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Hannah Spencer's victory speech after Gorton and Denton byelection – video

Hannah Spencer's victory speech after Gorton and Denton byelection – video

The Greens' pulled off a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection as Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and councillor, was elected as the party’s first MP in northern England after overturning Labour’s 13,000-vote majority. Labour came third in the tightly contested race, 5,616 votes behind the Greens on 14,980 votes, while Reform UK finished second with 10,578 votes. The Greens’ victory in a Labour stronghold was its first ever in a Westminster byelection and establishes the party as a serious political force and a credible anti-Reform alternative Green party wins Gorton and Denton byelection, pushing Labour to third place in blow to Keir Starmer Continue reading...

Will Aston Villa hold on to their place in the Champions League?

Will Aston Villa hold on to their place in the Champions League?

Villa’s run of three wins in nine league games has opened the door to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool By WhoScored Two months ago, Aston Villa were just three points off top spot in the Premier League. They were on a run of 12 wins in 14 games that included victories against Manchester City and Arsenal . Their run of eight consecutive wins in the league was their best since they won 10 in a row in 1910 . You wouldn’t have blamed Villa fans for daring to dream about lifting their first league title since 1981 . But success breeds expectation, and expectation carries its own cruel weight. Arsenal tore Villa apart in a 4-1 win in late December and victories have been hard to come by in the new year – they have only won three of their last nine league games. Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are still below them in the table but the gap is narrowing. With games against United and Chelsea coming in March, the top-three spot Villa have occupied since they beat Wolves in late November suddenly looks in jeopardy. So does their place in the Champions League next season. Continue reading...

Chess: British players win Isle of Wight Masters as Scots achieve rare double

Chess: British players win Isle of Wight Masters as Scots achieve rare double

GM Matthew Wadsworth won in Ryde on tiebreak, Scottish GM Matthew Turner also shared first, while in Graz Scotland’s Freddy Waldhausen Gordon, 15, qualified for the IM title In just two years, the Isle of Wight Masters at Ryde school has become established as one of Britain’s most popular events. Its scenic ambience, impressive organisation and competitive spirit have combined to attract a strong international entry. Last weekend GM Matthew Wadsworth emerged first on tie-break ahead of IM Tobias Koelle (Germany) and GM Matthew Turner (Scotland) after the trio all scored 7/9. Wadsworth also won in 2025. Continue reading...

Teddies, toys and friendship bracelets: the film about the empty bedrooms of school shooting victims

Teddies, toys and friendship bracelets: the film about the empty bedrooms of school shooting victims

An Oscar-nominated documentary that goes into the bedrooms of children killed in US school shootings hopes to drive home the reality of such tragedies. ‘I’ve never been so frightened,’ says its director Steve Hartman has been a CBS correspondent since 1996. In the US, he is known for his feelgood human interest stories. This month he has reported on the retirement of a well-loved New Jersey postman after 33 years on the job and a truck driver who has spent two decades building a balsa wood scale replica of New York City . But since 1997, Hartman has also been reporting on school shootings, which have become a horrifyingly common feature of American life. ( CNN reports that there were at least 78 in 2025, though there is no universal definition of a school shooting, which means that numbers vary depending on the source. Other reports suggest a much higher figure.) Continue reading...

This Ramadan, know this: I am me, a Muslim and a Briton. I am not a headline, a threat or a stereotype | Nazir Afzal

This Ramadan, know this: I am me, a Muslim and a Briton. I am not a headline, a threat or a stereotype | Nazir Afzal

I am, like millions of others, dutifully fasting from dawn to dusk this month. My faith does not define me. It refines me Nazir Afzal is chancellor of the University of Manchester and a former chief prosecutor As Ramadan begins , Muslims across Britain prepare for a month of fasting, reflection and charity. For most of us, it is a time of spiritual discipline and generosity. For too many of us, it is also a time when the drumbeat of anti-Muslim hatred grows louder. I have never liked the word “ Islamophobia ”. It sounds abstract, almost clinical. What we are dealing with is not a vague fear. It is hostility. Suspicion. Discrimination. Abuse. So, I call it what it is, anti-Muslim hatred. Nazir Afzal is chancellor of the University of Manchester and a former chief prosecutor Continue reading...

European girls aged 13-15 have world’s highest rate of tobacco use for age group

European girls aged 13-15 have world’s highest rate of tobacco use for age group

World Health Organization report also finds one in seven adolescents across continent use vapes and e-cigarettes Teenage girls in Europe have the highest rate of tobacco use in their age group around the world, while one in seven adolescents across the continent use vapes and e-cigarettes, figures show. The data, based on analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that Europe is on course to maintain its status as the world’s biggest consumer of tobacco up to 2030, and reveals “particularly concerning” trends of tobacco use among women and young people. Continue reading...