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Cop29 agrees $1.3tn climate finance deal but campaigners brand it a ‘betrayal’
Deep divisions remain after high-stakes talks end with agreement to help developing world shift to low-carbon economyRich and poor countries concluded a trillion-dollar deal on the climate crisis in the early hours of Sunday morning, after marathon talks and days of bitter recriminations ended in what campaigners said was a “betrayal”.The developing world will receive at least $1.3tn (£1tn) a year in funds to help them shift to a low-carbon economy and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, by 2035. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 23:47:59
Storm Bert batters Britain, bringing flooding and power cuts
More than 200 flood alerts put in place and three men die on roads as wild weather crosses countryHeavy rain and thawing snow are combining to bring flooding across the UK as Storm Bert continues to batter the country.More than 200 flood alerts were in place for England, Wales and Scotland overnight on Saturday and Met Office yellow warnings for rain and wind covering large swathes of the country were in force into Sunday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:24:20
UK’s assisted dying law won’t be ‘slippery slope’ says California doctor who has helped dozens end their life
Catherine Sonquist Forest, based in Santa Cruz where assisted dying was legalised eight years ago, says proposed British law is ‘impressive’A California doctor who has helped dozens of terminally ill people end their lives at a time of their own choosing has said decades of experience in the US showed that there was no danger of a “slippery slope” if assisted dying legislation was robustly framed.Dr Catherine Sonquist Forest, a family physician based in Santa Cruz, said the proposed legislation due to be voted on by MPs at Westminster this week was “impressive”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:10
‘It’s been a lot of detective work’: Madame de Pompadour’s £1m wall lights discovered in Yorkshire hotel
Four gilt-bronze sconces that lit up home of Louis XV’s mistress are set to go on sale at Sotheby’s in DecemberFor almost 140 years, four massive gilt-bronze wall lights have hung in the 18th-century drawing room at Swinton Castle in Yorkshire, now an opulent luxury hotel.Guests will almost certainly have noticed the one metre-high rococo appliques with their entwined branches decorated with leaves, berries and cherubim, and passed them off as impressive reproductions of more valuable original works. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:10
Labour left urges Starmer to speak up for human rights on Saudi Arabia trip
Party figures have voiced concerns that next month’s visit will be dominated by the PM seeking investment Keir Starmer is being urged to speak up for human rights and push for cooperation over a Middle East peace deal when he travels to Saudi Arabia next month, amid concerns on Labour’s left that his efforts to attract investment will dominate the trip.The prime minister’s visit is seen as his latest attempt to secure the inward investment necessary for the economic growth that is the central aim of his government. It is expected that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, will also visit London next year. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:06
UK jobcentres not fit for purpose, says Liz Kendall ahead of major reforms
The work and pensions secretary is to overhaul benefits system, pushing young people into work or educationBritain’s network of jobcentres has become a hollowed-out “benefit administration service” that is shunned by employers and jobseekers alike, a cabinet minister has warned before a government overhaul of out-of-work support that will oblige young people to take up education or employment.In an interview with the Observer, Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, warned that the nation’s 650 jobcentres are no longer “fit for purpose” and need to become hubs for those looking for work or a better position, as well as those dependent on welfare. Reforms to integrate the jobcentre network with healthcare and careers services in England will be unveiled this week, as part of a long-awaited plan to deal with economic inactivity. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:07
Russia ‘aggressive’ and ‘reckless’ in cyber realm and threat to Nato, UK minister to warn
Pat McFadden will tell cyber summit that Russia ‘won’t think twice about targeting British businesses’ and danger to Nato must not be underestimatedRussia is “exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm” and “no one should underestimate” the threat to Nato, a senior UK minister will warn in a speech on Monday.Pat McFadden, whose portfolio includes national security, will tell a Nato cybersecurity conference in London that Moscow “won’t think twice about targeting British businesses”, according to excerpts of his address released on Sunday by his ministry. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 03:58:02
Gunman dead, police injured in shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan
Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, officials and media reportA gunman was dead and three policemen injured after a shooting near the Israeli embassy in Jordan, a security source and state media said on Sunday.Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding investigations were ongoing. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:07:00
Homeless people to be given cash in first major UK trial to reduce poverty
Led by King’s College London, study will recruit 360 people in England and Wales to explore benefits of schemeResearchers are conducting the UK’s first major scientific trials to establish whether giving homeless people cash is a more effective way of reducing poverty than traditional forms of help.Poverty campaigners have long believed that cash transfers are the most cost-effective way of helping people, but most studies have examined schemes in developing countries. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:05
AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child abuse, says senior UK police chief
The fast-developing technology is providing opportunities in ‘any crime type’ – and police must ‘move fast’ to catch upPaedophiles, scammers, hackers and criminals of all kinds are increasingly exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) to target victims in new and harmful ways, a senior police chief has warned.Alex Murray, the national police lead for AI, said that the use of the technology was growing rapidly because of its increasing accessibility and that police had to “move fast” to keep on top of the threat. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:09
Remember the global financial crisis? Well, high-risk securities are back
The shadow banking sector is trying its hand at trading in debt-based products such as collateralised loan obligationsWhen Margot Robbie made a surprise cameo in the 2015 film adaptation of Michael Lewis’s book The Big Short, she did more to educate the general population about the risks of securitisation than most financial experts.The Australian actor’s brief monologue, notoriously delivered from a champagne bubble bath, explained how banks were bundling up their growing cache of risky sub-prime mortgages into investable bonds, before slicing them up and selling them off for profit. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:08
Trump depends on the EU and UK to act as peacemakers more than he thinks
The US doesn’t need to spend more on Ukraine. Britain can bring funding to the table – and help Trump reboot alliancesWith Donald Trump the very meaning of words is up for negotiation. What does he really mean when he promises to “build a wall”? When he pledges to end the Russo-Ukrainian war in one day?His supporters say they don’t take him literally but seriously – but who decides what “serious” is? The very ambiguity can be part of Trump’s appeal. There’s something exhilarating in the sense one is in an exclusive negotiation with the president to define reality. It’s as if he’s welcoming you backstage from the reality show of politics to the discrete board room where meaning is made. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 05:00:01
Don’t know what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? Just ask ChatGPT
Santa has a new little helper. But can an AI-powered shopping assistant really master the subtle art of gift giving?Some people love buying Christmas presents. Polly Arrowsmith starts making a note of what her friends and family like, then hunts for bargains, slowly and carefully. Vie Portland begins her shopping in January and has a theme each year, from heart mirrors to inspirational books. And Betsy Benn spent so much time thinking about presents, she ended up opening her own online gift business.How would these gift-giving experts react to a trend that is either a timesaving brainwave or an appalling corruption of the Christmas spirit: asking ChatGPT to do it for them? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:11
‘Disaster is about caring. I’m not selfish any more’ – This is climate breakdown
We are used to seasonal droughts in the Karoo. But this did not stop. This is Sybil’s storyLocation Sutherland, South AfricaDisaster Southern Africa drought, 2015-2023Isabella Visagie, known to everyone in her life as Sybil, is a 57-year-old sheep farmer, wife and mother from the Karoo, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. In 2015 a drought began that would bring the community in which she lived to its knees. The province has been locked in a drought since then. The climate crisis intensified flash droughts across southern Africa in 2015-16, increased the probability of the 2015-17 drought in the south-west of neighbouring Western Cape, and is increasing temperatures in the Northern Cape, as well as decreasing rainfall in parts of that province. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 12:00:42
Yes, there is a lot of greenwashing, but Cop summits are our best chance of averting climate breakdown | Ashish Ghadiali
Despite its imperfections the process of tackling the climate crisis will not be derailed, even in the face of US backtrackingIt was never an indication of great things to come when the chief executive of Cop29, Elnur Soltanov, was filmed attempting to broker gas and oil deals for Azerbaijan in the slipstream of the past fortnight’s UN climate summit in Baku.More than 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists have been operating in and around Cop29, outnumbering delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries combined. Many, including Greta Thunberg, now argue that the UN climate process has been entirely hijacked by corporate interests, reduced to a global stage for greenwash. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:06
