The Times & The Sunday Times Homepage
Sir Keir Starmer will unveil a six-point plan for Britain under Labour today with an updated version of Tony Blair’s election-winning pledge card. In an effort to distil Labour’s detailed policies into a “retail offer” to voters, Starmer will set out the “first steps” he will take if he becomes...Sir Keir Starmer will unveil a six-point plan for Britain under Labour today with an updated version of Tony Blair’s election-winning pledge card. In an effort to distil Labour’s detailed policies into a “retail offer” to voters, Starmer will set out the “first steps” he will take if he becomes...Sir Keir Starmer will unveil a six-point plan for Britain under Labour today with an updated version of Tony Blair’s...
The Covid inquiry is on track to becoming the most expensive in history, costing the taxpayer at least £300,000 a day over the last year. An analysis of Baroness Hallett’s investigation into the pandemic, which has been running for almost two years, reveals that it spent almost £70 million in the last financial year during which hearings...The Covid inquiry is on track to becoming the most expensive in history, costing the taxpayer at least £300,000 a day over the last year. An analysis of Baroness Hallett’s investigation into the pandemic, which has been running for almost two years, reveals that it spent almost £70 million in the last financial year during which hearings...The Covid inquiry is on track to becoming the most expensive in history, costing the taxpayer at least £300,000 a day over the...
Thousands of British troops will take part in the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which will be marked with flypasts by the Red Arrows, a parachute drop and a spectacular light show. Events will take place in Britain and France next month, when thousands of members of the public will join armed forces personnel, veterans...Thousands of British troops will take part in the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which will be marked...Thousands of British troops will take part in the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which will be marked...
political SKETCH
interview
Kit Vincent was a 24-year-old film and anthropology student when doctors discovered he had an incurable brain tumour.Kit Vincent was a 24-year-old film and anthropology student when doctors discovered he had an...Kit Vincent was a 24-year-old film and anthropology student when doctors discovered he had an...
first night review
Don’t be surprised if, every now and then, you hear members of the audience muttering a line ahead of the actors.Don’t be surprised if, every now and then, you hear members of the audience muttering a line...Don’t be surprised if, every now and then, you hear members of the audience muttering a line...
review
The actor and director Judith Godrèche arrived in Cannes as the ostensible “ambassador” of France’s #MeToo movement. She has spent the past three tumultuous months campaigning for French victims of sexual abuse, during which time she accused the...The actor and director Judith Godrèche arrived in Cannes as the ostensible “ambassador” of...The actor and director Judith Godrèche arrived in Cannes as the ostensible “ambassador” of...
The first observations of one of the most extreme environments in the universe have notched up another win for Albert Einstein over Isaac Newton. Astrophysicists at Oxford University have seen material from a doomed star making its final descent...The first observations of one of the most extreme environments in the universe have notched up...The first observations of one of the most extreme environments in the universe have notched up...
A leading academic no doubt thought she was making polite conversation when she mentioned her fondness of sushi to a...A leading academic no doubt thought she was making polite conversation when she mentioned her...A leading academic no doubt thought she was making polite conversation when she mentioned her...
the TIMES DIARY
While Joe Biden sits sighing by the telephone for Taylor Swift’s endorsement, Sir Keir Starmer might have a slender...While Joe Biden sits sighing by the telephone for Taylor Swift’s endorsement, Sir Keir Starmer...While Joe Biden sits sighing by the telephone for Taylor Swift’s endorsement, Sir Keir Starmer...
My opinion of the portrait is neither here nor there. Jonny Yeo is one of my oldest and closest friends. If he had killed a man, I would cover for him, say the other bloke started it, do the time for him if it came to that. He has painted me in...My opinion of the portrait is neither here nor there. Jonny Yeo is one of my oldest and closest...My opinion of the portrait is neither here nor there. Jonny Yeo is one of my oldest and closest...
dispatch from UKRAINE
Ukrainian police risk their lives to evacuate civilians from Vovchansk as Russian troops advance
Everywhere we looked, the town was burning. Every hundred metres was a destroyed home, every few seconds the thud of a shell impacting. The acrid smell of smoke infected the air. The sound of Russia methodically wiping Vovchansk from the map was interrupted only by the bark of retaliatory mortar...Everywhere we looked, the town was burning. Every hundred metres was a destroyed home, every few seconds the thud of a shell impacting. The acrid smell of smoke infected the air. The sound of Russia methodically wiping Vovchansk from the map was interrupted only by the bark of retaliatory mortar...Everywhere we looked, the town was burning. Every hundred metres was a destroyed home, every few seconds the thud of a shell...
