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Storm Bert: forecasters and politicians criticised after devastating floods
Critics claim warnings and defences were inadequate but Met Office says storm was ‘well forecast’Weather forecasters and politicians have come in for strong criticism after hundreds of homes and businesses across the UK suffered devastating flooding in Storm Bert but the Met Office has said it issued sufficient warning.There were growing complaints in south Wales, one of the areas most heavily hit, that the Met Office issued only a yellow warning, rather than an amber or red, and that not enough new defences had been put in place by the Welsh government since storms last wreaked havoc in the area four years ago. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:28:04
Girl, 8, injured in London shooting was in car with two-year-old, police say
Officers say girl was in vehicle in Ladbroke Grove with parents and younger sibling when gunman opened fireAn eight-year-old girl injured in a double shooting in west London was in a car with her parents and two-year-old sibling when a gunman opened fire, police have revealed.Her 34-year-old father was left with potentially life-changing injuries and the girl was having surgery on Monday but was in a stable condition, the Metropolitan police said. The pair were hurt in Southern Row, Ladbroke Grove, west London, just after 5.30pm on Sunday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:49:19
Prosecutors demand 20-year jail term for Dominique Pelicot
Pelicot has admitted drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, and inviting at least 70 strangers to rape and abuse herFrench prosecutors have demanded that Dominique Pelicot be jailed for 20 years, the maximum sentence, for having drugged and raped his wife, Gisèle and inviting at least 70 strangers to rape and abuse her over a decade.Assistant state prosecutor Laure Chabaud said the sentence was “at the same time, long but not long enough given the gravity of the facts that were committed and repeated”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:12:36
UK politics live: Badenoch refuses to commit to reversing rise in employers’ national insurance in speech at CBI
Tory leader says she will not ‘comment on every bit of micro-policy’Q: Are you feeling the pressure? There is a petition signed by 2 million people calling for another election.Starmer says he is not surprised that people who did not support Labour in the first place want the election to be re-run. But that is not how the system worked.I’m not surprised, quite frankly, that as we’re doing the tough stuff, there are plenty of people who say, ‘Well, I’m impacted.’I think anybody who’s turned around an organisation or a business will tell you, and they’re right, if you’re really going to turn something around, you have to do the hard yards upfront. Don’t look at a tough decision and then leave it for a year or two.So we’re doing the tough stuff. But in the budget, which is probably the toughest, I’m really pleased that we were able to put so much money into the National Health Service … Anybody watching this who uses the NHS will know we absolutely had to make that a priority. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:27:20
Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91
Author described as ‘the grande dame of blockbusters’ wrote 40 novels, selling more than 91m copies• Barbara Taylor Bradford: she wrote books about sexy, scrappy, hard-working women like herBarbara Taylor Bradford, the bestselling author of novels including A Woman of Substance, has died aged 91, her publisher has confirmed.The novelist died peacefully at her home on Sunday after a short illness, “surrounded by loved ones to the very end”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:09
Briton reportedly captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine
Man in video identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, and says he joined the International LegionA British national has reportedly been captured by Russia’s forces in the Kursk region while fighting for Ukraine.In a video posted on pro-war Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, a man wearing combat fatigues identifies himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson from the UK. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 21:41:35
DHL cargo plane crashes near Lithuania airport
One crew member dead and three injured after plane crashed into house on approach to landing at VilniusA DHL cargo plane from Germany has crashed into a house as it made its approach to land at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, killing a Spanish crew member and injuring three others on the aircraft, officials said.Lithuanian authorities, who in the past weeks have been investigating alleged incidences of incendiary devices being sent on western-bound cargo planes, stopped short of linking the crash with that investigation. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:04:52
Trump Pentagon pick attacks UN and Nato and urges US to ignore Geneva conventions
Revealed: Pete Hegseth writes scathingly of key institutions and says ‘If you love America, you should love Israel’US politics – live updatesPete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, has attacked several key US alliances such as Nato, allied countries such as Turkey and international institutions such as the United Nations in two recent books, as well as saying US troops should not be bound by the Geneva conventions.At the same time, the man who would head America’s gigantic military has tied US foreign policy almost entirely to the priority of Israel, a country of which he says: “If you love America, you should love Israel.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:41
Revealed: Israel used US weapons in strike that killed journalists
Killing of journalists in Israeli strike could be war crime, legal experts say after Guardian investigationA Guardian investigation has found that Israel used a US munition to target and kill three journalists and wound three more in a 25 October attack in south Lebanon which legal experts have called a potential war crime.On 25 October at 3.19am, an Israeli jet shot two bombs at a chalet hosting three journalists – cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammad Reda from pro-Hezbollah outlet al-Mayadeen, as well as cameraman Wissam Qassem from the Hezbollah-affiliated outlet al-Manar. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:30:31
Earth’s ‘mini moon’ which may be chunk of actual moon set to disappear
School-bus-sized asteroid known as 2024 PT5 and currently 2m miles from Earth will begin journey towards sunA so-called mini-moon of Earth that has been lingering in the heavens since September will begin a journey towards the sun on Monday as it prepares to disappear until 2055.The school-bus-sized asteroid known as 2024 PT5 might actually be a huge boulder that broke from the moon after another space rock crashed into it centuries ago, astronomers say. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:00:40
Alicia Kearns: the one-nation Tory taking on the Foreign Office
The former select committee chair is looking to change the way Britain deals with foreign hostage situationsAlicia Kearns, as a former Foreign Office official and an outspoken voice on foreign affairs, is an MP who understands how the department ticks.She is also someone who does not give up easily, and with some freedom to operate since she is neither on Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative frontbench nor the Labour dominated foreign affairs select committee, a body she chaired until this summer. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:00:39
Drugs, hormones and excrement: the polluting pig mega-farms supplying pork to the world
Mexico is a leading international pork producer, but Yucatán residents say the waste oozing from hundreds of enormous hog farms is destroying the environmentThe stink of excrement was the first thing the residents of Sitilpech noticed when the farm opened in 2017. It hung over the colourful one-storey homes and kitchen gardens in the Maya town in Yucatán, and has never left. Next, the trees stopped bearing fruit, their leaves instead covered with black spots. Then, the water from the vast, porous aquifer emerged from the well with a horrible, overwhelming stench.“Before, we used that water for everything: for cooking, for drinking, for bathing. Now we can’t even give it to animals. Today, we have to give the chickens purified water because otherwise they get diarrhoea,” says one resident. “The radishes grow thin and the coriander often turns yellow. This has always been a quiet town, where life was very good until that farm started,” they say. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:39
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
‘I feel guilty and angry’: the captain turned campaigner trying to keep cruise ships at bay
After spending most of his life on commercial vessels, Guillaume Picard is now fighting to keep these vast liners out of the French port of MarseilleRead more in this seriesFew people know the sea better than Guillaume Picard. He grew up on a boat moored in the port of Hyères in southern France after his parents left 1960s Paris. His first job was on a sailing boat. Then he spent 30 years in the merchant navy before becoming a commercial captain, ferrying tourists and containers across the Mediterranean for more than two decades.Now aged 65, his grey hair in a ponytail, it is with no small note of sadness that he says, increasingly, it is the land that calls him. “To be completely honest, I want to go to sea less and less,” he says. “I go hiking a lot in the mountains with my wife, and we’ve found an environment that is much more preserved. The mountains are beautiful wherever you go.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:00:39
Barbara Taylor Bradford: she wrote books about sexy, scrappy, hard-working women like her
A towering goddess of late 20th-century fiction, the novelist sold a different way of living to women who did not have choices – and she made all of her own dreams come true• Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91What on earth must it have been like, in Yorkshire in the 1930s, having both Barbara Taylor, as she then was, and Alan Bennett in the same nursery class?Whatever they had in the water back there, Barbara Taylor Bradford, like Jackie Collins and Shirley Conran, was one of the great transatlantic towering goddesses of late 20th-century fiction. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:13:17
‘Charles had just bought a mean-looking Chevrolet’: how War made Low Rider
‘Our frontman walked into the studio, sat down with a bottle of tequila, salt and a lemon, listened to the track and started singing in a low voice’Calling ourselves War was a positive thing: we were waging war against war and the conflicts going on in our back yard. Our weapons were our instruments, which fired rhythms, melodies and most of all harmony. We were a multi-ethnic band and we used our songs to bring peace and love. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:34:11
The pet I’ll never forget: Mr Wags, the bolshy, beautiful dog we rescued when he was 12
Our skittish papillon cross was as affectionate as he was furious. I loved falling asleep to the sound of him snoringIt was not an auspicious start. As my daughter and I stood chatting to the woman who had been fostering Mr Wags, he bit her cat. Half an hour later, he went for her dog. But by then I was in love with him.Mr Wags was 12 years old, a papillon cross, and very cross. He turned away if you got too affectionate and he lost it completely if you sat close enough to touch his tail. His first visit to our vet featured a muzzle and $3,000 of tooth extractions. We often rued the day that they had left him with three teeth. One was a canine that sank numerous times into the fleshy pad on my right hand. My daughter suggested we offer them extra to take it out, but I wouldn’t hear of it. We were sort of co-dependent, both of us having had a hard life. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:39
The nut of the future! 17 delicious ways with pistachios, from cakes to salads to cocktails
Pistachio farmers are having a bumper year – and looking forward to many more. These recipes will help you make the most of the glutPistachios are booming. In California, which has overtaken Iran as the top exporter in recent decades, growers are expected to harvest 1bn lb (about 450m kg) of them this year, a figure that is projected to double by 2031.At a time when all forms of agriculture face stark choices because of climate breakdown, pistachio orchards are expanding: the trees are more drought-tolerant than many crops, including other nuts such as almonds. But if pistachios end up becoming the nut of the future, how will we cope with record-breaking harvests? For now, here are 17 delicious ways to use up your personal allotment of this year’s yield. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:00:36
Cinema singalongs: is it OK for Wicked fans to belt out all the tunes?
