Exclusive: David Neuberger, who ruled on high-profile assisted dying cases, believes tight terms of bill cannot be expanded in courtsThe former president of the supreme court who ruled on the most high-profile assisted dying cases has declared his support for the law change, as MPs backing the bill say they believe they have the numbers for Friday’s historic vote to pass.David Neuberger, who ruled against high-profile assisted dying applications including Debbie Purdy in 2009 and Tony Nicklinson in 2015, told the Guardian he believed the status quo was failing “the fundamental aims of the law – to respect people’s right of personal autonomy, and to protect the vulnerable”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:07:20
Party leader could revive deportations for people who arrive on small boats but did not recommit to Rwanda planKemi Badenoch is considering a new cap on visas if the Conservatives return to power and has admitted that previous Tory governments had failed to keep their promises on immigration.In her first policy intervention as party leader, she also said pulling out of human rights laws “may not be the most radical thing” that her future government will have to do to control the flow of people into the UK. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:39:46
Reports of cars heading south inside Lebanon despite Israeli army warning displaced residents not to return home immediatelyLive updates: Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire beginsA highly anticipated ceasefire aimed at ending the 14-month-old war between Israel and Hezbollah officially came into effect early on Wednesday morning, hours after Joe Biden hailed the “historic” moment.The ceasefire officially began at 0200 GMT – 4am in Lebanon – after the heaviest day of raids on Beirut, including a series of strikes in the city’s centre, since Israel stepped up its air campaign in Lebanon in late September before sending in ground troops. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 09:49:29
Live updates from the 10pm GMT start in ChristchurchGet in touch! Share your thoughts in an email to SimonRight, anthems sung, players out. Chris Woakes has the ball. Cricket imminent.“Why is Bashir playing instead of Leach?” harrumphs Paul McIntyre. Well, because he’s England’s first-choice spinner in all conditions, as Ben Stokes put it in Pakistan last month. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:32:03
German intelligence chief warns continued hybrid warfare by Moscow increases risk of alliance invoking Article 5Russia’s acts of sabotage against western targets may eventually prompt Nato to consider invoking the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service has warned.Speaking at an event of the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP) think tank in Berlin on Wednesday, BND chief Bruno Kahl said he expected Moscow to further step up its hybrid warfare. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:05:40
Exclusive: absence of good transport links now an emblem of areas that feel ‘left behind’ and failed by major parties, report claimsEvery constituency that elected a new Reform UK candidate at the general election has experienced long delays to road improvement schemes and resulting congestion, a report has found, in a possible clue to the growing appeal of populist parties.A series of other places where Nigel Farage’s party is now polling well are also lacking transport infrastructure, the report added, as well as a perception among locals that decisions were being made in London that made their lives more difficult could push them to abandon major parties. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:00:24
For Women Scotland is challenging ruling extending definition of ‘woman’ to transgender women with GRCTransgender people have “a fundamental right” to be recognised in their legally acquired gender, the supreme court has heard in a case brought by Scottish campaigners to resolve how women are defined in law.For Women Scotland is challenging a prior ruling by the court of session in Edinburgh, which found that Scottish government guidance extending the definition of “woman” to transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) was lawful. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:42:42
Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey among properties being searched by officers investigating banned groupUK-based Kurdish advocacy groups have condemned the arrest of seven people by counter-terrorism police in London as part of an investigation into the banned Kurdistan Workers’ party, known as the PKK.Four men aged 23, 27, 56 and 62, and two women aged 31 and 59, were arrested at separate addresses during dawn raids in the capital on Wednesday and remain in custody, the Metropolitan police said. A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in west London. All are yet to be charged. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 20:59:49
Democrat Derek Tran has flipped California’s 45th congressional district after weeks-long countDemocrats criticize Harris for ‘self-congratulatory’ review of election lossLeavitt wrote that the threats transpired Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and included bomb threats and swatting, which refers to false reports of a crime to prompt police raids on a person’s home.Law enforcement “acted quickly,” wrote Leavitt, adding that “President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.” Leavitt did not say who specifically was targeted. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:26:30
A 27-year-old man has been taken into custody on suspicion of stalking and harassment in Manchester city centreA man has become the first in the UK to be arrested over videos filmed of women on nights out without their consent, with some in vulnerable states.The 27-year-old from Bradford was taken into custody on suspicion of stalking and harassment after reports of women being followed, filmed and harassed in Manchester city centre. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:58:30
Lib Dem leader teams up with choir of young carers to record a version of their self-penned song, Love is EnoughWhen already this year you’ve bungee-jumped, jetskied and led your party to its best election result for a century, how can you possibly top that as a politician? If you are Ed Davey, the answer is obvious: try for a Christmas No 1.That, at least, is the ambition for the Liberal Democrat leader, who has teamed up with a choir of young carers to record an original song of theirs, complete with a Christmas-heavy video featuring festive jumpers and hats, tinsel, and baubles being hung on a tree. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:00:21
Daniel Andreas San Diego had been a fugitive from the FBI for two decades before he was found in Maenan villageMaenan, in north Wales, is not a place where very much happens. But earlier this week armed police descended on this tiny settlement, leaving neighbours in “disbelief”.They learned that a man they had sometimes seen near his home on the outskirts of the woods was in fact one of the FBI’s most wanted men. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 21:11:44
Peace is shaky at best, as Israel will still strike targets in Lebanon and a power transition looms in the USThe Biden administration has claimed the long-awaited ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a diplomatic triumph achieved under tremendous pressure during a lame-duck period with a hostile Donald Trump administration waiting in the wings.Speaking from a lectern in the Rose Garden of the White House, Joe Biden called the result “historic” and said that it “reminds us that peace is possible”. It would return civilians to their homes, he said, and had “determined this conflict will not be just another cycle of violence”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:39:45
Police say strict new restraining orders on domestic abusers will enable them to ‘manage offenders proactively’In a white-walled room at Croydon custody centre on Wednesday, Jess Phillips let out a little whoop.Talking about new strict new restraining orders on domestic abusers, which were launched that morning, DI Sharad Verma said: “We’ve issued two Dapos today … you should have the first national-level Dapos by the end of the day.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:17:04
From the woman who risked her freedom by disguising herself as a man to watch football, to the separatist who had to abandon his family after urging a crowd to throw off the Islamic Republic – this is essential viewingMeytham Ale Mahdi was working for the National Steel Group in 2018 when Iran’s economy collapsed and unemployment reached 60%. As wages went unpaid for months and life became increasingly impossible, Mahdi did what so many Iranians have done during 45 years of authoritarian rule: he took to the streets. The protests spread across the country and expanded into an organised strike movement. The hunger for change in Iran was, once again, insatiable.Then came the crackdown. Mahdi was arrested, interrogated and forced to confess that he was a separatist leading the riots. He was ordered to tell the workers to stop striking. But when he returned to the protests, the fear he had experienced in the interrogation room evaporated. Mahdi smiles as he recalls the speech he made that day: “Together we can stand against all the powers. We are like raindrops, but together we turn into the sea.” After he spoke those words, he never went home again. In exile, he scrolls through photos of his children, who were seven and nine when he fled Iran five years ago. “Is there any suffering greater than this?” he asks. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:00:25
What’s it like to grow up the son of Hollywood legends? Stephen Bogart, whose parents left him for six months even after his nanny dropped dead, reveals how he finally shook off the pastIn the spring of 1951, Humphrey Bogart flew across the Atlantic to make The African Queen, John Huston’s classic Technicolor yarn about an odd couple on a boat. He took his wife, Lauren Bacall. He took his whisky and his cigarettes. But he left his two-year-old son in the care of the nanny, reasoning that the jungle was dangerous and that he’d only be gone for six months. Bogart and Bacall waved goodbye from the airport gangplank. The kid waved back from the employee’s arms. And it was at this moment, as the plane left the runway, that the nanny had a brain haemorrhage and dropped dead on the tarmac.Stephen Bogart takes up the tale. His parents’ plane lands. Bacall hears the news. Mrs Hartley just died: her son’s effectively on his own. “So what does she do? She thinks, ‘Do I go to Africa with Bogie and Huston and [Katharine] Hepburn and have a lot of fun? Or do I go home and take care of the kid?’” After hasty consideration, she plumped for the first option, palming the boy off on his grandparents instead. He says: “Now I don’t blame my mother for doing what she did. But I’m not sure that I would have made the same choice.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:11:08
