video
Sunak to resist calls to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Rishi Sunak has rejected calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps amid concerns that doing so will sever diplomatic ties with Tehran at a critical time. The prime minister is facing mounting pressure from Labour and senior Conservatives to ban the terrorist group after Iran’s...Rishi Sunak has rejected calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps amid concerns that doing so will sever diplomatic ties with Tehran at a critical time. The prime minister is facing mounting pressure from Labour and senior Conservatives to ban the terrorist group after Iran’s...Rishi Sunak has rejected calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps amid concerns that doing so will sever...
health
‘Bold policy action’ on breast cancer could save lives, study shows
One in four cases of breast cancer in the UK are preventable, with thousands of women developing the disease each year due to low breastfeeding rates or too much alcohol, a new study shows. A report published in The Lancet called for “bold policy actions” to promote better lifestyles and reduce the incidence of breast cancer, which is the...One in four cases of breast cancer in the UK are preventable, with thousands of women developing the disease each year due to low breastfeeding rates or too much alcohol, a new study shows. A report published in The Lancet called for “bold policy actions” to promote better lifestyles and reduce the incidence of breast cancer, which is the...One in four cases of breast cancer in the UK are preventable, with thousands of women developing the disease each year due to...
world news
Half of Trump hush money trial jurors too biased to take part
More than half of the first New Yorkers asked to serve as jurors in the criminal case against Donald Trump said they could not be impartial, raising fears about the difficulties of seating an unbiased jury in liberal Manhattan. At least 50 of the first 96 candidates who were shown into the courtroom raised their...More than half of the first New Yorkers asked to serve as jurors in the criminal case against...More than half of the first New Yorkers asked to serve as jurors in the criminal case against...
FIRST PERSON
The day I asked Salman Rushdie about the fatwa
middle east crisis
How RAF jets protected British troops from Iran’s attack on Israel
Editor's picks
first person
Growing up I wanted to be a boy — I’m glad puberty blockers were not an option
“Gender-related distress” is what Dr Hilary Cass calls it. The term, used in her landmark review into gender identity...“Gender-related distress” is what Dr Hilary Cass calls it. The term, used in her landmark review...“Gender-related distress” is what Dr Hilary Cass calls it. The term, used in her landmark review...
Premier League | Alyson Rudd
Watch: Palmer scores four – but Chelsea still argue among themselves
If there was any doubt, and there probably was not much at all, as to who will be named the PFA young player of the...If there was any doubt, and there probably was not much at all, as to who will be named the PFA...If there was any doubt, and there probably was not much at all, as to who will be named the PFA...
Politics
political SKETCH
If Bibi over-reacts, he knows who’s got his back
politics
Immigration lawyers ‘spot flaws’ in Rwanda bill
More court battles loom as legislation nears royal assent
exclusivepolitics
UK general election poll tracker: who will win?
Labour has a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, a new poll of polls compiled by The Times data team suggests. Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on course for a very large majority at the next general election. Barring a historic turnaround, the...Labour has a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, a new poll of polls compiled by The Times data...Labour has a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, a new poll of polls compiled by The Times data...
SCIENCE
Winchcombe meteorite sheds light on how water came to Earth
A fragment of meteorite that landed in a sheep field in Gloucestershire may shed new light on the origins of the oceans.A fragment of meteorite that landed in a sheep field in Gloucestershire may shed new light on the...A fragment of meteorite that landed in a sheep field in Gloucestershire may shed new light on the...
THE TIMES DIARY
How George Michael’s tunes disturbed Pet Shop Boys’ preparation
The Olympic closing ceremony in 2012 showcased the best of British music but backstage there were tensions. Neil...The Olympic closing ceremony in 2012 showcased the best of British music but backstage there were...The Olympic closing ceremony in 2012 showcased the best of British music but backstage there were...
environment
Food prices to rise following wet winter
will pavia | sketch
Trump entered the court, licked his lips — and appeared to fall asleep
Donald Trump stood in a corridor on the 15th floor of Manhattan’s criminal court building: a dingy place, ornamented with metal barricades and occupied by a small army of court police officers. “Nothing like this has ever happened,” he said. He was right about that. This was the first criminal...Donald Trump stood in a corridor on the 15th floor of Manhattan’s criminal court building: a dingy place, ornamented with metal barricades and occupied by a small army of court police officers. “Nothing like this has ever happened,” he said. He was right about that. This was the first criminal...Donald Trump stood in a corridor on the 15th floor of Manhattan’s criminal court building: a dingy place, ornamented with metal...
middle east crisis
Would Iran use nuclear weapons against Israel?