Fans of the Wizard of Oz-inspired musical have reportedly been warbling songs during early screenings – but not everyone is best pleasedName: Cinema singalongs.Age: Hard to tell the exact origin but the most recent example is just days old. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:04:13
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
‘Activates my lizard brain’: why Alita: Battle Angel is my feelgood movie
In a new series of writers revealing their go-to comfort film, an unlikely action flop gets a stirring recommendationWhen I’m in a truly bad mood, about the state of the world or just the state of myself, traditionally uplifting movies (or music, or TV) don’t cut it for me. It’s not the movies’ fault, necessarily; it’s the act of pressing play on even a feel-great movie like His Girl Friday or Toy Story 2 that nags at me as overly self-conscious. It’s hard for the movie to have its desired effect when I’m giving it such a personal, specific mandate to make me feel better – a truly impossible form of video on demand. Instead, I need something that activates my lizard brain, something that goes straight to the pleasure center of my imagination, rather than engaging directly with my emotions. In recent years, that movie is Alita: Battle Angel.Part of it is probably a form of penance for slightly underrating Alita when it came out. I gave this Robert Rodriguez-directed, James Cameron-produced (and co-written!) manga adaptation a measuredly positive review back in early 2019, clearly still processing my surprise, even confusion, that it was so much better than most were expecting. Another half-dozen viewings later, many on sick days, have worn away my initial resistance to the movie’s slightly distended shape, corny dialogue and jostled-together plot. The movie follows the reawakening of Alita (a digitally augmented Rosa Salazar), a cyborg whose body has been trashed and whose memory has been erased. Partially repaired by the kindly but overprotective Dr Ido (Christoph Waltz), Alita eventually explores the dystopian Iron City, takes up a violent cyborg sport called Motorball, becomes a well-paid bounty hunter, falls in love with a human who yearns to escape for a better life, and rediscovers her past as a powerful warrior. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:00:37
‘Woke’ didn’t lose the US election: the patrician class who hijacked identity politics did | Nesrine Malik
Why is this simple explanation being so widely embraced? Because it does not require a commitment to real, structural changeThe day that wokeness died. That has been one of the primary analyses of Donald Trump’s resounding election victory: that it was a resounding rejection of the “woke” left and the casting off of the shackles of political correctness. According to sections of the media and political establishment, people are tired of being harangued and scolded for not using the right language, annoyed by a constant focus on race and identity, and alarmed by a new orthodoxy of radical politics eager to please individual groups at the expense of common sense. “The era,” summarised one British journalist, “of Black Lives Matter, Latinx, critical race theory, pronouns and defunding the police is over.” It’s a neat conclusion – it’s hard not to see this result as a rejection of something. But was that something “woke” values in particular?As a starting point, it is worth looking at Kamala Harris’s campaign rather than the assumptions about it. In reality, she seemed to avoid any focus on identity and “wokeness”. She didn’t make much of her race, or even her gender, choosing instead to ground her identity in her background as a middle-class person raised in a rental household by a hardworking mother. Her position on race softened from when she was running in 2019: she previously backed “some form” of reparations but did not stake out a position as part of her bid. Trump wanted Harris “to say something to turn off white voters. She was wise not to take the bait,” wrote the author Keith Boykin. She was hardline on immigration, keen to show that she is a gun owner (memorably telling Oprah Winfrey: “If someone breaks into my house they’re getting shot”). And she was evasive on gender-affirming care for transgender Americans.Nesrine Malik 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: 2024-11-25 06:00:33
Who is really escalating the war in Ukraine? It certainly isn’t the west | James Nixey
The policy of the US and Europe remains the same: drip-feeding resources while never giving Ukraine the chance to push Russia outJames Nixey leads the Russia-Eurasia programme at Chatham HouseEven for a country that has been at war for more than 1,000 days, the past month has been rough for Ukraine: its nemesis, Russia, has acquired 11,000 troops from North Korea and mercenaries from Yemen to assist in its project to delete Ukraine. Russia has also pulverised Ukraine’s energy grid with renewed ferocity as temperatures fall below freezing and fired off experimental intermediate-range weaponry, and it continues to make gains in the east. As if that weren’t enough, Russia’s preferred candidate has been elected as the American president, promising to end the war in “24 hours” – and not in Ukraine’s favour.And yet after all this, the question I have been asked continuously over the past week is: “Is the west escalating the war?” The question refers to the rescinding of some of the limitations imposed on Ukraine which forbade it from using western missiles to strike inside Russian territory. Far from being escalatory, western policy on the war is in fact best described as incrementalism – a drip-feed release of weaponry, which keeps Ukraine on a lifeline but certainly doesn’t allow it the possibility of pushing Russia out. The reason it has not been given this opportunity is twofold.James Nixey leads the Russia-Eurasia programme at Chatham HouseDo 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: 2024-11-25 08:00:35
I worked in charities for years – here’s how I make sure my money is going to a good cause, not Captain Tom’s family | Gary Nunn
Even when huge sums are raised, pooling donations towards one celebrity and one cause can cause problemsThis year hasn’t been great for charity foundations fronted by British celebrities. As we head into the Christmas season and think about supporting others with donations to nonprofit organisations, it might be worth reflecting on the lessons we’ve learned along the way.In 2024 the charities of two very different household names, Captain Sir Tom Moore and the model Naomi Campbell, fell into disrepute. In both cases, the organisations’ founders – members of Moore’s family, and Campbell herself – allegedly used charitable capital for personal gain.Gary Nunn is an author and journalistDo 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: 2024-11-25 10:00:38
I'm glad we got a deal at Cop29 – but western nations stood in the way of a much better one | Mukhtar Babayev
My negotiating team tried in vain to push up support for the global south. Lessons must be learned before the next summit in BrazilMukhtar Babayev is president of the Cop29 UN climate change conferenceChina was willing to offer more in climate finance, says Cop29 presidentNine years after the Paris agreement, and after 11 months of multilateral diplomacy and two weeks of the most intense negotiations at Cop29 in Baku, we have a deal. Under the terms of the Baku breakthrough, the world’s industrialised nations will provide $300bn (£240bn), which, combined with resources from multilateral lending institutions and the private sector will reach $1.3tn in climate financing this year. Cop29 also finalised, after years of failed attempts, a global framework for international carbon markets trading, a critical mechanism for less polluting and less wealthy nations to raise climate finance. A fund for responding to loss and damage – another new financial resource for less developed nations – was brought in shortly before the summit, and funds are already being paid into it.This deal may be imperfect. It does not keep everyone happy. But it is a major step forward from the $100bn pledged in Paris back in 2015.Mukhtar Babayev is president of the Cop29 UN climate change conference Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:47
It’s outrageous that religious faith is being brought into the assisted dying debate | Simon Jenkins
Britain is a largely secular country. Those who oppose the bill before parliament should not be interfering with other people’s right to choose for themselvesI recently attended memorial services for two friends. Both died after long illnesses, and the services were naturally sad. But the subsequent receptions were uplifting. Two lives were celebrated by those who had shared them. Achievements were praised and loved ones recalled. All agreed on one tragedy: that the subjects were absent from an occasion that would have made their departures – and their lives – complete.One day I know a more generous Britain will allow us to choose when to die and whether to hold such celebrations ourselves. They will seem as normal as birth and marriage. We might be impeded by illness or age, but we could say goodbye to family and friends in good order and to our own timetable. We could savour with those we love the meaning and pleasure we derived from our life on Earth, with the science of medicine to make it tolerable.Simon Jenkins 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: 2024-11-25 15:05:47
I’m still running at seven months pregnant. But it’s transformed how I think about exercise | Nell Frizzell
