Times letters: Extending sugar tax to milkshakes and lattes
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, The government should avoid being seen as clobbering poorer consumers (“Milkshake tax looms in broader sugar levy”, Apr 29). Instead it should allocate the proceeds of this levy to programmes that directly help those consumers to access and afford more nutritious food, such as the NHS Healthy Start cards, free school meals and school holiday clubs. The Healthy Start weekly allowance of £4.25 toward fruit, vegetables, milk and pulses has been frozen for four years. Meanwhile tens of thousands of poorer children are eligible but are not registered for these cards because awareness of the scheme is very low. An increased allowance, alongside revised criteria and the
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 12:01 UTC
Trump's First 100 Days: All The Times The US President Has Made Life Difficult For Starmer So Far
Trump's First 100 Days: All The Times The US President Has Made Life Difficult For Starmer So FarBritain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and US President Donald Trump shake hands during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. via Associated PressKeir Starmer was already enduring a particularly rockyfirst few months in office when Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. But Trump, while still friendly to the prime minister, has certainly not made life easy for him. Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. Some reports even credited Starmer with using direct diplomacy to get the US president and Zelenskyy talking again.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 11:38 UTC
Why Nigel Farage Is Bringing MAGA-Style Rallies to the UK
Thursday’s elections, while limited in number, are the first test of Reform’s ability to convert that polling into power. It’s also favored to win a closely fought special election for a parliamentary seat the same night. Jeremy Corbyn, the hard-left former leader of the Labour Party, was a notable exception in 2017 when he spoke at the Glastonbury music festival and was serenaded enthusiastically by concertgoers. “Rallies have gone out of political fashion,” said Neil Kinnock, who led Labour from 1983 to 1992, and was one of the most accomplished orators of his era. He was famed for his platform speeches, including his 1983 warning against voting Conservative and his passionate denunciation of the hard left in 1985.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 10:59 UTC
Aston Martin reduces exports to US as it watches impact of tariffs
Aston Martin Lagonda has cut back on exports to the United States as it monitors the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on demand for its luxury sports cars. Shipping its Vantage, Vanquish, DB12 and DBX models across the Atlantic from its factories in Warwickshire and south Wales is big business for the company. Sales in the Americas account for about a third of group volumes, with the vast majority of that in the US. In a statement accompanying its first-quarter results, the only carmaker quoted in London, said: “We are carefully monitoring the evolving US tariff situation and are currently limiting imports to the US while leveraging the stock held by our US dealers. “We remain vigilant in monitoring events and will respond to changes
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 08:30 UTC
Chelsea urged to start stadium talks as Twickenham issues revealed amid Stamford Bridge dilemma
"They see the value that we bring to the area and they understand why we need to have more non-rugby events when you compare it to Tottenham, Wembley, the O2. They can see why we need those non-rugby events to make the thing viable.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:58 UTC
U.K. Crossbow Attack Suspect Voiced Racist and Misogynist Views
A man accused of wounding two women with a crossbow in the British city of Leeds on Saturday has died of a self-inflicted injury, the police said on Tuesday. The suspect, Owen Lawrence, 38, died in the hospital where he was taken after his arrest at the scene of the attack, the counterterrorism police said in a statement. The two women, ages 19 and 31, were seriously injured, the authorities said. One was released from the hospital a day after the attack, but the other remained hospitalized on Tuesday after undergoing surgery for life-threatening wounds, they said. The police said they were still investigating the motivation for the rampage, during which witnesses saw the suspect walking along a three-mile stretch of pubs and bars, known locally as the “Otley Run,” armed with a crossbow and several air rifles.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:33 UTC
Amnesty: Human rights at risk worldwide
No YesIsrael and Gaza once again in focusSudan: A humanitarian disasterCriticism of GermanyCall to reflect on human rightsAccording to the UK-based human rights organization Amnesty International , we are at a "critical juncture" when it comes to universal human rights worldwide. Its report underlines religious, patriarchal and racist assaults on the system of human rights conventions, universal human rights, international humanitarian law , and international courts agreed upon by states after the crimes of the Nazis and World War II. Amnesty International assesses the human rights situation in a total of 150 countries every year.Amnesty's annual report identifies three main ongoing trends. This was particularly true of states that once were committed to universal human rights, such as the US. That is why we are calling on governments to put human rights at the heart of their policies.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:14 UTC
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