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The Guardian

Danny Kruger takes Reform back to full strength – so who’ll be next to quit? | John Crace (lun., 15 sept. 2025)
Nigel’s gang has its own ‘one in, one out’ policy, having lost two MPs since the election – now it’s all eyes on the next one to exit Nigel Farage has always been keen on a “one in, one out” policy. At the last election, Reform won five seats. Two MPs, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock, have since left the party over artistic differences – ie, falling out with Nige – and have gained only one in the cold-hearted Sarah Pochin. Now they are back to their full complement. Five, it turns out, is the magic number. The race is on to find, not just the next recruit, but the next to leave. It could be anyone. Get too close to the Sun God Nige and you tend to crash and burn. For once, the email from Reform insisting that Monday’s press conference would contain an important announcement was more or less accurate. Normally all you get is a parade of new councillors or a policy that is never going to happen. But this time Reform had gone all in. A room in a luxury Mayfair hotel. And Nige talking deadly earnestly about preparing for government. A job so important, it couldn’t be entrusted to any of his current half-witted derelicts, such as Richard Tice or Lee Anderson. They were really only there as cosmetics. To make up the numbers. Continue reading...
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‘There’s magic, blood and gore!’ Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton on touring Inside No 9 – and being megastars in China (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As the show based on their cult TV hit goes on the road, the duo discuss haunted theatres, feeling like arthritic swans and what it was like being mobbed in Shanghai How do you make a shopping centre in Woking spooky? I bow before Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s many career achievements: Perrier award-winners, makers of successive hit TV series, not to mention megastars (as I shall soon discover) in China. But can they convince us that there are old ghosts haunting the 90s-built New Victoria theatre, located in a shopping mall? Such is the challenge faced by the Inside No 9 duo as they take their hit show-of-the-series on tour. “We made it very much about the ghosts of Wyndham’s theatre,” says Shearsmith of the show’s West End run. “Now we have to change it so that every place we’re in, that’s where there’s a legend of bloody Belle, and that’s where she haunts.” Over the tour, that may mean the 100-year-old Liverpool Empire or Edinburgh Playhouse: no problem. Or it might be the rather fresher Marlowe in Canterbury or Milton Keynes theatre, which opened in another shopping precinct in 1999. “That doesn’t lend itself to a legend,” admits Shearsmith, chatting over lunch at a London rehearsal room. “So we are amending the phraseology to make it sound older than it is. We’ll say ‘a quarter of a century’ rather than ‘25 years ago’. One sounds recent and the other sounds old.” Continue reading...
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‘We can’t eat. We can’t sleep. It’s a disaster’: the small boat detainees waiting to be sent back to France (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
This week the first migrants could be flown out of Britain under the ‘one in, one out’ deportation scheme. They talk about their fears and incomprehension “We can’t eat. We can’t sleep. We have been locked up in this place for more than a month. Some people expect to be forced on to a plane to France today. Nobody wants to go. For us, this is a disaster.” The man speaking, Fessahaye, is an asylum seeker from Eritrea who fled indefinite military conscription in his home country, and walked through the Sahara before being tortured and enslaved in Libya. He eventually crossed the Mediterranean and reached Europe. From France he travelled to the UK in a small boat. Continue reading...
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‘A strangely magical place’: how the world’s smallest theatre made its community-led comeback (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Created in 1997 and once a Victorian toilet, the 10 sq metre venue was at risk of demolition until the residents of Malvern, Worcestershire, stepped in Perched on a sign above a tiny stage draped with red velvet curtains are the Latin words “Multum in parvo”. Meaning “much in little”, it has become the motto of this minuscule establishment in the Worcestershire town of Malvern. This is the world’s smallest commercial theatre with room for 12 people – or 16 with some standing – that has been brought back to life by local residents after falling into disrepair and at risk of demolition. Continue reading...