All too often, staying fit is about vanity and status. The slower and wheezier I become, the more I realise it’s also about survivalHave you recently seen a sweating woman with a watermelon stuffed up her fleece, wheezing her way behind a bush mere metres from a towpath to have a pee? If you have, please say hello next time – for that woman, I suspect, is me.At seven months pregnant, I am still running three times a week. By “running”, I mean hurling my lumpen body through various woods, fields and city parks at a speed slower than walking, while wearing a pair of gently disintegrating trainers. Do I have to stop every 10 minutes to empty my bladder? You bet I do. Am I running half my usual distance in twice the usual time? Yes, ma’am. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:40
We must defend elective abortions, not just the most politically palatable cases | Moira Donegan
After Dobbs, pro-choice advocates have emphasized women in medical crises. But those tragic cases are a limited pictureA Kentucky woman known by the pseudonym Mary Poe recently filed a lawsuit against her state, seeking an abortion for what was once a banal reason: because she wanted one.Poe, who was about seven weeks pregnant at the time of the lawsuit’s filing, has since had an abortion out of state. But her attorneys argue that she still has standing to sue to overturn Kentucky’s two abortion bans – a six-week ban and a separate total ban – arguing that the laws violate the state constitution. This much, at least, is typical: lawsuits challenging abortion bans have sprung up across the country since Dobbs, with women and their families seeking to overturn bans, expand exceptions, or get some compensation from the state for the graphic, distressing, disabling or deadly outcomes that the bans have made them suffer.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:40
In Sweden, we’ve been told to prepare for war. But will 21st-century citizens still rally for the common good? | Martin Gelin
For decades, Swedish politics has promoted individual success. Now an official booklet urges us to unite ‘in case of crisis or war’ Swedes are generally not known to panic or overreact. But many of us are feeling a little shaken after a booklet with a soldier in camouflage holding a machine gun, with a fighter jet tearing through the sky in the background, landed on our door mats recently.The government booklet, titled “In case of crisis or war”, was sent to every Swedish household as the threat of attack from Russia escalates. It signals the beginning of a new era in our country, with a bleak message about threats from war, natural disasters and pandemics. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:33
The Guardian view on Cop29: poor-world discontent over a failure of rich countries to deliver | Editorial
A rushed final text in Baku strains trust between nations, as inadequate climate finance commitments leave vulnerable countries calling for justiceThe hasty imposition of a deal at the UN climate conference, Cop29, in Azerbaijan, over the objections of poorer nations has fractured global trust and undermined recent progress. This was supposed to be the “finance Cop” when two dozen industrialised countries – including the US, Europe and Canada – promised to pay developing nations for the damage caused by their rise. Instead, developing nations – led by a group including India, Nigeria and Bolivia – say this weekend’s agreement for $300bn a year in 2035 is too little, too late. Worse, rich-world governments will be able to escape their obligations by being able to rely on cash from private companies and international lenders.Independent experts say the developing world, excluding China, would need $1.3tn a year by 2035 to fund its green transition and keep temperature rises in line with the Paris agreement. The climate finance target, pushed through by the Azerbaijani chair, is described by poor nations as a death sentence for those already drowning under rising seas and facing devastating costs.Do 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: 2024-11-24 17:42:52
The Guardian view on Europe’s duty to Ukraine: solidarity must not waver in the age of Trump | Editorial
Kyiv must be given the military and financial means to resist any attempt to force an unjust peaceIn the aftermath of 9/11, the neoconservative thinker Robert Kagan published an influential book titled Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order. The gist of the argument was that though peace-loving Europeans prided themselves on upholding the values of a rules-based international system, they largely relied on US military might to deal with the rogue states intent on undermining it.As the catastrophic consequences of George W Bush’s illegal war in Iraq subsequently illustrated, the thesis was flawed. Costing hundreds of thousands of lives, the US “war on terror” delivered only bloody mayhem in the Middle East. But Mr Kagan’s analysis captured something true about a de facto hard power/soft power division of responsibilities in the west. Two decades on, the future of Ukraine may depend on how a reconfiguration of that relationship plays out in a new “new world order”.Do 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: 2024-11-24 17:45:50
There’s no point building homes that people can’t afford | Letters
Readers respond to Polly Toynbee’s article about the tussle between central government and local planners in KentPolly Toynbee’s piece misses the central point about the housing crisis (In Kent, Labour has a fight on its hands – and a make-or-break test for its housing revolution, 19 November). It is a crisis of affordability, not supply, brought about by the over-financialisation of the stock through a decade and a half of interest rates close to zero.Prices rose from three or four times average earnings to more than nine times as investors shifted cash from deposits to bricks and mortar. No arbitrary housing targets will ever correct that because simple arithmetic is against it, never mind that developers won’t increase supply to the point where they have to drop prices. And the threat of rescinding unbuilt planning consents would see material starts, so that forfeiture would leave a mess for early buyers to live with, and someone else to sort out. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 17:19:15
Making the case for a law on assisted dying | Letter
Stephen Sedley, a former court of appeal judge, responds to an article by MPs Diane Abbott and Edward LeighWhile no one should underestimate the complexity of safeguarding (and Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill, if anything, does the opposite), Diane Abbott and Edward Leigh inadvertently make the case for legalising assisted dying when they say that “the only adequate safeguard is to keep the law unchanged” (Our politics could not be more different – but we’re united against this dangerous assisted dying bill, 20 November).The law as it stands is an inhumane set of traps. In 1961, it decriminalised suicide and then criminalised “encouraging or assisting” it – two different things. Encouraging suicide should continue to be a crime. The proposed reform is about whether it should continue to be a crime to assist a mentally competent adult to bring a dignified conclusion to a life that is approaching its end. If it is open to criticism, it is for leaving out individuals who face an incurable condition with no end in sight. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 17:17:52
No empire lasts forever. Pep Guardiola’s struggle against entropy will be fascinating
Manchester City’s struggles could be a blip or the start of terminal decline. We will see how one of the all-time great managers handles the conundrumSign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereFive defeats in a row. Three defeats in a row in the Premier League. A 52-game unbeaten home record shattered. An eight-point gap to the leaders. Pep Guardiola’s joint-biggest home defeat – and to Tottenham, whose previous game was a home defeat to Ipswich. For empires, the end comes first gradually and then all at once and, while Guardiola is genius enough and Manchester City are rich enough that nobody should be writing them off just yet, there is a sense that parameters have shifted, that this is not the league we thought we knew. Jürgen Klopp must be wondering whether he went a year too soon.Since this is City, the tendency is to find explanations, to pre-suppose a return to the status quo. It’s true they tend to stutter in the late autumn. It’s true even that Guardiola’s record against Tottenham is improbably bad; in his managerial career he has lost against Spurs nine times, more than against any other club. It’s true that amid a raft of injuries and general fatigue, they’re without both the Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and the nearest thing they have to a replacement, Mateo Kovacic. And it’s also true that they could easily have won any of those recent five games: even on Saturday, although they lost the xG 2.5-2.1, they had 23 shots to Tottenham’s nine and could have won quite comfortably through Erling Haaland shots alone. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:27:12
David de Gea is reborn and central to Fiorentina’s Serie A renaissance | Nicky Bandini
Goalkeeper is at heart of team reviving and defying expectations thanks to seven straight Serie A winsDavid de Gea said on day one that he wanted to “make history” with Fiorentina. Three months later, you could make a case he has already succeeded. The Viola won their seventh consecutive Serie A game on Sunday, 2-0 away to Como. Only once before – back in 1960 – have they achieved such a run in the Italian top-flight.The Spaniard has been essential. De Gea collected his fifth clean sheet against Como, more than any other goalkeeper has managed since he made his league debut on 15 September. He is having to work for them, too. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:31:04
Salah disappointed at lack of Liverpool contract offer and feels ‘more out than in’
