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Netanyahu to recommend Lebanon ceasefire deal to cabinet and claims Hezbollah ‘not the same’ – Middle East crisis live
Israeli prime minister does not give details on ceasefire but says Israel will ‘respond forcefully to any violation’; cabinet vote expected later todayWhat would Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire entail and would it succeed?Israel’s military has issued another set of evacuation orders to citizens in neighbouring Lebanon, ordering residents in the southern suburbs of Beirut to flee their homes due to impending strikes.Lebanon’s National News Agency reports an Israeli airstrike on Arnoun, in the south-east of the country. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 20:16:06
UK cabinet ministers barred from visiting Russia amid missile row
Moscow bans Labour figures including Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves under new sanctionsRussia has banned cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves from entering the country under new sanctions announced by Moscow’s foreign affairs ministry.More than a dozen other senior Labour politicians are among the 30 British citizens on the Russian “stop list” after tensions between London and Moscow rose following Ukraine’s recent use of British missiles to strike deeper into Russia. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:39:23
More than 500 properties in England and Wales were hit by Storm Bert floods
Ministers reveal extent of damage as Met Office issues latest severe weather warning for parts of southern England More than 500 homes and businesses were flooded across Wales and England during Storm Bert, it has emerged, as forecasters issued another severe weather warning for rain in parts of southern Britain.In Wales, the first minister, Eluned Morgan, said 400 homes had been damaged as well as businesses and infrastructure, and reviews were being done to find out why some householders appeared not to have received warnings in time. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:30:27
Axa threatened to cancel cover for Briton with brain injuries in US, says daughter
Company said Jane Rubens, in a coma after being hit by vehicle on holiday, must be repatriated this week, against advice of neurologistsThe daughter of a woman who suffered brain injuries while on holiday in the US has said she was told by her mother’s insurer that she must return to the UK, against the advice of doctors, or face having funding for her medical care withdrawn.Jane Rubens, 73, from Edinburgh, is in a coma after being hit, as a pedestrian, by a large vehicle in St Louis, Missouri, at the start of November. The collision left her with severe brain injuries requiring multiple surgeries. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:15:48
Manchester City v Feyenoord: Champions League – live
Champions League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-offLive scoreboard | Live clockwatch | Drop John an emailThe headlines: De Bruyne still on the bench, and so is Gimenez. Walker dropped, as is Savinho.In: Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes and Jack Grealish. Out: Walker, Savinho and John Stones, who isn’t in the squad at all. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 20:25:42
Young mother killed herself after years of abuse by ex-boyfriend, Preston court told
Kiena Dawes left note saying she was ‘murdered’ by Ryan Wellings, who is standing trial for her manslaughterA young mother killed herself and left a note saying “I was murdered” after suffering years of abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, a court has heard.Kiena Dawes, 23, a hairdresser, said in her note that “Ryan Wellings killed me”, a jury heard. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:33:10
Mother who kept three-year-old locked in a drawer jailed for seven years
Child was found severely malnourished, unable to walk or speak and had never seen daylight before her rescueThe mother of a three-year-old girl who was kept in a drawer and had never seen daylight or another human face has been jailed for more than seven years.The girl was found severely malnourished and unable to walk or speak in February 2023 by a partner of her mother’s who had gone upstairs to use the toilet and heard a noise that sounded like a baby. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:30:56
Supreme court urged to recognise ‘facts of biological reality’ in sex definition case
Scottish campaigners challenge ruling that found it lawful for guidance to extend definition of ‘woman’ to trans women with GRCThe supreme court has been urged to recognise “the facts of biological reality rather than the fantasies of legal fiction” 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 guidance extending the definition of “woman” to transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) was lawful. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:06:12
Smithfield meat market to close for good after relocation plans voted down
City of London Corporation rejects plan for new Dagenham site and will offer traders about £300m in compensationLondon’s historic Smithfield meat market is to close for good after the City of London Corporation voted to pull out of plans to relocate it and Billingsgate fish market to Dagenham.The corporation, which owns and operates the central London site of the centuries-old market, had earlier this month put on hold relocation plans to a new £1bn site in Dagenham, east London, to review the “financial sustainability” of the planned move. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:21:20
‘Phantom gnome snatcher’ of Formby admits prank almost 50 years on
Arthur tells Vernon Kay on Radio 2 he left ransom notes in place of garden ornaments in seaside town in 1977The closest that residents in the sleepy seaside town of Formby got to violent crime in 1977 was, the BBC solemnly reported, by watching Kojak.So the mysterious disappearance of garden ornaments, replaced by sinister ransom notes, was big news. It led to a media circus as journalists were dispatched to investigate the “phantom gnome snatcher of Formby”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:48:33
What would a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah entail and would it succeed?
Deal to end 13 months of fighting between neighbouring countries could be announced on Tuesday eveningMiddle East crisis – latest updatesA ceasefire to pause the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah is expected to be announced as early as Tuesday evening by the US president, Joe Biden, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and come into effect sometime on Wednesday.The Biden administration, wary of regional escalation that could draw in Hezbollah’s major ally, Iran, has been trying to broker a truce for months. The conflict began 13 months ago when the powerful Lebanese militia began firing rockets and shells at Israel a day after the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:57:18
Southport dance teacher: ‘We just lost faith in the world’ after fatal attack
Leanne Lucas, who was seriously injured trying to protect children, says she plans to speak out more after trialA dance teacher who survived the knife attack in Southport in which three children were killed has said she is hoping her voice “will get louder and louder” after the trial of her alleged attacker.Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were killed in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July, and 10 other people were injured, eight of them children. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:20:54
‘More straight talking’: How Reform UK is gaining support in Wales
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
Moana 2 review – vacuum-packed Disney ocean adventure that will leave you cold
Auli’i Cravalho’s Polynesian princess embarks on a quest to save other islanders oppressed by evil god Nalo – but this frictionless sequel lacks genuine passionOriginally planned as a TV series, now a feature film, Moana 2 is the sequel to Disney’s smash-hit family animation Moana from 2016, and really it’s a vacuum-packed slice of digital IP content, a perky ChatGPT iteration of love, laughter and belonging.Hawaiian-born actor Auli’i Cravalho returns to voice the role of Moana, the teen heroine on a Polynesian island. In the first film, she was chosen by her wayfinding ancestors and the mysterious forces of the ocean to restore the natural order of things, disrupted by the swaggering but somehow adorable demigod Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. Now it’s a few years later and Moana is a much respected young woman on the island, admired and imitated by the female inhabitants that Maui calls “Mo-wannabes”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:00:36
Health, happiness … and romance? How running could help you find love
It’s a well trodden fact that running with other people is good for camaraderie, safety and our physical and mental wellbeing – but now it seems it’s fertile ground for datingName: Running.Age: People have been doing it since there were beasts to run after and beasts to run away from. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:09:38
The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free, tested by our expert
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
The gospel according to Boris Johnson: it’s the church’s fault our kids are overweight | John Crace
The ex-PM opines that it’s Anglicanism’s failure to spiritually nourish children that has made them junk food addictsWhere would we be without a mind like this? The genius that is Boris Johnson. The man who has done more for this country than all other politicians of his generation. Never mind that most of it has been for the worse. Let’s not bother ourselves with inconvenient details.Instead let’s focus on the greater truth. That, in Boris, we have had a prime minister of startling insight. A man who has thought about the obesity crisis for all of 10 seconds and decided the blame lies with the Church of England. Even more unbelievably, it’s an opinion for which he doesn’t seemed to have charged. Boris will be devastated when he realises he could have got £10k from the Daily Mail for it. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:17:48
From Airplane! to The Naked Gun, Jim Abrahams was a pioneer of spoof comedy
The writer and director, who died this week, helped to define what big screen spoofs would look like in the decades afterJim Abrahams, co-creator of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, dies aged 80Very few people can honestly claim to have changed the direction of comedy, but Jim Abrahams – who died this week – is one of them. Thanks to the procession of spoof movies he made, both alone and with his fellow writer-directors David and Jerry Zucker, Abrahams helped to carve out a brand new genre of comedy; equal parts straight-faced and scattergun.The most enduring Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (ZAZ) film remains Airplane! After leveraging the show they honed at University of Wisconsin–Madison into the entertaining if directionless sketch film The Kentucky Fried Movie, the trio came across the 1957 aviation thriller Zero Hour! on television. They were so taken by the silly plot and wooden acting that they decided to parody the whole thing, by hewing so closely to the original that they ended up buying the rights to avoid a lawsuit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:51:39
Bake Off 2024: Dylan the ‘pirate of pastry’ is the inevitable winner … or is he?