Iran has “never been closer” to accelerating its nuclear weapons programme towards building a bomb, as Tehran’s deterrence from attack by Israel is diminished by the failed drone and missile raid at the weekend, experts have warned. The escalating conflict in the Middle East has revived fears that Tehran will redouble efforts on its nuclear...Iran has “never been closer” to accelerating its nuclear weapons programme towards building a bomb, as Tehran’s deterrence from attack by Israel is diminished by the failed drone and missile raid at the weekend, experts have warned. The escalating conflict in the Middle East has revived fears that Tehran will redouble efforts on its nuclear...Iran has “never been closer” to accelerating its nuclear weapons programme towards building a bomb, as Tehran’s deterrence from...
Why the Stormy Daniels case is so controversial, even among Democrats
updatedOf all the offences Donald Trump is accused of, it is perhaps the least serious that may fell him first. The former president stands trial this week accused of 34 felonies related to a 2016 hush money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels — the main charge being the falsification of business records in New...Of all the offences Donald Trump is accused of, it is perhaps the least serious that may fell him...Of all the offences Donald Trump is accused of, it is perhaps the least serious that may fell him...
Macron wants French chefs to learn from the best … so he’s sending them abroad
In the 19th century, chefs like Auguste Escoffier helped to place France at the pinnacle of global gastronomy. Now, however, French cuisine is being eclipsed not only by Asia, but also by Denmark, Spain and Peru, according to President Macron’s...In the 19th century, chefs like Auguste Escoffier helped to place France at the pinnacle of...In the 19th century, chefs like Auguste Escoffier helped to place France at the pinnacle of...
Italian schools will no longer shut for Eid
Giorgia Meloni’s government is to ban Italian schools from closing for a day to mark the end of Ramadan as it fights...Giorgia Meloni’s government is to ban Italian schools from closing for a day to mark the end of...Giorgia Meloni’s government is to ban Italian schools from closing for a day to mark the end of...
Vatican furious as French court backs ousted nun
The Vatican has accused France of a serious breach of religious freedom after a court in Brittany ordered a...The Vatican has accused France of a serious breach of religious freedom after a court in Brittany...The Vatican has accused France of a serious breach of religious freedom after a court in Brittany...
World’s coral reefs transformed into white wastelands by bleaching
Coral reefs in all of the world’s oceans are suffering from bleaching caused by “off the charts” sea temperatures. It is only the fourth recorded mass bleaching, transforming colourful coral into white wastelands. Large tracts of the coral will...Coral reefs in all of the world’s oceans are suffering from bleaching caused by “off the charts”...Coral reefs in all of the world’s oceans are suffering from bleaching caused by “off the charts”...
US election
Tracking Trump’s charges — and where each case stands
Donald Trump became the first serving or former US president to be indicted after being charged with 34 felonies in...Donald Trump became the first serving or former US president to be indicted after being charged...Donald Trump became the first serving or former US president to be indicted after being charged...
analysis
Trump could not outrun Stormy Daniels case — and now he risks ‘disaster’
Donald Trump’s tactic of delaying his criminal trials with a barrage of appeals ran out of road and appeared to leave...Donald Trump’s tactic of delaying his criminal trials with a barrage of appeals ran out of road...Donald Trump’s tactic of delaying his criminal trials with a barrage of appeals ran out of road...