‘There is no club like this but it is not in my hands,’ he saysClub understood to have held positive talks with agentMohamed Salah says he is disappointed Liverpool have not offered him a new contract and feels “probably more out than in” in terms of staying beyond the end of the season.The uncertainty around Salah’s future is one of the few areas of concern amid a brilliant start under Arne Slot, whose side are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after 10 wins in his 12 league matches. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 09:00:01
McCullum needs England at the races alongside thoroughbred Stokes in New Zealand
England’s lead-up to the series has been a cause for concern but head coach has urged Pope and co to let Pakistan hurt wash over themAs a sideline to the day job as England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum owns and breeds racehorses in his native New Zealand. And when a “big chestnut with a pale face and dodgy legs” emerged from the stable a while back, it apparently rang too many bells not to name it after his partner in crime, Ben Stokes.“That horse has got a big heart, too, so I thought it was perfect,” said McCullum, before England swapped their training base in Queenstown for sunny Christchurch. The pair even went to watch the captain’s namesake, Stokes, claim a creditable third-place finish at nearby Riccarton Park racecourse before this tour of New Zealand officially got under way, despite some concerns about its readiness. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:00:37
Did Austin Seibert just suffer the most agonizing few minutes in NFL history?
In the dying moments of a crucial game against a hated rival, the Washington Commanders kicker was subjected to a brutal series of humiliationsIf you’re under the impression that NFL special teams this season have been especially wonky, you are completely and utterly correct.Still, as weird as it special teams had been through the first 11 weeks of the season, nothing could quite compare to what happened on Sunday. Kicker misses and miscues have been legion, but Sunday saw far more blunders than usual. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 08:10:34
‘Max is in that club’: Verstappen joins F1 greats after fourth drivers’ title
Red Bull’s Christian Horner says his driver is in same class as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton“What I have witnessed with him, I have never seen before,” says Max Verstappen’s team principal Christian Horner, expressing a quiet conviction in his driver on securing a fourth consecutive Formula One world championship.Horner, the CEO of Red Bull Racing, believes Verstappen, who claimed the title in Las Vegas, is setting new standards and has now unequivocally taken his place in the pantheon of Formula One. After a season-long demonstration of skill, race craft, and no little ruthless determination to close out what has been his most challenging championship yet, Verstappen has earned the plaudits. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 08:21:34
Christian Ilzer’s people-centric approach revives Hoffenheim spirit | Andy Brassell
Manager arrived with a reputation for transformation and rejuvenated team with spirited 4-3 win against RB LeipzigLess talk, more action? Having stepped out of Austrian football for the first time in his career, Christian Ilzer has taken the opposite approach as he seeks to establish himself and to find his feet at Hoffenheim. Appointed to the top job little more than a week ago, the new head coach took over an alarming situation, with his new European-qualified team teetering just above a weak-looking bottom three. Yet he immediately felt that making time to chat was the best start. “Of course, it takes a lot of conversations to find out what makes the guys tick,” Ilzer enthused. “When you’re dealing with people, one of the most important skills is listening. That was one of my main jobs.”In an era when a head coach’s ability to create their own brand is still thought of as imperative, taking a moment to assess exactly why Pellegrino Matarazzo’s reign fell apart needed to happen. Understanding, rather than recrimination. The degree of faith Ilzer has already fostered is evident. There were many moments when Hoffenheim could have shouldered arms on his Saturday debut against RB Leipzig, but they never did. Three times they came from behind and after the last of those, Jacob Bruun Larsen headed in a winner to inspire the closest you will get to delirium in the stands of the ProZero Arena. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:18:17
FA sorry after Women’s FA Cup draw stream freezes to leave clubs in dark
Instagram stream froze during southern section of drawBristol Rovers WFC said: ‘Would love to know who we got’The Football Association has apologised after a live broadcast of the Women’s FA Cup third-round draw experienced significant technical problems.Many of the participating clubs and their fans, especially those in the southern half of the draw, were left unsure who they had been drawn to face for nearly half an hour, after the stream broadcasting the draw froze for live viewers during the southern section of the draw. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:59:19
China was willing to offer more in climate finance, says Cop29 president
Azerbaijan’s Mukhtar Babayev criticises western countries for failing to provide enough money for developing worldMukhtar Babayev: I’m glad we got a deal at Cop29China would have offered more money to the poor world to tackle the climate crisis if western countries had not failed to show leadership, the president of the Cop29 UN climate summit has said.Cop29 ended early on Sunday morning after a marathon final negotiating session in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, with a deal on finance to developing countries that was widely attacked for being inadequate and a betrayal of trust. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:00:45
Cop29 climate finance deal criticised as ‘travesty of justice’ and ‘stage-managed’
Some countries say deal should not have been done and is ‘abysmally poor’ compared with what is neededThe climate finance deal agreed at Cop29 is a “travesty of justice” that should not have been adopted, some countries’ negotiators have said.The climate conference came to a dramatic close early on Sunday morning when negotiators struck an agreement to triple the flow of climate finance to poorer countries. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 15:13:41
Cop29 climate finance deal likely to be followed by equally bitter battles
Rich countries still need convincing that giving money to poorer nations is very much in their interests tooIt was only on the last scheduled day of two weeks of negotiations at the UN Cop29 climate summit that developed countries put a financial commitment on the table for the first time.In reality, this offer took not just two weeks of talks to prepare, but nine years – since article 9 of the Paris agreement in 2015 made it clear that the rich industrialised world would be obliged to supply cash to developing countries to help them tackle the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 12:46:00
Carnival cruise line emitted more CO2 in 2023 than Scotland’s biggest city – report
World’s largest cruise line named Europe’s most climate-polluting, despite investing millions in cleaner technologiesRead more in this seriesThe world’s largest cruise line company is responsible for producing more carbon dioxide in Europe than the city of Glasgow, a report has found.Analysis by the Transport and Environment (T&E) campaign group, provided to the Guardian, found Carnival to be the most climate-polluting cruise company sailing in Europe in 2023. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:31
Violence on social media making teenagers afraid to go out, study finds
Quarter of teens who see violence online are being served clips via algorithms, survey in England and Wales findsHundreds of thousands of teenagers are afraid to go out because of the violence they see on their social media feeds, a major study of children in England and Wales has found.One in four teenagers who see real-life violence, including fist fights, stabbings and gang clashes, online are being served the clips automatically by algorithmic recommendation features, according to the study done by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and shared with the Guardian. Only a small minority actively searched for the violent content. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 06:00:32
ITV share price leaps as ‘investors consider takeover bid’
CVC and France’s Groupe TF1 among potential suitors amid interest in Studios production arm, says reportBusiness live – latest updatesITV’s share price has jumped after a report that several investors are considering making bids for the British broadcaster.The Love Island broadcaster’s share price rose by 9% to more than 70p, as investors hoped for a bid battle between private equity companies and rival broadcasters. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:31:19
Foreign firms taking billions of litres from UK aquifers to make bottled water
Coca-Cola extracts largest amount of freshwater of any drinks company in England, FoI request finds‘It’s not drought - it’s looting’: the Spanish villages where people are forced to buy back their own drinking waterForeign multinational companies are extracting billions of litres of water from British aquifers to sell as bottled water, the Guardian can reveal.Coca-Cola extracts the largest amount of freshwater of any drinks company in England, the data obtained through freedom of information legislation shows. It has a licence to extract 1.59bn litres of water a year from boreholes in Sidcup, Kent for its soft drinks. On top of that, it has the right to take 377m litres for its bottled water brands Glaceau Smartwater and Abbey Well from Morpeth in Northumberland. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 06:00:34
Wales may introduce visitor levy for people staying overnight