Tory leader’s aim is as wild as her temper as she sets up Starmer’s rejoinders before madly demanding he resignIt appears that Kemi Badenoch is a slow learner. The Tory leader has now had three attempts at prime minister’s questions and has yet to make an impact. In fact, most of the damage she has caused has been self-inflicted. Turns out that being shouty and condescending in the Commons doesn’t do you many favours.Part of the problem is that KemiKaze clearly hasn’t been paying much attention for the last few years. There’s a reason it’s called PMQs. The questions may get asked but they very rarely get answered. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:47:32
Writer-director was involved with a string of hits, including Airplane!, Hot Shots! and The Naked Gun. Here are some of the most famous scenesJim Abrahams, the writer-director involved with the hit comedies Airplane! and The Naked Gun, has died at the age of 80.Here we take a look at the funniest moments from his most popular film and TV comedies. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 14:33:52
Workers stunned at City of London Corporation’s plan to close market, which was established in 1133 and survived Great FireThe junction at Cowcross Street marks the place where for centuries cattle were driven daily to London’s Smithfield Market. Nearby Cock Lane is another street name linked to the meat and poultry trade centred here since the 12th century, although some accounts attribute its origin to it being the only licensed place for sex work in the medieval city.Soon these will be among the last vestiges of a truly historic site that was central to London life, feeding the city’s people, dispensing justice as a place of public execution and even, in a shameful chapter from the early 19th century, providing a place where a man wishing to avoid a costly divorce could sell his wife. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:39:51
In a world where books have to vie with smartphones for attention, a brilliant ebook reader is more necessary than everE-readers have been one of the greatest single-purpose gadgets for almost three decades. They offer an escape from technology and the endless distraction of mobile phones, despite also being tech devices.But that is starting to change. Colour ebook readers, for graphic novels, magazines and books, are now fairly common, and there are several models designed for note-taking. Plus, a whole family of these devices uses Android, meaning they can run all of those apps that often distract from reading.Best e-reader overall: Kindle Paperwhite£124.99 at AmazonBest colour e-reader: Kobo Libra Colour£179 at CurrysBest affordable e-reader: Kobo Clara BW£119 at AmazonBest phone-style e-reader: Onyx Boox Palma 2€299 at Boox Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:20
Nearly a quarter of adults in Britain now ‘zebra stripe’ when they visit pubs and bars, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinksName: Zebra striping.Age: The name is new, but the behaviour is old. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:12:17
Beauty improves only some qualities of life and demands high investment of time, money and energy, writes advice columnist Jessica DeFinoHi Ugly,How do I reconcile not wanting to become a victim to beauty culture rhetoric with the fact that being beautiful tangibly improves quality of life? I’m an undergrad in university and it’s hard not to feel like I’ll never get anywhere professionally or romantically if I don’t look a certain way, given that it seems like all the other girls on campus seem to be able to fulfill all their dreams and also casually look like That. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:00:02
The British-Egyptian activist is imprisoned alongside thousands of other political detainees. We’re appealing to the UK government for helpMy sister is 68, and today is her 60th day on hunger strike. This is her latest battle against injustice, and she knows it may be her last.Laila is fighting for the freedom of her son: Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the British-Egyptian writer, software developer and democracy activist who is Egypt’s most high-profile political prisoner. Alaa has served two five-year prison sentences. The first for participating in a 15-minute silent protest, the second for reposting a Facebook post about a prisoner who had died in prison.Ahdaf Soueif is the author of Mezzaterra: Fragments from the Common GroundDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 10:36:05
Hezbollah is still armed and has the potential to attack Israel. But more significantly it has in effect abandoned HamasNow that the dust has settled, quite literally, following the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, it is crucial to ask whether this deal will last – because, let’s face it, we’ve been here before.In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought viciously for more than a month for reasons not dissimilar to today’s context. By conducting a cross-border raid against Israeli troops, Hezbollah sought to alleviate some pressure on Hamas, which was battling with Israel in Gaza. The operation backfired, triggering a devastating conflict that led to the killing of roughly 1,100 Lebanese and 160 Israelis, and to massive displacement and damage to infrastructure in southern Lebanon. At home, Hezbollah was heavily criticised by most of Lebanese society for its unilateral decision, but, as always, it evaded accountability thanks to its guns.Bilal Y Saab, an associate fellow with Chatham House, is the head of the US-Middle East practice of Trends Research & AdvisoryDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 09:41:15
Under the auspices of holding the president elect to account, there’s the usual sucking up to power and moneyI have spent most of the last week on Zoom calls with accountants in New York, trying to figure out the personal finance implications of moving to the UK – lugging dual citizenship behind me. (Short version: they’re not good.) Since these conversations deal with economic outcomes it has felt, as a matter of form, necessary to mention that given the US just elected a maniac, at some level – don’t we think? – all bets are off. Joking not-joking: we can talk about pensions or college savings until the cows come home but really, why aren’t we screaming? A remark that has elicited, to a man, either blank looks or cheerful entreaties not to be so alarmist.It is three weeks since the presidential election and, crazy cabinet picks aside, Americans are in that strange interim period where normality resumes, and it is possible to convince ourselves that actually this might not be so bad. The markets are holding steady, helped by a sensible pick for treasury secretary (unlike other Trump cabinet picks, Scott Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager, has – so far as we know – never been accused of sexual assault, had a white nationalist tattoo, or taken part in an exhibition wrestling match). Trump’s threats to tear up the script on tariffs and immigration on day one are unnerving, but his follow-through skills can be weak. Technically, he’s a lame duck president. And so on. Meanwhile, real life continues.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:21:08
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Published: 2024-11-27 17:28:37
In an age of cynicism and mistrust, politicians must work harder to involve the public in difficult decisionsWhen MPs vote this Friday on assisted dying, they will be trying to answer two questions folded into one. First comes the ethical choice. Is it ever permissible for one person to help someone else take their own life? Then comes the regulatory challenge. Under what conditions might that permission be granted in law?It isn’t easy to separate those considerations. Sometimes you have to work through scenarios of implementation before arriving at a view on the prior principle. But when legislation is being drafted, the two questions must logically be answered in sequence, not in parallel. When and how are only relevant debates if the answer to the question of whether assisted dying can ever be allowed is yes.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 06:00:52
Delivery firm’s time in London will be remembered for hubristic £5.8bn acquisition of US company GrubhubJust Eat to delist from LSE to cut costsDelistings from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) are routinely described as a “blow”, but some hits are painless. The departure of Just Eat Takeaway is one. The delivery firm’s life in London will mainly be remembered for a horribly timed and hubristic acquisition that impoverished the poor old shareholders.The only charitable spin to put on the $7.3bn (£5.8bn) purchase of Grubhub, a US business, in 2021 is that Just Eat’s directors, led by Jitse Groen, the chief executive, must have been suffering a collective case of lockdown fever. Swayed by the boom in demand for takeaways during the Covid pandemic, they grabbed Grubhub at a takeover premium of 40%, even though no easy cost savings were available. Last week. Grubhub was sold for a mere $650m. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:03:29
Going down a private equity rabbit hole was the last thing I thought I’d encounter when I finally dialled the numberI wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight me or just tell me something, but the bloke in the car behind wanted me to pull over. As far as I could see, he wasn’t as big as me, so I decided to risk it. He stopped behind me, got out, came to the window, and said one of my back wheels was damaged. Oh, good. I sat there for a while, luxuriating in despair.Eight o’clock on a Saturday morning on the M40 northbound just past Warwick. I’d come to a stop right in front of a sign I had seen a thousand times before. It pops up after every junction on this motorway that I know so well. “M40. Maintained by UK Highways for National Highways. 0300 123 5000.” I’ve long wondered what this word (and number) salad of a sign is on about. For a start, what is the number for? It took me back to John Major’s cones hotline. As I recall, nobody was clear what that was for either.Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:47:45