He’s had the most handshakes in the show’s history. He’s a viral sensation and ‘flavour king’. But don’t rule out the Welsh wonder – or the designer Dutchman. Who’ll take this year’s baking crown?Knot your aprons. Stand by your workbenches. And for one last time this series, bake! Yes, Tuesday evening sees the grand final of The Great British Bake Off. They’ve even put a fairground in the grounds of Welford Park to celebrate. Cue well-endowed squirrels riding on the waltzer.This might be the 15th series, but the hit calorific contest is still one of TV’s tastiest propositions. It remains Channel 4’s top-rated show, attracting almost 7 million viewers a week, plus a devoted international fanbase via Netflix. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 10:55:43
A very British omnishambles: how The Play That Goes Wrong conquered the world
This farce about a gaffe-laden am-dram whodunnit was born above a pub. How did it become one of Britain’s greatest ever exports, the toast of more than 50 countries? Our writer travels to Europe to solve the mysteryA bunch of twerps are floundering in the spotlight, striving to bluff their way through disaster. The vibe is not quite keep calm and carry on, more like carry on regardless. It could be a scene from any number of recent British political calamities. But this is the premise of the deliriously funny The Play That Goes Wrong, about a hapless am-dram troupe staging a whodunnit.Despite having its premiere in a tiny room above a London pub, there is nothing amateurish about the Olivier award-winning comedy – one of the longest-running shows currently in the West End. It spawned a franchise of “Goes Wrong” farces on stage, as well as a dazzlingly inventive TV series, and catapulted the creators, Mischief Theatre, to international glory. The play is on in Krakow, Kladno and Kyiv and has been performed in many other European cities and on Broadway. Next year it tours Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:05:02
X marks the bitcoin: the treasure hunt book is back – and it’s bigger than ever
Hidden in five chests across the US, the bounty includes everything from a Picasso pendant to Jackie O’s sapphires and a spot of crypto currency. We meet Jon Collins-Black, writer of the book behind the hunt – and a searcher himselfJon Collins-Black’s mother had always dreamed of living in a log cabin. So when his father, a minister, was given 20 acres of land by a member of his congregation, he built her one in North Carolina. “Literally with his bare hands,” Collins-Black says. On sweltering days, the young Collins-Black would chase lizards, sneak up on snakes, and dig holes. On balmy nights, he’d wonder what he might find the next day. Still, closest to his heart were his days spent at the Emerald Hollow Mine, a 20-minute drive away at the foot of the Brushy Mountains. There, he’d sift in the creek and poke through the dirt on the hunt for treasure.Over three decades later, Collins-Black has kicked off a real-world treasure hunt – what he believes to be the largest in US history – for a trove worth several million dollars. He has hidden five boxes – one containing “the lion’s share”, and four smaller ones – across five US states. Collins-Black’s new book There’s Treasure Inside, published this month, acts as a 243-page treasure map containing the origin stories of each item and clues about how to find them. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:43:04
Elon Musk and a mass petition want a new UK election. Shall we do that – or just stick to democracy? | Marina Hyde
I know many are aggrieved with Starmer and co, but scrapping a government for Elon and a Shropshire publican seems like a stretchBy now you will be aware of the petition demanding another general election. Finally, an answer to what would happen if Maga had sex with the People’s Vote. I assume we don’t use the phrase “bastard offspring” any longer, but in this case I’ll be making an exception. To see the obnoxious essence of not one but two excruciating political movements hook up and push out a screaming signature-baby is not a pretty sight. I have immediately launched a petition to forcibly sterilise all political movements.To recap, this is the petition started by a Shropshire publican after he’d Googled “how to change the prime minister” and it told him to start a petition. Not a great ad for Google’s search accuracy, let’s face it, but I guess we already knew that was ageing like an unsealed bag-in-box of Phillip Schofield wine. Anyway, the resultant petition has now garnered two and a half million digital signatures, probably many more by the time you read this, and been pushed by public figures ranging from Elon Musk to Michael Caine. Fine. The Jaws film where the shark genuinely follows the Brody family all the way to the Bahamas is no longer the stupidest thing Michael’s done.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistA Year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar. On Tuesday 3 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back at a political year like no other, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 13:29:52
Netanyahu’s boycott of Haaretz won’t stop us reporting the grim truth about Israel’s wars | Aluf Benn
Unlike most Israeli news outlets, my paper shows the suffering in Gaza and Lebanon. That’s why the government has targeted usAluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of Haaretz“Truth is the first casualty of war” goes the old cliche, but like any other adage, it holds a grain of verity. Battlefield reporting is always challenging: you are hampered by limited access, mortal danger, deliberate fog, and officials who get away with being less than truthful. And it becomes even more complicated when the journalists are part of a belligerent society, especially if the fight enjoys wide popular support as a just war.On 7 October 2023, Israel was attacked by Hamas, invading from Gaza to kill, loot, rape and kidnap civilians and soldiers. The next day Hezbollah joined the fray from Lebanon. Israel fought back with a vengeance, depopulating and destroying the Gaza Strip towns and villages, killing many civilians along with Hamas militants and operatives. In September 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a counteroffensive on the northern front, delivering a crippling blow to its arch-rival Hezbollah and razing the Shia villages that served as its frontline bases.Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of HaaretzDo 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: 2024-11-26 15:12:58
In Wales, we’re one more flood away from another disaster like Aberfan | Aaron Thierry
It is only a matter of time before a mountainside is brought down. We need climate adaptation help – and we need it nowAaron Thierry is an Earth-system scientist and environmental campaignerIt’s “raining old ladies and sticks” is the Welsh equivalent of cats and dogs, and boy did those old ladies mean business when Storm Bert poured out nearly a month’s worth of rain on the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) over Saturday night. By Sunday, the deluge was surging into the River Taff and through the Welsh valleys, forcing the Taff to burst its banks, bringing misery to communities along its length – including mine in Taff’s Well.Neighbours, who had been devastated by Storm Dennis in February 2020, were shocked to find that everything they had done to rebuild was undone. Replastered front rooms were submerged yet again. New cars were bobbing once more in the streets. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 12:00:03
Martin Rowson on Donald Trump’s plan to impose trade tariffs – cartoon
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Published: 2024-11-26 16:33:07
I moved to another city – and found an unexpected way to make new friends | Arwa Mahdawi
While self-help books might suggest manifesting new people in your life or cold-water plunges to change your entire personality, the key to finding a community is much simplerIt started in my mid-30s: The Great Slipping Away. Gradually, and then suddenly, the friends I had in New York started to disappear. Some moved out of the city. Others moved into different phases of their lives: they became laser-focused on their careers and had no spare time. Or they had kids, and hanging out became harder.Then I became one of the people who had kids and moved out of the city and all my local friends slipped away. A couple of years ago I moved to Philadelphia, a city where my wife and I only vaguely knew a grand total of two people. We were drawn to Philly by its affordability but we underestimated just how difficult it is to build a new community from scratch. As an introverted freelancer who doesn’t have colleagues I see every day (even if just over Zoom), I certainly didn’t anticipate how much effort I would have to make if I didn’t want to become a complete hermit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:53:38
Ignore the online CV truthers. If anything, Rachel Reeves is overqualified to be UK chancellor | Gaby Hinsliff
Gordon Brown and George Osborne studied history, but neither faced the questions of suitability levelled at the first woman in the jobRachel Reeves is not for turning. She won’t be pushed around, knocked off course, undermined by backbench mutterings or criticism from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The message the chancellor seemingly wants to send this week is that it’s her way or the highway, and if this attempt to stamp her authority on a jittery political moment feels a bit defensive or even impervious to criticism – well, perhaps it’s worth acknowledging that that authority is now being challenged in ways that strangely didn’t happen to her male predecessors.Is it just a coincidence that the first female chancellor is also the first to be swarmed by a mob of online truthers, flatly refusing to believe the woman they call “Rachel from accounts” was really employed at the Bank of England doing anything senior? (For the record: yes, she really did work there as an economist; no, going on to work for the less prestigious Halifax Bank of Scotland while scouting for a parliamentary seat doesn’t make her a call centre operative; and yes, you absolutely can rip someone’s budget to shreds without getting unnecessarily hysterical about them changing their LinkedIn entry to clarify a job title after being picked up on it by the Guido Fawkes website.) Or is this apparent desperation to believe that a woman in a position of authority must be a jumped-up know-nothing telling us something deeper?Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistDo 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: 2024-11-26 08:00:05
The ICC arrest warrants for top Israeli officials are a step toward justice | Kenneth Roth
