), the Hitchcockian classicist of the mid-period (Live Flesh)...The creative evolution of Pedro Almodóvar continues ever onwards in this, his first full-length English-language feature: a...
ask professor tanya byron
The story, if you’re in a bit of a hurry, is as follows. In 1986 I sat next to a Top Gear producer at the launch of the Citroën AX. He offered me a job and two years later I started to appear on screen. I did that for a while, got ideas above my station, left, and made some mostly forgettable programmes before dreaming up a new format for Top Gear. I then did that...The story, if you’re in a bit of a hurry, is as follows. In 1986 I sat next to a Top Gear...The story, if you’re in a bit of a hurry, is as follows. In 1986 I sat next to a Top Gear...
ask the experts
Q. In 2000 I invested £3,500 in the Fidelity Moneybuilder Balanced Fund Isa (£134.61 was taken as a charge). Now, 24...Q. In 2000 I invested £3,500 in the Fidelity Moneybuilder Balanced Fund Isa (£134.61 was taken as a charge). Now, 24 years later, it is valued at £11,435. Investment performance in the year to May 2024 after charges was 1.92 per cent. Over the same 12 months I have paid a £90 service charge (which was £45 a year...Q. In 2000 I invested £3,500 in the Fidelity Moneybuilder Balanced Fund Isa (£134.61 was taken as a charge). Now, 24 years...
PROMS 2024
★★★★★
“Box office death,” colleagues at the Hallé would tell Mark Elder when he suggested programming more...★★★★★
“Box office death,” colleagues at the Hallé would tell Mark Elder when he...★★★★★
“Box office death,” colleagues at the Hallé would tell Mark Elder when he...
MindGames
1 Which Italian dictator used the term totalitario in the early 1920s to describe Italy’s new fascist state? 2 What...1 Which Italian dictator used the term totalitario in the early 1920s to describe Italy’s new...1 Which Italian dictator used the term totalitario in the early 1920s to describe Italy’s new...
First Person
I caught the bug from my mother — the lure of bricks and mortar. In the 1960s, aided by an inheritance from my grandfather, she started buying shabby properties, doing them up and selling them on. Her pièce de résistance was buying the magnificent Avon Castle in Hampshire for £16,500. She must have been the only one at the auction with no reserve. It had been converted...I caught the bug from my mother — the lure of bricks and mortar. In the 1960s, aided by an...I caught the bug from my mother — the lure of bricks and mortar. In the 1960s, aided by an...
Viewing GUide
television
TELEVISION
TELEVISION
TELEVISION
Television
tELEVISION | STREAMING GUIDE
television
interview
The straight-talking star of The Crown is on a mission to stop drama getting bland. He rounds on critics of Doctor Who and remembers his late father
IN DEPTH
With VAT on school fees only a few months away we look at the financial burden parents can expect if they want to give their children a private education
interview
He has presented Grand Designs since 1999. Which home trends does he actually like?
With clients such as King Charles, the designer Ben Pentreath is in high demand. We meet the man who made traditional cool again
explainer
Keir Starmer has warned that the Budget will mean pain for taxpayers — but some levies are more likely to go up than others, says Ali Hussain
Coral, pearl and desert crystal: these are the scents that Diptyque’s Parisian master perfumers were tasked with distilling
Ed Gorman witnesses one of the greatest fleets of classic yachts off the coast of Cornwall
A rare glimpse of the Tiffany & Co jeweller’s treasure-filled rustic houses
Explora Journeys wants its ships to be like five-star hotels at sea. With their marble-fitted bathrooms, art exhibitions and itineraries, it has succeeded, says Amanda Linfoot
video
Halifax, Nova Scotia, is North America’s most joyous, laid-back break – and a new direct seasonal flight makes it easier to reach than ever
video
Exploring via a new train and boat itinerary from Star Clippers is the gentle way to experience the beauty of Bari, Amalfi, Sicily and beyond
video
The pedestrianised Cies Islands, off the coast of Galicia, have some of the world’s most alluring (and exclusive) beaches. No wonder they don’t want everyone to know
comment
The airline’s CEO wants airport bars to limit travellers to two drinks each. I have a better way to fix problem drinkers
The French Riviera has year-round appeal — here’s how to soak up its arty side, glitzy coastline and boutique hotels without breaking the bank
WHERE WAS I? COMPETITION
video
Sicily is a richly varied, enormous island — the largest in the Mediterranean — so you shouldn’t expect to see all of its golden beaches, archaeological sites, and regions in one go. But if you’re looking to pack as much Sicilian magic as possible...Sicily is a richly varied, enormous island — the largest in the Mediterranean — so you shouldn’t...Sicily is a richly varied, enormous island — the largest in the Mediterranean — so you shouldn’t...
video
The Times has been publishing life stories of the great and the good (and the not so good) for more than 170 years. Now the obituary is also becoming a podcast, explains Anna Temkin
IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the...IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty...IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty...