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Party conference season is here – and it’s a spectacle beyond redemption | Zoe Williams (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The whole pantomime is meaningless. The leader makes his or her speech, the commentariat falls upon it, and to anyone half normal reality simply continues, undisturbed Conference season has arrived for the big political parties, and every year for the past 20 years, I have attended some, though not all, of it. I always have a lot of complaints, which I used to think were all different but in fact boiled down to the same thing: this pantomime doesn’t mean anything. The leader makes his or her speech, the commentariat falls upon it, more often than not declaring it to have saved them from whatever surge of unpopularity they were engulfed in the week before, and to anyone half normal, reality simply continues, undisturbed. No, Boris Johnson promising to “level up” in 2021 did not address the cost of living crisis. Keir Starmer having a tool-maker dad with his “eye on the object” (same year) did not make him more relatable or charismatic. There were some years that I thought maybe I was being naive, and the wiser heads were correct – might Tony Blair’s admission of fault, in the vaguest imaginable terms (“I now look my age. You feel yours,” at the Labour conference in 2003), be the decisive turning point when we all learned to stop worrying and love the Iraq war? Nope, it was not. Continue reading...
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UK-US nuclear deal: what does it mean and will it really lead to a ‘golden age’? (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Starmer announced multibillion-pound link-up to build ‘mini-nukes’ likely to be signed during Trump visit UK and US line up string of deals to build modular nuclear reactors in Britain Britain is on the brink of a “golden age of nuclear”, according to Keir Starmer, who has announced a multibillion-pound US-UK partnership to build a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs), sometimes called “mini-nukes”. The agreement, likely to be signed during Donald Trump’s state visit this week, involves speeding up safety checks to bring new reactors online faster. Continue reading...
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Starmer aide’s exit over lewd Abbott jokes deepens crisis as Trump arrives (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Labour MPs talk openly about replacing PM, as third senior ally in two weeks departs after publication of WhatsApps The crisis engulfing Keir Starmer has deepened on the eve of Donald Trump’s visit to the UK after the resignation of a third senior ally in two weeks raised further questions about the stability of his government. Paul Ovenden quit as the prime minister’s director of political strategy after the publication of old WhatsApp messages in which Ovenden relayed lewd jokes made at a party about the Labour MP Diane Abbott. Continue reading...
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Police search for 11 violent disorder suspects after ‘unite the kingdom’ march (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Met ask public for help identifying those who aimed ‘kicks and punches’ at officers among other offences Police are looking for 11 people suspected to have committed violent disorder offences after the large far-right-led march through London on Saturday, and said they had already charged eight people with offences. The “unite the kingdom” march was led by the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson and attracted more than 110,000 people, police said, in excess of what they or the organisers expected. Continue reading...
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DNA evidence links suspect to killing of Charlie Kirk, FBI director says (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Kash Patel says DNA found on towel wrapped around rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk matches that of Tyler Robinson Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, has said that DNA evidence found by investigators links the man accused of killing rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk to the fatal attack despite his alleged refusal to cooperate with authorities after his arrest. Speaking on the conservative-friendly Fox News network on Monday morning, Patel said that DNA found on a towel wrapped around the rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk matches that of the suspect in custody, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Continue reading...
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon both jailed for 14 years over death of baby in tent (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Couple took newborn to live in a tent in wintry conditions in Brighton after going on the run to evade social services Two parents who caused the death of their newborn baby after taking her to live in a tent in wintry conditions to evade social services have each been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon went off the grid in late 2022; their four older children had previously been taken into care due to concerns for their safety if left with the couple. Continue reading...
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MP Danny Kruger says Tory party ‘is over’ as he defects to Reform (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
East Wiltshire MP says he hopes others follow his path and accuses former party of clinging to ‘defunct institutions’ The MP Danny Kruger has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, declaring the Tory party “is over” and Nigel Farage is the “new custodian” of conservatism and the political right’s “last hope” of governing Britain. Kruger, who represents East Wiltshire and previously served as political secretary to Boris Johnson, said: “The Conservative party is over. Over as a national party, over as the principal opposition to the left.” Continue reading...