We’ve cared for our farm through war, pandemic and money worries. The inheritance tax row shows how little the government respects thatClare Wise is a farmer based in County DurhamIf you are familiar with the pangs of parental guilt, then you can relate to owning a farm. Take that gut-wrenching, often irrational feeling, amplify it, and welcome to being a farmer. From the moment you’re born into a family farm, there’s a weight of expectation on you to look after it, to put it before yourself, to uphold your family’s pride. All farm kids know they don’t open presents on Christmas morning until the animals are fed, that parents miss special occasions because cows are calving, and that hopes of a foreign holiday are almost nil, at least on a livestock farm such as mine.Owning a farm is like playing a game of pass the parcel with a valuable gift, but the one who unwraps the present is very much the loser of the bunch. From an early age, it’s drilled into you that the farm, the land and its legacy are things you carry and pass on to your children. We don’t see the farms we inhabit as truly ours: they’re generational assets that produce food for the masses. That is why farmers are putting up a huge fight against the government’s new inheritance tax changes. It’s hard not to feel as though this policy is a land grab by ministers who have no idea about how farming works.Clare Wise is a farmer based in County DurhamDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 08:00:55
Labour has restored some decency and pragmatism to asylum policy. The next step is courage in changing the terms of debateAs a place of accommodation, the Bibby Stockholm had only a minor function in UK asylum policy, but it loomed large as an emblem of that policy’s dysfunction. The barge moored at Portland in Dorset held 400 men at maximum capacity. The last of them disembarked this week, marking the end of the vessel’s service as a Home Office incarceration facility.The total number of people in the UK waiting for asylum claims to be processed is around 85,600. Taking one barge out of the equation doesn’t reduce overall numbers. But it does indicate progress towards the more rational approach that Labour promised in contrast to ostentatiously punitive Conservative methods. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:36:38
The US-brokered agreement is a breakthrough for suffering civilians. But a deal on Netanyahu’s terms offers scant hope to PalestiniansUnsurprisingly, Joe Biden struck an upbeat, optimistic note on Tuesday as he announced a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. “It reminds us that peace is possible,” said Mr Biden, as the deal brought to an end the 14-month conflict, during which close to 4,000 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were displaced.For the outgoing American president, who has signally failed to restrain Israel’s excesses after the heinous Hamas massacre of 7 October 2023, the agreement amounts to a valedictory breakthrough after months of weak and ineffective diplomacy. More importantly, it affords the suffering people of Lebanon some respite, after a bombing campaign and ground invasion that paid scant regard to the appalling impact on civilian lives. For the 60,000 citizens of Israel forced to flee the country’s northern border region by Hezbollah rockets, there is the prospect of a return home after spending more than a year in displacement camps. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:37:33
Readers who believe the assisted dying bill should be passed into law in England and Wales respond to Guardian coverage• Letters from those who argue against the bill: ‘Every person should have care – not lethal drugs’Eight years ago, my husband Mark died. Our youngest child had just turned 11. Mark had been ill for five years. Finally, he waited till the kids and I were out of the house, and ended his own life. By the time he died, he was bedridden, in constant discomfort, doubly incontinent, unable to taste, smell, or see much, but when he was well, he was handsome and brilliant. He was an archaeologist and academic. He was also a dad, a brother, an uncle and a friend. The things he liked included fossils, Tom and Jerry cartoons, jazz, cycling, Rome, 19th-century novels and yellow climbing roses.Under the present English and Welsh law, ending your life because of physical suffering is a very lonely and isolating experience. Mark knew he wanted to die, but to protect me from prosecution, he could not have me with him at the end, or even share his plans with the person closest to him. He couldn’t access psychological support because all the professionals who might provide it are obliged to treat suicide as a risk, and something to be prevented in all circumstances. And, most of all, he had to die alone, with nobody holding his hand. His act was a brave and loving thing. It still hurts and angers me. Keeping assisted dying out of reach doesn’t stop people trying to end their lives. It just forces people to die bleak and derelict deaths. Dying people deserve better. They deserve choice. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:31
Readers who believe the assisted dying bill shouldn’t be passed into law in England and Wales respond to Guardian coverage• Letters from those who argue in favour of the bill: ‘Dying people deserve a choice. Let them make it’The argument that the legalisation of assisted suicide in Oregon in 1997 has not started a “slippery slope” is dangerously misleading (‘Slippery slope’ fears over assisted dying have echoes of abortion debate, 24 November). While Oregon’s eligibility criteria have changed little, their interpretation has widened and safeguards have been relaxed. Oregon’s law, like Kim Leadbeater’s proposed bill, allows assisted suicide for adults with a “terminal illness that will lead to death within six months”. Interpretation of “terminal illness” has expanded such that physicians have prescribed lethal drugs to people with anorexia and arthritis.As for safeguards, Oregon’s 15-day “waiting period” (similar to that proposed in Kim Leadbeater’s bill) ceased to be mandatory in 2020. The following year, exemptions were made in one in five cases; the year after that, one in four. In the first three years after Oregon’s law passed, 28% of those seeking assisted suicide were referred for psychiatric evaluation; in 2022, only 1%. It is also worth noting that in the first year after Oregon’s legalisation passed, 13% of patients seeking assisted suicide cited fear of being a “burden” as a motivating factor. In 2021, that figure stood at 54%. Sick, elderly and disabled people are not burdens. They are, like every person, valuable. Like every person, they need and deserve care – not lethal drugs.Katherine BacklerOxford Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:00:26
Arne Slot’s Liverpool reboot has its latest dividend. His team continues to boast the only 100% record in the Champions League group stage and this was not just another victory, it was a swatting aside of the holders, a statement of intent.Real Madrid have hurt Liverpool more than any other opponent in Europe. In four of the previous seven seasons, they have ended their hopes – most agonisingly in the finals of 2018 and 2023. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:06:40
About 15 minutes before this match Emiliano Martínez was introduced on to the pitch for a touch of grandstanding, to commemorate the Argentinian becoming the first goalkeeper to win the Yashin Trophy twice. Then, about an hour later, Martínez exhibited quite why he is held in such high esteem, not that Aston Villa supporters required a reminder. Martínez’s fantastic, impulsive save to thwart Francisco Conceição midway through the second half denied Juventus the chance to seize the lead. Goalline technology showed Martínez kept the ball out by a few millimetres, a shaving of the starry Champions League ball remaining on and not over the Villa goalline.Juventus, regulars on this stage compared to Villa, got the point they probably deserved. The Juventus captain, Manuel Locatelli, stuck out a left boot to prevent John McGinn from converting a Leon Bailey cutback and in the first half Lucas Digne rattled the crossbar with a free-kick from the edge of the box. For Villa, a draw against the Serie A team will surely be seen as credible, but Unai Emery’s side are now winless in seven matches. The last time Villa went seven games without a win was under Dean Smith four years ago, when they – just about – escaped relegation, when McGinn and Ezri Konsa, an unused substitute here, were in the starting lineup. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:15:08
Cooper sacked last Sunday after defeat by ChelseaLeicester are 16th in table, one point above drop zoneRuud van Nistelrooy is poised to become the new Leicester City manager, making an almost immediate return to the Premier League after leaving Manchester United.Van Nistelrooy, a United hero, is expected to succeed Steve Cooper, who was sacked last Sunday. His last game was a home defeat against his predecessor, Enzo Maresca, now in charge of the high-flying Chelsea. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 20:41:18
There were spells in this game when Club Brugge resembled a reincarnation of 1970 Brazil. As Cameron Carter-Vickers bundled home an embarrassing own goal to send the Belgians in front, it looked a matter of how many they would choose to score. The stars were in stripes. Celtic do not often suffer in this manner on their own turf.Celtic have no cause to care that they rather snatched a point. Indeed, Brugge’s profligacy should be of no concern whatsoever to Brendan Rodgers. This draw, earned courtesy of a glorious Daizen Maeda strike, leaves Celtic perfectly on course to reach the playoff round of the Champions League. This was an outcome which rather proved the beauty of football; Brugge’s style and swagger was ultimately matched by Celtic’s desire not to lose. Celtic continue to show they can compete when stakes are raised beyond their domestic domination. As the minutes ticked down, it was Celtic who looked the more likely team. Given what had come before, that was a wild scenario. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 22:07:44
Manchester City manager cut his nose with nail at gameIlkay Gündogan describes team’s form as ‘inexplicable’Pep Guardiola has said he did not intend to “make light of the very serious issue of self-harm” when he answered a question relating to a cut he made on his nose during Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Feyenoord.Guardiola was asked about the cut after City threw away a three-goal lead in their Champions League tie on Tuesday. He said: “From my finger … with my nail. I want to harm myself.” He then laughed and got out of his chair to leave the press conference. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:27:06
2nd T2o: England, 204-4, bt South Africa, 168-6, by 36 runsWyatt-Hodge first English woman to 3,000 T20I runsDanni Wyatt-Hodge celebrated becoming the first English woman to bring up 3,000 runs in T20 internationals with a blistering 78 from 45 balls, while Nat Sciver-Brunt brought up a third consecutive half-century, as England sealed the T20 series with a 36-run win.England amassed a mammoth 204-run total against October’s World Cup finalists – just the fourth time they have surpassed 200 in the format – and the series win will go some way to restoring confidence among a group of players who were bruised by the vocal criticism of their own premature World Cup exit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:44:25