Proposal would give councils option to charge 75p-£1.25 a night to help alleviate pressure on local servicesPeople who stay in Wales overnight, including children, are set to be charged a visitor levy under a scheme that could raise up to £33m a year to be ploughed back into tourism and culture.All visitors would be charged 75p a night to stay in campsites and hostels and £1.25 for all other accommodation including hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:30:38
Send crisis in England and Wales leaving children more vulnerable, says report
Experts point to increased risk of criminal and sexual exploitation and call for urgent action from governmentThe crisis in special needs education has left children vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation, experts have warned, as parents of victims described years of failed attempts to get support.Last year, 7,432 children were referred to the national referral mechanism – the framework for identifying potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 10:29:59
Barclays fined £40m for ‘reckless’ failures in 2008 Qatari fundraising
Bank’s shares rise as it disputes FCA finding it should have disclosed more about deal during financial crisisBusiness live – latest updatesBarclays will pay a fine of £40m for “reckless” failures to disclose a fundraising deal with Qatar at the height of the financial crisis, after the British bank agreed to withdraw a legal challenge against it.The FTSE 100 bank effectively won a discount of £10m by challenging the fine, but was found by the regulator to have committed serious misconduct. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:19:19
Dozens of new Labour MPs join group pushing for electoral reform
Exclusive: All-party parliamentary group on fair elections argues proportional voting system would help restore trustKeir Starmer is under renewed pressure over electoral reform after dozens of newly elected Labour MPs signed up to a parliamentary group calling for the UK to move to a proportional voting system.More than half of the nearly 100 MPs who have joined the new all-party parliamentary group on fair elections are from Labour, with 43 from the intake elected in 2024. The group, formed in September, says it is growing all the time. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:33
B&Q owner says budget uncertainty hit spending and tax rise will cost it £31m
Kingfisher says it faced weak market in October, as Greggs also complains of cost of national insurance increaseBusiness live – latest updatesThe B&Q owner, Kingfisher, has said uncertainty around the UK government’s budget hit consumer spending, and it will pay an extra £31m in taxes after Rachel Reeves’s rise in national insurance.The DIY and building supplies retailer said it had seen “solid underlying trading in August and September” but that had changed to a “weak market and consumer in the UK and France in October, impacted by uncertainty related to government budgets in both countries”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 08:32:58
Ministers told to raise sick pay as report says 1.6m would be unable to pay bills
Low-paid workers unwell for four weeks would be in hardship despite changes in employment bill, charity findsMinisters are being urged to raise the basic rate of statutory sick pay from £3 an hour – one of the lowest in the developed world – after a report found the government’s changes would leave more than 1.6 million people unable to pay essential bills.Charities are warning that only a fraction of low-paid workers will be helped to avoid the “huge cliff-edge” of lost earnings despite improvements to statutory sick pay (SSP) in the employment rights bill, which will be scrutinised by MPs this week. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:30
Smoking could cause 300,000 cancer cases in UK by 2029, study finds
Cancer Research urges MPs to back tobacco and vapes bill, saying damage caused by cigarettes cannot be ignoredMPs are being urged to back plans to make the UK the first country to eradicate smoking, as new figures suggest tobacco will result in almost 300,000 Britons getting cancer within the next five years.The tobacco and vapes bill, which would prevent anyone born after 1 January 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be bought, will have its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:35
Russia-Ukraine war live: more than 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv
Casualties include 14 people who have been sent to hospitalJon Henley is the Guardian’s Europe correspondentAn ultranationalist, Moscow-friendly Nato critic is set to face a centre-right candidate in the runoff of Romania’s presidential elections after a shock first-round result that has upended the country’s politics and could jeopardise its support for Ukraine. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:22:38
Shock as pro-Russia independent wins first round of Romanian election
Călin Georgescu, a critic of Nato, says people have ‘cried out for peace’ after he heads into runoff with 22.9% of voteAn ultranationalist, Moscow-friendly Nato critic is set to face a centre-right candidate in the runoff of Romania’s presidential elections after a shock first-round result that has upended the country’s politics and could jeopardise its support for Ukraine.With 99.98% of votes counted, Călin Georgescu, an independent who has praised Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country”, was on 22.9%, with the reformist Elena Lasconi, of the Save Romania Union (USR), second on 19.17%. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:34:01
Turkish woman convicted under anti-terror laws for sharing Guardian article
Peri Pamir given suspended sentence after posting article about UK woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in SyriaA Turkish woman who shared a Guardian article on social media about a British woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria has described how she was twice convicted of “sharing terrorist propaganda” in an Istanbul court.“I am basically just an ordinary citizen, there is no reason why I should attract any special attention. This is the disturbing part,” said Peri Pamir, a 71-year-old retired researcher. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:34
Trump’s defense pick Pete Hegseth faces scrutiny over sexual assault claims and attacks on UN and Nato – US politics live
Hegseth comments on the Geneva conventions and new sexual misconduct allegations raise questions over suitability to lead PentagonTrump Pentagon pick urges US to ignore Geneva conventionsVice-president Kamala Harris and her former running mate, Governor Tim Walz, are hosting a call on Tuesday to thank their supporters.The call has been scheduled for 3pm ET on Tuesday, and is described as a “national grassroots call” featuring Harris and Walz to thank their supporters. “Learn how to stay involved in this fight” the description adds. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:05:50
One-third of women across EU have experienced violence, survey finds
Amount of physical attacks, threats or sexual violence described as ‘invisible epidemic’ as reporting remains lowEvery third woman across the EU has experienced physical violence, including threats, or sexual violence, a survey has revealed, in what one official described as an “invisible epidemic”.The findings released on Monday are based on responses from women aged 18 to 74 from across the EU’s 27 member states. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:39:50
Marine Le Pen renews threat to back censure motion that could topple Barnier as PM
Speculation that French prime minister may force through budget has given left and far right common groundThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has repeated her threat to back a censure motion that could topple the French prime minister, Michel Barnier, after the two met for talks on his government’s budget.Barnier has been meeting party leaders to persuade them to back the budget in parliament amid speculation that the prime minister – appointed by the president, Emmanuel Macron, at the head of a minority government – may attempt to use a constitutional clause to force it through without a vote. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:29:09
Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into Israel after strikes on Beirut
Heavy attack launched in wake of deadly strikes on Beirut, and comes as talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have stalledHezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with ceasefire efforts to halt the all-out war.Some of the rockets fired on Sunday reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:52:21
Pakistani capital under lockdown to block rally by Imran Khan supporters
Government shuts down internet, blocks highways and brings in troops to stop protest by former PM’s supportersPakistan’s capital was put under lockdown as the government shut down the internet, blocked highways and brought in thousands of police and paramilitaries in an attempt to prevent supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan protesting in Islamabad.Khan, who has been in jail for more than a year facing hundreds of charges, had issued a “final call” for his supporters to descend on Islamabad to demand his release and protest against recent changes to the judiciary and constitution. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 09:42:43
Wall Street hits record high after Scott Bessent nominated as US Treasury secretary – business live