MindGames and Brain Boost puzzles to print and solve at your leisure
First minister says voters have ‘stopped listening’ to the party
John Swinney has said the SNP will make a renewed push for independence after admitting that voters have stopped listening to his party. The first minister said the nationalists needed to win back the votes of Yes supporters from Labour after a damaging general election. He attempted to evoke the...John Swinney has said the SNP will make a renewed push for independence after admitting that voters have stopped listening to his party. The first minister said the nationalists needed to win back the votes of Yes supporters from Labour after a damaging general election. He attempted to evoke the...John Swinney has said the SNP will make a renewed push for independence after admitting that voters have stopped listening to...
Labour will raise less money from the North Sea and put 35,000 jobs at risk if it hikes windfall tax rates for oil and gas developers, an industry lobby group has claimed. The new government has signalled that it will increase the levy first imposed by Boris Johnson in 2022 as energy prices soared after President Putin’s full-scale invasion...Labour will raise less money from the North Sea and put 35,000 jobs at risk if it hikes windfall tax rates for oil and gas developers, an industry lobby group has claimed. The new government has signalled that it will increase the levy first imposed by Boris Johnson in 2022 as energy prices soared after President Putin’s full-scale invasion...Labour will raise less money from the North Sea and put 35,000 jobs at risk if it hikes windfall tax rates for oil and gas...
Magnus Linklater
How do you quantify risk? Madcap irresponsibility? Or carefully weighing up the consequences, and making a balanced choice? I guess I took the former option when I jumped out of a plane at 12,000ft last weekend. Of course, I put my trust in my North London Skydiving Centre instructor, Gary, who was clutching me to...How do you quantify risk? Madcap irresponsibility? Or carefully weighing up the consequences, and...How do you quantify risk? Madcap irresponsibility? Or carefully weighing up the consequences, and...
Scottish Premiership | Analysis
ScOTTISH BUSINESS DIGEST
MELANIE REID | notebook
It wasn’t a question. Don’t you think, my powerhouse friend said, it’s pretty damn amazing how our generation has...It wasn’t a question. Don’t you think, my powerhouse friend said, it’s pretty damn amazing how...It wasn’t a question. Don’t you think, my powerhouse friend said, it’s pretty damn amazing how...
One of the biggest Scottish theatre productions of the year has been cancelled after a bitter behind-the-scenes row...One of the biggest Scottish theatre productions of the year has been cancelled after a bitter...One of the biggest Scottish theatre productions of the year has been cancelled after a bitter...
For years he has argued that the Lockerbie bomber is innocent. Jim Swire believes Iran — and not Libya — downed Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 over Scotland, killing 270 people including his daughter Flora. Now Colin Firth is to play the bereaved...For years he has argued that the Lockerbie bomber is innocent. Jim Swire believes Iran — and not...For years he has argued that the Lockerbie bomber is innocent. Jim Swire believes Iran — and not...
IAIN MACWHIRTER
The fact that Glasgow Warriors have won all 22 of their competitive fixtures against Zebre — plenty of them by some considerable margin — meant that Saturday’s 31-0 defeat in the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi was always going to catch the eye. It was...The fact that Glasgow Warriors have won all 22 of their competitive fixtures against Zebre —...The fact that Glasgow Warriors have won all 22 of their competitive fixtures against Zebre —...
Comment
Tories will find great dangers in opposition
William Hague
The next Conservative leader must resist a host of temptations if the party is to hold the government to account
HUGO RIFKIND
Then they came for our buttery croissants
newMELANIE PHILLIPS
Netanyahu’s problem is his moral cowardice
newGILES COREN | NOTEBOOK
Let’s go back to a Bond with no time to diet
newMARK DAMAZER | THUNDERER
Look beyond GDP for the truth about a shaky economy
newLeading Articles
German Alternative
The triumph of the hard-right Alternative for Germany is a warning to Berlin’s unwieldy coalition to cut immigration and boost the economy
Playing to the Gallery
Labour’s half-hearted arms embargo against Israel is cynical and performative
No Time to Die
James Bond is a centenarian by one reckoning. But never say never again
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Social media, moderation and censorship
Sir, Rohan Silva is worried that the charges in France against Pavel Durov are broad (“Social media policing is a threat to free speech”, Aug 30). He doesn’t seem to ask why. Telegram is one of the “dirty dozen” companies held up in 2024 by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for “facilitating and profiting” from it. Among the many claims it makes...Sir, Rohan Silva is worried that the charges in France against Pavel Durov are broad (...Sir, Rohan Silva is worried that the charges in France against Pavel Durov are broad (...