FA says ‘very serious’ allegations being looked at urgentlyCoote denies wrongdoing, says his integrity not in doubtThe Football Association is investigating allegations that the referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card before a game.The allegations centre on an exchange of messages before and after Coote refereed the Championship game between Leeds and West Brom in October 2019, in which he booked the Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 10:14:08
German appointed at the end of May on three-year dealFirst-team coach Andy Dawson to take interim chargeHull City have confirmed the departure of Tim Walter as head coach. The Championship strugglers’ 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday was their ninth match without a win and left them in the relegation zone.The club said in a statement: “Hull City can confirm we have parted company with head coach Tim Walter with immediate effect. Assistant head coaches Julian Hubner and Filip Tapalovic have also left the club. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:25:06
Fossil fuel and chemical industry representatives outnumber those of the EU or host country South KoreaRecord numbers of plastic industry lobbyists are attending global talks that are the last chance to hammer out a treaty to cut plastic pollution around the world.The key issue at the conference will be whether caps on global plastic production will be included in the final UN treaty. Lobbyists and leading national producers are furiously arguing against any attempt to restrain the amount that can be produced, leaving the talks on a knife-edge. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:14:27
Loyalists selected for important roles have offered staunch support to fossil fuels and downplayed climate crisisDonald Trump’s cabinet picks have been eclectic and often controversial but a unifying theme is emerging, experts say, with the US president-elect’s nominees offering staunch support to fossil fuels and either downplaying or denying the climate crisis caused by the burning of these fuels.Trump ran on promises to eviscerate “green new scam” climate policies and to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas, and his choices to run the major organs of the US government echo such sentiments, particularly his picks relating to the environment, with Lee Zeldin chosen as the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Chris Wright as energy secretary and Doug Burgum as interior secretary. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 11:00:05
Research reflects rising optimism about country’s green transition as it takes leading position on climate actionNearly half of experts surveyed by a climate thinktank believe China’s carbon dioxide emissions have already peaked, or will do so in 2025, reflecting increasing optimism about the country’s green transition at a time when it is being called on to take a leading position on global climate action.According to a report published on Tuesday by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a research organisation, 44% of climate experts from academia and industry believe that China’s CO2 emissions will peak, at the latest, in 2025. In last year’s survey, only 21% of experts gave the same response. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 00:01:44
While an agreement on climate finance was eventually reached in Baku, many poorer countries were outragedThe Lamborghini showroom and a Tiffany branch sit at either end of Baku’s long boulevards beside the Caspian Sea. Adorned with grand 19th-century mansions, all plaster nymphs and columned facades, that were built by the first oil millionaires, they are a testament to the enduring power of fossil fuels. Oil has been very good to Azerbaijan.It flows out of the ground here, and gas has seeped out, ignited and burned naturally in the area for so long that the country’s symbol is a flame and its nickname is the Land of Fire. Baku was the world’s first oil town, with wells exploited as early as the 1840s. Ilham Aliyev, the autocratic president, calls oil and gas “the gift of God” to his people. They represent 90% of Azerbaijan’s exports. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 06:00:02
Exclusive: National landscapes’ chiefs say environment secretary has given no budget assurances and they are to expect cutsProposed cuts to England’s most beautiful landscapes pose an “existential threat”, the managers of the National Landscapes Association have warned.These 46 regions, including the Chilterns, the Cotswolds, the Wye Valley and the north Pennines, used to be known as areas of outstanding natural beauty but were renamed this year as “national landscapes”. They cover 15% of England, including 20% of the coastline. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:34:55
Insurer rebuffs move as ‘highly opportunistic’ and follows dismissal of offer from Belgian firm Ageas in FebruaryDirect Line has rejected a £3.3bn takeover offer from its bigger UK rival Aviva, the second time it has rebuffed a suitor this year.Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer, said it offered 250p a share, made up of cash and Aviva shares, in a non-binding proposal on 19 November. This was rejected by Direct Line on Wednesday, which has declined to engage further with Aviva. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 20:02:36
Brian Whitelock tortured and murdered Wendy Buckney, who had given him odd jobs to help his rehabilitationA double killer freed from prison after being deemed a low risk by the Parole Board has been found guilty of murdering a charitable neighbour who gave him odd jobs to help his rehabilitation.Brian Whitelock, 57, who was released after serving 18 years for the double killing, tortured and murdered Wendy Buckney, 71, at her home in the village of Clydach, near Swansea in south Wales. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:58:28
Rail travel disrupted in southern England after heavy rain, as parts of country still feel impact of Storm BertThe third named storm of the autumn, Conall, has brought more disruption to the UK, with trains cancelled in parts of southern England on Wednesday and the Met Office warning of delays on roads and the potential for power cuts.Up to 40mm of rain fell overnight in parts of south and south-east England and another 5-8mm was expected during the day. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for London and areas of Essex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:56:11
More than 2,000 members of National Education Union will walk out on two further days next weekSixth-form colleges are taking legal action against the government to secure the same funding for pay rises handed to schools, as staff at colleges across England begin a series of strikes.More than 2,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU) at sixth-form colleges will walk out on Thursday, followed by further strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, in the education sector’s first national industrial action since Labour took office. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:36:39
Group to say GMB is breaching Equality Act duties by failing to properly investigate sexual harassment and bullying claimsA dozen former and current GMB staffers and members are planning to complain to the equalities watchdog about allegations of institutional sexism and women being bullied out of their roles at the trade union.The group plans to argue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission that the GMB is failing to adequately investigate sexual harassment and bullying claims, which could be a breach of its duties under the Equality Act. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:24:47
Carlton Club, described as ‘beating heart of Whalley Range’ is operated by a community interest companyCampaigners battling to save a much-loved community club in Manchester have declared victory after successfully removing the threat of eviction.The Carlton Club, in Whalley Range, is in a sprawling white building and is regarded as an important cultural asset for that part of the city. It is a community hub which is seen as much more than a place to meet friends and neighbours for a drink and a catch-up. Depending on when you go, it might have live music, arts events, yoga, gardening, fitness sessions, a book club, quizzes, backgammon, philosophy group meetings and more. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:15:00
Chart-topping British rapper claims the woman consented to all sexual activity, in a trial set to run for three weeksThe British rapper Slowthai and a friend raped two women after one of his gigs, the prosecution has told a court.Slowthai, AKA Tyron Frampton, 29, is accused of raping the women after his gig at the Bullingdon in Oxford in September 2021. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:00:38
TV presenter says subject may not be debated in parliament for another decade if legislation does not passUK politics live – latest updatesEsther Rantzen, whose terminal cancer diagnosis led her to campaign for the legalisation of assisted dying, has issued an impassioned plea to MPs to vote this week on a “vital life-and-death issue”.The television personality told MPs “my time is running out” but the issue was one “the public care desperately about” and said it might not be debated by MPs “for another decade” if the legislation did not pass. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 11:12:59
Company blames ‘escalating costs, bad summer weather and the cost-of-living crisis’ for the tourist attraction’s £51m debtIt was meant to be Brighton’s answer to the London Eye. A 162-metre tall “vertical pier” perched on the seafront, the Brighton i360 was designed to pull in hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, offering panoramic views of the Sussex coastline and the bustling seaside city.But eight years after opening, and saddled with £51m in debt, Brighton i360 has filed for administration, with the observation tower facing closure if it cannot find a buyer. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:59:09
Claim comes after Paris signalled it would fulfil obligations as signatory to Rome statute after arrest warrant issuedThe French government has claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity from arrest warrants issued by the international criminal court for war crimes on the grounds that Israel is not an ICC member.The claim came soon after Netanyahu’s cabinet agreed to a French-backed ceasefire in Lebanon and is in contrast to Paris’s attitude towards last year’s ICC war crimes warrant issued against Vladimir Putin, another leader of a non-member country. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:32:34