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Gulf leaders call on Trump to rein in Israel after Qatar emergency summit (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Arab states say US should use its leverage and influence as they promise to ‘activate joint defence mechanisms’ Gulf leaders meeting at an emergency summit in Qatar have called on the Trump administration to use its leverage to rein in Israel after the unprecedented Israeli attempt last Tuesday to assassinate Hamas negotiators in Doha. Speaking after the meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the group’s secretary general, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, said: “We … expect our strategic partners in the United States to use their influence on Israel in order for it to stop this behaviour … They have leverage and influence on Israel, and it’s about time that this leverage and influence be used.” Continue reading...
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Display of firepower in Russia-Belarus war games stirs unease across Europe (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As western media receive rare invite, visit by US officials raises fears Trump is unwilling to take hard line on Moscow Over a vast rolling field, Russian and Belarusian fighter jets drew fire as tanks shattered mock wooden houses and the buzz of drones filled the air. Moments later, troops stormed in, hoisting the allies’ flags above a “liberated” piece of land consumed by flames. The military drills, part of the major Zapad-2025 military exercises and staged at the Borisov training ground in Belarus, were billed as a defensive response to a notional western invasion – in effect Nato. Zapa, which is the Russian word for “west”, refers to military drills focused on the western theatre. Continue reading...
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US and China reach deal to transfer TikTok ownership, trade officials say (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Framework deal is breakthrough in long-running dispute over app’s ownership amid security concerns in Washington Jamieson Greer, a US trade representative, said on Monday that Washington and Beijing have struck a framework agreement on transferring TikTok to US-controlled ownership. Speaking after emerging from negotiations with Chinese officials, Scott Bessent said the deal was coming but declined to reveal the commercial terms. Continue reading...
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Doctor who left patient during operation to have sex allowed to practise (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Medical tribunal rules ‘very low risk’ of Suhail Anjum, who had been dismissed by hospital in Greater Manchester, repeating behaviour A doctor who left a patient midway through an operation to have sex with a nurse is at “very low risk” of repeating his serious misconduct, a medical tribunal has ruled. Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, and the unnamed nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a shocked colleague who walked in on the pair at Tameside hospital. The consultant anaesthetist had asked another nursing colleague to monitor the male patient, who was under general anaesthetic, so he could go to the bathroom. Continue reading...
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What did Elon Musk say at far-right UK rally and did his remarks break the law? (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
X owner accused of using ‘dangerous and inflammatory’ language at protest organised by Tommy Robinson • No 10 condemns language used by Musk at UK rally as ‘dangerous’ Downing Street has condemned Elon Musk for using “dangerous and inflammatory” language at the nationalist protest organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson on Saturday. But will – or should – the X owner face any consequences? Continue reading...
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‘Art became a means of survival’: the Gaza Biennale lands in New York City (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Recess, Brooklyn A traveling exhibition of work from Palestinian artists aims to provide visibility to those whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing war Artists will go on creating, even under the most extreme and inhumane of conditions. This truism is part of the message and the power of the Gaza Biennale, which is currently working to exhibit the art of dozens of Palestinians around the world – including in New York City, where the abolitionist arts non-profit Recess hosts an exhibition of work from more than 25 of these artists. “They are artists, they need to create art,” said the Biennale organizers, who are currently located in Gaza and requested to be identified as the Forbidden Museum. “We need to help artists stand up for themselves with their skills. Just because you are an artist in the middle of a genocide doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to do.” Continue reading...
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Is a memory palace actually useful? It helped me memorize the first 20 digits of pi (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
It felt like a gargantuan achievement – I’m someone who regularly forgets the most important item on a shopping list Tell us about your colorful wedding dress There’s a scene from the 2010s series Sherlock that I think about a lot. Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) visits his “mind palace” to figure out how he and his friend/minion John Watson (Martin Freeman) got drugged. Words, phrases and images float around his head, and he moves them around with his hands. “It’s a memory technique,” Watson explains to a confused onlooker. “You plot a map of a location – it doesn’t have to be a real place – and then you deposit memories there.” Theoretically, he says, you can never forget anything, he says: “All you have to do is find your way back to it.” Continue reading...