Huge election year worldwide sees weakening commitment to act on climate crisis
Among sweeping rightwing electoral victories across the globe, the ‘big loser of the elections has been climate’An unprecedented year of elections around the world has underscored a sobering trend – in many countries the commitment to act on the climate crisis has either stalled or is eroding, even as disasters and record temperatures continue to mount.So far 2024, called the “biggest election year in human history” by the United Nations with around half the world’s population heading to the polls, there have been major wins for Donald Trump, the US president-elect who calls the climate crisis “a big hoax”; the climate-skeptic right in European Union elections; and Vladimir Putin, who won another term and has endured sanctions to maintain Russia’s robust oil and gas exports. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 11:00:40
‘Catastrophic’ marine heatwaves are killing sealife and causing mass disruption to UK fisheries
Targeted research must be launched urgently to save sea creatures and plant life, oceanography centre warnsBritain is facing a future of increasingly catastrophic marine heatwaves that could destroy shellfish colonies and fisheries and have devastating impacts on communities around the coast of the UK.That is the stark conclusion of a new report by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), based in Southampton, which is pressing for the launch of a targeted research programme as a matter of urgency to investigate how sudden temperature rises in coastal seawater could affect marine habitats and seafood production in the UK. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 12:00:41
Isabella Rossellini: ‘People never talk about the freedom, the lightness, that comes with ageing’
The Italian star is having a late career renaissance, including a powerful turn in acclaimed Vatican thriller Conclave. She talks about the serenity of being single, enjoying farming in later life – and what it means to be a nepo babyMost great female actors get to play a nun at some point in their career: a kind of thespian rite of passage that comes to many in their grande dame years. Isabella Rossellini, however, checked off that box in her very first screen appearance, aged 24: in 1976’s little-remembered Vincente Minnelli musical A Matter of Time, in a bit part opposite her mother, screen legend and three-time Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman.“My mum was playing an eccentric countess, who’s dying, and she thought one of the nuns assisting her dying could be me,” she remembers. “Because we resembled each other, she thought it would be interesting for the countess to see her young self in me, in a kind of hallucination. But also, I think she wanted to tempt me to be an actress because she loved acting so much.” She grimaces at the memory. “It was not successful at all.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:04
The Martlet, Rochdale: ‘A victory of professionalism’ – restaurant review
Civic pride meets glorious cooking at a remarkably fair priceThe Martlet, Rochdale Town Hall, OL16 1AZ. Lunch plates £10; main courses £14 – £21; desserts £5; afternoon tea £21. Evening menu: three courses £35. Wines from £22 a bottleIt’s easy to imagine the ways by which the Martlet in Rochdale could have gone so very wrong; how the perceived demands of civic responsibility and the innate grinding conservatism of bureaucracy could have resulted in a dull, mediocre offering for the town. It wouldn’t even have been worth rolling your eyes at. It would have been understandable. The Martlet is a new restaurant inside Rochdale’s magnificent Town Hall. Since 2021, the building has undergone an equally magnificent restoration, to bring this slab of Victorian gothic revival by William Henry Crossland, into a golden, glowing focus. There is finely chiselled stonework, stained-glass windows and wood-panelled chambers with intricate foliage-strewn wall coverings recalling the work of William Morris. Ceiling panels are decorated with branch and leaf, upon which perch fully plumed peacocks and illustrations of the martlet, a mythical bird that was forever on the wing. Whatever you do, make time to drift slack-jawed through these chambers. Perhaps while wearing a pale, lace-fringed linen smock dress and kohl eyeliner. I could rock that look. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:05
The John Prescott I knew: Blair’s ‘beautiful people’ tried to erase him – he had other plans
Once frozen out by the New Labour elite, John Prescott fought his way in from the cold to become a loyal deputy leader. Toby Helm recalls a bruising political careerIt was normally Friday evening when he would ring. There was never a “hello, how are you?” or any pleasantry like that. He just dived straight in. “What you up to for Sunday?” he would ask, meaning he had a story for me. Normally the call would come from his car phone on the A1 while he was driving to his Hull constituency. He tended to travel alone, so business could be transacted in total secrecy.Once – it must have been 1994, after John Smith had died and Tony Blair had become leader – I remember he suddenly broke off and roared some expletives mid-conversation which made me almost drop the phone. “What the hell was that about, I asked?” “Ohhh … Just some fucking moderniser overtaking on the inside lane,” he replied. “Bloody Mendelson [he would always deliberately mispronounce the name Mandelson, sometimes calling him Meddlesome] or someone.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:06
The climate crisis and all the evil in the world drives me to despair
The world will continue to be absurd, but you, with all your passion, can still make your corner of it more bearableThe question I am finding it ever more difficult to be in this nasty world. Everything that I cherish is being destroyed and there is nowhere to go to find solace. I’ve always loved nature – but when I go for a walk now, I see every ash tree dying, I hear the loss of birdsong, I see how few insects there are. When I read the news, I just cannot comprehend how cruel humans are able to be, racism, misogyny, religious hate, cruelty to animals… The list is endless.I work in climate change and am having to pretend every day that there is still a chance we can prevent catastrophic climate change. I find it ever harder to be around people who don’t get just how bad things are. I don’t have kids and am single. I can’t talk to my family about it because they are rightwing, wealthy climate sceptics. They patronise me (despite the fact I’m nearly 60 and a chief executive). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:02
Citizen: My Life After the White House by Bill Clinton review – convivial without being confidential
In this account of his years after leaving office, Clinton is a hyperactive and loquacious presence, helping out in disaster zones and pontificating about public service – but he reveals little about his private lifeAmerican presidents are supposed to renounce pomp and disappear into private life when their term ends. George Washington enjoyed sampling the whiskey produced by the distillery at his Virginia plantation, while George W Bush currently amuses himself by clearing underbrush on his Texas ranch. Bill Clinton, aged only 54 when he left office in 2001, spurned bucolic oblivion; as he says with scriptural solemnity: “I didn’t think my work here on Earth was finished just yet.” Although he calls his memoir Citizen to signal his reduced status, he admits to hankering after his years as a conqueror, with military bands that struck up Hail to the Chief as his personal anthem whenever he strode into a room.Because the presidency has grown ever more undemocratically monarchical, Clinton toyed with a possible succession. His wife’s candidacy in 2016 offered him the prospect of returning to the White House as her First Gentleman, and his daughter, Chelsea, might have exotically extended the family line: in 2002 Muammar Gadaffi suggested marrying her to his son and thereby “launching a dynasty”. But Hillary lost to Trump, Chelsea nixed the proposal, and instead Clinton has incorporated himself. He set up the Clinton Foundation, kept it flush with his lecture fees and soon presided over an empire of eponymous acronyms - the CCI (Clinton Climate Initiative), the CDI (Clinton Development Initiative), the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative), the CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative), and so on to the end of the alphabet. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:05
Like a luxury spa – for £20: where to enjoy Britain’s Turkish baths revival
In 1900, there were 600 Turkish baths in Britain and Ireland. Today, only a handful survive. We enjoy a revived hammam in Newcastle and take a look at 10 more around the countryMy sister and I are lying on slabs like flounders in a fishmonger’s. Instead of a bed of ice, though, we’re stretched out on heated marble. We move between three hot rooms, each resembling little chapels with vaulted ceilings, chatting quietly in the cooler one, applying face and hair masks in the middle one, and simply lying still, sweating, in the hottest one. Later, we will be scrubbed and massaged. In between, we cool off under a rain-mist shower, or retire to a bed in our own private mahogany-panelled booth beneath a glazed dome.It sounds like a luxury spa, with prices to match. In fact, we’re at a century-old public bathhouse. The City Baths in Newcastle reopened in April after an £8m restoration – and a decade-long campaign. A two‑hour Turkish bath session here costs about £20, which includes a swim in the pool upstairs. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:05
Fires, first aid and guns: meet the Finnish women training for war with Russia
Anxious Finns are learning how to survive in the wild in preparation for an invasion by their hostile neighbour It is Friday night on a forested military base in western Finland. A group of women dressed in camouflage with matching purple beanie hats are sat in a dark tent discussing how their perspectives have changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.“I didn’t think it was a real threat that Russia would attack us,” says Sari, 42, who works in sales and lives in a nearby town. But then, she adds: “They attacked Ukraine. I saw that it is possible that we are next.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 20:13:22
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
Max Verstappen hits jackpot by winning fourth F1 world title in Las Vegas