Musk says Tesla will cut 10 per cent of workforce
Tesla is to cut more than 14,000 jobs as Elon Musk’s groundbreaking electric car company feels the heat of a global price war with Chinese rivals at the same time as stalled demand for zero-emission vehicles. In an email to staff amid reports that workers in California and Texas have begun...Tesla is to cut more than 14,000 jobs as Elon Musk’s groundbreaking electric car company feels the heat of a global price war with Chinese rivals at the same time as stalled demand for zero-emission vehicles. In an email to staff amid reports that workers in California and Texas have begun...Tesla is to cut more than 14,000 jobs as Elon Musk’s groundbreaking electric car company feels the heat of a global price war...
CVC plans Amsterdam float to raise €1.25 billion
CVC Capital Partners, which owns a stake in Six Nations Rugby, has announced plans to list in Amsterdam at a valuation of up to €15 billion in a further blow to the London stock market. The European private equity firm and its backers are seeking to raise at least €1.25 billion with the initial public offering, after previously postponing...CVC Capital Partners, which owns a stake in Six Nations Rugby, has announced plans to list in Amsterdam at a valuation of up to €15 billion in a further blow to the London stock market. The European private equity firm and its backers are seeking to raise at least €1.25 billion with the initial public offering, after previously postponing...CVC Capital Partners, which owns a stake in Six Nations Rugby, has announced plans to list in Amsterdam at a valuation of up to...
Thames Water given two months to save itself
Thames Water has less than two months to persuade the regulator that it has a feasible plan for its survival. The troubled water company must present its plans to Ofwat before the regulator’s publication on June 12 of its draft determinations that set out what households will pay in water bills through to 2030. The...Thames Water has less than two months to persuade the regulator that it has a feasible plan for...Thames Water has less than two months to persuade the regulator that it has a feasible plan for...
BUSINESS COMMENTARY
A win for the Dutch raises questions
The good news is that the flotations window is well and truly opening up. The bad news is that it isn’t yet doing so...The good news is that the flotations window is well and truly opening up. The bad news is that it...The good news is that the flotations window is well and truly opening up. The bad news is that it...
tempus special: gilts
Bonds are a safe haven for DIY investors, but be clear about objectives
Long gone are the days when one could nip to the local Post Office and buy some of our government’s debt. But DIY...Long gone are the days when one could nip to the local Post Office and buy some of our...Long gone are the days when one could nip to the local Post Office and buy some of our...
comment
The West should learn from China’s strategic EV vision
China’s rise in the automotive industry has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. The country’s development in the...China’s rise in the automotive industry has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. The country’s...China’s rise in the automotive industry has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. The country’s...
comment
Middle East crisis casts shadow over tentative optimism from IMF
Cherry blossom and spring sunshine will welcome the world’s central bankers and finance ministers in Washington this...Cherry blossom and spring sunshine will welcome the world’s central bankers and finance ministers...Cherry blossom and spring sunshine will welcome the world’s central bankers and finance ministers...
Amsterdam listing for CVC another kick in the teeth for London
The decision by CVC Capital Partners to list in Amsterdam instead of London is another blow to the City’s standing in international financial markets. The European private equity firm and its backers are pressing ahead with an initial public...The decision by CVC Capital Partners to list in Amsterdam instead of London is another blow to...The decision by CVC Capital Partners to list in Amsterdam instead of London is another blow to...
recruitment
Student scholarships give an extra lift on to the career ladder
Gaining a degree is a key marker of success and social mobility, yet the cost of living crisis means that access to university is far from universal. According to statistics from the Student Loans Company, the number of students dropping out of their courses is at the highest level since its figures were first recorded. A record 41,914 undergraduate students quit in the...Gaining a degree is a key marker of success and social mobility, yet the cost of living crisis...Gaining a degree is a key marker of success and social mobility, yet the cost of living crisis...
recruitment: SIX FROM THE BEST
Here are the keys to opening up a world of possibilities
As Diageo’s chief marketing officer, Cristina Diezhandino oversees marketing for some of the world’s best-known...As Diageo’s chief marketing officer, Cristina Diezhandino oversees marketing for some of the world’s best-known brands, including Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff. An 18-year veteran of the global drinks business and recently named Inspirational Marketing Leader of the Year, here are her tips for leading with a...As Diageo’s chief marketing officer, Cristina Diezhandino oversees marketing for some of the world’s best-known brands...