Bonds rally and dollar dips as investors welcome choice of billionaire hedge fund manager Bessent as next Treasury secretaryNewsflash: A deputy governor at the Bank of England has warned that it is “too early to declare victory” in the fight against inflation.Clare Lombardelli has told a conference organised by King’s Business School this morning that inflation has fallen steeply over the past two years. But, she is concerned that there are signs that the process of “wage disinflation” may be slowing, which would keep the cost of living rising faster than the Bank’s target.The outlook for wages and services prices is unclear from here.We need to see more evidence that wage growth and services inflation will continue their journey down to target-consistent rates.The UK economy has made good progress on disinflation. The shocks that drove inflation up have dissipated and inflation has returned to around target.But the more persistent components of inflation and uncertainties around how the labour market will evolve are cause for concern. So we need careful observation of all the relevant economic data and intelligence as we seek to gradually reduce policy restriction. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:24:22
Judge to decide whether new evidence will set Menendez brothers free
Lawyers for brothers convicted of parents’ murder ask court to consider evidence of sexual abuse in bid for freedomA judge will decide on Monday whether new evidence warrants a re-examination of the convictions of Erik and Lyle Menendez in the murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home more than 30 years ago.The brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder in the killings of José and Kitty Menendez in 1989 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 14:55:52
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
Where to start with: Hanif Kureishi
It seemed the writer would have to retire after a devastating fall in 2022. But now, approaching 70, he has been more creative than ever. Here’s how you can get to know his workTwo years ago, on Boxing Day 2022, novelist and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi suffered a fall in Rome that left him paralysed. Since then, with the help of family members, he has been recounting his devastating experience of “becoming divorced from [himself]” on Substack and in a memoir, Shattered, published earlier this year.The author, who turns 70 next month, has had to adjust just about everything in his life. But that hasn’t stemmed his creative output: as well as the memoir, this year Kureishi adapted his acclaimed novel The Buddha of Surburbia for stage with the theatre director Emma Rice, which has just finished a second run at the Barbican in London. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:18:56
Anohni review – uniquely gifted interpreter pays homage to mentor Lou Reed
Royal Festival Hall, LondonOn this special night, Anohni reveals her rarely heard talents as a covers artist as she expands the boundaries and musicality of beloved – and obscure – Reed songsBlessed with a voice you might imagine perfectly suited to interpreting others’ material, Anohni has largely shied away from recording covers. A couple of songs by Dylan, Lennon and Yoko Ono, an amazing take on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love – and that’s been about it over her 24-year career. But Lou Reed clearly occupies a special place in her heart: “He always had my back,” she tells the audience at this show devoted to his repertoire, going on to detail how Reed relentlessly lobbied record companies to release her work.Indeed, the first time mainstream British audiences were exposed to her was on Reed’s 2003 album The Raven and the subsequent tour, where Anohni sang a haunting version of Candy Says. That said, striking as her performances were, they were easy to overlook, The Raven being an album that also featured Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe attempting to deafen each other by bellowing bad dialogue at the tops of their voices and David Bowie singing about being a frog, while the subsequent live shows also involved Reed appending a lengthy scat vocal solo to Sunday Morning, performing a funk version of All Tomorrow’s Parties and inviting a tai chi master onstage to do the splits while he sang Perfect Day: in both cases, there really was an awful lot to take in. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:13:15
Norway launches Jon Fosse prize for literary translators
The award will be the biggest of its kind in Europe and aims to celebrate the work of an overlooked and underpaid profession facing an existential threat from AINorway is launching a new translation price that is one of the most highly endowed of its kind in Europe, in an attempt to boost a “partly invisible” and often poorly paid profession increasingly under threat from machine translation.Named after the Norwegian novelist and playwright who won the 2023 Nobel prize in literature, Jon Fosse, the Fosse prize for translators will reward one author every year with 500,000 NOK (£36,000) for making “a particularly significant contribution to translating Norwegian literature into another language”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:30:28
Zayn review – shy star lets his hypnotic vocals do the talking
O2 Apollo, ManchesterMalik sips tea and hesitantly delivers an intimate, accomplished set – and pays tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam PayneWatching Zayn Malik perform tonight, it’s hard to picture him in One Direction, a band whose lively performances once filled stadiums all over the world. Of course, Malik was always the shy one, so much so that he eventually quit the group in order “to be a normal 22-year-old”. He ventured out as a solo artist and secured a blockbuster hit with Pillowtalk, but then seemed reluctant to keep chasing commercial success. He was likewise hesitant to tour: he cancelled early appearances, citing anxiety and a lack of confidence, and for a time it looked as if he may never perform live again.That clearly has changed. After initially postponing the US leg of his tour following the death of former bandmate Liam Payne – whom Malik pays tribute to at the end of the show with a projection that reads “love you bro” – the fans tonight seem delighted he’s back on stage. The sound of screaming feels like it could shatter bone, and doesn’t relent as he launches into a run of songs from his latest album, the bluesy Room Under the Stairs. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:14:58
The play that changed my life: Janet Suzman on staging Othello in apartheid South Africa
Putting on Shakespeare’s tragedy at Johannesburg’s Market theatre was a risky endeavour and caused an astonishing reactionIt was 1987, three years before Nelson Mandela walked free. None of us knew that secret talks were going on with Mandela in prison. We saw apartheid lasting till the crack of doom. It seemed impregnable. The law had once banned “miscegenation”. And here I was directing Othello, a play about miscegenation, at Johannesburg’s Market theatre.I used to go back there from England regularly. I was closely involved with Barney Simon and Mannie Manim, who co-founded the theatre in the mid-70s on the site of the old Indian fruit market. It was very close to my heart: a place where freedom of thought and freedom of speech could reign.As told to Lindesay Irvine Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 09:35:26
Downfall by Nadine Dorries review – a grubby business
The former Tory MP’s sequel to The Plot – her story of the ousting of Boris Johnson – is absurd and, for all the talk of Tory members, pretty dullNadine Dorries’s last book, The Plot, was about the ousting of Boris Johnson less than three years after the landslide that saw him become prime minister, and in it she made various strange allegations, chief among them the fact that his fall was primarily the work of a secretive cabal of Tory fixers. Known as “the Movement”, its members include Johnson’s former adviser, Dominic Cummings, the ex-MP Michael Gove, and a shadowy Conservative prime ministerial aide called Dougie Smith, of whom only one photograph exists and about whom details are scarce. Why did these men commit this act of what she calls regicide? Was it because Johnson was a liability? No, and you should put all those lockdown parties from your mind. According to Dorries, they were working, for reasons that remain foggy, at the behest of a mysterious character she referred to only as Dr No, after the Bond villain.Dorries’s new book is styled as a sequel to The Plot, and thus promises quite a lot to anyone who was even vaguely interested in the above. “I have to finish the story!” she writes, as she prepares once again to Zoom with some excitable Westminster snouts (this time, her subject is the disastrous occupation of Number 10 by Rishi Sunak). Will Nadine track Dr No to his private island, and attempt to do something awful to him using a drug-laced cigarette and a tarantula? Or will she just tell us his real name at last? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:35
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for spiced roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, halloumi and lemony bulgur
A weeknight traybake that’s full of lemony, spicy vimAn easy weeknight dinner, with enough for a lunchbox the next day, too. Chickpeas, halloumi and pomegranate are always a winning combination and were a constant on my summer table, but you’ll add plant points and an autumnal touch with the lovely, baharat-spiced cauliflower and hearty, lemon-spiked bulgur wheat base. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:00:40
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for polenta with buttery garlic mushrooms | A kitchen in Rome