The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are also a reminder to governments arming Israel as it commits war crimes in GazaThe international criminal court’s issuance of arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant is an important step toward justice for the Palestinian people, who too often have known only injustice. The court allows charges to move forward for war crimes and crimes against humanity focused mainly on the Israeli strategy of starving the civilians of Gaza and depriving them of medical and other necessities. The arrest warrants will make the world much smaller for these senior Israeli officials.The Israeli government had advanced two principal arguments in the hope of avoiding the warrants, both of which the court rejected. First, Israel contended in essence that Palestine was not enough of a state to join the court and confer jurisdiction for crimes committed on its territory. The court reaffirmed a prior ruling finding that Palestine’s status as a non-member observer state of the United Nations general assembly enabled it to ratify treaties such as the ICC’s Rome statute.Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch from 1993 to 2022, is a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:14
I used to think I could adapt to most things – then they rearranged my local Lidl | Zoe Williams
They haven’t just moved all the stuff, they’ve reversed half the aisles, so they run across instead of instead of along. It feels weirdly fake, like I’ve walked into a trick supermarketWhat they always say about cats – indeed, one of the reasons I prefer dogs – is that they don’t like moving house. You have to trap them inside for the first week after you relocate or they’ll make your life a misery, going back to the old house, getting into mischief on the way. I’ve always thought less of them for their inflexibility, their prima donna nose-twitching, their refusal to go with the flow. Always, that is, until someone remodelled my local Lidl.It is hell: they haven’t just moved all the stuff, they’ve reversed half the aisles, so they run across instead of along. I’m baffled by the physical space before I’ve even started looking for anything I want. It feels weirdly fake, like I’ve walked into a trick supermarket, for the purposes of … who knows, kidnapping? Reality TV? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:13
The Guardian view on cruise ships: a licence to pollute | Editorial
The environmental harm caused by this shapeshifting, underregulated industry must be tackledLocal pushback against cruise ships in the world’s top tourist destinations is nothing new. More than three years ago, these vast vessels were barred from Venice’s lagoon on grounds of the risk they posed to the city’s historic buildings. This summer, cruise ships in Amsterdam and Barcelona were targeted by protesters, on grounds of chemical pollution but also as part of a wider movement against overtourism (as the negative impacts of huge influxes of visitors have become known). But – as revealed this week in a series of Guardian articles, The real cost of cruises – the environmental and social impact of this fast-growing industry goes way beyond individual cities, and requires action on a global scale.The carbon emissions of a cruise are roughly double that of the equivalent flights plus a hotel stay. The industry is also responsible for a vast quantity of waste discharged directly into the sea, as well as high levels of toxic air pollution in the ports where ships are docked – usually with their engines running. Once seen as the exclusive pursuit of a minority of wealthy retired people, these holidays are now mainstream, with vast floating resorts designed and marketed for families and young adults. The largest ships have up to 20 floors and room for several thousand people. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:46:00
The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s tariffs: protectionism is no longer taboo in politics | Editorial
US trade policies since 2016 highlight a broader global retreat from globalisation, driven by geopolitical tensions and shifting economic prioritiesDonald Trump’s broadside against America’s three largest trading partners, with whom it runs a $500bn trade deficit, should surprise no one. Since 2016, both Mr Trump and Mr Biden have departed from established norms in international trade. The two presidencies diverged significantly in approach: Mr Biden emphasised systemic reform while Mr Trump relied on rhetoric and theatrics. Although both administrations faced criticism for driving up costs through tariffs and industrial policy, global events were primarily behind rising prices.Mr Trump’s self-declared fondness for tariffs is closely tied to his ability to authorise them unilaterally, bypassing Congress under claims of national security. This may explain his recent announcement of plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% on Chinese imports, unless these countries address alleged issues of illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling. The US president-elect clearly sees tariffs as more than mere policies; they are a calculated means of gaining leverage. By threatening to impose them, Mr Trump is signalling a desire to negotiate – but only on his terms. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:46:06
UK and US must halt escalation in Ukraine | Letters
Diane Abbott MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Ayoub Khan MP, Shockat Adam MP, Iqbal Mohamed MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Brian Eno, Alex Gordon, Fran Heathcote, Sophie Bolt and Lindsey German say diplomacy is the only path to peace. Plus, Laurie Farnum on why Russia can’t be trusted and Alex Hetmanczuk on the west’s failure to tackle it earlierWe are deeply concerned about the escalation in Ukraine. In response to British-made Storm Shadow missiles fired into Kursk (Report, 20 November), just days after Ukraine used the US’s army tactical missile systems (Atacms) to attack Bryansk, reports indicate that Russia has now launched intercontinental missiles into southern Ukraine. This rapid escalation seriously threatens an all-out military confrontation with Russia and Nato. The risk of a nuclear attack cannot be ruled out.The British government has to take responsibility for its actions and these terrible consequences. With hundreds of thousands already killed and injured, securing an end to this horrific conflict is crucial. We call on Joe Biden and Keir Starmer to halt this escalation and secure talks with Russia and Ukraine. Diplomacy and dialogue, not military escalation, are the only viable paths to a peaceful settlement in the region.Diane Abbott MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Ayoub Khan MP, Shockat Adam MP, Iqbal Mohamed MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Brian Eno, Alex Gordon President, RMT, Fran Heathcote General secretary, PCS, Sophie Bolt General secretary, CND, Lindsey German Convener, Stop the War Coalition Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:29:35
Whistleblowing doctors need better protection | Letters
Wes Streeting’s move is welcome, but the entire law in this area requires revisiting, say Dr David E Ward and Prof Jane SomervilleWe are encouraged to note that Wes Streeting is taking serious steps to stop NHS managers persecuting whistleblowing doctors just because they have raised patient safety concerns (NHS bosses who silence whistleblowers face sack under government plans, 24 November). The unwarranted and widely publicised detriments to some doctors who have spoken up about safety matters over the past 20 years have had serious consequences, despite laws intended to protect them. Trusts must be banned from dismissing doctors who raise patient safety concerns, and obliged to investigate their concerns, which at present are frequently covered up.The employment tribunal system, which some doctors may forlornly engage with to save their careers and livelihoods, is heavily biased against them. If dismissal was banned, most of the massive legal costs borne by the taxpayer would be avoided. In any case, why is the judiciary, which has little or no understanding of patient safety matters, involved if no laws have been broken? The entire law in this area requires revisiting. Mr Streeting has the important task of reviewing the current egregious arrangements. Why are no data formally collected about most of these major issues?Dr David E Ward Retired cardiologist, St George’s Hospital, LondonProf Jane Somerville Emeritus professor of cardiology, Imperial College London Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:20:30
Sporting v Arsenal, Bayern Munich v PSG, and more: Champions League – live
Champions League updates, fifth round of gamesLive scoreboard | Man City v Feyenoord | Email Niall“Is the Ibrahimovic on the bench for Bayern related to Zlatan?” asks Mike Jakeman. Sadly not – but Arijon Ibrahimovic could become a star in his own right. The attacking midfielder is one of Bayern’s brightest youth prospects, and is trying to win a place in Vincent Kompany’s squad after recent injury.It’s finished Slovan Bratislava 2-3 Milan, the Slovak side staying bottom of the pile with no points from five games. They gave it a good go here, though – unlike Sparta Prague, who have been gubbed 6-0 by Atlético Madrid. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 20:24:30
‘A bit like the scapegoat’: Jude Bellingham reveals post-Euros pain
Real Madrid midfielder felt mistreated by England press‘It felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me’ Jude Bellingham has said he felt the “whole world crumbling down on me” after being mistreated and made a scapegoat for England’s defeat in the European Championship final.The Real Madrid midfielder, back in England for Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Liverpool, posted on social media that he had “got my smile back in an England shirt” after the recent Nations League win over the Republic of Ireland. In a searingly honest explanation of why the joy of playing for England had gone, the 21-year-old cited personal criticism in the aftermath of the Euros final defeat by Spain and media intrusion that he believes crossed a line. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:34:30
Refreshed Stokes clears the air with England before New Zealand Test
Returning to his native Christchurch is having a positive effect on the captain and hopefully will lift his side tooCome rain or shine, New Zealand cricketers tend to wear a smile on their faces. But this week there is a palpable glow around the place, that remarkable clean sweep in India, coupled with victory for the women’s team in the T20 World Cup, still fresh in the memory. Hagley Oval is sold out for the first Test against England, folks drawn to its inviting grass banks.English cricket has felt a little less cheery by contrast, be it their women’s team flunking that latest shot at a global title, the continuing culture war as the sale of the Hundred teams gathers pace, or the men’s Test side having lost in Pakistan to reopen the debate about the merits of so-called Bazball. Ben Stokes seemed to embody the mood in Pakistan, his return from a hamstring injury resulting in what he calls one of his toughest trips. A burglary back at home added to the stress levels and nearly forced an early flight back, only for his wife, Clare, to persuade him otherwise. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:00:37