football
Chelsea’s £76.5m hotels deal under scrutiny from Premier League
The Premier League has yet to approve the value of the £76.5 million sale of Chelsea’s two hotels to a sister company — leaving the club facing uncertainty over their compliance with spending rules, according to their latest accounts. The hotels deal was a loophole that appeared to have helped...The Premier League has yet to approve the value of the £76.5 million sale of Chelsea’s two hotels to a sister company — leaving the club facing uncertainty over their compliance with spending rules, according to their latest accounts. The hotels deal was a loophole that appeared to have helped...The Premier League has yet to approve the value of the £76.5 million sale of Chelsea’s two hotels to a sister company — leaving...
Derek Underwood 1945-2024 | mike atherton
Underwood was humble charmer but deadly on the pitch
“Deadly” by name; deadly by nature. Cricketers can tend to the unimaginative where nicknames are concerned, often simply adding a “y” to the surname, but rarely can a nickname have been so fitting as it was for “Deadly” Derek Underwood, one of England’s great cricketers who has died, aged 78. Under certain conditions, and with the ball in...“Deadly” by name; deadly by nature. Cricketers can tend to the unimaginative where nicknames are concerned, often simply adding a “y” to the surname, but rarely can a nickname have been so fitting as it was for “Deadly” Derek Underwood, one of England’s great cricketers who has died, aged 78. Under certain conditions, and with the ball in...“Deadly” by name; deadly by nature. Cricketers can tend to the unimaginative where nicknames are concerned, often simply adding...
THE MASTERS | RICK BROADBENT
How bond with 70-year-old local caddie restored Fleetwood’s major belief
There was something very Tommy Fleetwood about his choice of caddie in Augusta. With his regular bagman Ian Finnis at home with a health issue, the popular figure from Southport asked a 70-year-old local to stand in. “I hope he’s had as good a time with me as I have with him,” he said after a best finish of joint...There was something very Tommy Fleetwood about his choice of caddie in Augusta. With his regular...There was something very Tommy Fleetwood about his choice of caddie in Augusta. With his regular...
Premier League | Alyson Rudd
Watch: Palmer scores four – but Chelsea still argue among themselves
rugby union | champions cup
Bulls to avoid punishment as Champions Cup organisers push for fixture revamp
premier league | martin samuel
Put the cigars away, Manchester City haven’t won the title yet
The immediate reaction is to think of it as all over. Manchester City now sit two points clear with six games...The immediate reaction is to think of it as all over. Manchester City now sit two points clear...The immediate reaction is to think of it as all over. Manchester City now sit two points clear...
The Masters | David Walsh
Stunning debut puts unflappable Aberg among the elite
Some people are born not to die wondering. Ludvig Aberg isn’t the first, he won’t be the last, but he now has his...Some people are born not to die wondering. Ludvig Aberg isn’t the first, he won’t be the last...Some people are born not to die wondering. Ludvig Aberg isn’t the first, he won’t be the last...
sky bet championship | Gregor Robertson
The closest title race in years (…no, not that one)
A weekend fraught with tension, three teams at the top of the table separated by two points, and a season finale that promises to be the most absorbing in years — that would be the Sky Bet Championship promotion race, of course, where nothing is certain but ladles of drama are guaranteed. Think the pressure is beginning to tell in the three-way Premier League title chase?A weekend fraught with tension, three teams at the top of the table separated by two points, and...A weekend fraught with tension, three teams at the top of the table separated by two points, and...
FOOTBALL
Garnacho spoken to after liking posts criticising Ten Hag
Manchester United have spoken to Alejandro Garnacho after the winger liked two tweets criticising Erik ten Hag’s...Manchester United have spoken to Alejandro Garnacho after the winger liked two tweets criticising Erik ten Hag’s treatment of him. Garnacho liked two posts that accused the United manager of “throwing him [Garnacho] under the bus” because of comments he made about the 19-year-old after Saturday’s 2-2 draw against...Manchester United have spoken to Alejandro Garnacho after the winger liked two tweets criticising Erik ten Hag’s treatment of him.