You can’t beat polenta with buttery mushrooms: it’s a hug in a bowlPolenta is occasionally known as pulenda. It’s a reminder that both the name and the cooking method has its roots in antiquity and in the Latin word puls, a blanket term for a universal method: long-cooked, semi-liquid dishes, or “mushes”, based on cereals or legumes. Which leads us to another nice word-link: puls is also the root of the word pulses. But back to antiquity, where the nature of the mushes depended on where in the world they were made, and what was available.In Italy, that was farro, spelt, barley, broad beans, millet, chestnuts; puls or polenta were made from them all. Then, in the middle of the 16th century, mais (maize) arrived in the north of Italy from Mesoamerica (the earliest examples of the genius of Mesoamerican agriculture were found in Oaxaca, and tiny cobs of domesticated maize dated from about 4,300BC). By the 18th century, maize was acclimatised and established in many areas of Italy, as was a polenta made with its deep gold flour, which went on to become a vital staple food. It was also a problematic food until Italians learned what the Maya and Aztecs had discovered centuries earlier: that to be fully nutritious, as well as delicious, maize needs to be cleverly transformed, either by nixtamalization – that is, being ground to a finer flour and slow cooked – or balanced with other foods (beans especially). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:37
Further chilling tales of nightmare utility companies to make you scream
A horror story in three acts as more readers do battle with their energy providers …As temperatures drop, it’s time for some gas-lighting. My ongoing drama series on utilities companies guarantees phantoms, impostors, and chilling suspense. Even death can’t save victims from the tentacles of the energy giants. Read, if you dare, the latest instalment in three acts. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 08:30:34
A new start after 60: I became a ‘hummingbird’ for people with dementia
When Ann Thomas-Carter retired, she lost her sense of purpose. Then she began volunteering in a care home and found six hours could fly past in six minutes At 63, Ann Thomas-Carter stepped into Framland care home for the first time and was immediately taken aback. “It wasn’t like a care home at all; it was this beautiful old manor house overlooking the Oxfordshire countryside and there were only 21 residents,” she says. “It felt like a big family, especially since everyone calls the residents ‘family members’. I fitted in right away.”Thomas-Carter used to work as a pharmacy dispenser at Boots in Oxford town centre. “I had worked most of my life at Boots and it was a safe place for me, somewhere I could be face to face with customers and help them,” she says. But when it emerged that the job was about to change, Thomas-Carter decided to retire. “I thought I would start to spend time pottering around the garden, but after a few weeks without work I began to feel like I never should have left.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 06:55:33
Dead cool and wolverine: from animal tracking to ski touring in Sweden
A prototype electric snowmobile and old-school wooden skis open up Sweden’s backcountry as our writer goes on the hunt for local wildlifeOn the slopes up to the ridge, the snow is deep and fresh. Long frozen arms of it hug the trees. Behind us the tracks of our skis gleam with a strange blue light, and in front, delicately drawn into the snow, is the perfect feathery imprint of a bird – like a pale icy fossil. My guide, Jens Sarlin, from Next Step Nature, stops. “Capercaillie,” he says. “It was feeding on pine needles up top and has landed here, then dug a burrow in the snow. It may still be there.”We edge forwards. A trail of bird footprints lead to a hole, but it’s empty except for some droppings. “They dig down and then sideways to fool the foxes,” says Jens. We move forwards again, silent on our hunters’ skis, antique wooden heirlooms that slip easily over deep soft snow. What we are hunting, with cameras only, is something rarely seen – the wolverine – and Jens knows the best places to find them. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:37
Meta Quest 3S review: the best bang for your buck in VR
Headset offers near top-tier experience at cut-down price with good fit, fast chip, great controllers and large games libraryMeta’s latest virtual reality headset offers almost everything that makes its top model the best on the market but at a price that is far more palatable as an entry into VR.The Quest 3S costs £290 (€330/$300/A$500) – about 40% less than the £470 Quest 3 and cheaper than 2020’s Quest 2 that it directly replaces. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:35
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
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
Tell us: have you lived in UK temporary accommodation with children?
We want to hear from parents with experience in temporary accommodation about the impact on their lives, family and schoolingMore than 150,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, according to official figures.In November, the House of Commons committee on Housing, Communities and Local Government launched an inquiry into the conditions of children in temporary accommodation. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 13:24:24
Tell us your favourite podcast of 2024
We would like to hear about your favourite new podcast you’ve been listening to this year and whyWe would like to hear about your favourite new podcast you’ve been listening to this year and why. Let us know and we’ll run a selection of your recommendations in December. Tell us your favourite using the form below. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 12:48:34
RFK Jr will cut prescription drugs and increase weed and psychedelics access
Trump’s health department pick has expressed distrust of pharmaceuticals and attacked ‘suppression of psychedelics’Public health experts are concerned that, if confirmed, Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – Robert F Kennedy Jr – could upend access to pharmaceutical drugs in favor of more experimental treatments.Kennedy, who the president-elect picked earlier this month, has repeatedly expressed distrust for pharmaceuticals, and criticized the FDA for its “aggressive suppression of psychedelics”. On his podcast, he called the US “the sickest country in the world”, blaming its healthcare system for devoting billions to “the pills and the potions and the powders rather than on actually getting people healthy, building their immune systems”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 11:00:41
‘Best in the class’: Greek man in his 80s starts night school after life of toil
Vasillis Panayiotaropoulos always had a thirst for knowledge – but had to leave education behind aged 12 to help his father in the fields“Everything I learn is interesting,” says Vasillis Panayiotaropoulos. “Being here opens the mind.”It’s 7.45pm. The bell has rung in another class and the world of classical Greece beckons for the pensioner who has neatly laid out his pencil case and textbooks on a tiny wooden desk. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:38
Palestinian artists plan Gaza Biennale as ‘act of resistance and survival’
Project involves showing work in Gaza but also sending works across Israeli siege lines for exhibiting worldwidePalestinian artists in Gaza plan to stage a “biennale” exhibition as an act of defiance against Israel’s military onslaught and to focus attention on the plight of the territory’s 2.3 million people under more than 13 months of bombardment.About 50 artists from Gaza will exhibit their work within the besieged coastal strip, and are looking for art galleries to host exhibitions overseas. But in order to hold their work to the eyes of the rest of the world, the artists are facing a unique challenge: how to get their art across Israeli siege lines. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 07:00:36
Democrats’ much-touted ‘ground game’ was a disaster. Here’s how to fix it
Cable ads and bussed-in volunteers don’t cut it any more. If the party wants to win, it must engage voters in a collective push for changeSince campaign season began, experts have assured us that Donald Trump had “no ground game”, a phrase that generally refers to a campaign’s effort to mobilize voters through local outreach offices, phone calls, text messages, and door knocks. Pundits, politicos, and partisan observers repeated this charge and scoffed at his ramshackle, amateur, and fraud-riddled efforts, with some seasoned Republican operatives even sounding the alarm.A slew of articles and commentary unfavorably compared Trump’s “paltry” get-out-the-vote operation to the Democrats’ supposedly well-oiled and professionally managed machine. Alex Floyd, the Democratic national committee’s rapid response director, issued a confident statement in April: “Donald Trump’s Maga takeover of the [Republican national committee] has left the Republican party in shambles, lacking the ground game and infrastructure to compete this November.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 15:00:43
Polluted rivers, uprooted farmland and lost taxes: Ghana counts cost of illegal gold mining boom
Estimated $2bn lost in missed taxes from environmentally destructive practice some blame on political corruptionFelicity Nelson remembers her 17-day detention last September vividly. The 34-year-old Ghanaian activist was one of 53 people arrested at a road junction in Accra after demonstrating alongside hundreds of other youths against illegal mining.In detention, the group found a 54th person in their midst who had not been at the protest but was apprehended after visiting Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the protest’s organiser in hospital. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:34
Biden must Trump-proof US democracy, activists say: ‘There is a sense of urgency’
President can secure civil liberties, accelerate spending on climate and healthcare, and spare death row prisonersThe skies above the White House were cold and grey. Joe Biden greeted the championship winning Boston Celtics basketball team, quipping about his Irish ancestry and tossing a basketball into the crowd. But the US president could not resist drawing a wider lesson.“When we get knocked down, we get back up,” he said. “As my dad would say, ‘Just get up, Joe. Get up.’ Character to keep going and keep the faith, that’s the Celtic way of life. That’s sports. And that’s America.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 12:00:11
