Charismatic figure of the left is remembered as one of the most informed commentators on Latin American affairs
The former Guardian journalist and historian Richard Gott has died aged 87.
Gott’s career at the Guardian began in 1964 and included spells as foreign correspondent, leader writer, features editor and literary editor.
Continue reading...Large-scale William Scott works feature in exhibition that tells story of artist’s friendship with Mark Rothko
The story of how one of the UK’s great abstract painters was inspired by ordinariness – and the extraordinary meeting he had with an American artistic giant – is being told in a new exhibition in the West Country.
Three large-scale paintings by William Scott (1913 –1989) have been loaned to the Museum of Somerset in Taunton, not far from the artist’s home and studio in the countryside south of Bath.
Continue reading...A number of injured taken to hospital after incident in Huntingdon, according to Cambridgeshire police
Two people have been arrested after several people were stabbed on a train to Huntingdon, Cambridge, police have said.
Cambridgeshire constabulary said armed police attended after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm on Saturday.
Continue reading...It’s been the biggest secret in theatre: what will the marmalade-loving, hyper-polite Peruvian look like in Paddington the Musical? As the curtain rises, we speak to the new bear’s creator, a veteran of Star Wars and PG Tips ads
Paddington stands within touching distance. His fur flutters as he turns, his neat button nose sniffs the air, and his eyes soften with a smile. For years, design details of the bear for Paddington the Musical, directed by Luke Sheppard, have been kept top secret. Now here he is, in his blue duffel coat and red hat. A quiet theatrical marvel. “What we’re doing,” says producer Sonia Friedman, “has never been done before.”
Standing around 1.2 metres (just under 4ft) tall, the bear is beautifully round, all belly and sloping shoulders. He is not an exact replica of the Paddingtons we’ve seen in illustrations or movies, but something new. His shaggy, caramel fur has a gentle wave, and his white snout is dotted with a brown nose, ideal for sniffing out trouble. Around his neck sits a label, threaded through an old piece of string, asking for someone to look after him.
Continue reading...Seventy-year-old, who died in incident near Bentley, said by family to be ‘a beloved husband, father and grandfather’
A man who was killed in a helicopter crash in Doncaster, South Yorkshire on Thursday has been named by his family as Peter Smith.
The family described Smith, 70, as “a beloved husband, father and grandfather” and said they were “all devastated by this sudden loss”, in a statement released by South Yorkshire police.
Continue reading...Footballer pleads guilty to one count of driving dangerously after his offence was caught on camera
A Chelsea footballer who was caught on camera speeding down the hard shoulder of a busy A road in his Lamborghini has been handed a lengthy driving ban.
Wesley Fofana, 24, pleaded guilty at North East Surrey magistrates court to one count of driving dangerously on 20 April along the A3 Esher bypass in Hook, Hampshire. The incident came to light after another motorist captured the footage on a dashcam and reported it to the police.
Continue reading...Officers confiscated more than half a tonne of class B drug in 22 suitcases from air passengers travelling from Thailand
Police have charged 11 people in connection with an attempt to smuggle 22 suitcases packed with cannabis from Thailand to Birmingham worth nearly £14m.
More than half a tonne of the class B drug, described by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as an “enormous amount”, was seized at Birmingham airport in August 2024. The 11 people charged, aged from 21 to 35, all travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
Continue reading...Others languishing near bottom of 61-country study include Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and Spain
Britain is one of the least “nature connected” nations in the world, according to the first ever global study of how people relate to the natural world.
Britain ranks 55th out of 61 countries in the study of 57,000 people, which looks at how attitudes towards nature are shaped by social, economic, geographical and cultural factors.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Behaviour of Robert Albon, or ‘Joe Donor’, described as compulsive by judge who said he targeted vulnerable women
A prolific unregulated donor is still attempting to sell his sperm despite warnings from two family court judges, a Guardian investigation has found.
Robert Albon, who calls himself “Joe Donor”, has appealed to the courts to gain access to at least four of his biological children against their mothers’ wishes. In a rare move, a judge named him in 2023 to warn women of the risks of using his services, which he promotes on social media.
Continue reading...Retailer says underwear that could become male equivalent of push-up bra is intended to ‘help men feel their most confident’
For men who lament the decline of the codpiece, or who lack confidence at the office when their pants are not pushing up their genitals all day, Marks & Spencer is riding to the rescue.