The Masters | OWen Slot
Scheffler making Tiger Woods comparisons seem less far-fetched
athletics
Watch: African athletes appear to let Chinese runner win Beijing half-marathon
Organisers of the Beijing half-marathon are investigating allegations that three African competitors allowed China’s star runner to win the race, after video showed them slowing down and gesturing He Jie to a one-second victory. Footage from Sunday’s race appeared to show three athletes — Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat of Kenya, and Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia — running...Organisers of the Beijing half-marathon are investigating allegations that three African...Organisers of the Beijing half-marathon are investigating allegations that three African...
ATHLETICS
UK Athletics chief: The rules meant that we had to select Ujah
The head of UK Athletics has said his hand was forced by the rules after CJ Ujah was recalled to the sprint relay...The head of UK Athletics has said his hand was forced by the rules after CJ Ujah was recalled to the sprint relay squad that he cost an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo after failing a drugs test. Ujah, 30, has been selected for next month’s World Athletics Relays — which serve as a qualifier for this summer’s Olympics...The head of UK Athletics has said his hand was forced by the rules after CJ Ujah was recalled to the sprint relay squad that he...
CRICKET | County Championship
Kookaburra, bad weather, flat pitches – and every game drawn
AMERICAN FOOTBALL | Owen Gill Interview
Take note, Rees-Zammit – meet south Londoner who reached NFL
GAME IN NUMBERS | bill edgar
Why Silva and Foden could surpass Dalglish – and matching success for ex-Bury duo
Bernardo Silva arrived in English football in the summer of 2017 and has won an average of two major trophies per season with Manchester City since then. The Portugal midfielder has collected 12 winner’s medals in six seasons (excluding brief...Bernardo Silva arrived in English football in the summer of 2017 and has won an average of two...Bernardo Silva arrived in English football in the summer of 2017 and has won an average of two...
FIRST PERSON
The day I asked Salman Rushdie about the fatwa
As the novelist publishes a memoir of his stabbing, Sathnam Sanghera recalls interviewing him, and finding a man who wanted the world to forget the threats against him
first person
Growing up I wanted to be a boy — I’m glad puberty blockers were not an option
One woman describes how, from the age of 5 to 16, she longed to be male — and could have transitioned. She reflects on what it might have cost her
health
What’s really in your supermarket bread?
White sliced is bad but sourdough is super? As bread comes back into fashion, Peta Bee busts the myths
I did a workshop with the TV sex coach being sued for ‘rape’
Mike Lousada’s ‘body work’ has always been controversial. Anna Maxted recalls a weekend class with him
the lowdown
Barry Keoghan is the new face of Diet Coke
He’s the Irish Saltburn star who is a regular on fashion week’s front row and this weekend wore a pair of £790...He’s the Irish Saltburn star who is a regular on fashion week’s front row and this weekend wore a...He’s the Irish Saltburn star who is a regular on fashion week’s front row and this weekend wore a...
DR MARK PORTER
A vaccine for UTIs is promising. Here’s how else to treat them
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common complaint in general practice. Although unusual in boys and otherwise...Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common complaint in general practice. Although unusual in...Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common complaint in general practice. Although unusual in...
MOVING STORIES
‘We’re turning a derelict Welsh chapel into a home, pottery studio and community space’
The first time that we tentatively set foot in the grade II listed chapel in the North Wales coastal town of Pwllheli, it wasn’t the sheer size of the place that really shocked us, but how neglected, damp and grim it was [say Keith Brymer Jones,...The first time that we tentatively set foot in the grade II listed chapel in the North Wales...The first time that we tentatively set foot in the grade II listed chapel in the North Wales...