Kaya Scodelario on Skins, scares and sex scenes: ‘I was called an English rose – it really pissed me off’
She became famous in the late 00s as Effy in Skins, and now she’s back in Netflix drama Senna. She talks about growing up poor in London, why she loves doing action films – and the pitfalls of taking her kids to workAs well as an eight-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter, Kaya Scodelario is the dedicated parent of a 10-year-old French bulldog called Arnie. She is hiding from at least one of them during our video call, and says it’s the dog.She is in the cosy and, crucially, locked spare bedroom of her home in north London, where she sits cross-legged on the floor. The mood is decidedly wholesome, and spiritually a million miles away from the place where audiences first encountered her, on Channel 4’s landmark teen drama Skins. Her character, Effy Stonem – sister to Nicholas Hoult’s Tony – uttered barely a word in series one and two; by series three she was the lead, captivating the boys of Bristol’s Roundview sixth form, not least by challenging them to sniff glue and start fires in return for sex with her. All the while, she was slipping deeper into trauma and depression. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:33
The truth about salt: how to avoid one of the world’s biggest hidden killers
Most of us consume far too much, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. But there are some simple ways to retrain your palate and reduce your intakeLast Tuesday, I bought lunch on the go. I fancied something hot, tasty but healthy, so I chose a vegan ramen from the Japanese-inspired chain Wasabi. The soup was packed with turmeric noodles, vegetable gyozas, mushrooms, bean sprouts, pak choi, pickled ginger and sesame seeds, in a soy and miso broth. It was delicious. In fact, it was so delicious, I was suspicious. I checked out its nutritional information online. Only 342 calories, low in saturated fat … Aha! Salt: 5.07g a portion.The World Health Organization recommends that adults eat less than 5g of salt a day. One noodle soup had exceeded my entire daily intake. (The UK limit is a little more generous at 6g, but even that wasn’t far off.) Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 14:00:13
‘Cosmetic surgery is screwing up the industry’: Peter Mullan and Robyn Malcolm on their stunning midlife drama
In After the Party, real-life couple Peter Mullan and Robyn Malcolm play two bitterly estranged exes. They talk middle-aged baggage, Scottish independence and ‘aspirational casting’‘We’re both yappers,” says Peter Mullan, the Glaswegian actor and firebrand. “So we yapped a lot. Actors we admire. Art we admire. Politics, life, love, death, all the usual stuff.” Mullan is telling me how he and Robyn Malcolm, the New Zealand actor and firebrand, first got together. “So we did a lot of yap,” he goes on. “And we’re nice enough to give the other one time to yap.” Malcolm, seated by his side, sweetly interjects: “And we still do.”We’re here to talk about After the Party, which Malcolm co-wrote with screenwriter Dianne Taylor. Malcolm co-stars with Mullan – although absolutely not in a “lovey-dovey way”. They play exes whose mutual distrust is fathomless. They actually have some previous in this. “We met during Top of the Lake,” says Malcolm, referring to the 2013 mystery drama. “His character was an arsehole to mine. You can do smoochy scenes with an actor you just abhor. And you can do brutal stuff with an actor you adore. We had a ball.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:32
‘I felt like I was a made man’: Stephen Graham on working with his childhood heroes
One of Britain’s most prolific actors, Stephen Graham is the face of countless hard-to-forget TV and film characters, a regular Scorsese collaborator and good mates with Leo DiCaprio. He talks about living it up in Leicestershire – and why he’s in the shape of his lifeStephen Graham likes to quote that very famous saying in acting, “There are no small parts, only small actors” – though it has nothing to do with the fact that the 51-year-old stands a power-packed 5ft five-and-a-half inches. When in 2020 he set up his own production company, Matriarch Productions, after a storied career as one of our great character performers, he made it one of the company’s founding principles.Graham established Matriarch with his wife, the actor Hannah Walters. Their first project was the 2021 film Boiling Point, which created history as the first British single-take movie. Graham won a Bafta nomination for his portrayal of head chef Andy Jones, whose life unravels in real time during one frenzied service in the kitchen. But he was determined that Boiling Point would be just as radical behind the camera, too. Typically on TV and film productions, each actor is assigned a cast number, which functions as an unspoken hierarchy of their importance on the set. Graham decided he didn’t want that. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 09:00:07
‘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
Super Spurs sink City and Amorim era begins at United – Football Weekly
Max Rushden is joined by Seb Hutchinson, Lucy Ward and Dan Bardell as Manchester City extend their losing streak to five games with a 4-0 hammering at home to SpursRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today; Manchester City are thrashed by Tottenham to make it five losses on the spin and leave them eight points behind Liverpool after the Reds’ win on Sunday. City are lacking in midfield but Spurs were brilliant – in particular the aging (his words) 28-year-old James Maddison. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 12:23:36
A cool flame: how Gaia theory was born out of a secret love affair – podcast
Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 05:00:34
A mystery in Finnish Lapland, and what it means for the climate crisis – podcast
Biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield travels to Finnish Lapland to investigate the disappearance of its carbon sink, and its implications for the fight against global heatingFinland has one of the most ambitious carbon-neutral goals in the world: to reach net zero by 2035. If this feels like a bold pledge, there’s good reason for it: two-thirds of the country is covered in forests, that have for decades absorbed more carbon dioxide than they have put out.But recently, something has changed: Finland’s carbon sink is no longer working. In fact, in barely over a decade, its forests and peatlands have become a net emitter of carbon dioxide … with devastating consequences for the country’s climate goals. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 03:00:28
Jacob Rees-Mogg on abortion, religion and reality TV; Marina Hyde on Musk vs Trump Jr; inheritance inequity; and teenage love – podcast
Marina Hyde asks us to spare a sob for Don Jr, replaced in Daddy’s affections by Elon Musk. The Bank of Mum and Dad – the unspoken dynamic behind society’s growing inequality of ‘inheritocracy’. ‘I’ve been called worse than a Nazi’: Simon Hattenstone meets Jacob Rees-Mogg. And psychologist Lucy Foulkes on why we should take teenage love more seriously Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 05:00:33
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
Pride parade in Rio and a sinkhole in Wales: photos of the day – Monday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-25 13:50:34
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
We love: fashion fixes for the week ahead – in pictures
Upcycled tea towel ties, Helmut Newton’s Berlin and cosy knits Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 23:55:06
We shall satirise him on the beaches… Churchill through the eyes of cartoonists – in pictures
In one wartime image, Winston Churchill is portrayed as a dragonslayer; in another, a gun-toting gangster. Later, he appears old and dejected, overdue for retirement. The cartoons, on show in a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum London, show a multitude of Churchills, reflecting how he was seen in different countries and at different times, from 1909 onwards. “There was never a consensus view of him,” says curator Kate Clements. “Some of the depictions were heavily critical and even grotesque”, while others “depict his determined nature and portray him as a British figurehead”. Clements hopes the exhibition will “add another layer to our visitors’ understanding of this complex individual” and show “how satirical cartoons played a part in shaping perceptions of Churchill during his lifetime and beyond”.Churchill in Cartoons: Satirising a Statesman is at the Imperial War Museum, London from Friday to 23 February 2025 Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 17:00:02
‘The rising smoke and setting sun made a magical backdrop’: Jurica Galić’s best phone shot
On assignment in South Sudan, the Croatian photographer used a natural framing device for this award-winning imageBefore he arrived for his three-day stay, Jurica Galić knew that the South Sudanese Mundari people set fire to dried cow dung before sunset to repel mosquitoes. What the Croatian photographer and travel journalist didn’t know was the depth of harmony between the tribe and their cattle, nor how he would capture it.“Ankole are breeds of domestic cattle originating from east and central Africa, characterised by their huge horns,” Galić says. “My goal was to capture the relationship between man and nature, and while staying in the camp I came up with the idea of taking some photos through the horns of one of the animals. They became the frame, leading the viewer to the scene. Meanwhile, the smoke rising, in combination with the setting sun and the remaining rays, created the most magical backdrop.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 10:00:39
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