Dutch driver continues championship mastery with winGeorge Russell takes victory with Lewis Hamilton second Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive Formula One world championship with a solid fifth place for Red Bull at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was won in dominant fashion and with consummate control from the front of the grid by Mercedes’ George Russell.Verstappen delivered strongly to do exactly what was needed in beating his title rival McLaren’s Lando Norris, who came in sixth. Lewis Hamilton gave a superb comeback drive to claim second place from 10th on the grid. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were in third and fourth. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:28:29
Australia v India: first men’s Test, day three – live
Updates as the series opener continues at Optus StadiumPlay starts in Perth at 10:20am local/1:20pm AEDTAny thoughts? Email Jonathan61st over: India 191-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 74) India have carted 17 runs from the first three overs – not the start Australia were looking for. Can Starc atone for the 11-run over last time around that took his figures to 54-0 from 13 overs? He leaks a single from the fourth ball as Rahul drops and runs for an easy single. A leg bye from the fifth means this pair have equalled the greatest opening stand for India against Australia.60th over: India 189-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 73) Here comes Hazlewood. A maiden would be so valuable for Australia now, anything to slow the progress of India’s fast march to a 250-lead and fire a shot for a home side on the back foot. Four dots becomes five thanks to a diving save by McSweeney at a wide third. That atones for his error in the Starc over. Rahul squashes the maiden on the last, stepping out and cover driving for three. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:53:45
Manchester City obsess over projection while neglecting fundamentals | Jonathan Liew
The champions are increasingly concerned with how things are portrayed and the basics appear to be an afterthoughtStill, at least Manchester City can now concentrate on the Ballon d’Or. There was a lavish celebration for the world’s best player before this game: the word RODRI illuminated in giant letters on the pitch like a Vegas cabaret show, City’s injured midfield linchpin holding his trophy aloft as fireworks lit the night sky. The tailoring was immaculate; the audiovisuals impressive; the crowd rapt.And then came a game of football, in which the champions were beaten 4-0 by a team with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies at centre-half. It was City’s biggest home defeat in more than two decades: the sort of result that draws small involuntary gasps, that causes spectators to get their phones out and zoom in on the scoreboard, capturing for posterity this curious rip in the space‑time fabric. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 21:49:57
Schooled like Mourinho: Amorim’s path from pioneering Lisbon university
Portugal’s coaches and players are all the rage in part thanks to links forged between academia and the gameThey always knew Ruben Amorim was a special one at the faculty of human kinetics. “I interviewed him for the course and from the start it was obvious,” says Prof António Veloso, José Mourinho’s former classmate, who runs the high-performance football coaching course at the faculty, which is affiliated to the University of Lisbon.“The students needed to do an essay on specialist topics and Ruben’s results were fantastic. He had a leadership role in the group. When we were doing tactical drills on the pitch all the other students were looking at Ruben’s and asking for his opinion. But he was very humble.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 22:00:04
From Bobby Fischer to Magnus Carlsen: 22 of the most famous world chess championship games
The 138-year history of the world chess championship is filled with games of rare precision, imagination and brilliance. Go move by move through 22 of them belowExplainer: World Chess Championship 2024From the middle of the 16th century, there have come down to us the names of chess players who have been widely regarded as the strongest of their time. The earliest of these was the Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, after whom one of the most popular openings of modern times is named. Others who followed include the Calabrese Gioachino Greco, François-André Danican Philidor, Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais, Alexander McDonnell, Howard Staunton, Adolf Anderssen, Mikhail Chigorin and Paul Morphy, each of whom are lionized for their contributions to the development of theory and strategy as well as their dominance over their board during their respective eras.But not until Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort sat down in a small room at 80 Fifth Avenue in New York City on the afternoon of 11 January 1886 did a formal competition to determine the best player on the planet come to pass. Their first-to-10-wins encounter was held in three US cities over the next 78 days for a prize fund of $4,000. Since then, the world chess championship has provided the stage for countless unforgettable contests showcasing the precision, imagination and brilliance of the royal game at the highest level. Here are 22 of the most memorable. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:10
England ready to hand Pope gloves after Cox’s New Zealand tour ended by injury
Wicketkeeper suffers blow to hand batting in netsOllie Pope expected to move behind the stumpsJordan Cox landed in New Zealand seemingly assured of a Test debut only for his tour to be cruelly ended by a fractured thumb. The injury now sees England scrambling to fly out a replacement wicketkeeper, with Ollie Pope likely to deputise initially when the series begins in Christchurch on Thursday.The incident occurred before the second and final day of England’s warm-up match in Queenstown when Cox was receiving throwdowns from assistant coach Jeetan Patel in the nets. Scans at the local hospital confirmed the severity of the break, with the 24-year-old left understandably crestfallen afterwards. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:14
Warren Gatland will ‘let dust settle’ before deciding on his future
Wales head coach may take new role at the WRUThe 61-year-old admits the negativity is ‘challenging’Warren Gatland will “let the dust settle” on Wales’s awful autumn before he considers his future as their head coach. His team suffered their 12th straight defeat, when they were beaten 45-12 by South Africa. Gatland said he wanted to talk to his family and his bosses at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) before he makes a decision. For its part, the WRU has committed to bringing in two independent experts to help with an end‑of‑season review, which will decide whether Gatland stays in post if he doesn’t quit first.Gatland did not deny rumours that he could move into a different role at the WRU, which would involve him stepping away from the day-to-day running of the team but give him more influence over the overall strategy for the sport in Wales. He admitted, with a wry smile, that he had been discussing the idea with his wife on the morning of the game. “There are a number of things that need to be talked about,” he said. “About strategy and the deal with the regions. For a long time there have been issues in the game and the success we had in the past papered over those cracks.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 21:06:50
‘Proud is an understatement’: Mancunian Unity chase Women’s FA Cup glory
The club was formed five years ago as a volunteer-run women’s team and love being seen as the underdogsMolly Etchells will finish her latest night shift as a response police officer at 7am on Sunday. She will try to nap for a couple of hours and then, at 1.45pm, her team’s Women’s FA Cup second-round fixture will kick off as they try to earn a place in Monday’s third‑round draw alongside Championship clubs.Football is Etchells’ distraction from her day job and, on a sub-zero evening in Greater Manchester, neither she nor any of her teammates are deterred by the snow falling as they prepare. “I need it,” Etchells says as she and the rest of the players at fifth-tier Mancunian Unity get ready to host sixth-tier Handsworth. “I don’t feel like I’m a police officer when I’m here. It’s great.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 14:19:07
Voters must learn to accept that Britain’s challenges are too big to solve straight away | Sonia Sodha
Labour has got off to a shaky start in government. It’s time it told the truth about the state we’re inIt’s a running joke in Westminster that some on the British centre-left are fascinated by American politics to the point of obsession. So much so that it extends to the fictional: in 2006, a group of rebel Labour MPs inspired by the long-running US drama the West Wing borrowed tactics from its plotline to successfully defeat the government in a vote. It’s right, therefore, to be wary of over-extrapolating lessons for the Labour party from the Democrats’ presidential defeat.But with inflation again on the rise, there will be more parallels between the economic backdrops to the Kamala Harris 2024 campaign and a 2029 Labour general election campaign than the party would like. There have been reams of analysis on why the Democrats lost, but the most important takeaway is that, in the context of living standards eroded by high inflation, a candidate who found it difficult to connect with voters and struggled to explain why her party should be given another four years was punished accordingly. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:05
I’ll defend Allison Pearson’s right to be obnoxious – as she should defend mine | Kenan Malik
Police investigation into writer’s alleged tweet has sparked a debate over free speech, albeit a somewhat selective one There are few columnists with whom I disagree more than I do with the Daily Telegraph’s Allison Pearson. Yet, I welcome the decision by the police to drop their investigation into her alleged tweet. This should never have been a matter for the police. At the same time, the debate sparked by the investigation has shown how selective many free speech campaigners are about the speech they are willing to defend.The facts of the case remain contested. It appears that in November 2023, Pearson retweeted a photo of police officers standing next to two men holding a flag. “Invited to pose for a photo with lovely peaceful British Friends of Israel on Saturday police refused. Look at this lot smiling with the Jew haters,” she wrote, apparently jumping to the conclusion that the image was of Metropolitan police officers with demonstrators from a pro-Palestinian march.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected] Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:30:06
Faced with many foes, Labour needs to get out of its defensive crouch and on to the front foot | Andrew Rawnsley