my culture fix
Jackie Kay: I feel so lucky to have seen Ella Fitzgerald
beauty | Sarah Jossel
I love bronzer — these are my BBFs (best bronzing friends)
First night reviews
FIRST NIGHT | Classical
Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri is a masterpiece waiting for discovery
FIRST NIGHT | Classical
National Youth Orchestra — the nation’s finest teenage musicians get brassy
first night | CLASSICAL
The CBSO has a ball with Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust
What to watch: your TV and streaming guide
Viewing GUide
What’s on TV and radio tonight
TELEVISION
The 40 best shows to stream on Channel 4
TELEVISION
The 30 best Apple TV+ shows and series
MINDGAMES
The Times Daily Quiz
1 The River Bourne flows into the English Channel at which seaside resort in Dorset? 3 The name of a Famous Five member, George, is short for which forename? 4 In December 2022, Stephen Flynn became the Westminster leader of which party? 5 The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is known colloquially by which name? 6 Iain De Caestecker plays which...1 The River Bourne flows into the English Channel at which seaside resort in Dorset? 3 The name...1 The River Bourne flows into the English Channel at which seaside resort in Dorset? 3 The name...
In case you missed it
beauty
These are the best at home beauty gadgets
The tools that work their magic while you’re watching telly and eating toast
technology
The 40 best luxury gadgets of all time
A comprehensive list of Tom Whipple’s top tech picks
hotels
The desert town being transformed into beautiful hotels
In Al Ula, a quarter of a village has been turned into a boutique hotel, one of several cool new destinations popping up in Saudi Arabia
video
motoring
An electric car that can really go the distance
The Audi e-tron GT is a sleek four-door saloon masquerading as a coupé; it just happens to be all-electric. That’s Audi’s philosophy when it comes to creating its new wave of petrol-free vehicles. The design is sophisticated and very modern, but...The Audi e-tron GT is a sleek four-door saloon masquerading as a coupé; it just happens to be...The Audi e-tron GT is a sleek four-door saloon masquerading as a coupé; it just happens to be...
advice
Airspace closures: how Iran’s attacks have affected flight routes
Drone and missile attacks on Israel mean flights are being rerouted — here’s what you need to know and what to do if your journey is impacted
uk
Seven of the UK’s best secret beaches
These under-the-radar spots in Cornwall, Anglesey, the Highlands and more are big on head space and low on tourists
What keeps us flying Ryanair and Wizz?
Customers might grumble about these low-cost carriers but their passenger numbers keep rising. Is it just the cheap seats that keep us coming back for more? Chris Haslam reports
video
city breaks
The laid-back French city with a Spanish vibe and all-year sunshine
Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose, and you may indeed feel like you’re wearing rose-tinted spectacles here. Expect tip-top pastries, pretty squares and a space museum
Rail journeys
My epic 30-hour rail journey through Turkey — with tickets from £10
The 800-mile Eastern Express route from Ankara to Kars careers through gorges and steppe — just don’t forget to book a seat
kathy lette | travel troubleshooter
Should I dump my girlfriend before or after our big trip?
WHERE WAS I? COMPETITION
Win a Tuscan break for two worth up to £3,000 at Hotel La Serena in Forte dei Marmi
video
UK
The secret to finding affordable hotels in London
If you want to find a budget beautiful hotel in London for under £200, then look beyond zone one. Travel writer Emma Cooke takes us to three of her favourites — find the full list here. Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us...If you want to find a budget beautiful hotel in London for under £200, then look beyond zone one.If you want to find a budget beautiful hotel in London for under £200, then look beyond zone one.
Announcements
Births, marriages and deaths
From the archive
Why are so many of our heroic nurses on the poverty line?
Court Circular
April 15, 2024
Printable Puzzles
MindGames and Brain Boost puzzles to print and solve at your leisure
Tsar plans raise fears about power grabs and squandered cash
Scottish government tsars have warned that proposals to double their number risks wasting tens of millions of pounds of scarce public money. At present seven commissioners in Scotland examine matters including ethical standards and children’s issues. Seven more are proposed, which would take the...Scottish government tsars have warned that proposals to double their number risks wasting tens of millions of pounds of scarce public money. At present seven commissioners in Scotland examine matters including ethical standards and children’s issues. Seven more are proposed, which would take the...Scottish government tsars have warned that proposals to double their number risks wasting tens of millions of pounds of scarce...
leading article
Even more commissioners will further muddy governance
Who governs Scotland? Notionally, responsibilities are divided between the government in Westminster and the devolved administration at Holyrood. Further duties are assigned to Scotland’s 32 local authorities. In practice, matters are more complicated. A dizzying network of non-departmental bodies, tribunals, public corporations, executive...Who governs Scotland? Notionally, responsibilities are divided between the government in Westminster and the devolved administration at Holyrood. Further duties are assigned to Scotland’s 32 local authorities. In practice, matters are more complicated. A dizzying network of non-departmental bodies, tribunals, public corporations, executive...Who governs Scotland? Notionally, responsibilities are divided between the government in Westminster and the devolved...