RFU’s annual report shows a worrying decline. Has it lost its purpose? | Gerard Meagher
Beneath headline figures of the chief executive’s bumper income, what does the RFU stand for and want to achieve?There have been suggestions in recent years, little more than rumours – though plenty of them – that the Rugby Football Union’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, might have been preparing his exit strategy. That finding a replacement for Eddie Jones could be his parting gift, that negotiating the new eight-year agreement with the Premiership could be his intended legacy. Eventually the whispers grew loud enough that Sweeney publicly denied it and, after it emerged on Monday he was paid £1.1m thanks to the maturation of a bonus three years in the making, we appear to have a pretty good idea as to why.The first thing to say about Sweeney’s eye-watering raise – a performance-based payment of £358,000 on top of a base salary of £742,000 – is that you can hardly blame him for taking it. Admittedly, he will have likely negotiated the details of the long-term incentive plan that has so lined his pockets but would you really expect him to turn it down? The blame lies with the RFU’s board and remuneration committee for signing off on a scheme that has made Sweeney the best-paid chief executive of a UK sports governing body – excluding payouts – at a time when 42 redundancies have just been made and a loss to reserves of £42m has just been announced. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:38:28
Shelley Kerr to lead Hearts’ male player development in groundbreaking move
Former national coach to make Scottish football historyShe will also assist B team and monitor coach progress Hearts will create Scottish football history by appointing Shelley Kerr, a former manager of the women’s national team, to a key position relating solely to the development of male players.The Edinburgh club are poised to confirm Kerr as their first technical development manager, giving the 55-year-old significant responsibility for the transition from academy to first-team football. Kerr will become the first woman to take on such a position at a major Scottish club. The Uefa pro licence holder will also assist with the Hearts B team and monitor the progress of coaches at the training base. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:00:37
UK and Irish retailers pull products associated with Conor McGregor
Tesco and Musgrave take alcoholic drinks off shelves Woman won claim against him for damages in rape caseMajor retailers in the UK and Ireland are to stop selling alcoholic drinks associated with Conor McGregor. The decision by Tesco and Musgrave came after Nikita Hand, who said McGregor raped her a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won a civil claim for damages against him last week.Musgrave said: “Musgrave can confirm these products are no longer available to our store network.” The network includes SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak and Mace. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:32:22
Manchester United spent £8.6m sacking staff in Jim Ratcliffe cost-cutting drive
Club made 250 members of staff redundant in summerTotal debt rises to £714m after £200m transfer spendManchester United spent £8.6m on redundancies in the first quarter of its financial year due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s drive to reduce the workforce from around 1,000 by 250, the club’s latest accounts show. Ratcliffe, the largest minority shareholder, began pruning the 250 jobs in July, a decision aimed at cutting United costs. Most of those left in the summer or autumn. The first quarter results for the period ending 30 September 2024 may also take in related fees for auditors and other payments.A statement in the accounts said: “Exceptional items for the quarter were a cost of £8.6m. This comprises costs incurred in relation to the restructuring of the Group’s operations, including the redundancy scheme implemented in the first quarter of financial year 2025. Exceptional items in the prior year quarter were £nil.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:04:04
‘I was speechless’: Gabby George back in England groove after second ACL injury
Manchester United left-back was never going to let rehab end her dream and hopes for Wembley bow against USAGabby George had been with Manchester United for one month when her move of a lifetime turned abruptly into a season to forget after she tore an anterior cruciate ligament for the second time. The rehabilitation is daunting but George, knowing the prize on offer was playing again for the club she had supported since she was a little girl, there was never any doubt in her mind she would make it.In September, after 11 months out, George returned to competitive action and an additional reward has emerged: a place in the England squad for the first time since November 2022. It was a call from the Lionesses head coach, Sarina Wiegman, that stunned the left-back. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 12:00:04
Backroom deals and betrayal: how Cop29’s late $300bn deal left nobody happy
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
Environmental grants promised to farmers in England frozen
Scheme to fund activities such as hedge-planting paused owing to budget constraints, sources sayGrants promised to farmers in England for planting hedges and cleaning up waterways have been frozen by the government.The capital grants scheme, which was opened by the government to allow farmers to invest in infrastructure such as slurry storage so animal excrement does not go into rivers, has been abruptly paused. Farmers have said this will make it difficult for them to run their businesses in an environmentally friendly way. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:07:50
Record number of English bathing sites classified as having poor water quality
River water quality distinctly worse than that of coastal bathing sites, results from tests for harmful bacteria foundWater quality has been designated as poor in a record number of bathing areas this year after 16 rivers were included in summer testing for harmful bacteria, figures reveal.The push to clean up England’s rivers has led to an increase in demand for bathing water status at river locations across the country. Rivers suffer from water company sewage pollution and agricultural pollution, and the results show river water quality is distinctly worse than that of coastal bathing sites. The results come after sewage pollution into rivers by water companies reached record levels last year. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:48:56
Cop29 deal fails to consider inflation so is not tripling of target, economists say
Experts say financial movements mean poor nations will in effect get billions less in value from £300bn pledgeA failure to factor in inflation means the $300bn (£240bn) climate finance deal agreed at Cop29 is not the tripling of pledges that has been claimed, economists have said.The international talks in Baku were pulled back from the brink of collapse early on Sunday morning when negotiators struck an agreement in which rich countries promised to raise $300bn a year by 2035. On paper, this is a tripling of the previous climate finance target of $100bn a year by 2020, and has been trumpeted as such by the UN and others. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 17:22:19
Labour urges inquiry into claims Lee Anderson was offered money to join Reform
Call for standards commissioner to look into circumstances of former Tory MP’s defection to Reform partyLabour has written to parliament’s standards watchdog asking for an investigation into claims that Lee Anderson was offered a six-figure financial incentive to join the Reform party the year before he defected.Ellie Reeves, the chair of Labour, called on the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, to look into the circumstances of Anderson’s decision to join Reform. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:45:40
Mass advertising campaigns on assisted dying spark anger among MPs
Members concerned over ‘inappropriate’ tactics from both sides, including billboards at Westminster stationMass advertising campaigns on assisted dying, including billboards at Westminster station and targeted Facebook adverts, have sparked anger among MPs.Amid an increasingly fractious debate on assisted dying before a vote on Friday, MPs have raised concerns about “inappropriate” tactics used by both camps. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:47:33
Well-paid partners in City firms escape paying national insurance rises
Treasury forgoes ‘billions’ of pounds of potential revenue as well-paid self-employed partners spared employer NIC increasesWell-paid City lawyers and other self-employed partners at businesses including top accountancy and private equity firms have been spared the increases to national insurance contributions announced in October’s budget, in a move that will deny the Treasury “billions” of pounds of potential revenue.Members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) were not included in Rachel Reeves’ changes to employer national insurance contributions (NICs), which were raised to 15% from April 2025, while the threshold at which contributions are due was also lowered to £5,000 from £9,100. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:36:33
War widows campaigner found guilty of assaulting her new partner
Christina Plumb, 49, whose former husband was killed by the Taliban, attacked Adam Plumb in a drunk rageA woman who became a prominent campaigner for military personnel after her husband was killed by a Taliban bomb has been found guilty of assaulting her new partner.Christina Plumb, whose late husband Olaf Schmid was a bomb disposal expert, hit, kicked and bit Adam Plumb at their home in Devon, a judge heard. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:40:47
Man arrested over property damage after tractor driven through flooded UK town
Man, 57, released on bail as police continue inquiries into incident in Tenbury Wells high street after Storm BertA man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving after a tractor was driven through a flooded high street in Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, causing damage to properties.West Mercia police said the 57-year-old man had been arrested and released on bail while inquiries continued. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 13:59:12
Travellers demand ‘accountability’ after children ‘forced on to trains’ by Manchester police
Legal action considered after dispersal notice reportedly led to children being transported 100 miles to GrimsbyRepresentatives from Gypsy and Traveller communities have said they want “accountability not apologies” after children attending the Christmas markets were “forced on to trains” by police.National charity the Traveller Movement held preliminary talks with lawyers on Monday, and said it was considering taking legal action over the incident, and supporting affected families. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:59:34