European Commission president says average spending in Europe is 1.9% of GDP, while Russia’s is 9%The head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for more defence spending in Europe over the next five years, as her top team was voted in by a wafer-thin majority of MEPs.The European parliament’s endorsement of the new EU executive by the narrowest-ever margin clears the way for von der Leyen and her chosen 26 European commissioners to start a five-year term on Sunday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 14:06:59
Top campaign staff also under fire for saying party has to ‘dominate the moderate’ in Pod Save America appearanceUS politics – live updatesSome Democratic figures have accused Kamala Harris’s campaign of being self-congratulatory after a series of recent public appearances from the candidate and her senior staff in which they declined to admit making any errors that could have contributed to her defeat.Some of the criticism was aimed at Harris herself, following a video call to thank campaign donors in which the vice-president expressed pride in her failed race for the White House. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:42:21
Former president accused of leading role in apparent scheme to overturn 2022 election defeat by rival LulaBrazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has moved a step closer to jail after a federal police investigation laid bare what it called a murderous authoritarian plot to explode the country’s democratic system with a military coup that the far-right populist allegedly helped mastermind.Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied involvement in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election, which he narrowly lost to his leftwing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:57:40
Social network says it must give permission for accounts to be sold or transferred after sale of rightwing InfoWarsElon Musk’s X is trying to block the transfer of the platform’s InfoWars accounts to the Onion after filing a legal objection stating that it owns users’ accounts.The social network has filed a “limited objection” to the sale of InfoWars, a media platform run by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to the satirical news outlet the Onion. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:07:18
Despite 2015 settlement and consent decree, judge says conditions have worsened over the last decadeA federal judge found New York City in contempt on Wednesday over conditions in its city jails, saying things have only worsened in the nine years since the city settled accusations of abuse and violence.The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, in Manhattan issued a written ruling finding the city in contempt over 18 separate contempt claims. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 19:40:41
Lawyer for man who drugged wife and invited strangers to rape her says she has felt like ‘devil’s advocate’Dominique Pelicot, the French man on trial for drugging his wife and inviting strangers to rape her, has a split personality caused by the effect of childhood trauma, his defence lawyer has argued.In her summing up on Wednesday, Béatrice Zavarro told the court in Avignon there were “two Dominiques”, one a man apparently devoted to his family and the other with a “certain perversity”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 17:26:35
Ruling party picks Mikheil Kavelashvili for mostly ceremonial post in electoral college vote he is likely to winThe governing party in Georgia has picked a former Manchester City footballer as its candidate for president after a disputed victory in last month’s parliamentary election that has sparked protests.The Georgian Dream party nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former national team and Premier League player, for the mostly ceremonial presidential post on Wednesday. He is all but certain to win the 14 December vote by the electoral college controlled by the ruling party. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:13:55
‘Double takes’ as British Columbia mountain community tries to figure out how local animal came to don neon jacketIn a town of fewer than 1,000 people, it can be hard to keep a secret. And yet no one in McBride, a mountain community in British Columbia, can figure out how a local deer came to be wearing a zipped-up high-visibility jacket – or why the day-glo-clad cervid has been so hard to track down.The mystery began on Sunday, when Andrea Arnold was driving along the snowy outskirts of McBride on Sunday and witnessed a sight so baffling she slowed her vehicle to a crawl. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 11:00:06
Far-right, pro-Moscow candidate Călin Georgescu came from 5% in polls to win presidential election’s first roundRomania’s telecoms regulator is asking for TikTok to be suspended as the country’s defence council prepares to discuss cyber risks to its elections, after a little-known ultranationalist came from nowhere to win the first round of the presidential vote.The country’s constitutional court will also examine two allegations of electoral fraud after Călin Georgescu, a Moscow-friendly, EU-sceptic and anti-Nato independent, topped the ballot in a result that upended Romanian politics. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:58:09
From Monty Don’s top garden tool to Sali Hughes’s perfect lipstick and Yotam Ottolenghi’s favourite ever present, we asked everyone what they wanted – so you don’t have toStuck for what to buy everyone for Christmas? You won’t be for long … From gifts for fitness fans and gardeners to presents for pets (and their adorable owners), teens and beauty lovers, we’ve got all bases covered.Best of all, they’re hand-picked from the experts themselves: we’ve taken out the guesswork and asked the kids, chefs, cyclists and more to tell us what they actually want this year. Merry Christmas! Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 08:11:16
Our writer trialled the most powerful robot vacuums – some of which even mop your floors – and these are the ones he ratesRobot vacuum cleaners take the drudge work out of cleaning your floors and carpets. No more tiresome weekly stints of vacuuming, and no more last-minute panic sessions when you have visitors on the way. Instead, your compact robot chum regularly trundles out from its dock, sucking up dust, hair and debris to leave your floors looking spick and span.Over the past few years, robot vacuums have become much more affordable, with basic units starting at about £150. They’re also doing more than they used to, mopping areas of hard flooring and charging in sophisticated cleaning stations that empty their dust collectors and clean their mop pads for you.Best overall robot vacuum cleaner: Eufy X10 Pro Omni£579 at EufyBest robot vacuum for power cleaning: Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI+ £800 at John LewisBest for no-fuss robot vacuuming and mopping: iRobot Roomba Combo J9+£599 at iRobotBest robot vacuum cleaner for small homes and small budgets: Beko VRR61414VB RoboSmart £239 at Currys Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:00:36
In this week’s newsletter: how to cut through the noise this Black Friday, gifts for fitness fanatics and the top coffee machines for 2024• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereBlack Friday may be a recent phenomenon, but sales have been a part of British winter for decades – and they’ve always been regarded with suspicion by those who feel they’re above such things. I remember 70s newsreaders chuckling over footage of fights in the Boxing Day sales between women of previously good character, all desperate to grab the last half-price vacuum cleaner. How amusing, and how sad, said the newsreaders’ faces.I don’t share their snobbery. Black Friday can save people an awful lot of money on things they’ve wanted to buy for themselves and others but have struggled to afford during the cost of living crisis. But writing about it is a tightrope. You want to offer sincere, useful shopping advice without coming across like a puppet of commerce, and that’s a tricky path to navigate.Air fryers, heated throws and the world’s best jeans: Black Friday deals on the products we loveChristmas gifts for swimmers: what to buy water babies, from swimming costumes to changing robes and bagsChristmas gifts for runners: the best shoes, socks and vests to buy the running enthusiast in your lifeThe best Christmas gifts for cyclists, from warm cycling gloves and socks to a portable headlampThe best iPhones in 2024: Apple smartphones tested, reviewed and ranked Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:08:10
We recommended them in the Filter; now we’ve sifted through all the offers to find the genuinely good discounts on our favourite products Black Friday is still a few days away on 29 November, but stores are already dropping prices to compete for our attention and cash – and they’re offering some delectable discounts on products we’ve recommended in the Filter.We cautioned against getting carried away too early in our guide to not getting ripped off in the sales, because many prices continue to fall until Cyber Monday (2 December). However, some of the most popular items can sell out even before Black Friday comes around. So, if there’s something here you’ve had your eye on, this may be your best chance to grab it for significantly less than you’d normally pay. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 18:07:53
In this week’s newsletter: A new PlayStation portable device that will play the PS back catalogue is reportedly in the offing – it could be a gamechanger for the market• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA report from Bloomberg this week suggests that Sony is working on a new portable PlayStation device. As someone who still has a PlayStation Vita languishing in my desk drawer because I can’t quite bear to put it in the attic, this is an exciting prospect. It has been almost 13 years since Sony released the Vita, its last portable console, and it’s such a wonder of a thing, with its big crisp screen and dinky little sticks. I wish more people had made games for it – paper-craft adventure Tearaway and topsy-turvy platform-puzzler Gravity Rush remain underrated.Actually, apart from the lovely and extremely niche Playdate, nobody has bothered to release a dedicated handheld games console in over a decade. Both the Nintendo Switch and Valve’s Steam Deck are hybrids that can be played handheld and connected to a big screen. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:00:16