DISPATCH FROM PRISTINA
On a buzzy weekend evening in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, the country’s contradictions are on display. The call to prayer sounds from the Ottoman mosques as a pink sunset backlights the tower blocks. On the streets stylish young people head for a night out. Twenty-five years on from its cataclysmic war with Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia...On a buzzy weekend evening in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, the country’s contradictions are on display. The call to prayer sounds from the Ottoman mosques as a pink sunset backlights the tower blocks. On the streets stylish young people head for a night out. Twenty-five years on from its cataclysmic war with Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia...On a buzzy weekend evening in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, the country’s contradictions are on display. The call to prayer...
During a three-decade career, Robert Fico has veered between pro and anti-western views while pitching himself as a man of the people. Now in his third premiership, Fico, 59, has embraced more extreme positions which include attacks on western allies, pledges to stop military support for Kyiv, criticism of Russian...During a three-decade career, Robert Fico has veered between pro and anti-western views while...During a three-decade career, Robert Fico has veered between pro and anti-western views while...
Donald Trump’s attacks on the integrity of the judge overseeing his criminal trial have prompted a surge in violent threats online, according to a study. Since the trial opened in New York last month, Trump has repeatedly criticised Judge Juan...Donald Trump’s attacks on the integrity of the judge overseeing his criminal trial have prompted...Donald Trump’s attacks on the integrity of the judge overseeing his criminal trial have prompted...
Interpol has issued a “red notice” seeking the arrest of the convict who was sprung from a prison van in an ambush on Tuesday that left two guards dead. A further three prison officers were injured, one of whom is believed to be in critical condition with a bullet wound in the forehead. An international hunt is under way for the gang that freed Mohamed Amra, who was at...Interpol has issued a “red notice” seeking the arrest of the convict who was sprung from a prison...Interpol has issued a “red notice” seeking the arrest of the convict who was sprung from a prison...
PROFILE
He is known by many names: the Fly, Momo, Yanis or Schtroumpf, the French word for Smurf. His nicknames do not...He is known by many names: the Fly, Momo, Yanis or Schtroumpf, the French word for Smurf. His nicknames do not sound particularly menacing, but Mohamed Amra was involved in one of the most violent prison breaks in recent French history. Two prison officers were killed and two others were left in a critical...He is known by many names: the Fly, Momo, Yanis or Schtroumpf, the French word for Smurf. His nicknames do not...
Authorities in Florida have identified the operator of a boat that struck and killed the teenage granddaughter of a...Authorities in Florida have identified the operator of a boat that struck and killed the teenage...Authorities in Florida have identified the operator of a boat that struck and killed the teenage...
One of the most famous pizza restaurants in Naples has been seized by police amid claims that it was run by a mafia...One of the most famous pizza restaurants in Naples has been seized by police amid claims that it...One of the most famous pizza restaurants in Naples has been seized by police amid claims that it...
A future geomagnetic storm like the one that caused spectacular aurora borealis shows across the northern hemisphere and knocked out GPS systems last weekend could cause havoc to life on Earth, a leading solar scientist has warned. Dr Nour Rawafi...A future geomagnetic storm like the one that caused spectacular aurora borealis shows across the...A future geomagnetic storm like the one that caused spectacular aurora borealis shows across the...
video
Donald Trump has accepted President Biden’s challenge to debate him, setting up two televised showdowns between the pair. CNN will host the first debate in Atlanta, without an audience present, on June 27, before the party nominations are finalised. ABC News will host the second on September 10. On Wednesday morning, Biden announced that he would not participate in...Donald Trump has accepted President Biden’s challenge to debate him, setting up two televised...Donald Trump has accepted President Biden’s challenge to debate him, setting up two televised...
IN maps and CHARTS
The US election will pit two presidents against each other — but the familiarity of the likely candidates is doing...The US election will pit two presidents against each other — but the familiarity of the likely candidates is doing little to help predict a winner. American voters are not excited about a rematch between the incumbent, Joe Biden, and the former president Donald Trump, meaning that turnout, which was 62 per cent...The US election will pit two presidents against each other — but the familiarity of the likely candidates is doing little to...