Final asylum seekers have now left the Bibby Stockholm
Most claims from 400 men on vessel moored in Portland, Dorset have been processed, with majority acceptedThe final asylum seekers housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge left the boat on Tuesday and crew members are set to leave on Wednesday, with the controversial vessel’s final day in port expected to be 8 January.The accommodation on the barge, moored in Portland, Dorset, will now be dismantled after the Labour government decided to discontinue the previous government’s contract to house asylum seekers on the vessel. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:00:36
Vauxhall owner plans to shut Luton van factory, putting 1,100 jobs at risk
Stellantis says it will shift production from Bedfordshire to plant at Ellesmere Port, CheshireBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of Vauxhall has announced that it plans to close its van factory at Luton, in a decision that will put 1,100 jobs at risk of being cut or moving location despite the UK government preparing to relax rules on electric cars.Stellantis said it would shift van production from Luton, Bedfordshire, to another factory at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, blaming the UK’s economic conditions and the government’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:30:53
Water companies in England ‘using loopholes’ to avoid paying for outages
Ofwat CEO says rules must be changed so that customers left without water get compensation automaticallyWater companies in England are using loopholes in order to not pay people who are left for days without running water, the CEO of the regulator has said.Tens of thousands of homes across the country have been left without water for days this year as ageing pipes burst. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:28:33
Welsh government urged to safeguard Celtic rainforests
Conservation groups’ report warns remaining temperate rainforest sites and ‘vital habitats’ are in poor conditionThey are rich, damp, dappled places of twisted branches, vivid green mosses and lichens, important homes for rare birds, bats and insects, and steeped in myths and tales.But a report from a group of conservation organisations has concluded that the remaining pockets of temperate, or Celtic, rainforests of Wales are in a parlous condition and is calling for urgent action from the Welsh government. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 13:56:59
Canada PM under pressure to stand up to Trump over tariff plan; US motorists could face higher gas prices – live
China, Canada and Mexico hit back at Trump’s plan to impose higher tariffs amid warnings over impact on American consumersTwo-thirds of Americans think tariffs will lead to higher prices, poll saysTrump’s talk of tariffs raises fears of hit to economies worldwideDonald Trump has used the fentanyl crisis gripping the US to support his ambition to impose trade tariffs on China. It gives the incoming US president an opportunity to both appear to be addressing the narcotics emergency, while also reinforcing one of his key aims in terms of US trade.China is the dominant source of chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl, while Chinese money launderers have also become key players in the international drug trade, US authorities say.Trump has said that, as soon as he gets into office, he will impose a 25% tariff on “ALL products coming into the United States” from Mexico and Canada.He says the tariffs will remain in place until both countries clamp down on migrants and drugs crossing the border into the US.Trump also says he will impose a further 10% tariff “above any additional tariffs” on all products coming into the US from China.It was not entirely clear what this would mean for China as Trump has previously pledged to end China’s most-favoured-nation trading status and slap tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term.The reasons for the China tariff, Trump said, was their failure to curb the supply of drugs into the US. China is a major producer of the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 20:17:49
Irish PM’s party drops six points in pre-election polls amid ‘Simon slump’
Fine Gael had looked sure of victory on Friday before Simon Harris’s disastrous interaction with care workerIreland’s election: the parties, the voting, the issues and the likely resultIreland’s three main parties are almost neck and neck in the polls ahead of Friday’s general election, as the taoiseach, Simon Harris, struggles to contain the damage inflicted on his campaign by a disastrous interaction with an angry care worker.In what has been called the “Simon slump”, Fine Gael, the centre-right party which Harris leads, and which seemed almost certain to top the polls, is now under pressure. An Irish Times poll on Monday showed FG had lost its commanding lead of two weeks ago and was down six points. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:00:59
Four bodies recovered from Red Sea day after tourist boat capsizes
Five more rescued and seven still missing from the Sea Story, which was carrying 30 tourists and 14 crewEgyptian naval forces recovered four bodies and rescued five more people from the Red Sea a day after a large tourist boat sank in rough waters, officials have said. Seven people are still missing.The Red Sea governor, Amr Hanafi, said the yacht, called Sea Story, had been struck by high waves on Monday and sank in less than 7 minutes. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:03:58
Power cuts in Ukraine after Russia’s biggest drone attack yet
Moscow is pushing hard on eastern frontline amid uncertainty as to how Trump taking office will affect warRussia launched its biggest ever drone attack on Ukraine on Monday night and Tuesday morning, sending a reported 188 drones into the country against various targets, resulting in power cuts in part of western Ukraine and damage to residential buildings outside Kyiv.Russian forces are pushing hard along the frontline in the east of the country, amid uncertainty as to how the dynamics of the war might change once Donald Trump takes office in January. Russia also vowed “retaliatory actions” for fresh Ukrainian strikes on military targets inside Russia that used long-range missiles sent by the US. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:06:24
Terror suspect on FBI’s most wanted list arrested in north Wales
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, is said to have ties to animal-rights group behind three bombings in 2003One of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in the Welsh countryside.Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, has been on the FBI’s “most wanted terrorists” list for almost two decades for his alleged involvement in two bombings in San Francisco in 2003. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:04:14
Trump border chief threatens jail for Denver mayor amid deportation dispute
Tom Homan issues threat to Democrat Mike Johnston, who says he will resist Trump’s mass deportation planTom Homan, Donald Trump’s hardline incoming border czar, has threatened to put the mayor of Denver in jail after the latter said he was willing to risk incarceration to resist the president-elect’s migrant mass deportation plan.The threat was issued against Mike Johnston, a Democrat, who said he was not afraid of being jailed and encouraged people to protest against mass round-ups of immigrants in their cities and communities. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 19:29:05
Online influencers need ‘urgent’ fact-checking training, warns Unesco
Research shows six in 10 social media content creators do not verify accuracy of information before posting itSocial media influencers need “urgent” help to check their facts before they broadcast to their followers, in order to reduce the spread of misinformation online, Unesco has warned.According to a report by the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural organisation, two-thirds of content creators fail to check the accuracy of their material, making them and their followers vulnerable to misinformation. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:00:28
Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover weight-loss drugs for 7.4m people
Move aims to tackle US’s chronic obesity problem, but poses a challenge to Trump’s incoming administrationThe Biden administration is proposing to make “miracle” weight loss drugs free for low-income people and retirees, in a move aimed at tackling America’s chronic obesity problem but which throws down a gauntlet to the incoming president, Donald Trump.The proposal, unveiled on Tuesday, would see expensive drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound covered by Medicaid and Medicare, the federal government programs for the poor and the elderly. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:42:30
Eight Laos hostel staff held over suspected methanol poisoning deaths
Manager and seven staff at Nana backpackers hostel detained after death of six touristsPolice in Laos have detained the manager of a backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng as well as seven of its staff after the deaths of six tourists in a suspected mass methanol poisoning.Two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians died after becoming ill after a night out in the small riverside town. A third Australian, a dual national, also fell ill, and is understood to be in a stable condition. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 18:50:43
UK government seeks meeting with Trump team over Chagos Islands agreement
National security adviser will travel to Washington in attempt to persuade US president-elect not to rip up dealUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer’s national security adviser is to travel to Washington as the UK government tries to persuade Donald Trump not to rip up the Chagos Islands agreement, the Guardian has learned.Jonathan Powell, who negotiated the Chagos deal earlier this autumn, is drawing up plans to visit the US capital in the coming days, four government sources said. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 12:55:24
Air fryers, heated throws and the world’s best jeans: Black Friday deals on the products we love
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
The best iPhones in 2024: Apple smartphones tested, reviewed and ranked