Head teachers encouraged to ban pupils’ mobile phones in schools
Head teachers will be encouraged to ban mobile phones from schools across Scotland under new guidelines. The directions will make clear that they will have the power to prevent pupils using mobiles in any part of a school building. The move comes as a poll has found that an overwhelming majority of people do not...Head teachers will be encouraged to ban mobile phones from schools across Scotland under new...Head teachers will be encouraged to ban mobile phones from schools across Scotland under new...
magnus linklater | comment
A simple white rose reveals the SNP doesn’t really know its history
What is the connection between the shoe-buckle of the 18th-century clan chief Donald Cameron of Lochiel and the SNP?What is the connection between the shoe-buckle of the 18th-century clan chief Donald Cameron of...What is the connection between the shoe-buckle of the 18th-century clan chief Donald Cameron of...
Glasgow principal decides to bow out after 15 years
The principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow has announced he will retire next year. Professor Sir...The principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow has announced he will retire next...The principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow has announced he will retire next...
Rugby Union | ollie smith interview
‘I’m not some kind of mental wizard – but I bounce back’
exclusiveWhen Ollie Smith ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Glasgow’s Champions Cup win away to Bayonne last December and was told the injury would keep him out for up to a year, the Scotland rising star had no shortage of...When Ollie Smith ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Glasgow’s...When Ollie Smith ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Glasgow’s...
Roger Mullin | comment
We must protect Scotland from malign and anti-democratic forces
Scottish business digest
Plans for space sector hub scrapped: 6 need-to-know business stories
Football
Clement and Rangers in danger of missing great opportunity
We have reached the stage of the season where leaders earn their corn, and both on the field and in the dugout, Celtic’s are stepping up in a way that their Rangers counterparts are struggling to match. The Ibrox club’s 3-2 defeat at Ross County was not the only thing to change the look and feel of the title race over the past week. Neither side has performed anything...We have reached the stage of the season where leaders earn their corn, and both on the field and...We have reached the stage of the season where leaders earn their corn, and both on the field and...
Football
St Johnstone to host Dundee vs Rangers game if Dens Park cannot
Wednesday’s crunch Premiership clash between Dundee and Rangers will be switched to Perth if Dens Park fails a...Wednesday’s crunch Premiership clash between Dundee and Rangers will be switched to Perth if Dens Park fails a Tuesday morning pitch inspection. Issues with areas of the surface being waterlogged have already led to two postponements at the designated venue, and the Scottish Professional Football League have put in...Wednesday’s crunch Premiership clash between Dundee and Rangers will be switched to Perth if Dens Park fails a Tuesday morning...
Comment
Escalation would be a huge mistake for Israel
William Hague
Acting tough won’t deal with the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran — stronger alliances are the only path to peace
Hugo rifkind
Oh Liz, your conspiracy theory’s a total state
Melanie Phillips
Could we equal courage of Nazanin or Navalny?
GILES COREN | NOTEBOOK
The shoes, the beard… of course Will was a woman
Stephen Petty
We don’t need to glaze over country to get green energy
georgia heneage | notebook
Our prudish times hark back to Thirties Hollywood
In 1967 Anne Heywood caused a stir when she starred in a lesbian sex scene in an adaptation of a DH Lawrence novella called The Fox. The year before Hollywood had thrown out the Hays Code, a set of censorship guidelines that had held it in...In 1967 Anne Heywood caused a stir when she starred in a lesbian sex scene in an adaptation of a...In 1967 Anne Heywood caused a stir when she starred in a lesbian sex scene in an adaptation of a...