HARRIET WALKER | NOTEBOOK
New addition to our household is a star in the making
newI knew it was smug and vaguely middle-aged of me to post a pic of my new tumble dryer on Instagram at the weekend...I knew it was smug and vaguely middle-aged of me to post a pic of my new tumble dryer on Instagram at the weekend, but I have been working on self-acceptance recently and if this is my quintessence now, then so be it. What I hadn’t banked on was so many other people’s joy being sparked. Below the artfully styled...I knew it was smug and vaguely middle-aged of me to post a pic of my new tumble dryer on Instagram at the weekend, but I have...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: MPs return from summer recess; the autumn term begins for many schools in England and Wales; the Royal Statistical Society annual conference begins in Brighton.
France: Sébastien Lecornu, the defence minister, hosts a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in Paris.
US: Labor Day national holiday.
The Vatican: The Pope departs for a visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, until September 13.
On this day
In 490BC Pheidippides was sent by the Athenians to Sparta to seek Spartan help for the Athenian army facing a Persian invasion; in 1898 Sir Horatio (later Lord) Kitchener completed his reconquest of the Sudan by his victory at the Battle of Omdurman; in 1944 the US air force pilot George HW Bush, a future US president, was shot down by Japanese forces and rescued by a US submarine crew. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In what was known as the Chichijima incident, he was the only one of nine airmen not to be captured by Japanese soldiers, four of whom were cannibalised; in 1994 the entertainer Roy Castle died of lung cancer, aged 62. He presented the BBC children’s TV show Record Breakers from 1972 to 1993, setting nine records himself.
Nature notes
Sometimes, on warm days in late summer, large numbers of male chalkhill blue butterflies congregate on chalk or limestone grasslands in the south of England to look for females, which are more retiring and tend to hide in vegetation. After mating the eggs are laid on horseshoe vetch, a low-growing, yellow-flowered perennial, which is the only plant the caterpillars feed on. There is one brood per year, which emerges in mid-July to find a mate. A cloud of dancing, sky-blue butterflies gives a brief, heart-stopping hint of what abundance must have looked like to our ancestors, who could not have imagined the empty world of today. Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Sir Keir Starmer, prime minister and leader of the Labour Party, MP for Holborn & St Pancras, 62; Keith Allen, actor, Trainspotting (1996), 71; Andrew Brode, businessman, executive chairman of RWS Group (2003-23, language services company, of which he is a major shareholder), 84; Jimmy Connors, tennis player, Wimbledon champion (1974, 1982), and commentator, 72; David Dinsmore, chief operating officer, News UK, editor, The Sun (2013-15), 56; Baroness (Mary) Goudie, women’s rights advocate, 78; Paul Goodwin, conductor, 68; Salma Hayek, actress, House of Gucci (2021), 58; Mark Hodges, chairman, RSA Insurance, 59; Guy Laliberté, co-founder (1984), Cirque du Soleil, 65; Lennox Lewis, former world heavyweight boxing champion, 59; Prof Martin Marshall, chairman, Royal College of General Practitioners (2019-22), 63; Dame Louise Martin, president, Commonwealth Games Federation (2015-23), 78; Harry Mount, editor, The Oldie magazine, and author, Summer Madness: How Brexit Split the Tories, Destroyed Labour and Divided the Country (2017), 53; Claude Puel, football manager, Southampton (2016-17), Leicester City (2017-19), 63; Jonathan Reekie, director, Somerset House Trust, 60; Keanu Reeves, actor, The Matrix and John Wick film series, 60; Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Dunfermline, cabinet secretary for social justice, 50; Moira Stuart, BBC newsreader (1981-2018), now with Classic FM, 75; Kate Summerscale, writer, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (Oct 2024), 59; Amanda Thompson, managing director, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, 62; Ella Toone, footballer, Manchester United WFC and member of the Euro 2022-winning England national team, 25.