The pervasive mood of negativity masks that many do have reason to be grateful for the election of this governmentAs slogans go, it is a tongue-twister. You wouldn’t want to try organising a chant of “Starmer Farmer Harmer” with a group who had been necking bellyfuls of cider. Other jibes against the Labour leader are available, including “Two-Tier Keir”, “Free Gear Keir” and “Gap Year Keir”, the latter a rhyming raspberry about how much of the prime minister’s time is spent at summits abroad.He is accumulating rude nicknames because he is making enemies. Those approving of his performance as prime minister are currently outnumbered two to one by those expressing disapproval. His party’s most hyperbolic critics are already calling this “the most hated government ever”. That puts King John, Lord North and Liz Truss in their places. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:30:04
Not quite religion, not quite self-help: welcome to the Jordan Peterson age of nonsense
Unintelligible as it is, new book is part of a ‘manifesting’ trend offering the young and spiritually lost an illusion of controlWhat links these two news stories? The first: “manifesting” has been declared Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year. The self-help practice, based on the magical belief that mental rituals can move the universe in your favour, has exploded in popularity.Having kicked around for years, it surged into the mainstream during the pandemic, when Google searches of the term rose by 600%. Since then, manifesting courses and retreats have sprung up everywhere, and celebrities from Dua Lipa to Simone Biles are now claiming they “manifested” their success. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:30:03
Without the EU, the joke is on us if Trump gets his tariffs | William Keegan
Stronger ties with the single market is the only way to stop the president-elect from having the last laugh‘As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”Those were the words of the great American journalist HL Mencken (in the Baltimore Evening Sun, 26 July 1920). The impending arrival back at the White House surely fulfils his prophecy. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:09
An open letter to the microplastics living in my body
If we are forced to house these tiny plastic interlopers, perhaps it’s time we sat down and had a chatDear the microplastics that live in my body, How are you? I hope you are well and enjoying the unseasonable humidity of my lungs, kidneys and blood. I’m writing today because I am likely to have housed many of you for years now and I thought it time to reach out. I just want to talk.And first, let me make something clear, I don’t want to be thought of as a landlord. OK? I’m just a guy, just a normal little guy like you – I’m not some scary flesh monster who’ll evict you for putting up pictures (as long as you don’t leave holes in the stomach wall) or hassle you for rent. I may be human, but I am also humane. Besides, I couldn’t get rid of you even if I tried. Nothing works, haha. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:09
For now, let’s revel in Bluesky’s promised land and kid ourselves it will never get like X | Tim Adams
Watching the numbers migrate from Elon Musk’s toxic platform is addictive, but the best social media is finiteThe fabulous Carol Vorderman got me briefly hooked last week in watching a particular number increase by the second. The number was the user count for the social media site Bluesky, the chosen distraction engine for those who can no longer stomach the toxic inanity of Elon Musk’s X. Most days, the ticker on the screen suggested the number of new Bluesky users had grown by about a million. And, of course, the newbies, inevitably myself included, revelled in the latest online promised land, a place where things would be done differently – with kindness and respect – without quite acknowledging the fact that, as yet, no platform which confuses a venture capitalist’s favourite metrics – scale! reach! influence! – with something that anyone might, say, care about, has yet avoided a descent into banal or shouty extremes. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:06
A caring Thomas Cromwell makes good TV, but beware the ‘yes’ men who enable tyrants| Kate Maltby
Mark Rylance’s sensitive portrayal blinds us to the lessons Henry VIII’s righthand man could offer for Donald Trump 2.0 Thomas Cromwell is back, and this time he’s a romantic. In Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, the latest BBC TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor novels, we see Henry VIII’s chief facilitator turn 21st-century empath, offering a listening ear to half the young women of the Henrician court.Mark Rylance, former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, is an actor with an extraordinary capacity for vulnerability. Here he is at his best and most sympathetic. As Cromwell, we watch him safeguard the victimised adolescent Mary Tudor, coaching her to negotiate her way out of looming execution at the hands of her axe-happy father, Henry. (Cromwell made a promise to Mary’s dying mother, you see, and he’s a sweetie like that.)Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected] Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 18:00:04
The Observer view: Selling a piece of fruit for £4m isn’t bananas, it’s decadent. Art is better than this
The sale of Maurizio Cattelan’s work, Comedian, to a crypto entrepreneur is a grim concept that has little to do with disruptionPaulina Brandberg, the Swedish minister for gender equality and work life, has a phobia of bananas so severe, her aides check rooms for the fruit before she’s due to enter them. Like other sufferers of this most unlikely of conditions, she is triggered by the merest traces of banana: a skin mouldering in a far-off wastepaper basket; a lingering smell; the sense that until recently something bendy and yellow lurked next to the perfectly innocent apples and oranges in the bowl on that coffee table.We can only hope, then, that the minister was – trigger warning – nowhere near the big auction house news of last week, in which a banana sold for $5.2m (£4.1m) at Sotheby’s New York. This wasn’t, of course, any old banana. It was a banana called Comedian, the work of Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian visual artist. Cattelan describes it as a “sincere commentary on what we value”, which must have sounded a touch desperate until the moment when everyone started comparing its auction price with the cost of a banana down at their local Tesco.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected] Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 19:30:00
The assisted dying bill: safeguards are essential to prevent suicide
The sense of being a burden would be felt the most keenly by the most helplessSonia Sodha makes an excellent point about the assisted dying bill in saying, “I’m not sure we can prevent people choosing assisted suicide because they feel they are a burden or would rather pass money on to their kids than spend it on care.” (The assisted dying debate: Charles Falconer and the Observer’s Sonia Sodha tackle the issues, Focus) We couldn’t, and that deserves more attention.Huge numbers of Britons would die voluntarily, refusing to be a trouble to others and to burden the state, if assisted dying became legal. We live in a society acutely aware of the pressures faced by the NHS, and the sense of being a burden would be felt the most keenly by the most helpless. If the assisted dying bill were to pass, they would know that all they had to do to end the feeling of guilt would be to die. The only sufficient safeguard for the vast majority of us is the law as it stands. It also motivates us to ask for better palliative solutions – and motivates the medical community to seek them.Marina Bowder Steventon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:03
The Observer view: ICC’s Israel arrest warrants are a test the world must not fail
International criminal court’s intervention must be supported if global rules-based order is to have a meaningful futureThe decision by the international criminal court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defence minister, for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza has huge implications for Israel and Palestine, for international justice and the rules-based global order that the UK and its allies are pledged to uphold. This unprecedented, necessary and impartial supranational attempt to prosecute democratically elected western politicians accused of grievous wrongdoing is a test the international community dare not fail.Netanyahu’s reaction to the charges was to dismiss them as “absurd” and “antisemitic” and the ICC as a biased, politicised body. “No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us – and it will not prevent me – from continuing to defend our country in every way,” he said. Netanyahu will have to do better than that. This case is not remotely about antisemitism. It’s not about Israel’s right to defend itself, which nobody disputes. It’s a matter of how it goes about it. It’s a question of impunity and justice. Netanyahu and Gallant should voluntarily surrender to the court and fight their case.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected] Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 19:00:04
Palliative care and pain management are key to assisted dying debate | Letter
There is a significant gap between what is currently provided and what should be provided in end-of-life care, write Dr Barry Miller, Dr Arif Ghazi, Dr Patrick McGowan and Dr Andrew SevernAs pain medicine specialists who have worked with palliative medicine specialists, we believe the debate on assisted suicide (How are cabinet ministers likely to vote on assisted dying?, 18 November) must recognise the significant gap between what is currently provided and what should be provided in end-of-life care. In Oregon, poorly controlled pain is an important symptom in one in three patients who request medical assistance to die, and a factor in determining the requests of 59% of Canadian patients.The Health and Care Act of 2022 mandates the provision of palliative care in England by specialists. It is as yet inadequately commissioned. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 17:41:57
More foster carers in England leaving than signing up, says Ofsted report
Children’s campaigners say ‘national crisis’ adds to trauma for vulnerable young people, amid huge fall in numbers fosteringThe number of foster carers in England has sunk to a 10-year low, prompting urgent calls for the recruitment of thousands more families, improved retention and moves to tackle a “national crisis” that is exacerbating trauma for the most vulnerable children in society.The latest figures produced by Ofsted show the number of foster carers fell from 43,405 to 42,615 in the year to March 2024. For the past three years, more carers have been quitting than signing up, meaning the sector has suffered a 2,920 net loss in carers during this period. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 07:00:08