The board of Royal Mail’s parent company is prepared to recommend an improved £3.5 billion takeover approach for the group from Daniel Kretinsky, its Czech tycoon shareholder. International Distributions Services (IDS) has received a 370p a share “non-binding” proposal from EP Group, a conglomerate controlled by Kretinsky, who is known as the Czech sphinx. The two sides...The board of Royal Mail’s parent company is prepared to recommend an improved £3.5 billion...The board of Royal Mail’s parent company is prepared to recommend an improved £3.5 billion...
The Bank of England was too distracted by “putting out current fires” to devote enough time and resources to...The Bank of England was too distracted by “putting out current fires” to devote enough time and resources to improving its forecasting procedures, former US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told MPs on Wednesday. Bernanke, who recently carried out a root and branch analysis of the Bank of England’s forecasting...The Bank of England was too distracted by “putting out current fires” to devote enough time and resources to improving its...
Business commentary
This time a Czech really is in the post. Yes, Daniel Kretinsky, the fellow who’s just convinced the board of the...This time a Czech really is in the post. Yes, Daniel Kretinsky, the fellow who’s just convinced...This time a Czech really is in the post. Yes, Daniel Kretinsky, the fellow who’s just convinced...
Comment
Roaring Kitty is back. Or, at the very least, someone has got access to his social media feed. We are into a fresh...Roaring Kitty is back. Or, at the very least, someone has got access to his social media feed. We...Roaring Kitty is back. Or, at the very least, someone has got access to his social media feed. We...
Burberry is feeling the pinch. High inflation and economic instability across China, the Americas and Europe has led to a slowdown in spending which in turn has had a catastrophic effect on luxury goods firms. Jonathan Akeroyd, chief executive of...Burberry is feeling the pinch. High inflation and economic instability across China, the Americas...Burberry is feeling the pinch. High inflation and economic instability across China, the Americas...
comment
In early 2022, a survey asked 4,000 Americans how much they’d pay to avoid a pandemic mask mandate for three months.In early 2022, a survey asked 4,000 Americans how much they’d pay to avoid a pandemic mask...In early 2022, a survey asked 4,000 Americans how much they’d pay to avoid a pandemic mask...
tempus
Burberry is the only sizeable luxury fashion brand listed in London. It has also lost more than half of its value in...Burberry is the only sizeable luxury fashion brand listed in London. It has also lost more than...Burberry is the only sizeable luxury fashion brand listed in London. It has also lost more than...
Strong demand for package holidays drove second-quarter sales at Europe’s biggest tour operator to a record high. Tui Group, which is moving its listing from London to Frankfurt, delivered better-than-expected results, with revenues in the three...Strong demand for package holidays drove second-quarter sales at Europe’s biggest tour operator...Strong demand for package holidays drove second-quarter sales at Europe’s biggest tour operator...
need to know
recruitment
About six in ten UK staff undergo some form of training at work each year, ranging from mandatory certification and compliance courses to upskilling for a new role, and experts estimate that the UK training market is worth approximately £7 billion. Training and skills development is proved to increase the human capital in the national labour force, narrowing skills gaps...About six in ten UK staff undergo some form of training at work each year, ranging from mandatory...About six in ten UK staff undergo some form of training at work each year, ranging from mandatory...
SIX FROM THE BEST
Guy Singh-Watson is founder of Riverford, an organic vegetable box company which grew from humble beginnings to...Guy Singh-Watson is founder of Riverford, an organic vegetable box company which grew from humble beginnings to 70,000 deliveries a week. The activist recently launched the #GetFairAboutFarming campaign calling for supermarkets to adopt better business practices to safeguard the future of British fruit and veg farmers.Guy Singh-Watson is founder of Riverford, an organic vegetable box company which grew from humble beginnings to 70,000...
Clubs to decide on future of video technology next month
Premier League clubs will vote on whether to keep VAR after a request by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish it before the new season. Wolves, who have been on the receiving end of what they believe to be a number of wrong decisions this season, say the technology is not fit for purpose and want...Premier League clubs will vote on whether to keep VAR after a request by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish it before the new season. Wolves, who have been on the receiving end of what they believe to be a number of wrong decisions this season, say the technology is not fit for purpose and want...Premier League clubs will vote on whether to keep VAR after a request by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish it before the new...