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Theatre Picasso review – Pablo tears reality apart in a riotous celebration of his raging genius (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Tate Modern, London From filthy kissing to bullfights, fascists and drag acts, the artist who shattered visual conventions is thrillingly, forcefully alive in this illuminating show The Acrobat sums up the effect Pablo Picasso had on art in his 91 years on earth. In this 1930 painting, lent by the Musée Picasso in Paris, a body with no defined gender contorts into an insoluble puzzle, a leg sprouting above its anus, the head, eyes closed, bulging where genitals might be, the other leg standing on the ground balanced by an arm whose hand functions as a foot while the other arm, fist clenched, bends like a tail. In just this way, Picasso turned art inside out and upside down, twisted it unrecognisably, yet made it all the more compelling, human and passionate. Born into a Europe of realistic sculptures and perspective pictures, he blew up those conventions, put them back together, then smashed them again, and a few times more. It’s hard not to be awed by his achievements, his turmoil of creative energy, the scale of his artistic breakthroughs, although Tate Modern tries its best. Theatre Picasso starts with coughing noises and references to gender and artistic borrowing. But those concerns go nowhere, vanishing in what becomes – almost despite itself – a riotous celebration of his genius. Continue reading...
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‘Forget Adolescence – this is the real victory!’ The biggest shocks from the Emmy awards (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Adolescence may seem to have dominated. But the night truly belonged to Seth Rogen and the most awarded comedy of all time … From the moment the nominations were announced in July, it was clear that these were to be A Very Apple Emmys. Aside from Adolescence, which had the limited series category all sewn up, it felt like every single nomination was either for Severance or The Studio. Of these, The Studio’s ascendancy seemed most locked in. Here, after the controversy over The Bear’s deliberate lack of laughs, was a comedy comedy; something designed from the ground up to be funny. Plus, it was about the entertainment industry, which always appeals to the myopic interests of the Emmy voters. True, all of this equally applied to Hacks, but The Studio’s lead character wasn’t routinely described as a comedy genius, so there was far less dissonance when his jokes failed to land. Continue reading...
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‘Stop swimming in our canals! And put some clothes on!’ Venice declares war on unruly tourists (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
A couple from the UK have been fined and expelled for taking a dip in the world heritage site. But they’re not the only ones upsetting the locals Name: Venice tourists. Age: They have been turning up since the mid-18th century. Continue reading...
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iOS 26 release: everything you need to know about Apple’s Liquid Glass updates (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
iPhone upgrade joined by watchOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe, adding a new look and features to devices Apple will release some of the biggest software updates for its iPhone, iPad and smartwatch on Monday, radically changing the way icons, the lock screen and the system looks, as well as adding features for compatible devices. Announced at the company’s developer conference in June, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe introduce Apple’s new Liquid Glass design, giving everything a softer, more rounded and semi-transparent look that has proved divisive. Continue reading...
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No alcohol? No problem: how to make friends at university without booze (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Students may have had a reputation for boozy behaviour, but there are ways to make friends for those who prefer to keep things straight edge For as long as anyone can remember, drinking has been a key part of the student experience – but this is changing. An increasing number of young people are turning away from drinking, with a 2024 poll by Student Beans finding that half of first-year students did not plan to drink during their freshers’ week. If you’re considering a teetotal uni experience, or want to limit your drinking, here are four places to look for sober fun. Continue reading...
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How to manage a part-time job alongside your student workload … and boost your CV at the same time (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Money is almost always tight as a student, but fitting work around your studies requires a little forethought and planning if you want to avoid a negative impact on those grades If you’re planning to go to university, you may also be thinking about getting a job while studying. But it can be difficult to know where to look, especially if you’re moving to an unfamiliar city. The most important thing is to find a job that’s flexible enough to fit alongside your studies. With the third term increasingly quiet or even empty you might consider filling it with temporary work – but remember your main goal is to get a degree that opens the door to the career you want. Many universities, including Edinburgh, Birmingham and Brunel, recommend working no more than an average of 15 hours a week during term time so that your studies aren’t compromised. Continue reading...