Unidentified drones spotted over three UK airbases, US air force confirms
Unmanned aerial systems seen over RAF bases in Suffolk and Norfolk but US air force does not know if they were hostileA number of unidentified drones have been spotted over three airbases in Britain, the US air force has confirmed.“Small unmanned aerial systems” were seen between 20 and 22 November over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 21:09:01
Teachers at top academy in Hackney ‘screamed at’ and humiliated pupils, say angry parents
Mossbourne academy accused of bullying and damaging children’s mental health as local authority asked to step inParents have accused an academy school in east London of causing serious harm to children’s mental health, with teachers humiliating and “screaming” at pupils, and have urged the local authority to exercise extraordinary powers to intervene.A group of nearly 30 parents and former teachers has spoken out about treatment of children at Mossbourne Victoria Park academy (MVPA) in Hackney. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 16:00:02
Storm Bert: thousands without power as UK is lashed with 70mph gusts
Rising temperatures now likely to cause widespread flooding due to melting ice and heavy rain, say forecastersThousands of homes were left without power on Saturday as Storm Bert continued to lash the country with winds of up to 70mph battering many areas.Forecasters said that as temperatures start to rise over the weekend, melting snow and heavy rain would also cause serious flooding across the country. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 17:31:15
Revealed: Home Office ‘completely lost grip’ at notorious Manston asylum centre
Court documents contain admissions by officials that they were unable to control the situation at the Kent facility where 18,000 asylum seekers were illegally detainedRacial abuse, physical assaults and no beds: life at Manston migrant centreHome Office officials have admitted that “we completely lost our grip” on the situation at a notorious asylum processing centre that led to 18,000 people being unlawfully detained in horrific conditions.Overcrowding at Manston, a former RAF base in Kent, in autumn 2022 led to an outbreak of diphtheria and scabies. Asylum seekers who had crossed the Channel in small boats were forced to sleep on filthy floors or on flattened cardboard boxes, while toilets were overflowing with faeces. Women and children were forced to sleep close to unrelated men and there were claims of assaults by guards. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 18:10:11
Mishal Husain believed to be stepping down from Radio 4 Today programme
BBC presenter expected to take extended break in new year then move on to different roleHot on the heels of the news that Zoe Ball is to stand down as the host of the high profile Radio 2 Breakfast Show, another top female BBC presenter, Mishal Husain, is believed to be stepping down from her regular role on Today, Radio 4’s flagship daily morning news programme.It is thought the presenter will stay on the show until the new year when she is due to take an extended break, a perk offered after serving for more than 25 years with the corporation. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 14:03:14
British Olympic sailors threaten to quit Dorset base over plans for waste incinerator
Paris medallists join people on Isle of Portland in opposing proposals that could damage air quality and environmentBritish Olympic athletes who train at an internationally renowned sailing academy on the south coast are threatening to quit the site over plans to build a £150m waste incinerator next to their base.Ellie Aldridge, an Olympic gold medallist, is among the competitors at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy opposing the construction of the new incinerator for burning household rubbish on the Isle of Portland, on the Jurassic coast. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 14:00:46
Daily Mirror and OK! magazine to merge staff
Merging of daily newspaper and celebrity magazine employees is latest move by owner, Reach, to cut costsThe Daily Mirror is to merge its staff with those on the celebrity title OK! magazine in the latest move by the UK’s largest commercial news publisher to further cut costs.The plan to combine staff across the newspaper, magazines and supplements, which are owned by Reach, was announced on Friday in an internal email to staff from the Mirror’s editor-in-chief, Caroline Waterston. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 15:06:40
Police carry out controlled explosion at London Euston station
Cordons lifted after passengers were evacuated when a suspicious package was reportedPolice have carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious package at Euston railway station, the Metropolitan police have confirmed.Cordons were in place around the main line station in north London at lunchtime on Saturday and passengers due to travel were evacuated from the station. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 17:46:11
Man arrested on suspicion of murder after double shooting in Birmingham
One man found dead in car and another is in hospital with critical injuries after shooting in EdgbastonA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.Police were called to Rotton Park Road, near the junction with City Road, in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday to reports that two people had been shot. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 13:33:37
Russia-Ukraine war live: French foreign minister says there should be ‘no red lines’ in supporting Ukraine
Jean-Noël Barrot says western allies should not put any limits on support for Ukraine against Russia but does not confirm if French weapons have been usedRussia is prepared to launch a series of cyber attacks on Britain and other Nato members as it seeks to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior UK cabinet minister will warn in a speech on Monday.Moscow will “not think twice” about exploiting defence gaps to target UK businesses, and allies must “not underestimate” the threat it poses, Pat McFadden, a senior UK minister whose portfolio includes national security, will say.Military hard-power is one thing. But cyber war can be destabilising and debilitating. With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine…Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no-one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to Nato. The threat is real. Russia is exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:52:26
‘He was wedged like an hourglass’: rescuers describe 20-hour ordeal ending with amputation of rafter’s leg
Lithuanian tourist pack rafting on Franklin River still fighting for life in Tasmanian hospitalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 69-year-old Lithuanian man has been praised for his “extraordinary resilience” after emergency service workers were forced to amputate his leg during a 20-hour rescue operation in remote south-west Tasmania.The man, who remained in a critical condition in Royal Hobart hospital on Sunday evening, had been travelling with a group of 11 tourists on a multi-day rafting trip on the remote Franklin River. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:22:11
Trump picks Brooke Rollins to lead Department of Agriculture
Choice of president of America First Policy Institute completes top cabinet picks for president-electDonald Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute, to be agriculture secretary.“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country,” the US president-elect said in a statement. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 21:57:13
Masked gang broke into home of Conor McGregor accuser, Dublin court was told
Incident revealed after civil court found MMA fighter had assaulted Nikita Hand in December 2018A gang of masked men broke into the home of a woman who had taken a civil case against the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor that accused him of raping her, it can now be revealed.The incident was referred to at the start of the court case in Dublin but could not be reported until now as it emerged during legal discussion while the jury were not present. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 13:08:04
Parents of surviving Bali Nine inmates ‘quietly hopeful’ as minister confirms talks under way to return them to Australia
Five remaining members would continue to serve sentences upon returning under proposal, trade minister Don Farrell saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe parents of the surviving Bali Nine members are “quietly hopeful” their children will be repatriated to Australia in a deal with the Indonesian government, according to a pastor who has been in close contact with them for 20 years.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, raised their repatriation during a meeting with the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Peru last week. Senior Australian ministers have confirmed negotiations between the two nations are ongoing.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 01:34:37
Hamas says Israeli female hostage killed in north Gaza combat zone
Group’s armed wing says unnamed woman’s death established after long break in contact with her captorsHamas’s armed wing said on Saturday that an Israeli woman taken hostage during the October 2023 attack had been killed in a combat zone in northern Gaza, as the Israeli military said it was investigating.The spokesperson for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said contact had been restored with the woman’s captors after a break of several weeks and it was established that the hostage had been killed in an area of north Gaza where the Israeli army has been operating. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 18:46:50
Meta is ‘reckless’ in ‘need-to-know situations’, Canada warns Australia as it braces for early bushfire season
Heritage minister says Facebook made ‘room for misinformation’ after turning news off in 2023 as Australia mulls actions that could lead to Meta doing the sameFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwelve months on from Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season unfolding during a news blackout on Facebook, the nation has warned Australia about Meta’s “reckless” behaviour during “need-to-know situations”.An early start to Australia’s bushfire season is looming for swaths of the country, with large parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory, the south-west of Victoria and south-east corner of South Australia facing higher risk, according to an official assessment in September.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 19:00:02