Saltburn actor will reportedly play famed drummer in Sam Mendes’s ambitious films from each member’s perspectiveBarry Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr on screen, according to the drummer himself.In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Starr has confirmed that the Oscar-nominated star of The Banshees of Inisherin and Saltburn will be playing him in Sam Mendes’s ambitious new set of films about the Beatles. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:25:47
The new book Gangster Hunters recalls J Edgar Hoover and his so-called ‘G-Men’ who took down some of the biggest criminals of the timeJohn Oller’s new book tells how the FBI took down John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde and other celebrity criminals of the 1930s, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt waged his “war on crime”. In prose fast as an Essex-Terraplane getaway car, Oller recounts and deconstructs the myths that grew around such bank robbers, kidnappers and killers. He also spotlights the agents who chased and caught and sometimes killed the criminals or were killed themselves – names long eclipsed by that of J Edgar Hoover, who led the FBI for 48 years.“Hoover was such a larger-than-life figure and he wanted to keep it that way,” Oller says. “He wanted his agents to be anonymous. If any name was going to be associated with the FBI, he was going to be it. And he pulled it off. That’s the reason none of these guys that I write about have ever been known. They kept it that way.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 09:11:00
Having worked his magic as director of the Almeida theatre, the gifted Goold is bound for greater glories: the National had better watch outRupert Goold, as director, has made the Almeida the most consistently exciting theatre in London over the last decade. Next year he will take over the Old Vic and the portents look promising. At the Almeida, Goold’s programming has combined respect for new writing with a highly imaginative approach to the classics. Although a fine director himself, Goold has nurtured younger talents with no sign of professional jealousy: Robert Icke, whose Oedipus is now in the West End, and Rebecca Frecknall, who will join Goold at the Old Vic, are two beneficiaries of his enlightened encouragement.I first became aware of Goold’s gifts, as director and head of a theatre, when he ran the Royal & Derngate, Northampton, from 2002 to 2005. Even though I wasn’t crazy about his Hamlet, set in a world of Paris existentialism, it managed to attract a star presence in Jane Birkin to play Gertrude. Goold’s Othello, in which Ron Cephas Jones’s hero became a second world war general and Finbar Lynch’s Iago a closeted homosexual, was, however, instantly striking. Over the next few years, whether running the Headlong company or working as a freelance, Goold proved himself, along with Stephen Daldry, to be a director whose work you wouldn’t want to miss. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:55:32
The star’s third film with the streamer, in which she plays a woman lying about her ex during the holidays, is the best yet even if the bar is incredibly lowThe return of Lindsay Lohan, redefining herself as movie star rather than tabloid joke, coincided with Netflix’s annual rebrand as home of cheap and cheerful Christmas fodder, easily made and easily devoured. It was a smart, low-stakes, high-exposure comeback, with 2022’s Falling into Christmas, her first lead role in almost a decade, a no-brainer of a hit during the streamer’s seasonal onslaught.It almost didn’t matter that it wasn’t very good, it wasn’t really supposed to be, it just gave us proof that Lohan still had the same magnetism that made her a star in the first place. But her next film with Netflix was less of an easy pass – the genuinely atrocious Irish Wish – and suddenly her association with the streamer was feeling less like a restart and more like a long pause, trapping her in a mode she really needed to be running away from (next year’s Freaky Friday sequel should help with that). Her third, and contractually final, outing with the platform is the best of the lot but only because the bar is so low we can’t even see it, not only for Lohan’s latest run but for Netflix’s festive oeuvre at large. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 15:55:34
Tate Modern, LondonThe singing robots and 8-bit graphics are diverting and sometimes sublime, but there’s a darker story to be told in this show about technologically-assisted art before the internetThere’s a popular meme of two lovers embracing against a digital field of sunflowers. Their pursed lips would be locked were it not for their bumping VR headsets. “What if we kissed at the intersection of art and technology?” the text reads. The meme makes fun of a route heavily trafficked by museums with declining attendance figures, keen to lure viewers away from at-home streaming with digital art displays. On a darker level, it points to the more antisocial aspects of our hyper-connected age.If this kind of cynicism feels familiar, it’s because we’ve drifted far from digital technology’s optimistic early days. Walking through Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet, a showcase of artists who used or incorporated machines in their work from the 1950s to the early 1990s, it’s possible to imagine how things might have turned out differently. Although working against the backdrop of the cold war, when a nuclear arms race threatened to wipe out humankind, these innovators saw technology as a means to augment perception and creativity. The exhibition is a sensory overload of whirring motors and flashing lights, as experiments in early kinetic op-art give way to abstract compositions produced by rudimentary algorithms. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 16:51:39
We’ve all acquired new design smarts. Now it’s time to make the most of them Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 10:47:07
The entrepreneur has teamed up with Adobe Express to promote the benefits of creating your own personal manifestoSteven Bartlett might be a visionary entrepreneur but he’s all-too aware that having vision isn’t enough on its own. As part of a partnership with Adobe Express, the quick and easy content app, he’s now on a mission to show people how to turn their vision into actionable steps with the help of a carefully-conceived manifesto that aligns with their goals and values. Calling it the “Manifest-o Method”, the idea is to provide a framework that can help guide entrepreneurs in their early stages. As he put it in an interview with Adobe: “Manifestation without action is like setting your car’s sat-nav without turning the engine on.”When creating the Manifest-o Method, Bartlett, who is probably best known for The Diary of a CEO podcast and his appearances on BBC Dragons’ Den, drew on his own experience of creating and designing a business manifesto for his podcast company, Flight Studio, using Adobe Express. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-04 15:36:29
Nearly half of us now run a side gig alongside our regular job. Here’s how to make it work …The side hustle has become central to modern living. Nearly 50% of Brits have a side hustle, with nine out of 10 “side hustlers” who are under 34 planning to transition said hustle into a full-time business. But juggling your side hustle with your day job can be tricky even for the most skilled multitasker. So here are some tips for managing multiple gigs without annoying your boss or colleaguesCompartmentalise while cross-fertilising Try to view your day job as a source of inspiration and insights rather than an obstacle to your side-hustle. Your life will feel more coherent and less draining. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-21 09:54:16
Personal branding is far more complex than it once was, with evolving tech adding to the possibilitiesPersonal branding has undergone a radical rebranding. The way we showcase ourselves in the workplace and jobs market has been transformed by the tools at our disposal and societal shifts, such as the melding of work and life. Twenty-five years ago, you had a CV and, if you wanted a new job, you updated it and sent it to prospective employers. Your reputation may have enhanced your prospects but, when it came to job hunting, your qualifications and CV were pretty much the only showcase you had.With the internet everything changed – and then changed again with social media and smartphones. Suddenly, you were visible to millions of people on a device they carried around in their pockets. Those same tools gave you the ability to step up from CVs to slickly presented websites and slide decks. And social media gave everyone a platform to build and manage their own personal brand in real time. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-01 13:59:22
When a classmate said she’d be allowed a brother or sister, I realised what it meant: she might die young. It was a sudden insight into tragedy and traumaOne afternoon in the spring of 1997, as my seven-year-old classmate and I played in a tiny park in our Shanghai neighbourhood, she shared a secret: “I’m allowed to have a little brother or sister.” My jaw dropped. No one my age had a sibling except a pair of twins at school. People used the words “sister” and “brother” to mean cousin. Having siblings was an outlandish, outdated, even shameful concept, something older generations had done before the one-child policy was introduced in 1980.My parents carefully stored our One Child Honorary Certificate, with golden characters on a sleek red booklet, in a bottom drawer, right by my birth certificate. They were good citizens who, by definition, had only one child. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 06:55:52
Gift cards can be divisive. But if you choose well, your friends and family will be able to buy or experience something otherwise out of reachWhen Stephen received an M&S voucher from his parents for Christmas, he did what many of us do: shoved it in his wallet and forgot about it. Months later, when buying a sandwich in the shop, he remembered he had it and handed it over.“The cashier took it and, handing it back, said something like, ‘You still have £96-something on your card.’ I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I continued to use it for incidental sandwiches for a further six months until it ran out. It’s the best Christmas present of my adult life – it just kept giving.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 10:00:02