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Love coursework, hate exams? If you’re choosing a university place, don’t forget to check how you will be tested (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
AI is making universities rethink how they assess students, with some turning to presentations, vivas and quizzes For 18-year-old Rose Kade from London, deciding between studying geography or maths at university is not just about the subject, it’s about how she will be assessed. “I don’t like exams,” she says. “I feel like anything can happen on the day, and I find it hard being judged entirely on that one performance.” She prefers coursework: “I like building things up over time. It’s less stressful and if I have a bad day it doesn’t affect my grade.” Continue reading...
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Trump’s retreat from Nato was priced in. But his humiliation of Qatar and India spells total chaos | Nesrine Malik (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Allies indulged the US president on the basis they wouldn’t be bombed or suffer economic damage. So much for that idea Sign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and more All over the world, political leaders are gathering in hastily convened summits and meetings. Last week, after Israel’s strike against Hamas leaders in Doha – a colossal violation of the sovereignty of a country that is not only a close ally of the US, but an anchor of Gaza peace talks – Gulf leaders sprang to show solidarity. The president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived on an unscheduled visit to Doha and embraced the Qatari emir. It was a public show of fraternity that would have been unfathomable only a few years ago when the two countries were locked in a bitter feud. Qatar’s other adversary in that feud, Saudi Arabia, called after the Israeli strike for “an Arab, Islamic and international response to confront the aggression” and Israel’s “criminal practices”. On Sunday, heads of Arab and Muslim states were en route to Doha for an emergency summit. A little more than a week before, another gathering pointed towards other new coalitions. The leaders of India, China and Russia met in Tianjin, producing an image of smiling warmth that is likely to be an artefact of this era. The summit was convened in the wake of Donald Trump’s alienation of another ally, Narendra Modi. After Trump’s second election, Modi was one of the first leaders to visit Washington DC, where he was called a “great friend”, and the two countries set the target of doubling their trade to half a trillion dollars by 2030. A few months after that, Trump slapped India with a 50% tariff on the country’s imported goods, a tariff doubled as punishment for India’s purchase of Russian oil. He then proceeded to call the Indian economy “dead”, and commented on the Tianjin summit by posting: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” He is now lobbying the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China. Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
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Nothing prepared me for the child poverty I see in Britain. November’s budget can and must halt its inexorable rise | Gordon Brown (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Homes without heating, bedrooms without beds. If we are to offer any hope to the children of austerity, the next few weeks will be decisive Run-down housing estates in Britain’s former industrial heartlands remind us of the poverty described by George Orwell in The Road to Wigan Pier in 1937 – but these days there is no Orwell to chronicle what the arithmetic of deprivation means for families condemned to lives of poverty. Millions of children, as the children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, told us this summer, are faring very badly, living in “almost Dickensian levels of poverty”. And what she calls the striking awareness children have of being poor requires us to find a modern-day Dickens to hear their voices. Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010 Continue reading...
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Trump should be reassuring the country at this time. Instead he is sowing fear (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The president has shown no interest in uniting the US, nor in defending free speech – he is weaponizing this time for his gain The public response to the killing of Charlie Kirk in cold blood, has revealed how drastically our democracy – our belief in the importance of free speech and in the irreplaceable life of each and every individual – has deteriorated over the last half century. I was a senior in high school when John F Kennedy was assassinated, and a senior in college when Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King were killed. Plenty of conspiracy theories, some of which have never been put to rest, were floated and debated. But the difference between what happened then and what we are seeing now is that, in the aftermath of those violent deaths, there was a sense of shared grief, of national mourning. Those tragedies seemed to bring us, as a country, closer together in our shock and sorrow. Continue reading...