Couple accused of stealing nearly $1m of Lululemon products from stores
Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested on 14 November in Minneapolis-St Paul A couple has been accused of stealing nearly $1m worth of Lululemon products from its stores across the US.Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested on 14 November in Minneapolis-St Paul and have each been charged with one count of organized retail theft, according to a criminal complaint filed in Minnesota and reviewed by multiple outlets. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 17:23:06
Dartmouth sorority and two fraternity members charged over death of student
Won Jang drowned in Connecticut River in July after party where alcohol was supplied by his fraternityA sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity are facing charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party this summer.Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had been reported missing in July after the party. State and local emergency responders searched the Connecticut River and found his body. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 15:46:43
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
Rebel Wilson to appeal after US court rejects bid to have defamation case thrown out
The Los Angeles superior court rejected the actor’s claim that she couldn’t be sued by the producers of her film The DebRebel Wilson’s lawyers say they will appeal a California court’s decision that cleared the way for the Australian actor to be sued for defamation, in a claim that could run into millions of dollars.On Sunday, Wilson’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement that an immediate appeal would be lodged against a Los Angeles superior court decision that was handed down on Saturday morning AEDT. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 05:29:23
Wicked review – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande make the magic happen
The stars enchant as young rival witches in Jon M Chu’s impossibly slick first instalment of his two-part adaptation of musical juggernaut WickedThere’s some kind of magic afoot. If, like me, you’re one of the very few people who hasn’t already seen the blockbuster stage musical Wicked (it’s the second-highest-grossing Broadway show of all time, so that’s an awful lot of bums on seats), you may approach this shiny, high-energy, relentlessly marketed movie adaptation with low to moderate expectations. There’s the unwieldy running time, for a start – two hours and 40 minutes – and the cynical, box-office-gouging decision to carve the story into two films (fans will have to wait almost a year to the day before they get to watch the concluding chapter).But here’s the thing: reservations are soon extinguished and grumbles about the release strategy swiftly quashed. Wicked matches its polished razzle-dazzle with real heart. Driven by knockout performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Jon M Chu’s impossibly slick charm assault of an adaptation zips along so enjoyably that you almost wish it were longer (your bladder may disagree). With its all too timely themes of bullying, corrupt leaders and the demonisation of difference, this is a movie that promises a froth of pink and green escapism but delivers considerably more in the way of depth and darkness. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 08:00:07
TV tonight: palace insiders tell all about Queen Camilla
A gossipy documentary about how the royal managed to spin her public persona. Plus: Keanu Reeves’s delightful F1 underdog tale. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, Channel 4 Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:03
Who are the shellsuit boys in image that captures the 1980s? New Tate Britain show solves mystery
Friends who posed for celebrated photographer Ingrid Pollard in 1989 are reunited for new picture 35 years laterIn 1989, three 15-year-olds, dressed in identical shellsuits and trainers, posed for a photo to commemorate the imminent closure of their south London school. It was one of 24 photos taken that day by Ingrid Pollard, an up-and-coming photographer in her mid-30s, who simply stored the contact prints away in a box at home.“From time to time, I would wonder what happened to those boys, particularly the ones in their shellsuits, because it was a very special photo,” said Pollard, who last month received the prestigious Hasselblad award, the top international photography prize. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 15:47:53
Rufus Wainwright: ‘I had a great party trick, but it once blew up in my face’
The singer-songwriter on his most memorable fan, his love of Chappell Roan, and his close friend and nemesis Jake ShearsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you could have a sandwich named after you, what would be on it?I would have a really gross sandwich named after me that nobody would want to eat. The one time I tried to cook – many, many years ago, when I was in college – I decided to make all the things that I love and put them in one dish. And so it was brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese, merguez sausages, extra blue cheese and broccoli. And it was literally grey. So yeah, it would be something revolting like that, between two pieces of cardboard. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 19:00:01
‘Neutrality isn’t just a stance’: the Red Cross mission to provide vital aid in areas of conflict
In conflict zones across the globe, people in desperate need have long relied on the hope that humanitarian aid, delivered by organisations such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, will reach them. Yet, this vital work is increasingly under threat, putting that hope in jeopardyWhen communities are devastated by conflict or disaster, humanitarian workers risk their lives to deliver critical aid. This work is safeguarded by international humanitarian law (IHL), which mandates protection for aid organisations to ensure they can operate safely. The red cross and red crescent emblems are some of the most well-known examples of the protective power of IHL in action, and respect for them is crucial to the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. However, a growing disregard for IHL is making it increasingly challenging for humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to communities that urgently need it.Adopted under the Geneva Conventions, the red cross and red crescent emblems are protective symbols under IHL, meaning those who display one or the other can expect safe passage in the world’s most hostile environments. However, numerous breaches of IHL have made headlines in recent years, with strikes on vehicles, buildings, and individuals bearing one of the emblems provoking global condemnation and risking serious legal consequences.A Ukrainian Red Cross Society emergency team responds to shelling (top); the Italian Red Cross providing support in Ukraine. Photographs: Ukraine Red Cross Society; Annalisa Ausilio/Italian Red Cross Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-20 09:17:55
10 things you didn’t know about the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been supporting people through conflicts, disasters and emergencies for more than 150 years. Read on to discover 10 inspiring facts about one of the world’s leading humanitarian organisationsThe Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement started with the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863, in response to the terrible human toll of the revolutionary conflicts raging in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. Seven years later the British Red Cross was established. Today, the Movement is active in 191 countries and has been a constant and reassuring presence at some of the world’s most harrowing events: from being among the first to provide humanitarian support after the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, to providing vital assistance to those affected by last year’s devastating earthquakes in Morocco, Turkey and Syria. You may know some of these facts, but did you know … 1 The Red Cross’s ‘red cross’ is not a logoEven though it is one of the most recognisable pieces of graphic design in the world, the red cross emblem is not just some clever bit of branding: it is a symbol of protection in armed conflict, the use of which is restricted by international law. The Red Cross’s guiding principles of neutrality and impartiality mean that it does not take sides and is here for anyone and everyone who needs help, regardless of religion, political affiliation or nationality or anything else.2 It’s the UK’s leading refugee support organisationThe British Red Cross is the largest independent provider of refugee support in the UK. In the last 12 months, the British Red Cross supported more than 40,000 refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK. ForFrom people who fled Afghanistan in 2021, to those affected by the crisis in Ukraine, the British Red Cross offers a variety of support including providing essential clothing and baby supplies to assisting people with visa applications, casework and translation. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-08-01 14:58:03
‘Thanks to the classes, I feel better’: the vital role of psychosocial support for Ukraine’s displaced people
With the help of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, one woman who fled conflict in the region has been able to rebuild her lifeWhen the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, Valentyna’s town in the easternmost Luhansk region was shelled several times and her home was destroyed. The 64-year-old reluctantly packed the few belongings she had left into a single sports bag and fled.The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) helped Valentyna with supplies, giving her footwear and clothing. “All my clothes are from the URCS,” she says. “It was a relief when they helped.”The UCRS provides a range of mental health and psychosocial support services. Photographs: Mykhaylo Palinchak/Panos/British Red Cross Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-04 13:35:57
‘Without family, there is no life’: a mother reunites with her sons, having fled Sudan