The retailer, the UK market leader in selling underwear, has launched what could be considered the male equivalent of the push-up bra.
Continue reading...Women’s rights groups say announcement sends important message to survivors of abuse
The historic statement from Buckingham Palace stripping Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his title is an “acknowledgment” that something happened to the late Virginia Giuffre, her family has told the Guardian.
In its announcement on Thursday, the palace said Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – as he is now known – will also leave his mansion in Windsor, Royal Lodge, as his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to cause controversy.
Continue reading...Alana Odysseos, 32, was pregnant with her third child when she was killed by Shaine March in July last year
A man who murdered his pregnant girlfriend after being released from prison on licence has been jailed for 42 years.
Alana Odysseos, 32, was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child when she was killed by Shaine March last year at her home in Walthamstow, east London. She died at the scene from stab wounds after the attack on 22 July 2024.
Continue reading...YouGov poll say only 26% of people say immigration is an issue locally but more than half believe it to be a national issue
There were six council byelections yesterday. Here are the results, from Election Maps UK.
Reform gained two seats, from Labour and from an independent group.
Continue reading...Exclusive: No cyber-attack assistance cash has gone into carmaker’s accounts or to struggling suppliers
Jaguar Land Rover has not drawn down any of a £1.5bn loan facility guaranteed by the government, with suppliers expressing anger over ministers’ claims to have supported the carmaker’s supply chain after a crippling hack.
Britain’s biggest automotive employer was forced to shut down all of its wholly owned factories from 1 September for more than a month, after cyber-attackers compromised key computer systems.
Continue reading...Older people left in their own excrement and wet beds for hours and forced to watch others die, Age UK report finds
Almost 150,000 people aged 90 and over in England are forced to wait longer than 12 hours in A&E every year, with some experiencing “truly shocking” waits of several days stuck in corridors, a report warns.
Older people are also being left in their own excrement and wet beds for hours, denied pain relief and forced to watch and hear other patients die next to them because they end up waiting so long for care, according to Age UK.
Continue reading...Agency says staff member offered to apply for licence to allow chancellor to rent out family home, but failed to do so
Keir Starmer appears to have escaped the huge political damage of potentially losing his chancellor weeks before the budget, after 24 hours of intense scrutiny over whether Rachel Reeves broke the law when she rented out her family home.
The Conservatives said Reeves must be sacked if she committed an offence by not obtaining a council licence before letting out her four-bedroom house in south London when the family moved into 11 Downing Street. No 10 was initially unable to explain why Starmer believed an apology from the chancellor was sufficient.
Continue reading...King’s brother will become known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Buckingham Palace says, in latest fallout from Epstein scandal
Prince Andrew is to be stripped of his royal titles and will move out of his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Buckingham Palace has announced.
King Charles has initiated a “formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew”, who will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the palace said.
Continue reading...Jettisoning of ex-prince became unavoidable when king’s loyalty to his brother collided with task of keeping public on side
To strip his brother of his titles and to evict him from his home is the most consequential action King Charles has taken since he ascended the throne in 2022.
The defenestration of Prince Andrew, now to be known only as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and the removal of his cherished privilege of royal status is an act of utmost ruthlessness by a king. Ascending the throne at 73, Charles always knew he would play a caretaker role for the monarchy and so could not allow rot to set into an institution that lives and dies by public consent.
Continue reading...Despite pledges to run a squeaky clean administration the prime minister and some in his cabinet have been caught out
There is a theory in British politics, often attributed to Tony Blair, that you need to be careful about throwing a boomerang in opposition, because when you make it to power it could come back and hit you in the face.
As opposition leader, Keir Starmer became adept at landing blows on the Conservatives. Over the Partygate scandal in particular, he called for Boris Johnson to quit over his rule-breaking. “You cannot be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker and it’s time to pack his bags,” he said.
Continue reading...French magazine publishes judicial notice after using paparazzi images of family holiday in Alps
The Prince and Princess of Wales have won a privacy case against a French magazine after it published paparazzi photographs of them and their children on a private family ski holiday, Kensington Palace said.
William and Catherine launched legal action after their break was featured in Paris Match magazine in April, with a series of images documenting their activities with their children at a French resort in the Alps.
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