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Air miles be damned. I say the best way to find out about the joy and complexity of our world is through novels | Pushpinder Khaneka (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
For me it started with Colombia and Gabriel García Márquez. As I read 200 books from different regions, I gained a clarity news reports seldom give Sign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and more Dear reader, are your shelves heaving under the weight of books by dead white folks? Do your eyes glaze over at the mention of foreign fiction? Is your reading diet missing the vibrant flavours of stories from Africa, Asia and Latin America? Restricting your reading to novels from Europe and North America is like going to an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet and just eating tortillas. Why do that? I have been getting to know about countries in the global south through literature. Being an intrepid traveller, current events addict and avid reader led me inexorably to read books from around the world. The book that most reeled me in to the ability of literature to open the door to another country was Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, a dazzling, magic-realist ride through Colombia’s fortunes and misfortunes. Eventually, a cocktail of wonder, wishfulness and wanderlust inspired me to write a book about the joy of seeing the world through books. Pushpinder Khaneka is a journalist and the author of Read the World: The Best Books on Africa, Asia and Latin America Continue reading...
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Argos was a bad buy – but Sainsbury’s doesn’t need to sell at a silly price | Nils Pratley (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Talks to sell the retailer to China’s JD.com are over, but they highlight that a sale on respectable terms should be possible Sainsbury’s talks to sell Argos to Chinese retailer JD.com collapse The thinking behind Sainsbury’s £1bn-plus purchase of Argos back in 2016 wasn’t entirely other-worldly. The big idea was that, by putting Argos general merchandise shops within Sainsbury’s supermarkets, both chains would benefit via a customer crossover effect. But the problem was also screamingly obvious: why volunteer to step in front of Amazon’s non-food steamroller? Simon Roberts became chief executive of Sainsbury’s in 2020, replacing Mike Coupe, the architect of the Argos deal, and immediately indicated where he stood. His “food first” strategy wasn’t quite a declaration that he viewed Argos as inessential to the day job of competing with Tesco et al, but it wasn’t far off. Continue reading...
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What Sabrina Carpenter gets right about gen Z’s gender divide | Caroline Hayes, Carolina Hidalgo-McCabe and Alice Lassman (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The singer’s album Man’s Best Friend bottles young women’s increasing sense of healthy relationships being out of reach Sabrina Carpenter’s country-tinged synth-pop album Man’s Best Friend initially drew attention for its divisive album cover. But as masculinity researchers, we see her work differently. It’s a cultural marker of a wider phenomenon: young women’s increasing withdrawal from dating and committed relationships. Carpenter bottles the palpable exasperation of young women’s experiences with emotionally unprepared partners. And her feelings show up in the data. Women are more likely than men to say dating is harder than it was 10 years ago and they are twice as likely to cite physical and emotional risk as the reason why. The disproportionate emotional labor placed on women in relationships, paired with rising economic insecurity, does not compute. Caroline Hayes is a researcher and narrative strategist, specializing in the intersection of tech, culture and gender; Carolina Hidalgo-McCabe is an organizer, researcher and the host of The Masking Tapes, a podcast that explores 21st century masculinity and the gender divide; Alice Lassman is a policy expert, with her forthcoming book exploring how AI’s influence on gender and emotions are reshaping economic life. Continue reading...
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The Guardian view on Palestine Action: the ban on Gaza activists must be overturned | Editorial (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As protesters go on trial, it is clearer than ever that ministers chose the wrong target and the wrong process The court appearance on Tuesday of three protesters charged with terrorism offences because they held up signs declaring their support for Palestine Action should shame the government. The decision to proscribe the group, taken in June, was an alarmingly illiberal overreaction to the damage some of the group’s supporters are alleged to have caused to military equipment. Now ministers and the public are seeing the consequences, as non-violent protesters against the ban are brought before judges. A long and proud tradition of civil disobedience includes campaigners for women’s suffrage, and against nuclear weapons and the burning of fossil fuels. Yet with its rash decision to lump the kind of direct action practised by Palestine Action in with terrorism, ministers have turned their back on this. More than 1,600 people have been arrested since the ban, many of them middle-aged and older. More protests are planned. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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The Guardian view on Merck’s exit: Britain’s biopharma strategy stalls in the face of China’s rise | Editorial (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The industry’s retreat from the UK reflects a deeper shift about how Beijing is rewriting the rules of innovation When Merck abruptly scrapped its billion-pound London research hub last week, critics blamed Britain’s lacklustre support for life sciences and a Scrooge-like grip on NHS drug prices. But one important factor may have been missed. That Merck, which is also cutting jobs elsewhere – 6,000 globally – is recalibrating not just in response to the UK or the US, but to China. Merck’s cash cow is pembrolizumab (brand name Keytruda), an immunotherapy drug launched in 2014 that has successfully treated advanced melanoma, head and neck, lung, cervical and other cancers. It blocks an antibody called PD-1, teaching the immune system to fight the cancer. Because some patients are out of other options, the results sometimes seem miraculous. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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When giving up your seat for others is simply polite | Letters (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Readers disagree with an article by Polly Hudson on giving up your place to people on public transport The suggestion that young, fit people do not offer their seats on public transport to vulnerable people for fear of offending them is nonsense (Is anything more awkward – and potentially insulting – than giving up your seat on public transport?, 7 September). I was brought up to offer my seat to any woman (of whatever disposition) or elderly person as a matter of principle. In 60 years of doing so, I have never had other than a polite demurral – more usually acceptance. Now that the boot is on the other foot (for which I need a walking stick to maintain my balance), I find that about 30% of young people will instinctively offer me succour, which I gratefully and gracefully accept. The rest don’t seem to care. Continue reading...