From festive markets and light trails to floating saunas and chalet-oke sessions, there’s plenty of wintery fun to be had for all agesThis year, there are plenty of light trails to brighten up the winter gloom. The Northern Light is an immersive light and sound show at the Slieve Donard hotel in Newcastle, County Down, with projections conjuring up the Arctic, an ice cave, the stars and the aurora borealis (£35 adults/£22 children). Cornwall’s Eden Project has an immersive light show that transports visitors to a Christmas party, as well as a new theatrical experience and carousel (from £38 adults/£12 children, selected evenings until 5 January). Christmas at Westonbirt, the national arboretum in Gloucestershire, has been designed by the light trail producers behind Christmas at Kew. Expect neon trees, luminous birds and tunnels of light, plus a Christmas village (from £18 adults/£12 children, 29 November to 31 December). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:53
From where you choose to ski to self-catering there are deals to be had and ways of stopping costs snowballingWhen it comes to skiing and snowboarding, going to Europe will always be cheaper than flying to somewhere such as the US or Canada – but costs vary massively on the continent. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:53
The weather and time have conspired to turn a 30th birthday gift into a nightmare for one readerAt the end of 2022 I was given two Virgin hot air balloon ride vouchers for my 30th birthday that I hoped to enjoy with my partner.We have tried repeatedly to book this experience and each time find there are hardly any spaces available. We managed to secure a booking on two occasions but both times they were cancelled because of the weather. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:52
Salmon baked in twin marinades of garlic and red tandoori sauce, with a refreshing, garlicky yoghurt dip on the sideToday’s fish tikka is one of the standout dishes on the menu of our new restaurant, Ambassadors Clubhouse in Mayfair, where we celebrate the rich culinary traditions of undivided Punjab. Lasooni essentially means garlic, which here in roasted form joins forces with a traditional red tandoori marinade to give the fish a smoky, aromatic coating. It’s complemented by a side of refreshing, cumin-spiked raita. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 08:00:53
We’d like to hear from women who are having a baby on their own or with someone else using IVF or DIAccording to a report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of UK women who are single and undergoing fertility treatment has more than trebled in a decade.In total, 4,800 women without a partner had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or donor insemination (DI) treatment in 2022. This represents a 243% increase from the 1,400 single women who had fertility treatment in 2012. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:31:46
The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to get in touch with former couples who still live under the same roofDo you still live with your ex? Break ups are expensive, and with the housing market in its current state, increasing numbers of couples are being forced to keep living together, after they’ve broken up.The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to get in touch with former couples who still live under the same roof. We’re looking for exes of all ages, and life stages, all over the world. Whether you’re twenty-somethings stuck in the same flat-share because you can’t afford to rent elsewhere, or forty-somethings staying in the family home for the sake of your kids – we’d love to hear from you. At the moment, we are particularly keen to hear from exes in their twenties living together. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-02 11:03:50
We would like to hear from people who have bought weight loss jabs and the adverts they have seenWeight loss jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro are becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK, and are available from many online pharmacies – including those run by high street companies. Yet concerns have been raised over whether these medications are being advertised or promoted.We’d like to hear from readers who have purchased these jabs privately, to discuss how you chose the pharmacy and your experience of adverts. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 14:56:19
We would like to hear from people who have been told they look like a celebrityWith celebrity lookalike contests such as Timothée Chalamet taking place, we’re interested in finding out more about the celebrities you’ve been told you look like.Have friends or family said you look like a famous musician, sports person or Hollywood star? Have you had any experiences of mistaken identity? If so, what happened? We’re also interested in hearing from anyone who has taken part in a lookalike competition. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:48:44
People are relieved to be home but face having to rebuild lives among destroyed homes and villagesBefore the ceasefire had even come into effect, Zeinab and Dina were already driving south. The two sisters had been forced to flee to Tripoli, northern Lebanon, for 64 days – they had counted – and they could not bear another day without seeing home.“We were laughing and crying at the same time when we heard the news of the ceasefire. We were packing our stuff and still we didn’t believe it was happening, it was like a dream,” said Zeinab, 28, a resident of the town of Zibqeen in south Lebanon. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 18:20:03
Intelligence agency has been trying to entice Russians disaffected by invasion of Ukraine but president-elect is likely to want to make an ally of KremlinFor the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme. It targeted Russians within the country’s government and security services, attempting to turn them into double agents.Slickly produced recruitment videos portrayed cooperation with the US secret agency as the patriotic choice for officials disaffected with Vladimir Putin’s regime and the war in Ukraine. The videos ended with instructions on how to contact the CIA in a secure manner. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:51
Another vast tourist resort project promising jobs and prosperity. But critics say such developments imperil the pristine environments they advertise Read more in this seriesJoseph Darville has fond memories of swimming with his young son off the south coast of Grand Bahama island, and watching together as scores of dolphins frolicked offshore. A lifelong environmentalist now aged 82, Darville has always valued the rich marine habitat and turquoise blue seas of the Bahamas, which have lured locals and tourists alike for generations.The dolphins are now mostly gone, he says, as human encroachment proliferated and the environment deteriorated. “You don’t see them now; the jetskis go by and frighten them off.Joseph Darville is worried that the big cruise lines and developers will ‘come in and eat what’s left of our country’. Photograph: Richard Luscombe/the Guardian Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 06:00:53
With RFK Jr and a court ruling, conversation on fluoride, in about 72% of US community water supplies, has explodedA national conversation about fluoride’s health benefits exploded this fall after a federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientific review all called for updated risk-benefit analysis.Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral in some regions, has been added to community water supplies since the mid-20th century when studies found exposure dramatically reduced tooth decay. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:00:02
Trump is now laying ground for a trade war with the country’s largest trading partnersTrump’s tariff threat sets stage for bitter global trade warThere are still more than 50 days left until Donald Trump takes office, but he has already laid the ground for a trade war that could shake the global economy.Trump announced on Monday that he will sign an executive order placing a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on imports from China, in purported retaliation for drugs and migrants crossing US borders. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 09:00:01
Memories of 2014, when the disease ravaged west Africa, are raw, while risk remains high. This week the first ever nationwide prevention programme begins – and doctors hope it will be enough to fend off another disasterOn a concrete platform set into a steep hill in a Freetown slum, Daddy Hassan Kamara points to the tin-roofed shack behind him. “I was living here with my father, mother, wife, brothers,” he says. “I lost all my relatives inside a month.”Ten years ago, the Ebola virus tore through west Africa, killing more than 11,000 people, including nearly 4,000 in Sierra Leone – around 40% of those infected in the country. When the outbreak began, there was no vaccine. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 10:00:02
Afro-Brazilians marked Black Consciousness Day as a national holiday for the first time, but the celebrations are facing resistance. Plus, a fertility ‘miracle’ rattles Nigeria and Kendrick Lamar’s surprise dropDon’t get The Long Wave? delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereHello and welcome to The Long Wave. It was a big week in Brazil, where Black Consciousness Day on 20 November was a public holiday for the first time. I spoke to Tiago Rogero, our South America correspondent, about the significance of the day and the big changes happening in Brazil’s approach to race. But first, the weekly roundup. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 12:17:00
A growing number feel single parenthood is liberating and only a sense of ‘shame’ around it is holding women backIt was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. “I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: ‘I’m never gonna meet anybody.’ And I didn’t really want to be that woman who’s like: ‘Hey, we’ve been on one internet date. Let’s have a baby!”Amy struck lucky with her first embryo transfer and is now the mother of a three-year-old. “I feel very blessed,” she said. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:54
Before she retired in 2014, Alexandra McTeare had worked for the NHS for 30 years – and always believed in public healthcare. But when she experienced severe pain, she was forced to consider difficult choicesWhen Alexandra McTeare was told she might have to wait three years for knee replacement surgery, she felt desperate. “Because of how miserable your life is, how small it has become,” she says.The problems with her knee started in 2017. “It was painful and would swell up, particularly in the heat.” She would take painkillers and keep her leg elevated when she was sitting down, and did stretching exercises for her muscles. But over the next few years, “it gradually got worse, the intervals between swelling episodes reduced and the pain increased”. It reached a point where it was no longer bearable. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:50