Every year, millions of people across the world flee disaster, persecution and conflict and in so doing, risk losing their closest relationships. Here, one woman explains how the British Red Cross family reunion team helped put her life back together again in the UKFour years ago, 47-year-old Abier was at the lowest point in her life. She had made the heartbreaking decision to flee her home in Sudan, leaving her four children in the care of their grandmother, while she sought safety and asylum in the UK. Abier’s children had lost contact with their father years earlier, leaving her as the sole parent. She faced an impossible situation, and she had little choice.In early 2020 she faced political persecution, she was detained and held for a week. On her release, she fled to find safety in the UK, fearful of what would happen if she stayed at home. Her hope was to find safety and a future but it came at a huge cost – her family.Abier with Mazin and Khalid at home in Bristol; Abier and Lydia Cawthorne-Luff. Photographs: Nina Raingold/British Red Cross Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-06 09:43:57
Festive candles: 10 of the best
Light a candle and fill your home with an upifting scent. It’s the first step to getting into the festive spiritSomething magical happens when you light candles, be it around the home or as part of a table setting. I have long argued the merits of a candle as a beauty product because it changes the ambience of a space, which changes your mood, which then, almost immediately, makes you look and feel better. (Unless of course you’re like my husband who seems to dislike all candles… But we won’t talk about that.) And so at Christmas, candles aka my essential luxuries, are a huge part of my festive ritual. Still, I learned many years ago that you must choose judiciously. It is not enough that a candle just smells nice. Those are 10 a penny. The key is to invest in a high-quality, well-made candle that has a scent most likely blended by a perfumer (all these tick that box). That way the notes blend seamlessly and are not jarring. Alas, that does mean you’ll need to spend a little more. It’s either that or you end up with a blistering headache or start gagging during your meal. Or both. Also don’t feel any pressure to go for candles with the requisite festive motifs – the likes of Aesop and Frédéric Malle can be wheeled out all year without feeling like you’ve still got your Christmas tree up in August.1. Acqua di Parma Panettone £75, libertylondon.com 2. Ormonde Jayne Nocturne £80, ormondejayne.com3. Jo Malone Pine & Eucalyptus £59, jomalonelondon.com4. Frédéric Malle Joyeux Noel £110, selfridges.com 5. Christian Dior Ambre Nuit £90, dior.com 6.Trudon Gloria £98, trudon.com 7. Aesop Callippus Aromatique £83, aesop.com8. Byredo Tree House £70, byredo.com 9. Penhaligon’s Festive Folly £70, penhaligons.com10. Diptyque Étoile £68, diptyque.com Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:05
American wines to give thanks for
Enter into the spirit of Thanksgiving with the toast of wines from the US (and some of them even at affordable prices)Tesco Finest Zinfandel, Lodi, California, USA 2022 (£9.50, Tesco) One of the many things that Donald Trump’s opponents are fretting about in the months between now and his inauguration in January is the promise of swingeing tariffs (do tariffs do anything but swinge?) on exports to the US. The concern goes beyond foreign businesses trying to sell their products in the US. For American wine producers, it’s hard to see how the inevitable tit for tat responses in the EU and elsewhere would be anything less than disastrous for their exports, if only because their better wines are already, how to put it, kinda expensive. Certainly, the point where US wine gets really interesting is considerably higher than almost any other major wine-producing country in Europe and beyond: there is very little that causes more than a flutter of interest below £20, and decent under-£10 bottles are rarer than a Democrat voter in rural Wyoming, with Tesco’s lushly blackberry and blueberry-juicy red being an usual sighting of this endangered species in the wild.M&S Collection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA 2022 (£25, Marks & Spencer) For the time being in the UK, at least before the promised orange chaos begins, there is a lot of pleasure to be had in US wines if you are willing and able to spend over £20. And for any readers looking to splash out in celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday, my US recommendations would start with an example of the country’s most famous combination or region and grape variety: cabernet sauvignon from California. In a style that is generally rather more fulsome and richer than the Bordeaux producers that originally inspired them, the finest, most in-demand California Cabs (such as the extraordinarily deep, plushly velvety stylings of Napa’s Harlan Estate or the graceful Ridge Monte Bello from the Santa Cruz Mountains) are every bit as luxuriously priced as first-growth Bordeaux. But M&S’s cherry, cassis, and black-olive-scented example from the variety’s Napa Valley heartland offers plenty of suave, sun-filled California-cabernet vibes for comfortably less than the three (or even four) figures you’d need for the state’s cult bottlings. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:00:04
Sunday with Gail Porter: ‘We used to watch a lot of wrestling’
The Scottish television personality, former model and actor on Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, housework and bingeing on box setsSunday plans? My daughter often comes over, which is nice. If not, I’ve got the cat, Ziggy Stardust. I’ll get something to read and that’s about it. I try to do as little as possible.How’s Ziggy? She just likes to cuddle. She’ll wake me up at bonkers o’clock, so I never get a lie in. She’s always hungry. If it’s sunny, I feel guilty that I should get out the house. If it’s miserable, I’ll go back to bed and watch stuff I’ve recorded or missed. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-24 06:45:03
The moment I knew: a huge water balloon hurtled towards me – and he jumped in front of it
In her first year of university Chantelle Van Niekerk didn’t want a relationship. But then she met Rico, her intellectual and emotional equalFind more stories from The moment I knew series hereIt was January 2003 and I was about to start my studies at the University of Johannesburg – and had officially sworn off relationships. I’d had two serious relationships in high school, both with older boys, where I felt I needed to change who I was in order to be with them. I was done trying to please others and saw university as my fresh start to be truly me.The university had a start-of-the-year tradition – the campus residences would create and parade their floats for charity. My group was tasked with folding blommetjies vou (polystyrene-filled cellophane flowers) for our float, which was based on the Lord of the Rings movie. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 19:00:02
This is how we do it: ‘We did wonder whether sex at our advanced age would be difficult – but it’s been amazing’
Ella and Richard almost gave up on sex after she had health problems – but a clever solution helped them rediscover their intimacyHow do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymouslyRichard was interested in having a sex life, so I decided to try it – and it turned out to be really amazing Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 12:00:43
Ask Ottolenghi: what’s the secret to a perfect poached egg? | Ask Ottolenghi
Four steps to poached perfectionPlease give foolproof advice on how to cook a soft poached egg.Anne Marie, County Donegal I’m here for you, Anne Marie, so let’s do this thing!Step 1 Don’t be afraid. Remember: it’s just an egg cooked in water. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 09:30:38
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
Pensioners in England and Wales: how has losing the winter fuel allowance affected you?
We would like to hear from people who no longer receive the winter fuel payment and what it means for themWith the loss of the winter fuel allowance potentially forcing 100,000 pensioners in England and Wales into relative fuel poverty, we would like to find out more about how losing the payment has affected people.What impact has it had on you and what changes have you made to make up for no longer receiving the winter fuel payment? Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-20 12:08:04
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
Did you have couples therapy to break up with an ex?
We tend to see couples therapy as a way to save relationships – now we’d like to hear from people who used a mediator to help them separate from a partnerWhether you were in the process of divorcing or inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow to ‘consciously uncouple’ from a girlfriend or boyfriend, we’d love to hear from you.Did using a therapist help you avoid a protracted (and expensive) divorce? Perhaps it allowed you to stay friends with your ex for the sake of your children? Maybe using a third party mediator allowed you to get closure on a difficult relationship? We’re looking for exes of all ages, and life stages, all over the world to share their experiences (this can be anonymously). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-19 13:33:38
From Strictly Ballroom to Sydney’s saviour: how heritage town halls are staging a comeback
Inner West council has thrown open the doors of seven town halls to arts organisations free of charge as it tries to revive its buildings and address a performing arts crisisFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt’s been more than three decades since Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom was filmed in Petersham town hall. But earlier this year, the 82-year-old building in Sydney opened its doors to the Inner West Theatre Company’s production of the classic, free of charge.Beautiful brick early 20th-century town halls were once venues for council meetings, award nights and country dances. But in recent decades many have been under-used or left entirely empty as modern buildings serve changing community needs. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 23:00:05
‘It’s boorish’: E-scooter firms threaten to leave Italy after highway code updated
Fear for jobs after parliament votes for helmets, insurance and big fines for ‘wild’ riders and rogue parking, amid rise in traffic accidentsOn a road by Rome’s traffic-clogged Piazza Venezia, an e-scooter rider weaves through a crowd of pedestrians, who in turn are trying not to trip over a scooter dumped on the pavement. At the adjacent crossing, two e-scooter riders whiz through a red light as another glides around the curve with his passenger capturing the journey on her mobile phone.Such scenes have become common in the Italian capital and other towns and cities in recent years, amid the boom in popularity of rented e-scooters. But now the government is getting tough on wayward use of the vehicles as part of a broader overhaul of the highway code. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 11:00:42
Kamala Harris had a whirlwind 107-day campaign. What’s next for her?
