Devine's ton dents England in fizzling end to winning tour

England's tour of New Zealand ended in disappointment with a sevenwicket loss in the final one-day international, courtesy of a brilliant unbeaten 100 from the New Zealand captain, Sophie Devine. Despite defeat, Heather Knight's side ended the series with a 2-1 victory.

Chancellor and the polls People know they're poorer and all Hunt can do is hope

Some chancellors are sacked. Some are forced to resign. Some exchange the green benches of the House of Commons for the red benches of the Lords. But not in living memory has a chancellor lost his seat at a general election.

UK rent rises to outpace wage growth for three years, report predicts

Rent rises in Britain are forecast to outpace wage growth, despite having already surged at the fastest pace on record after the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

'He's always in a hurry' Rapid rise of Simon Harris, Ireland's 'TikTok taoiseach'

In 2012 an Irish parliamentary committee hearing had degenerated into a shouting match when a voice cut through the mayhem. \"Chillax,\" said Simon Harris.

Hungary's political challenger says his 'vision' can beat Orbán

A political newcomer who is causing headaches for Hungary's government has said his experience as a regime insider can help him succeed where other opposition figures have failed, citing his rise in the polls and \"vision\" as signs that change is possible.

"The trains are invading India's elephants being hurt and killed as railways cut through their habitats

Lying on a mound of soft sand inside the nursery, Bani looks like a spoilt child being indulged. Two members of the care team massage her hind leg with oil while the third, sitting at her head, funnels sticks of sugar cane gently into her mouth, clucking reassuringly.

US election Could the Christian right be Donald Trump's salvation?

A thrice-married man who refers to holy communion as involving a \"little cracker\", was apparently unable to name a single Bible verse and says he has never asked God for forgiveness was always an unlikely hero for the most conservative Christians in the US.

Head of UN joins condemnation of Ecuador's armed raid on Mexican embassy in Quito

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has added his voice to a torrent of criticism of Ecuador's decision to storm the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest the former vice-president Jorge Glas.

Photographer who worked with UN agency in Gaza bears witness to 'another level' of trauma

The scale of trauma, suffering and devastation in Gaza has reached a level that is barely imaginable, according to a photographer with the World Health Organization who spent more than a month documenting the UN agency's work there.

Shakespeare played jealous husband in Ben Jonson play, academic claims

He was an actor, as well as the greatest dramatist of all time, but no one has been able to name with certainty a single role that William Shakespeare performed himself.

Furness Abbey Cumbrian monks' night steps restored amid ruins

A staircase used by weary medieval monks when they had to file down from bed to church services in the middle of the night has been rebuilt in some of the most atmospheric monastic ruins in England.

'We're being targeted' UK doctors on their fears after airstrike

Volunteer healthcare workers from the UK who have travelled to Gaza since 7 October have spoken of their concerns about continuing their humanitarian work after seven international aid workers, including three Britons, were killed by an Israeli airstrike.

Israel pulls ground troops from southern Gaza as fresh round of ceasefire talks starts in Egypt

Israel has pulled all of its ground troops out of southern Gaza for \"tactical reasons\", the country's army has said, raising questions about the future direction of the war as Hamas and Israeli delegations travel to Egypt for a new round of ceasefire talks.

Tobacco-free England would be £11bn better off, study suggests

Almost £11bn a year could be spent in England's communities from money saved on tobacco products if people quit smoking, according to a study.

Off we trot: craze for hobby horses comes to Britain

It was a story that many people thought was a quirky April fool when it appeared on the website of Horse & Hound magazine.

Campaigners join with victims in debate over Scottish hate crime law

\"Gender-critical\" activists and counter-protesters gathered in Edinburgh on Saturday after the Scottish government's new hate crime law drew criticism last week over its potential impact on freedom of speech. The events remained peaceful, with no arrests made, according to Police Scotland.

'I was sick to my stomach' Woman loses inheritance after 'fraud' prosecution

Vivienne Groom never had so much as a parking ticket before she stood in the glass-paneled dock at Chester crown court last November.

'I'm a little bit tired': world first as Briton completes quest to run the length of Africa

After 9,940 miles over 352 days through 16 countries, Russ Cook, aka the \"Hardest Geezer\", completed the mammoth challenge of running the entire length of Africa yesterday.

Date with democracy When will the next election take place? Only Sunak can say

If Rishi Sunak sounds tetchy when asked the question, it is nothing compared with the frustrations of many voters: when exactly will there be an election? And why, crucially, is it entirely up to him?

Doug Hoyle, father of Commons speaker Lindsay, dies aged 98

Doug Hoyle, father of the Commons speaker Lindsay and a prominent Labour figure during the 1990s as the party transformed into an electoral force, has died at the age of 98.

Cross-party MPs put forward plan to make abortion access a human right

A cross-party group of MPs is proposing to make abortion access a human right in England and Wales, putting forward legislation that would decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks and introduce protections against access being stripped back.

New era: Paris aims to hold greenest Olympic Games

Beneath the undulating wooden roof of the Paris Olympics' new aquatics centre, the architect Laure Mériaud hoped the groundbreaking low-carbon building would bring a kind of calm to the intersection of motorways near the Stade de France stadium in the suburb of St-Denis.

'Bermuda triangle for birds': killings threaten rare hen harriers' recovery

The sweeping edge of the Pennines at Geltsdale - a large nature reserve with a diverse mix of heather moorland, resurgent scrub, rough grassland and a rewilded stream - has perfect conditions for the rare hen harrier to thrive and conservationists hope this year it will. But there remain fears that illegal persecution will continue to hinder the rare raptor's recovery.

Joe Kinnear, ex-footballer and manager, dies aged 77

Joe Kinnear, a former Tottenham Hotspur defender and Wimbledon manager, has died at the age of 77 after a battle with dementia, his family said yesterday.

Disappeared Anguish in Gaza over the missing thousands

Late one night in March, Ahmed Abu Jalala rose quietly, trying hard not to wake his family, sleeping around him on the floor of a UN-run school in northern Gaza.

Diving in Key players in finger-pointing standoff over future of troubled utility

The standoff between Thames Water, its shareholders, the government and the industry regulator is beginning to resemble the final scene of Reservoir Dogs.

Sex, drugs and golfing: 'sordid' defamation trial grips Australia

A defamation trial brought by the former Australian political employee Bruce Lehrmann, in all its \"sordid\" mess (to quote the judge), has gripped Australia this week.

Warmer waters cause blue tide of alien-like creatures along US west coast

From Oregon to California, blankets of alien-like blue creatures are washing up on rocky beaches. They are Velella velella, tiny colonies of organisms with a sombrero-esque fin at the top and tentacles dangling down.

Jewish Hollywood figures back Glazer over Gaza Oscars speech

Hundreds of Jewish professionals in Hollywood and the arts, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, film-maker Joel Coen and the writer Naomi Klein, have expressed their support for Jonathan Glazer after the director of The Zone of Interest faced intense anger over his acceptance speech at this year's Oscars.

'Proud to be here': US fugitive signs up with Russian army

A former city councillor and member of the Massachusetts national guard who is wanted in the US on child sexual abuse image charges has fled the country and joined the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.