MARTIN SAMUEL
Horses, they were lovely. And if we’d stayed with them, and horse-drawn carriages, there wouldn’t be any vehicular pollution in our major cities today. Just crap. Then along came Karl Benz and the Motorwagen, and now here we are with unpopular low-traffic neighbourhoods and Ulez and the death of the nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, the...Horses, they were lovely. And if we’d stayed with them, and horse-drawn carriages, there wouldn’t be any vehicular pollution in our major cities today. Just crap. Then along came Karl Benz and the Motorwagen, and now here we are with unpopular low-traffic neighbourhoods and Ulez and the death of the nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, the...Horses, they were lovely. And if we’d stayed with them, and horse-drawn carriages, there wouldn’t be any vehicular pollution in...
US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP | tom kershaw
This corner of Kentucky prides itself on the character and grit of its sporting heroes. Monuments and murals honour the legacy of Muhammad Ali that towers over Louisville. An hour’s drive away through the farms outside Lexington, graveyards bear the names of the state’s great racehorses. The local legend goes that...This corner of Kentucky prides itself on the character and grit of its sporting heroes. Monuments...This corner of Kentucky prides itself on the character and grit of its sporting heroes. Monuments...
rick broadbent | frank warren interview
matthew syed
I don’t want to overdo things, but if you haven’t been in the Kop or St James’ Park or one of the other great...I don’t want to overdo things, but if you haven’t been in the Kop or St James’ Park or one of the...I don’t want to overdo things, but if you haven’t been in the Kop or St James’ Park or one of the...
mike atherton
It was hard not to think of another great pair of bowlers, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, when the news arrived...It was hard not to think of another great pair of bowlers, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh...It was hard not to think of another great pair of bowlers, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh...
paul joyce
Jürgen Klopp is staying put. In the end, there was not even a debate to be had, despite Susan Whittingham’s friends suggesting she should consider taking drastic action. In the warren of roads in the shadow of Anfield, where Randolph Street meets Burnand Street, the entire side of the Liverpool fanatic’s house is adorned with a mural of Klopp. He is grinning as he peers...Jürgen Klopp is staying put. In the end, there was not even a debate to be had, despite Susan...Jürgen Klopp is staying put. In the end, there was not even a debate to be had, despite Susan...
Manchester United’s hopes of luring Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag could be scuppered by a dramatic U-turn to...Manchester United’s hopes of luring Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag could be scuppered by a dramatic U-turn to keep the German at Bayern Munich. Bayern had announced in February that former Chelsea head coach Tuchel would be leaving the club at the end of the season. The club will end a disappointing season...Manchester United’s hopes of luring Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag could be scuppered by a dramatic U-turn to keep the...
TOM ALLNUTT
One consolation for Tottenham Hotspur’s scolded fans on Tuesday night was they were not the only ones to feel the...One consolation for Tottenham Hotspur’s scolded fans on Tuesday night was they were not the only...One consolation for Tottenham Hotspur’s scolded fans on Tuesday night was they were not the only...
US PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy insisted that he was “ready to play this week” after it was revealed that the Northern Irishman filed...Rory McIlroy insisted that he was “ready to play this week” after it was revealed that the...Rory McIlroy insisted that he was “ready to play this week” after it was revealed that the...
Gallagher Premiership Guide
So this it it. The final round of matches in the regular season of the Gallagher Premiership and, oh boy, what a gallimaufry of a campaign it has been. Good, bad, ugly and Newcastle. The 2023-24 iteration of the English top flight has had it all . .So this it it. The final round of matches in the regular season of the Gallagher Premiership and...So this it it. The final round of matches in the regular season of the Gallagher Premiership and...
Comment
Starmer will struggle to clean up politics
Katy Balls
Labour leader is on a mission to tackle parliamentary sleaze but once in government things are never straightforward
IAIN MARTIN
Reform has stalled while waiting for Nigel
JAMES MARRIOTT
Tech titans make laughably bad philosophers
JANICE TURNER | NOTEBOOK
Whooping cough didn’t appear to worry the NHS
JAWAD IQBAL
Paranoid China must prove Wuhan reporter is safe
letters to the editor
‘Medieval’ maternity services need reform
Sir, The belief that the only thing hindering women from giving birth more easily than your average ruminant is fear of childbirth is often hardwired into new midwives, and taught in antenatal classes across the country (“NHS must end...Sir, The belief that the only thing hindering women from giving birth more easily than your...Sir, The belief that the only thing hindering women from giving birth more easily than your...
