Five Great British landscapes that inspired famous artists
Similarly lovely landscapes across Dedham Vale, which straddles the River Stour, are captured in many a Constable painting, which gave rise to its nickname Constable Country. Details B&B doubles from £209 (milsomhotels.com)• Revealed: 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2025Advertisement2. Conwy Castle, ConwyWilliam Turner’s Conway Castle. Conwy Castle — looming above the River Conwy — became a favourite subject that Turner re-created in numerous paintings and sketches such as Conwy Castle. AdvertisementDetails B&B doubles from £150 (crerarhotels.com)• 12 of the best places to visit in the UK5.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:02 UTC
Here's how Margot Robbie inspired Ncuti Gatwa
""So something I took from Margot on 'Doctor Who' was to get the crew good food vans. Once a month, bring in a pizza van or an ice cream van. That's the lesson I learned from Margot. "The 'Masters of the Air' actor felt "revived" after he returned to London's National Theatre in ' The Importance of Being Earnest ' at the end of last year and into January in what was his first theatre role since 2018.He said: "It was so invigorating. I like a cup of tea and sitting in my house now."
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 04:19 UTC
Hard-right upstarts eye big gains in local UK polls
They're the same as the Tories. But Starmer acknowledged on Monday the Runcorn by-election was "going to be tough". "They've still got time to turn things around," the 61-year-old said. Turnout for by-elections is notoriously low.Nevertheless, a Reform win would give the party "momentum", said David Jeffery, a British politics lecturer at the University of Liverpool. "The flip side is that they can sometimes cause party leaders embarrassment," said Tim Bale, politics protessor at Queen Mary University of London.Reform has had to drop candidates for making offensive comments.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 01:53 UTC
Doctors condemn Supreme Court ruling on trans women as ‘scientifically illiterate’
Read our Privacy noticeDoctors at the British Medical Association (BMA) have condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling on biological sex, dubbing it “biologically nonsensical” and “scientifically illiterate”. The union branch representing resident doctors – made up of around 50,000 medics previously known as junior doctors - passed a motion on Saturday criticising the judgement, which ruled that trans women are not legally women under the Equalities Act. But it also says that “in some circumstances the law also allows trans women (biological men) not to be permitted to use the men’s facilities, and trans men (biological women) not to be permitted to use the women’s facilities”. A BMA spokesperson said: "Attendees at the BMA's resident doctors conference voted to show their opposition to the Supreme Court ruling on Saturday. “The BMA respects trans patients' dignity, autonomy, and human rights and continues to believe that trans doctors, NHS workers and patients deserve dignity, safety, and equitable access to healthcare and healthcare facilities."
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 22:03 UTC
UK weather: temperatures to hit 30C on Thursday in spring heatwave
The UK is set to experience the warmest start to May on record with temperatures reaching up to 30C on Thursday. Parts of southern and central England will be hit by the highest temperatures over the next few days, before cooling off slightly by the weekend. So far, Monday was the warmest day of the year with a high of 24.5C recorded in St James’s Park in London. The previous temperature record for the beginning of May was 27.4C in 1990. Nicola Maxey of the Met Office said: “As high pressure continues
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 21:50 UTC
Pope Francis accused of interfering with witness in £300m fraud trial
Pope Francis is alleged to have interfered with a key witness before he changed his evidence in the Vatican’s controversial “trial of the century” over an ill-fated £300 million London property deal. Leaked documents, messages and voicemails have been passed to the London financier Raffaele Mincione, who was convicted under canon law of embezzlement by a Vatican court in 2023. The conviction related to a loss-making investment in 60 Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, a landmark building that was once a car showroom for Harrods. Mincione, 60, has always protested his innocence and argued that the Vatican case — which was investigated, prosecuted and tried by officials appointed by the Pope — was conducted unfairly. • High Court ruling raises questions about Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 20:34 UTC
Sauna in the Woods in Rackheath named among best in UK
The Times has listed Sauna in the Woods in Rackheath as one of the UK's best wild saunas. The traditional wood-fired sauna ranked alongside the Wildwood Spa in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall and the Secret Sauna in Bungay, Suffolk. There is a plunge pool for guests to cool down in (Image: Sauna in the Woods) Author Emma O'Kelley said: "Whether it’s down to the freshwater swimming pond, the forest of silver birch trees or the chunky, hand-hewn cabin doors and frames, Sauna in the Woods feels about as Nordic as it gets in the UK." The wild sauna is situated within 40 acres of private woodland "and the silence and privacy of the setting are magical". READ MORE: Hunstanton named one of the UK's prettiest seaside townsThere is a converted 1960s bus changing room on site (Image: Sauna in the Woods) The site also includes a converted 1960s bus changing room, a natural swimming pool and a wooden plunge pool to cool off in.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 20:08 UTC
Felling of Sycamore Gap Tree Was ‘Deliberate and Mindless,’ Prosecutor Says
Two men used a chain saw to cut down the celebrated Sycamore Gap tree in the north of England in a “moronic mission” in 2023, and the felling was filmed on a cellphone, a prosecutor in northeastern England said on Tuesday. The tree, a beloved landmark that stood by Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was found illegally cut down in September 2023. The trial for the two defendants in the case — Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, England — opened on Tuesday in Newcastle Crown Court, in England’s northeast, less than an hour’s drive from where the tree stump stands. The men have pleaded not guilty to two charges of criminal damage. Presenting the case against the defendants on Tuesday morning, the prosecutor, Richard Wright, called the felling a “moronic mission” and an “act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.”