Vice-president’s next move could involve California politics, a re-run for 2028 or a thinktank, among othersWhatever happened to Kamala Harris? For 107 days she was everywhere, filling TV screens and campaign rallies in her whirlwind bid for the White House. Then, with election defeat by Donald Trump, it all ended as abruptly as it began. The rest is silence.“The vice-president has taken time off to go spend time with her family,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday, acknowledging that Harris is holidaying in Hawaii with husband Doug Emhoff. “She has worked very hard for the last four years, and her taking a couple of days to be with her family, good for her.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 12:00:46
‘It’s not drought - it’s looting’: the Spanish villages where people are forced to buy back their own drinking water
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded – and one group is profiting from these extremes: the water-grabbing multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for it in bottlesAfter catastrophic floods engulfed Valencia last month, killing more than 200 people, it might seem counterintuitive to think about water shortages. But as the torrents of filthy water swept through towns and villages, people were left without electricity, food supplies – and drinking water. “It was brutal: cars, chunks of machinery, big stones, even dead bodies were swept along in the water. It gushed into the ground floor of buildings, into little shops, bakeries, hairdressers, the English school, bars: all were destroyed. This was climate change for real, climate change in capital letters,” says Josep de la Rubia of Valencia’s Ecologists in Action, describing the scene in the satellite towns south of the Valencian capital.In the aftermath, hundreds of thousands of people were reliant on emergency tankers of water or donations of bottled water from citizen volunteers. Within a fortnight, the authorities had reconnected the tap water of 90% of the 850,000 people in affected areas, but all were advised to boil it before drinking it or to use bottled water. Across the region, 100 sewage treatment plants were damaged; in some areas, human waste seeped into flood waters, dead animals were swept into rivers and sodden rubbish and debris piled up. Valencia is on the brink of a sanitation crisis. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 11:00:40
‘Sitting with their head in their hands’: farm equipment suppliers fear for impact of budget
Traders at a big machinery show say inheritance tax changes affecting the rural economy have had an immediate impact on businessA shiny new tractor is pulling a huge orange trailer, while a commentator explains how best to manoeuvre it to tip grain, watched by a group of farmers wrapped up warmly in wellies, coats and bobble hats, some holding spaniels on leads.Others are checking out the latest models of combine harvesters and crop sprayers, parked on snowy ground at the Midlands Machinery Show, but few seem to be buying, and the changes to inheritance tax for agricultural properties announced in Rachel Reeves’s October budget are never far from anyone’s lips. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 13:00:44
Pelicot rape trial: ‘It is Gisèle’s name that will be remembered’
Woman who has become a feminist hero says she is ‘determined to change society’, as trial approaches its endMore than a hundred women formed a line and applauded as Gisèle Pelicot left the courtroom of the French mass rape trial this week. Pelicot, whose husband has admitted drugging her and inviting dozens of strangers into her bedroom to rape her for a decade, thanked supporters, putting a hand to her heart.She would, she told the court, now go for walk. “I heal by hours and hours of walking – it’s a way to protect myself. That and my psychologist, music and chocolate … Everyone has their own therapy for suffering.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 05:00:34
Racial abuse, physical assaults and no beds: asylum seekers tell of brutal conditions at Manston migrant centre
Asylum seekers who fled to UK to escape persecution said they endured abuse and squalor at centre in KentRevealed: Home Office ‘completely lost grip’ at notorious Manston asylum centreWhen David Neal, the former independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, visited the Manston asylum processing centre in Kent at the height of the crisis in October 2022, he said the conditions he found there were so alarming it left him “speechless”.People were crammed on the dirty floors of marquees to sleep, toilets overflowed with faeces, there was inadequate access to medical care and new arrivals were referred to by a number on a wristband rather than by their name. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 18:10:15
‘We live in a climate of fear’: graphic novelist’s Elon Musk book can’t find UK or US publisher
Darryl Cunningham blames fear of ‘legal consequences’ for reluctance to take on book, now only available in FrenchA biography by a British graphic novelist of Elon Musk is struggling to find an English-language publisher due to feared “legal consequences”.Elon Musk: Investigation into a New Master of the World is the latest graphic novel by Darryl Cunningham, from West Yorkshire. Cunningham, 64, has written and illustrated seven nonfiction books on topics ranging from the 2008 global economic meltdown (Supercrash), to Russian leader Vladimir Putin (subtitled The Rise of a Dictator). Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-23 16:00:01
Six people are dead after a suspected mass methanol poisoning at a backpacker party town. What went wrong in Laos?
As authorities detain a hostel owner in Vang Vieng, expert says the recent deaths are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub.Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic party hub in the early 2000s. Enticed by boozy tubing experiences, throngs of twentysomething backpackers cemented its spot on south-east Asia’s famed backpacker trail. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 19:00:20
‘It looked as good as new’: readers share their tips for repairing household items
From YouTube video guides to sourcing parts, here are some ways to extend the life of your appliances and sentimental itemsChange by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprintGot a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected] of the best ways we can reduce our household’s carbon footprint is to repair things instead of throwing them away. But it’s also a way of life for many people.“Seems I’ve spent most of my life fixing stuff because I was brought up that way,” observes Phil, from Bedfordshire. “I look at everything that comes my way as potentially useful and more often than not, it is,” writes Richard, a designer from Essex. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 23:00:25
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
‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads? – podcast
In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 05:00:05
James Carville on where he thinks the Democrats went wrong – podcast
Everyone in US politics has an opinion on why the Democrats lost the election, and finger-pointing within the party is rife. As the debate rages, Jonathan Freedland will be speaking to various experts about what the party got wrong – and how it can bounce back.This week, he meets James Carville, the veteran political strategist who helped get Bill Clinton elected twiceArchive: Pennebaker Associates, McEttinger Films, Cyclone Films, CNN, CBS News, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, BBC News Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 05:00:03
Nigel Farage and his ‘historic mission’: on the ground with Reform UK – podcast
Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd goes out on the road – to Birmingham, Stalybridge and Clacton – to chart Nigel Farage’s bid to transform Reform UK into a modern, professional political partyAt the Reform UK party conference in September, its leader, Nigel Farage, announced a “historic mission” for his party: to professionalise, to modernise and mobilise a “people’s army” to win support all over the country.It came off the back of unprecedented success for Reform at the general election: no populist right party in the UK had ever taken as many as its five seats in July. And they were won despite a campaign marred by racist and Islamophobic remarks from Reform members and candidates. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 03:00:00
An arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu – Today in Focus Extra
The international criminal court has issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, his former defence minister and a Hamas leader. Julian Borger reportsAfter 10 months of deliberation, the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former defence minister Yoav Gallant and the Hamas leader Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.Julian Borger, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, explains the significance of this moment – the first time a western ally from a modern democracy has been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global judicial body. He tells Hannah Moore how allies such as the US and UK are likely to react to the news, and the impact it has had in Israel. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-21 17:42:52
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
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
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The war in Ukraine, the aftermath of the floods in Valencia, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Rafael Nadal’s final match: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists• Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 19:44:22
Molten lava and piles of cuddly toys: photos of the day – Friday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Published: 2024-11-22 12:55:39
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