Looking for the latest iPhone, or a good deal on a refurbished handset? Our expert has assessed and rated the current crop of Apple smartphonesThe best iPhone may be the one you already own. There is generally no need to buy a fresh phone just because new models have been released, as hardware updates are broadly iterative, adding small bits to an already accomplished package. But if you do want a replacement handset, whether new or refurbished, here are the best devices of the current crop of Apple smartphones.Many other smartphones are available besides the iPhone, but if you’re an Apple user and don’t fancy switching to Android, you still have a couple of choices. Whether your priority is the longest battery life, the best camera, the biggest screen or simply the optimal balance of features and price, there is more to choose from in the Apple ecosystem than you may expect, especially after the iPhone 16 models were released on 9 September.Best iPhone for most people: iPhone 16£799 at AppleBest iPhone for camera: iPhone 16 Pro£999 at AppleBest iPhone for screen: iPhone 16 Pro Max£1,199 at AppleBest value iPhone: iPhone SE £429 at Apple Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 13:39:56
The best coffee machines: your morning brew made easy, according to our expert
Discover the perfect coffee maker for your home with our tried-and-tested recommendations, from simple capsule to fully manual espresso machines• How to choose the right type of coffee machine for youWhen it comes to something as earth-shatteringly important as coffee, everyone has an opinion. Some crave a single perfect shot of espresso, while others seek the milkiest latte; some love Starbucks and others, well, don’t. This is why the idea of there being a single best coffee machine is fanciful – everyone’s idea of the perfect coffee couldn’t be more different.As a selfless service to coffee drinkers everywhere, I’ve spent months researching and testing coffee machines to produce a shortlist of tried-and-tested recommendations. The list spans all the main types of coffee maker: manual espresso, filter, bean-to-cup and capsule (not sure what all of this means? Read our dedicated guide to the different types of coffee machine.Best manual machine for beginners: Sage Bambino Plus £349 at John LewisBest low-effort coffee at an affordable price: De’Longhi Magnifica Evo One Touch £375 at John LewisBest for simple filter coffee: Moccamaster KBG Select £218 at AOBest for capsules: L’or Barista Sublime £45 at AmazonBest low-effort premium coffee: Jura C8 £895 at John LewisBest capsule machine for long coffees: Nespresso Vertuo Plus £199 at Nespresso Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 18:00:01
Christmas gifts for swimmers: what to buy water babies, from swimming costumes to changing robes and bags
Whether it’s lengths in the pool or wild swimming, here’s what everyone from top-level coaches to year-round ocean dippers told us they’d love to unwrap on Christmas DaySwimming is among the most popular sporting hobbies in the country, with 4.7 million people enjoying a dip at least twice a month, according to Sport England. And, unless you’ve had a bad case of swimmer’s ear, you’ll have heard about the wild swimming trend. The Outdoor Swimming Society says that several million people in the UK now take to rivers, lakes, lidos and seas each year. Their main motivation? Joy, with 94% saying they felt happier and less stressed after a swim.Team GB’s five-medal haul – one gold and four silvers – at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 likely encouraged more people to take up or return to the sport, too. So, the chances of you having a swimmer in your life are pretty high. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-18 16:41:36
Writers condemn startup’s plans to publish 8,000 books next year using AI
Publisher Spines will charge authors between $1,200 and $5,000 to have their books edited and distributed with the help of artificial intelligenceWriters and publishers are criticising a startup that plans to publish up to 8,000 books next year using AI.The company, Spines, will charge authors between $1,200 and $5,000 to have their books edited, proofread, formatted, designed and distributed with the help of AI. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:10:20
‘Films were an escape – to a deeper repression’: Jarman winner Maryam Tafakory on Iranian cinema
The UK-based artist and film-maker reveals how the work that has won her the prestigious award was the result of watching 417 films made in post-revolution Iran, many of which she ‘fell in love with – and felt betrayed by’In the first weeks of the pandemic, Maryam Tafakory set herself the task of watching 417 films made in post-revolution Iran. She soon found something curious: the recurring use of bags. Objects such as bags are often deployed by film-makers as substitutes for actual physical contact between a man and a woman, in a country where such depictions of intimacy are prohibited.Focusing on films spanning nearly three decades, the UK-based artist built on research she originally began three years earlier for her PhD, to create several films and video essays. The first is Irani Bag, which uses a clip from a 1992 Iranian production, The Song of Tehran and features a couple seen from behind each holding a strap from the same bag, instead of taking each other’s hands. “Learning to touch without touching,” says a text inserted alongside split-screen videos in the 2020 work. In another clip, a bag is used to separate two actors sat on the back of a motorbike. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:38:29
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is accused of sexual abuse. Why are his music streams rising?
Combs is the latest problematic artist to see his work break more ground on platforms such as Spotify and YouTubeIn the past few years, powerful men within the music industry – the singer R Kelly, the Def Jam founder Russell Simmons and the Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose – have faced public outcry after sexual violence allegations against them surfaced. But in many cases, streams of these artists’ music have remained largely unaffected, sometimes even ballooning in popularity.The disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is the latest artist to see his music streams sharply increase following public accusations of sexual assault by numerous people, including minors. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 12:00:02
‘Everyone was happy, but it became annoying’: Ethiopians look back on Band Aid
London cafe owner Yared Markos, 48, saw ‘aeroplanes, biscuits, sweets and cake all over Addis Ababa’ after song’s releaseForty years on, Yared Markos’s memories of famine in rural Ethiopia are vivid.His father was a geotechnical engineer, and as a boy he travelled with him from the city to his east African homeland’s countryside. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 10:00:08
Amy Sherald: ‘Sublimity in Black life can be seen in our ability to persist’
The portraitist known for paintings of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor is bringing her first major museum survey to San Francisco and then New York CityThe portraitist Amy Sherald is largely known for two paintings she made of Black Americans whose lives have intersected with US history – the first was the official portrait of the former first lady Michelle Obama, and the second was a posthumous image of victim of police brutality, Breonna Taylor, whose murder was a significant factor in sparking the racial uprisings of 2020. Sherald is also well-known for her choice to render the skin color of her Black subjects in grisaille – that is, shades of gray.Recognized as a major talent in the American art world, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has given Sherald a sizable survey exhibition, one that is worthy of her immense talent, dedication and originality. Titled Amy Sherald: American Sublime, the show collects nearly 50 of her works across the major sweep of her career since 2007, including the aforementioned portraits of Obama and Taylor. The show also features newly commissioned work that Sherald is debuting – these include the opening triptych Ecclesia (The Meeting of Inheritance and Horizons), as well as the closer Trans Forming Liberty in which Sherald poses a trans woman as the Statue of Liberty. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 16:10:26
‘Strictly terrified me!’ Chris McCausland on self-belief, shame and becoming the star of the show
After weeks of astonishing performances and easy wit, the comic is the bookies’ favourite to win. He talks about the privilege of being the first blind person to appear – and how his daughter changed his outlook on lifeFor quite a while, Chris McCausland kept turning down the offer to appear on Strictly Come Dancing. He wasn’t going to do it this year either. “It terrified me,” he says. “I don’t mind stretching myself, but I have to know something’s possible.” And Strictly seemed impossible. Blind since his early 20s, McCausland spent his teenage years listening to 90s grunge and throwing himself around mosh pits rather than paying any attention to ballroom dancing. So he had no idea what an American smooth or a paso doble even looked like. For some, Strictly has been unavoidable for the last 20 years, but McCausland, 47, a comedian whose natural TV home is shows such as Would I Lie to You?, says the first time he ever heard the theme tune was when he was standing in the studio on launch night.Why did he decide to embrace the sequins now? “As well as being a comedian, I am – whether I like it or not – representative of another group of people, people who are blind, people with a disability and people who are underrepresented.” He was so nervous before the first show that he couldn’t even eat. But it felt like an opportunity and a privilege, he says. “When you weigh that up, and you stop thinking about yourself so much, and the fact that you’re shitting your pants, there becomes more benefit than risk.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 05:00:03
Flex your new visual super skills
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
From manifesting to manifestos: Steven Bartlett is spearheading a new approach to achieving your goals
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
‘Time-chunking’ and great design … side hustle experts give their tips for success
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
‘The best personal brands aren’t overly curated’: six dos and don’ts for the jobs market
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
20 of the UK’s best hotels and pubs for the great outdoors – as chosen by the Good Hotel Guide
From pubs with rooms and seaside getaways to hotels for walkers and dog owners, all these picks put you in the middle of beautiful countryside Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 07:00:05
Sex with my partner was great – until I stopped feeling anything during penetration