Lack of faith in politics is a running theme among voters interviewed by the Guardian, but some believe Farage’s party may be worth a tryCrossing Gwent Square on a cold, crisp day in Cwmbran, married couple Maxine and David Griffin have more in common with each other than they did a year ago.In July, the Brexit supporters voted for the Reform UK party in the constituency of Torfaen; it was the first time they had both voted for the same party. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:12:47
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Archie Rhind-Tutt as City’s crisis deepens and Arsenal produce their best performance in the Champions League this seasonRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today: Manchester City throw away a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord. It’s not a defeat but almost feels worse this way. Is the crisis deepening? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 13:07:45
As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors.This week from 2022: In October 2020 an emergency call was received from a ship in British waters. After a full-scale commando raid, seven Nigerians were taken off in handcuffs – but no one was ever charged. What really happened on board? By Samira Shackle Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 05:00:51
Journalist Elle Hunt and recovered addict Jack Curran talk about the rise of ketamine use in Britain and its sometimes devastating impactKetamine use in England and Wales has doubled since 2016.The increase, as journalist Elle Hunt explains, is especially notable among young people. And it seems to have taken health services by surprise, with practitioners often unable to provide the right treatment for the particular challenges posed by addiction to ketamine. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 03:00:47
Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Megan Swanick, and Tom Garry to round up the NWSL season games and look forward to the big Wembley friendlyOn today’s podcast, the panel reviews the conclusion of the NWSL season, where Orlando Pride were crowned NWSL Champions for the first time in their history. They discuss potential developments in the coming months that could help make the NWSL an even bigger product by 2025, as well as what lies ahead for the iconic Marta, who won her first NWSL Championship at the age of 38.The panel also covers the only game in the WSL over the weekend, where Chelsea maintained their perfect run by defeating Manchester United on Sunday, putting them five points clear at the top of the WSL table. Can Sonia Bompastor’s side be stopped? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:49:29
The multi-platinum selling musician David Gray joins Grace this week on Comfort Eating. His breakthrough album White Ladder topped the charts worldwide and sold more than 3m copies in the UK, making it one of the best selling albums of the 21st century. Now with his 13th album, Dear Life, he joins Grace to look back at how music changed his life, the food that sustained a three-decade career and how he avoids playing the celebrity game.If you liked this episode then have a listen to Grace’s conversations with Rufus Wainwright, Guy Garvey and Self Esteem.New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will be released every Tuesday Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 05:00:03
The pronatalist movement in the US is gathering pace once again, rekindled by Silicon Valley personalities and hard-right conservatives who are becoming increasingly vocal about whether or not women are having enough babies. But it's not just in the US, some governments in other countries have launched marketing campaigns encouraging people to have more children, while others have offered financial incentives. But while many of these policies claim to be about halting population decline, there are other factors at play. Josh Toussaint-Strauss interrogates efforts around the world to boost birth rates, as well as the underlying political motivations, from bodily autonomy to immigrationBirthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?When desperate measures to persuade women to have children fail, it’s time for fresh thinking Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 12:33:44
John Prescott, who has died at 86, served as deputy prime minister for more than a decade under Tony Blair, and was seen as a custodian of the Labour party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership. Blair and Gordon Brown led tributes, with Blair telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was 'one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics' John Prescott, British former deputy prime minister, dies aged 86 Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 11:40:20
Amid a protest in central London on Tuesday against changes to inheritance tax announced by Labour, the Guardian discovered a mistrust of politicians, fear over the future of UK farming and suspicion of Bill Gates Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 14:00:22
American and Ukrainian officials have confirmed Kyiv employed US-made Atacms missiles to strike targets within Russia. The Kremlin stated that six missiles were launched at the town of Karachev, with fragments from one reportedly causing a significant explosion.In response, Russia has announced it is adjusting its nuclear doctrine. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow would interpret any attack against it carried out by a non-nuclear state using weapons supplied by a nuclear state as a joint assault. But what exactly are Atacms, and why has their deployment unsettled Russia so deeply?Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for first time?Russia-Ukraine war live Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 16:44:49
Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every ThursdayStyle, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every ThursdayExplore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you Continue reading...
Published: 2022-09-20 11:06:20
Be the first to see our latest thought-provoking films, bringing you bold and original storytelling from around the worldDiscover the stories behind our latest short films, learn more about our international film-makers, and join us for exclusive documentary events. We’ll also share a selection of our favourite films, from our archives and from further afield, for you to enjoy. Sign up below.Can’t wait for the next newsletter? Start exploring our archive now. Continue reading...
Published: 2016-09-02 09:27:20
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. Continue reading...
Published: 2022-10-12 14:21:58
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideasEach week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.Sign up below to start receiving the best of our culinary journalism in one mouth-watering weekly email. Continue reading...
Published: 2019-07-09 08:19:21
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 12:33:15
Photographer Sam Wright was warned not to attend a horse fair with his camera. He ignored the prejudice – and found a warm, welcoming community Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-27 07:00:54
Images by Fred W McDarrah feature in a new exhibition that follows key moments of community and liberationThe Manhattan photographer Fred McDarrah came to prominence documenting the Beat movement that overtook Greenwich Village in the 1950s, capturing, among others, Jack Kerouac (who sat for a portrait in McDarrah’s apartment) and one of the earliest photos of a very young and unknown Bob Dylan. It was this portfolio that made his name at the Village Voice, where he would work for an astonishing 50 years, but toward the end of the 1960s McDarrah began to photograph an entirely new movement sweeping over the Village.In spring 1966 at Julius’s Bar, a short walk from the Stonewall Inn, four gay men – Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons and Randy Wicker – engaged in what they termed a “sip-in” in order to challenge a law that made it a prosecutable offense for one man to buy another a drink. It was one of the first salvos in the incipient gay rights movement, and McDarrah was there to see it, perfectly capturing the decisive moment when a bartender – collaborating with the group – placed his hand over the drinks and stated that it was against the law to serve the men. The image is a perfect distillation of the encounter, a moment when customer and bartender are exchanging deep, meaningful looks that say so much more than words. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 09:04:05
Every three months in Kazakhstan, a trio of cosmonauts and astronauts head off to the International Space Station – then return in small capsules. What do the locals make of it? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 07:00:03
The UK-based Hungarian Roma documentary photographer Béla Váradi spent months photographing the lives of blood plasma donors after he realised several old friends saw payment for plasma donation as a way of getting byIn the rust belt of north-eastern Hungary, a new economy is thriving – one built on human blood. Private companies have found a way to profit from the desperation of the region’s most marginalised population, the Gypsies. For many, the act of donating blood plasma has become a lifeline, a grim means of survival in a landscape of chronic unemployment and deprivation.Miskolc, Hungary. One man prepares for plasma donation, while the other shows his bandaged arm Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:51:57
Andrew McConnell’s shot of a young scrap collector at the remote spot where astronauts return from space captures a curious juxtapositionThe photographer Andrew McConnell first went to Kazakhstan in 2015, to witness what the Earth’s primary space portal looked like on the ground. A particular corner of the remote steppe-land, near a village called Kenjebai-Samai, was where, every three months, astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station fell to earth, having been launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome 400 miles to the south. McConnell had spent much of the previous years working in war zones and was keen to focus on something more life-affirming.He discovered a curious landscape that was both on the frontier of human exploration and unchanged for centuries. Over a dozen visits in the subsequent years, McConnell became used to the rhythm of the landings. He would sleep out on the steppe in a tent with the ground crew of the Russian space agency; on hearing the explosion that heralded the capsule separating in the sky above, they would drive out over the wasteland to meet it as it landed – a vehicle no bigger than a family car.Some Worlds Have Two Suns by Andrew McConnell is published by Gost (£60) Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:04