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 19:52 UTC
Newspaper headlines: 'Milkshake tax looms' and 'No beer in Benidorm'
, externalThe i Paper says, external Spain and Portugal were "thrown into chaos". The Financial Times, external talks of people flowing on to the streets when metro stations were taken offline. A different focus is taken by the Sun,, external which focuses on the impact on British tourists with its headline, "no beer in Benidorm". The Daily Telegraph reports, external on the proposed new law blocking sex offenders from gaining asylum in the UK. And the Daily Express leads, external with a quote from the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, who has criticised the government's inheritance tax on farmers.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 19:26 UTC
Seven of the UK’s most idyllic boating holidays
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £1,095 (lancastercanalboathire.com)• Discover our full guide to the UK4. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £2,277 (beaconparkboats.com)• 100 of the Best Places to Stay in the UKAdvertisement5. A week is enough and Floating Holidays, in Middlewich, north of Crewe, has some lovely canal boats to pick from: the crimson Casanova sleeps four. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £1,048 (floating-holidays.co.uk)6. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £1,514 (marinecruises.co.uk)• I love Scotland more than anywhere else.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 17:36 UTC
Family of Powys man missing over two months are 'devastated'
Ashley Wilbraham, 38, from St Harmon was on holiday with his family in Borth when he went missing in February. Family members have told the County Times that Ashley rushed out of the caravan park he was staying in after thinking there was an emergency and headed to the beach between Borth and Ynslas on February 23. RECOMMENDED READING:The family have undertaken a frantic search for him and “travelled numerous times back to Borth, checking with drones and kayaks, searching everywhere”. The family said he “was in a vulnerable state that evening due to panic”. Ashley has been missing since late February (Image: Supplied)In a statement given by the family to the County Times they said: “Did anyone help him that evening or see him along the coast?
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 16:22 UTC
Piyush Goyal explores avenues for greater collaboration with UK
After a meeting with UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to advance the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, Goyal held talks with Revolut Chair Martin Gilbert with a fintech focus and De Beers Group CEO Al Cook with a focus on "global trends in the gems and jewellery sector" on Monday. "Exchanged views on the immense opportunities in India's fintech ecosystem and the importance of partnerships with global players to drive innovation and growth," Goyal posted on social media after meeting Gilbert. "Interacted with members of the Indian business delegation over dinner. Discussed the robust growth of our industry and avenues for greater collaboration with the UK for mutual prosperity," said Goyal.On Tuesday, the minister will meet UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, among other senior officials.All eyes are on the FTA negotiations, which were re-launched in February following a pause for general elections last year.They are aimed at clinching a deal that is expected to significantly enhance the estimated GBP 41 billion a year India-UK trade partnership. "This government is committed to doing the right deal with India, which will improve access for UK businesses, cut tariffs, and make trade cheaper and easier," a UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) spokesperson said.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 15:54 UTC
How the UK should respond to a troubled world economy
Global trade imbalances have persisted for some time. Before the 2008 global financial crisis they were such a problem that in June 2006 the International Monetary Fund hosted the first “multilateral consultation on global imbalances”. The aim was an orderly unwinding of imbalances in a manner supportive of global growth. Large deficit countries such as the US and UK were encouraged to save more. Such adjustments to currencies, spending and savings are still valid ways to address imbalances but there is little justification for the approach taken by the US on tariffs.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 12:33 UTC
UK tourist speechless after he visits Indian city: 'Looks like Singapore'
Internet reactsWhen most tourists visit India, they often arrive with certain preconceived notions—one of the most common being the country’s struggle with cleanliness. However, for UK-based tourist and travel vlogger Daniel Pinto , a visit to one Indian city completely changed that perception.While traveling through India, Pinto landed in Indore Madhya Pradesh , without any prior knowledge of its reputation. Indore, often dubbed the ' Singapore of India ', has earned the title of the country’s cleanest city—an achievement it has held for seven consecutive years. Many expressed surprise, noting they hadn’t expected to see such cleanliness in an Indian city. The response overall reflected a sense of civic pride and growing awareness about urban cleanliness
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 12:22 UTC
‘Revolutionary’ fridge-free vaccines to be trialled in UK
British scientists have launched the world’s first trial of a vaccine that does not need to be kept in the fridge, using revolutionary technology that is set to be a “global lifesaver”. At present vaccines need to be refrigerated or frozen, and this “cold chain” is a huge barrier to getting people vaccinated in developing countries — meaning that about half of all vaccines are thrown away each year. The UK biotech firm Stablepharma has developed new technology, backed by the government, which converts existing vaccines to fridge-free versions that are “thermostable” and can be stored for long periods at room temperature. One of their vaccines, the Stablepharma tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (SPVX02), is now being tested on humans in a clinical trial at University Hospital Southampton.
Source:The Times
April 29, 2025 10:48 UTC