On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concerns

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement.

Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them.

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‘Maybe it’s because we love the sesh’: how Wales is bucking Britain’s pub-closing trend
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

At least six new pubs and taphouses have opened in recent months, including the Pig & Swill in Cardiff

On a hot Thursday evening in Canton, a buzzy Cardiff neighbourhood, a steady stream of people in sunglasses, shorts and dresses went back and forth between bar and garden at the city’s newest pub, the Pig & Swill.

Next door, in Victoria Park, the splash pad was still heaving with families making the most of the tail-end of the May heatwave. Many parents and carers stopped by for takeaway pints and small plates.

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Resident group’s objections to bar and restaurant licences ‘destroying Soho’s reputation’
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

Soho Society, funded by Westminster council, is ferociously opposing all new proposals, venue owners say

A society of residents funded by the council could “destroy Soho’s reputation on the international stage” as London’s entertainment district by ferociously objecting to all new bar and restaurant licences, operators in the area have said.

The Soho Society, a group of residents established in 1972 aimed at “preserving the character of Soho”, voted in its AGM on Thursday for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond “core hours”, which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm.

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What’s gone wrong at Everyman and can the luxury cinema chain regain its magic?
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

More competition and loss-making sites are among the challenges for the new turnaround chief executive

With its comfy sofas and a menu of gourmet treats including Béarnaise smash burgers and trendy Whispering Angel rosé wine at £47 a bottle, Everyman has thrived as the go-to chain for a luxury cinema trip.

Yet a quarter of a century after reinventing the movie-going experience, growing from a single venue in Hampstead in London to a national player with 49 sites, the arthouse chain finds itself struggling as rivals ape its successful formula.

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Anthropic’s alliance with pope on AI harms: all in good faith or ‘Vatican-washing?’
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

Experts say AI firm’s engagement with Vatican risks creating ‘feelgood’ discourse that lacks critical examination

Why did Anthropic’s founder sit beside the pope during a warning about AI?

In the first major written teaching of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV took artificial intelligence to task. The pontiff delineated the technology’s most concerning threats to humanity: replacing workers, accelerating war and exploiting the environment. At a ceremony honoring the holy teaching the day of its release at the Vatican, the pope was flanked by an unusual guest speaker: Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah, one of the people behind the AI boom so worrying Leo.

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Anthropic reaches valuation of $965bn, beating OpenAI to become world’s most valuable AI firm
Posted on Thursday May 28, 2026

Claude’s parent company’s $65bn in latest funding round underscores vast sums of money still flowing into industry

Anthropic, the AI firm behind the Claude chatbot, announced on Thursday it had raised $65bn in funding to value the company at $965bn post-money. The move makes Anthropic the world’s most valuable AI startup, eclipsing its competitor OpenAI.

The deal marks an exceedingly successful period of growth for Anthropic, which was once considered to be a smaller player in the global AI arms race. The widespread adoption of its products by large enterprise businesses, especially following its release of powerful coding assistants late last year, has turned it into a dominant player in the industry.

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Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal: Champions League final – live
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

⚽ Latest updates, 5pm BST (6pm local) kick-off in Budapest
⚽ Donald McRae’s Arsenal journey | Follow us on Bluesky

“They’ve got a wonderful group of players and a great manager in Mikel Arteta but having come so close three times on the bounce I felt these guys needed it,” Sol Campbell says of Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years since, in 2004, he was the cornerstone of their defence for the Invincibles. His team remained unbeaten throughout that historic league season, but the pressure on his successors has been immense.

“The wait has been so heavy and it was all pent up, building year after year, always coming so close but never getting over the line,” he says. “That’s why you saw such an outpouring of joy and togetherness. It’s been incredible because we’ve been waiting such a long time.”

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A season from hell: how Arne Slot’s Liverpool fell apart after death of Jota
Posted on Saturday May 30, 2026

The title-winning glow soon faded for the champions’ manager after tragedy in Spain presaged a dramatic decline on the pitch

The Liverpool forward was returning from his native Portugal to England via car then ferry, on medical advice after having a minor lung operation, and was killed in an accident along with his brother, André Silva, en route to the Spanish port of Santander, on 3 July 2025. Jota’s death, 11 days after teammates attended his wedding to the mother of their three children, deeply affected everyone at the club. The celebrations at the end of May of the club’s title win on the streets of Liverpool had previously been cut short by a man driving a car into the crowds, injuring 134 people, some seriously. What should have been a summer of celebration was overshadowed by tragedies, and Arne Slot had to prepare for the new season against a highly emotional background.

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