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Gender-critical women have a right to be heard | Letter (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
A reader responds to an article by Susanna Rustin on the continuing boycotts and exclusions in the arts of gender-critical voices Thank you for publishing a measured and mature piece about the rights of people with gender-critical views to be heard (A gender-critical book at Scotland’s National Library is the latest in a long line of cancellations, 12 September). We are not horrible bigots who do not accept trans people and think they should face discrimination. But that is usually the narrative. We are mainly women who have real and well-researched concerns about, for example, the effects of medical treatment that was being given to young people – who do not have the maturity to appreciate the life-changing outcomes of puberty blockers and irreversible surgery. Continue reading...
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Reworked classics can still set hearts racing | Letter (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Slow down and enjoy the slow burn in this overstimulating world, says Grace Gooda Remona Aly’s love letter to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice series was a reminder to me, a fellow fan of the show and all things classic, to slow down and enjoy the slow burn (‘Looks so sizzling they could fry an egg!’ How the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice adaptation changed my life, 9 September). Regrettably, a recently attempted rewatch found me craving a little more instant drama and maybe a little more instant kissing. I sacrilegiously switched to Bridgerton halfway through, a sin that has haunted me since. Aly’s piece highlights why. Continue reading...
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The flag that brought us together at the Proms | Brief letters (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Last Night of the Proms | Far-right fears | Deodorant harm | Saving money | Nuclear deal In previous years, there has been animated discussion about the suitability of some of the traditional musical items in the Last Night of the Proms. But I could not help noticing the preponderance of one flag being displayed by this year’s audience – that of the European Union. Quite a difference from the ugly events on the streets of London a few hours earlier. Dr George Mowat-Brown Haytor Vale, Devon • It is an indication of Nigel Farage’s “patriotic” England, where “free speech” is paramount, that some of your correspondents critical of the far-right’s flag-waving behaviour are fearful of having their names published (Letters, 14 September). Dougie Mitchell Doune, Perthshire Continue reading...
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Ben Jennings on Elon Musk at the Unite the Kingdom rally – cartoon (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
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Mondo Duplantis hits new heights with ‘Claw’ after 14th pole vault world record (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Swede clears 6.30m to claim gold in Tokyo Shoes with metal spike enable faster run-up The pole vault competition was two hours and 20 minutes old when Mondo Duplantis finally got serious at these World Athletics Championships. The bar had just been raised to six metres. And so Mondo reached into his kitbag and dug out the Claw. It is his weird-looking special shoe, with a spike protruding from the front of it like a medieval torture implement – and the 25‑year‑old Swede takes it out only on those occasions when he sniffs a world record in the air. Continue reading...