Leading Articles
Taming Iran
Lecturing Israel on how to respond to Iranian aggression misses the point. Tehran is a menace to us all and the West needs to act as one to put an end to its bullying
Bad Apples
Rigorous and continuing vetting is essential to maintaining public trust in the police
Endangered Species
Chairmen are becoming more rare as business succumbs to gender-neutral language
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lessons for Israel after Iran’s missile attack
Sir, Roger Boyes is on admirably robust form (“Pack reshuffled with barrage from Tehran”, Apr 15). The Iranian attack on Israel may have done no real damage but this is the first time Tehran has struck Israel from its own territory since...Sir, Roger Boyes is on admirably robust form (“Pack reshuffled with barrage from Tehran”, Apr...Sir, Roger Boyes is on admirably robust form (“Pack reshuffled with barrage from Tehran”, Apr...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Greenpeace publishes a survey on household plastic waste, finding that 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging are being thrown away in the UK every year; Tobias Billstrom, the Swedish foreign minister, delivers a lecture at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, on why Sweden joined Nato.
France: The Olympic Flame lighting ceremony takes place before the summer Olympic Games in Paris. A long-running Olympic tradition, the flame is lit using the rays of the sun and a parabolic mirror.
International: The European Southern Observatory releases images and videos from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission revealing the most massive stellar black hole found in our galaxy, about 33 times the size of our sun.
On this day
In 1689 Aphra Behn, a former spy who became one of the first Englishwomen to earn a living by writing, died in London aged 48. Among her works is Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave (1688). She is buried in the east cloister of Westminster Abbey, and memorialised in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (1929): “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn”; in 1912 Harriet Quimby became the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the Channel, from Dover to Hardelot, France. Three months later the US aviator died in a crash during a flying exhibition over Boston harbour; in 1947 the phrase Cold War was coined in a speech delivered by Bernard Baruch, a US statesman and millionaire financier; in 2014 the Sewolferry sank off South Korea’s southwestern coast, with the loss of 304 lives, most of them teenagers from the same school.
Nature notes
Male great crested newts are like little water dragons. Soot-coloured and crusty, boasting in spring a spine like a miniature mountain range and a belly bright as embers, they are far larger than our other two newt species and quite unmistakable. The females are a force to be reckoned with, too. Although they lack the males’ crest, they can grow to lengths of more than six inches. They live on land for most of the year, eating worms and other invertebrates, and only seek out ponds — which must be large and clean — so they can breed. In April and May the male dances to attract a female; once mated, she’ll lay up to 250 sticky eggs, each folded into a little envelope made of leaves. Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Baroness (Joan) Bakewell, broadcaster, Portrait Artist of the Year (2015-23), writer, The Tick of Two Clocks: A Tale of Moving On (2021), and president, Birkbeck, University of London, 91; Ellen Barkin, actress, The Big Easy (1987), Sea of Love (1989), 70; Max Beesley, actor, Jamestown (2017-18), 53; Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, 62; Catherine Colonna, French diplomat and politician, ambassador of France to the UK (2019-22), 68; Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (1972-Jan 2024), 84; Paul Drechsler, chairman, International Chamber of Commerce UK (2021-23), 68; Lynne Franks, leading public relations consultant for the fashion industry, 76; Prof Sir Ian Greer, specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, president and vice-chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast, 67; Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 69; Conchita Martinez, tennis player, women’s singles champion, Wimbledon (1994), 52; Hubert Minnis, prime minister of the Bahamas (2017-21), 70; Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, 71; Vadim Muntagirov, ballet dancer, a principal of the Royal Ballet, 34; Jimmy Osmond, singer, Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool (1972), 61; Sir Geoffrey Owen, head of industrial policy, Policy Exchange (think tank), editor, Financial Times (1981-90), 90; Alexey Pajitnov, computer engineer and video game designer, creator of Tetris (1985), 69; Charlotte Pierre, UK high commissioner to Mauritius and head, Indian Ocean Network, 47; Anna Dello Russo, fashion editor-at-large, Vogue Japan, 62; Anya Taylor-Joy, actress, The Queen’s Gambit (2020), The Menu (2022), 28; Sarah Vine, journalist, 57; Bobby Vinton, singer, Blue Velvet, 89.