I suddenly became unable to orgasm with a lover I previously had no problem climaxing with. It has been 11 months – what should we do?My ability to orgasm from penetrative sex seems to come and go. With some partners, I never climaxed; with others, I was able to climax at the beginning of the relationship and then became unable to; and then there are those with whom I had no issues climaxing. Now, I have suddenly become unable to orgasm from penetration with a partner that I previously had no problem climaxing with. I know people chalk it up to being a mental thing, or stress, but the relationship was great, the sex was great and out of nowhere I just became unable to feel anything during penetrative sex. We have been trying to solve this for 11 months.Is achieving orgasm through penetrative sex really so important to you? Many people see this as an ideal and even (erroneously) consider that there is something wrong with a woman who cannot climax during vaginal intercourse. For most women, though, the main physiological pleasure centre is the clitoris, which is located outside the vagina. So, in order for a woman to have an orgasm during penetration, areas related to the clitoris have to be stimulated; very often, direct clitoral stimulation has to be employed. So, in worrying about the elusiveness of one type of orgasm, you are expecting a great deal of yourself and of your physical sexual response. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:56:54
How can I perk up Thanksgiving dinner? | Kitchen aide
Our panel of expert cooks’ ideas include a spicy stuffing, punchy vinegar or mustard, and one great tip for cooking the ultimate turkeyFor Claire Dinhut, author of The Condiment Book, it’s all about staying within the confines of the traditional Thanksgiving menu, but giving each dish some extra zhoosh. The sides are the obvious choice for this: “My family is from Los Angeles,” Dinhut says, “but they’re also half Greek, so our creamed spinach, for example, is always spanakopita-style creamed spinach with feta and dill.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that Dinhut also goes by the moniker of Condiment Claire, she also leans on a variety of jars and bottles to perk things up: sure, dijon mustard will bring “brightness and a bit of texture” to mashed potatoes, but why not kick things up a gear and use smoky dijon? “Toast chilli flakes, then combine with mustard [or mayo] to get that extra depth; that also works a charm as a dip for green beans.”Dijon is also a friend to sprouts, Dinhut says: “We go for a slaw at Thanksgiving, with dijon, apple cider vinegar, fresh herbs and salt, to contrast that hearty mash.” Red-wine vinegar, meanwhile, features in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s family favourite, braised red cabbage: “Toss the cabbage with vinegar and salt, then sweat onions in butter in a large casserole pan until tender,” says the chef/patron of ABC Kitchens in London. Add the cabbage mix, press down, then pour in some red wine and top with sliced apple (pink lady, for preference). Cover and cook until almost dry. Carrots are another Thanksgiving must, though Dinhut breaks from tradition by roasting hers with maple syrup and pumpkin spice blend ( cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves).Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected] Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 14:00:30
Nigel Slater’s recipe for apple and blueberry demerara crumble
A quick, comforting pudding to liven up the weekHeat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Peel 700g of cooking apples, then remove their cores and seeds and cut the apple into small pieces. Add 250g of blueberries to the apple and 2 tbsp of sugar and toss well to coat the apples with the sugar.Tip into an ovenproof dish roughly 24cm in diameter. Cut 95g of butter into small pieces and add to 150g of plain flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs, then stir in 35g of caster sugar and 35g of demerara. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 12:00:03
José Pizarro’s recipe for spiced roast squash soup with chorizo migas
A rich soup with everything – texture, comfort, flavour – all rounded off with the satisfying, savoury crunch of toasted breadcrumbs and chorizoThis smooth, comforting soup is a great winter warmer. Roasting intensifies the natural sweetness of both the squash and the garlic, the cumin and smoked pimentón add a lovely, smoky, aromatic depth, while the fresh oregano keeps everything vibrant and earthy. But the best part, as any self-respecting Spaniard will tell you, is the crisp chorizo migas, which is a classic touch that brings with it crunch and a burst of rich, meaty flavour. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 08:00:05
Gina Miller’s call to women: invest, and fight back against financial abuse
The activist and businesswomen is campaigning to raise awareness of the ‘gender pension gap’ and the importance of having one’s own moneyGina Miller became a household name for challenging the UK government over Brexit, but now the entrepreneur and activist has another big fight on her hands: to push women to invest so they can prosper and avoid being a victim of financial abuse.Financial independence is vital for women’s safety, security and freedom, she says, as research from the wealth management company she founded, MoneyShe, shows more than 75% of women are not confident that they can afford a comfortable retirement. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:00:37
Women in the UK: are you planning on having a baby on your own using fertility treatment?
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
Share your experience of buying weight loss jabs privately in the UK
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
Share your experience of being a celebrity lookalike
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 across the UK: have you been affected by flooding?
We’d like to hear from people who experienced flooding recently, whether it affected their homes, communities or journeysMore than 200 flood alerts remain in England and Wales after torrential downpours from Storm Bert caused “devastating” flooding over the weekend and a major incident in Wales.Hundreds of homes were flooded, with roads turned into rivers and winds of up to 82mph recorded across parts of the UK. At least five deaths have been reported in England and Wales since the storm hit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 08:57:36
Is the China-US fentanyl pipeline really responsible for the US opioid crisis?
Donald Trump’s additional 10% tax on Chinese imports said to be response to China’s failure to curb its flow into USTrump’s tariff threat sets stage for bitter global trade warDonald Trump has said that his favourite word is tariff, which he describes as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”.So his announcement on Monday that he would be imposing 25% tariffs on imports from China, Mexico and Canada was perhaps to be expected. He also separately outlined “an additional 10% tariff” on imports from China, which – even if enacted – would be well below the 60% rate that Trump had threatened on the campaign trail. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 17:37:03
How the battle of Claremont Road changed the world: ‘The whole of alternative London turned up’
Thirty years ago, more than 500 activists united to save a street – and their actions marked a major turning-point in the environmental movementWalking through Leyton, in east London, you could easily miss Claremont Road. It is hardly a road at all, but a stubby little side street between terrace houses that ends abruptly in a brick wall. But when it comes to the history of direct action, this could be one of the most significant sites in England. Thirty years ago, in November 1994, the scene here was very different: 700 police officers and bailiffs in riot gear marched into a significantly larger Claremont Road and waged battle against about 500 activists, who were dug in – some of them literally – against efforts to evict them.The activists occupied rooftop towers, treehouses, underground bunkers and even secret tunnels. It took three days to get them all out. In retrospect, the “Battle of Claremont Road”, as it came to be known, was an almost unbelievable event. “I talk about the three C’s that underpin this type of activism: creativity, courage and cheek,” says campaigner Camilla Berens, who was there. “It set the template for the next 20 or 30 years of how to do responsible disruption.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 10:00:08
Trump’s talk of tariffs raises fears of hit to economies worldwide
Tariffs on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods threaten not just those nations but global economic growthTrump vows tariffs on Mexico and Canada and deeper tariffs on ChinaUS politics – live updatesEuropean companies were wondering whether they had dodged a harmful blow to their US sales after Donald Trump promised to slap trade tariffs on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods in social media posts late on Monday.They could congratulate themselves for avoiding the incoming president’s gaze – so far – and watch as he turned his anger on Beijing and Washington’s nearest trading partners. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 11:58:36
Massacre in the jungle: how an Indigenous man was made the public face of an atrocity
In 2004, 29 people were killed by members of the Cinta Larga tribe in Brazil’s Amazon basin. The story shocked the country – but the truth of what happened is still being fought overAt the federal courthouse of Vilhena, in the southern reaches of the Amazon basin, Nacoça Pio Cinta Larga limped to his seat, using one hand to steady himself on a table. In the air-conditioned chill and fluorescent glare, his crown of black and brown feathers shuddered with each step, a lonely reminder of the rainforest beyond the white-painted walls. A Brazilian flag hung limply in one corner, the national motto, “Order and progress”, concealed in its folds. “The prosecution says that, on 7 April 2004, around 11am in the Gully of Tranquility, you, sir, together with other members of your tribe, took the lives of several prospectors,” Judge Rafael Slomp began.Pale even for a white man, Slomp wore a pink button-up shirt beneath his robes. His goatee was immaculately trimmed, his tone bland, emotionless, entirely mismatched to the crimes he was describing. He listed 29 victims, 12 never identified: “A massacre.” He said that, hands tied, they had been unable to defend themselves, an aggravating factor. “The prosecution also alleges a base motive,” he went on. “That the Indigenous people who committed these acts wanted to keep anyone else from mining diamonds on their lands.” Greed, in other words. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 05:00:01
The 1920s desecration of a Gutenberg Bible shocked the US – but miraculously gave a Jewish family new life in Australia
Michael Visontay discovered that a ‘crime against history’ in the book world set off a chain of events that led to his family’s delicatessen in 1950s Sydney It was a brazen act of extreme literary vandalism that desecrated one of the world’s most valuable books. But it also allowed a family of Holocaust survivors to forge a new life in Australia.The extraordinary tale was uncovered by the author and journalist Michael Visontay while researching his family history during Covid lockdown and has now been published as a book, Noble Fragments. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 14:00:29
Romania election: what next after ultranationalist’s shock first-round victory?