Leading Articles
Age of Innocence
New government guidance on sex education in schools is sensible and proportionate. But it will work only if children are prevented from accessing online pornography
Inglorious YouTube
The website is cravenly surrendering to the erosion of free expression in Hong Kong
Reason Prevails
Oxford University is correct to ditch plans to vet candidates for chancellor
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, meets executives of tech companies; second leg of the Championship play-off semi final between Leeds United and Norwich City (football).
Brussels: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, chairs a meeting of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement partnership council, discussing energy, fisheries and the EU’s Horizon scientific research programme.
Netherlands: The International Court of Justice in The Hague begins a two-day hearing of a case brought by South Africa, alleging that Israel’s actions in Gaza have violated its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
China: President Putin of Russia begins a two-day visit.
On this day
In 1763 the first meeting of the distinguished writer Samuel Johnson and his future biographer James Bowell took place, unexpectedly, in a mutual friend’s home. Boswell began recording in his diaries what would become The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791); in 1943 the RAF’s 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, made raids on three dams in the Ruhr valley of Germany, dropping the bouncing bombs developed by the scientist Barnes Wallis; in 1969 the Russian spacecraft Venera 5 spent 53 minutes obtaining atmospheric data on Venus, before succumbing to the planet’s high temperatures and pressure; in 1975 Junko Tabei, of Japan, became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest.
Nature notes
A rasping croak rang out over the old mill pond at Newburgh Priory in North Yorkshire. It was a gadwall. These dabbling ducks are generally quiet, but at mating time the male has a resonant, percussive call that is sometimes referred to as a burp. The gadwall’s scientific name, Mareca strepera, refers to this noticeable vocalisation — it means noisy wild duck. But whereas the bird’s Latin tag is easily understood, we don’t have a clue where the word gadwall came from or what it means. In 1666, Christopher Merret assembled the first list of English birds, and it included gadwall, but there was no explanation of its meaning nor origin. Once just a winter visitor to the UK, gadwalls are becoming more common as a breeding species. Jonathan Tulloch
Jonathan Tulloch
Birthdays today
Baroness (Kay) Andrews, deputy speaker (Lords) (2018-21), chairwoman, English Heritage (2009-13), 81; Pierce Brosnan, actor, starred as James Bond (1995-2002), 71; Nicky Chinn, songwriter for Suzi Quatro and Tina Turner, 79; Philip Collins, columnist, The Times, 57; Andrzej Duda, president of Poland, 52; Judy Finnigan, presenter, Richard and Judy (2001-09), 76; Robert Fripp, guitarist, King Crimson, and record producer, 78; Mary Anne Hobbs, DJ, presenter, BBC Radio 6 Music, 60; Janet Jackson, singer, Rhythm Nation (1989), 58; Milton Jones, comedian, panellist, BBC Two, Mock the Week (2009-22), 60; Olga Korbut, gymnast, four-time Olympic gold medallist (1972, 1976), 69; Christian Lacroix, fashion designer, 73; Lord (Benjamin) Mancroft, president, The Lotteries Council, 67; Lord (Kenneth) Morgan, historian, 90; Andrew Nethsingha, organist and master of the choristers, Westminster Abbey, 56; Krist Novoselic, bass guitarist, co-founder, Nirvana, Nevermind (1991), 59; Laurel Powers-Freeling, chairwoman of Uber UK (transport) and Moneybox (digital wealth platform), senior adviser to the Bank of England (2010-11), 67; Prof Emma Rothschild, historian, writer, An Infinite History: The Story of a Family in France Over Three Centuries (2021), 76; Gabriela Sabatini, tennis player, US Open women’s singles champion (1990), 54; Lieutenant General Charlie Stickland, chief of joint operations, Permanent Joint Headquarters, 56; Nigel Twiston-Davies, racehorse trainer, 67; the Rev Prof David Wilkinson, principal, St John’s College, Durham University (2006-23), 61; Baroness (Susan) Williams of Trafford, Lords chief whip, 57; Debra Winger, actress, An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), 69; Lord (Stephen) Woolman, senator of the College of Justice in Scotland (2008-23), president, Scottish Tribunals (2020-23), 71.