Upset in presidential ballot as frontrunners knocked out and pro-Russian Călin Georgescu comes firstAfter an upset in the first of three crunch votes that could lead to Romania veering towards a more anti-EU, pro-Russian stance, the EU and Nato member state returns to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary ballot followed, on 8 December, by a presidential runoff.The votes will be closely watched not least in Brussels, which does not want another disruptive, sovereignist influence in the region alongside Hungary and Slovakia, and among western allies, which Bucharest has reliably backed against Moscow. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 13:45:02
Israelis displaced by war split over prospect of Hezbollah ceasefire
Some who live close to the border with Lebanon believe a deal would allow them to raise their children in safety, but others say communities are splitThere is a crack, a boom and a siren, all more or less simultaneously. Sergio Helman has not quite reached the concrete shelter a dozen metres away from his hummus restaurant, off highway 99, which marks the northernmost limit of the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.The 60-year-old shrugs and explains that Hezbollah fires the rockets from so close that Israeli air defence systems can give only 15 seconds warning at best. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 18:46:38
‘We need a cultural revolution’: femicide victim’s family seek change in Italy
After Giulia Cecchettin was killed by her ex-boyfriend, her sister shook the national conscience when she challenged a ‘society steeped in rape culture’. She is still speaking outJust a day after being told that her sister Giulia was dead, Elena Cecchettin was interviewed on live TV outside the family home in Vigonovo, a small town close to Venice. Floral tributes were tied to the railings behind her, and a torchlight procession attended by thousands of well wishers was under way. But Elena was not looking for sympathy. “Don’t hold a minute of silence for Giulia – burn everything,” she said. “We need a cultural revolution to ensure that Giulia’s case is the last.”On 18 November 2023, Giulia Cecchettin, 22, became Italy’s 105th victim of femicide that year. Her body, with more than 70 stab wounds, was found wrapped in black plastic bags in a ditch close to a lake north of Venice. Filippo Turetta, her ex-boyfriend, confessed to killing the biomedical engineering student, who was just days away from graduating. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 05:00:04
From Egypt to India, five jailed men who feel abandoned by Britain
A media mogul, a computer programmer, a developer, a trade unionist, and a Sikh activist – the prisoners arbitrarily detained abroadThe cases of five British men, held for years without a fair trial, are being highlighted as MPs, families, and campaigners fight for their release and better help for all those arbitrarily detained abroad. Who are the five, and what has happened to them? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 07:00:04
‘I took one pill and my whole body was gone’: Kathy Bates on opioids, ageing and selfish co-stars
As she stars in new legal serial Matlock, about a lawyer using people’s prejudices about older people to her advantage, the Oscar-winner opens up about surviving cancer, the Sacklers and watching herself on screenKathy Bates plays an elegant game in Sky’s new reboot of the 1980s legal drama Matlock. She’s the eponymous lawyer Matty, forced out of retirement having fallen upon hard times, thanks to her no-good husband. Or at least that’s what she says. There’s a lot of mischievous observation about ageism and the opportunities it presents: people look through her, so she can glide past security guards; people underestimate her, so she can bedevil them in negotiations; people shout over her like she isn’t there, so she destroys them in a way that’s pleasing to watch.At first glance, this seems to be a straightforward whodunnit. But Bates would never have taken the role, she says, if that’s all there was to it. The show is certainly enjoyable, warming even, a bit like being hugged. Whether Madeline “Matty” Matlock is appearing in her assumed persona (cuddly, wise) or her true identity (passionate, crusading), she is always agreeably on the side of the angels. “We’ve had responses from people across all ages, across all demographics,” says Bates. “It is a comforting thing to be able to put your mind somewhere else, to something entertaining, that also has a bit of a mystery. People need that right now – to get away from everything and get lost.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:46:09
NWSL glory for Orlando and USA head to Wembley – Women’s Football Weekly
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
S8, E10: David Gray, musician
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 Israeli settlers preparing to move to Gaza – podcast
While Palestinians are fleeing the war, one group of Israelis are planning for beachfront homes on the strip. Bethan McKernan and Ruth Michaelson reportFor weeks people living in northern Gaza, like Dr Mohammad Salha, have been sheltering from a renewed offensive by Israel. Israel has told civilians to leave, and food and humanitarian aid has stopped. Salha is the acting director of the al-Awda hospital – and has stayed behind to treat patients. He says there is only one surgeon left to do life-saving operations in the area, and food, medicines and electricity are vanishingly scarce. He has watched as thousands have fled, including his family. It is not clear when they will be allowed to return or if they ever will.Yet just over the border from Gaza, one group of far-right Israelis have a plan. Settlers from the Nachala organisation have held a conference in the closed military zone of the strip’s periphery to discuss moving into the Gaza Strip and taking over land there, to build their own homes. The Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent, Bethan McKernan, was there and said so were members of the Knesset and cabinet ministers. And, she says, while plans to “re-settle” Gaza are at a speculative stage, the presence of politicians showi how the settler movement has grown in importance and power. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 03:00:08
‘Travesty of justice’: Cop29’s controversial deal – podcast
Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, about the controversial climate finance deal that brought Cop29 negotiations to a close in the early hours on Sunday morning in Baku, Azerbaijan. Developing countries asked rich countries to provide them with $1.3tn a year to help them decarbonise their economies and cope with the effects of the climate crisis. But the final deal set a pledge of just $300bn annually, with $1.3tn only a target. Damian tells Madeleine how negotiations unfolded, and what we can expect from next year’s conference in BrazilFind all the Guardian’s reporting on Cop29Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 19:03:13
‘No alternative’: is Rachel Reeves channelling Thatcher? – Politics Weekly Westminster
The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how Rachel Reeves’s budget has upset businesses, as the annual CBI conference takes place. Plus, what is the government’s plan for the welfare state and getting Britain ‘back to work’? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:03:43
How having babies became so political - video
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: former deputy PM and New Labour stalwart – video obituary
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
Mistrust, anger and suspicion of Bill Gates: voices from the UK farmers protest – video
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
Atacms: what are the missiles Ukraine has fired into Russia for the first time?
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
Sign up for the Fashion Statement newsletter: our free fashion email
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
Sign up for the Guardian Documentaries newsletter: our free short film email
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
Guardian Traveller newsletter: Sign up for our free holidays email
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
Sign up for the Feast newsletter: our free Guardian food email
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
Sensory art and grieving royals: photos of the day – Tuesday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-26 15:41:48
Pride and protest: a photographic history of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights
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
‘Portal to space’: the place where astronauts take off and land – in pictures
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
Hungary’s most deprived people donate blood plasma to survive – photo essay
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
The big picture: earthbound reality at the International Space Station landing site in Kazakhstan
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
A nostalgic photographic road trip across Australia – in pictures
When photographer Trent Mitchell was on the road looking for surf all over Australia he’d throw a couple of rolls of film in the bag and snap pictures here and there. He focused on scenes that reminded him of childhood road trips, ones he couldn’t get at home or had a surreal feeling to them.After collating the images into a fun zine-like exhibition catalogue, he realised there was a strong base to work from and the idea to publish a book was born.Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana artwork fetches US$5.2m at New York auction Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 23:00:06
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