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England’s attacking philosophy shifts again with arrival of Lee Blackett (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Steve Borthwick’s new lieutenant has promised he won’t try to get the side to play ‘funky’ but instead will focus on ‘something that works to win us the game’ To say England have been through a few attack coaches in recent times is an understatement. The latest cab off the rank, Lee Blackett, is the 11th individual to take on the role in nine years but it may just be that the national team have found the ideal catalyst to enhance their chances at the next men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. Blackett, 42, auditioned successfully for the job on this summer’s tour of Argentina and the US, where England scored 13 tries in three Tests, and has emerged as the big winner in Steve Borthwick’s latest cabinet reshuffle with Richard Wigglesworth switching to defence and Joe El-Abd helping out with the forwards. Continue reading...
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Amazon to offer Champions League viewers new immersive in-game data (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Prime Vision will feature xG and player statistics Service will launch for Tottenham’s game with Villarreal Amazon Prime Video will give Champions League viewers a new kind of match coverage this season, dripping in data and taking its inspiration from video games. Prime Vision will offer a version of broadcast coverage in which datapoints will be overlaid on to live play, enabling fans to see a player’s name, their running speed, the distance of a pass and even the passing options as part of the extra information. The service will be unveiled in the UK on Tuesday night for the Tottenham v Villarreal league-phase game and will run alongside traditional coverage. Continue reading...
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Cycling teams could boycott races involving Israel-Premier Tech after Vuelta chaos (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Protests forced cancellation of final stage in Madrid Dismay at Israel-Premier Tech’s refusal to withdraw World Tour cycling teams may refuse to race against Israel-Premier Tech following the multiple protests during the Vuelta a España that exploded into street violence in central Madrid on Sunday. Sources within rival teams have expressed their dismay to the Guardian at the refusal of the team to withdraw from the Vuelta and the lack of protection from the International Cycling Union (UCI) for its own commercial and sporting interests. Continue reading...
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Ricky Hatton – a life in pictures (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The boxer Ricky Hatton, who was one of the best-known British fighters of his generation and won several world titles, has died at the age of 46. We look back at his life and career Continue reading...
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I get out of breath walking up the stairs these days, admits Usain Bolt (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
He says his generation ‘just more talented’ than today’s Legendary sprinter no longer runs and is ‘into Lego now’ Usain Bolt made his comeback to the world of track and field on Sunday night and, for a moment, it was like the good old days. There was his trademark To Da World pose before the 100m finals. The cheers and adulation of 60,000 fans in Tokyo’s National Stadium. A reminder of glories past. The Jamaican had not watched athletics at all since retiring in 2017 until seeing Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Oblique Seville win gold. And, as he also admitted, he now spends his time streaming movies and building Lego – and even gets out of breath when he walks up stairs. Continue reading...
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Football Daily | Sheffield United and a volte-face so extreme it could lead to whiplash (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Before the Championship season started you would not have required the prescience of Mystic Meg to correctly predict that a team from the Steel City would be bottom of the table with no points after their first five games. With their club’s very existence under very real threat, most Sheffield Wednesday fans had resigned themselves to relegation at best before a ball was kicked, as long as their owner Dejphon Chansiri refused to sell up. A month on, the presence of their bitter city rivals one place below them at the foot of the table must be a rare source of happiness for Owls fans, in what looks likely to be a long season of unrelenting misery mixed with trepidatious uncertainty. Having lost last season’s Wembley playoff final to a late, late Sunderland winner, the Sheffield United hierarchy elected to end Chris Wilder’s second spell in charge of their club and embark on a new direction. And while “downwards into League One” might not have been the specific one they had in mind, it is certainly the new direction they appear to have taken after losing their first five games by an aggregate score of 12-1. After the goal, Marcus said ‘well done’, with the eyes of a brother, but he wasn’t laughing. He teases me about headers, and so does Dad, so I’m happy” – Khéphren Thuram enjoyed scoring in Juventus’s madcap 4-3 win over Inter – especially so given that he got one over his big brother, who was also on the scoresheet. Nicky Bandini has the lowdown on a sensational Derby d’Italia here. I pay no attention whatsoever to Scottish fitba, except when Scottish clubs go out of Bigger Cup, and it’s already September, so that’s long gone. However, I couldn’t help but notice that Rangers are nine points off Celtic and only two places off the bottom of the table after five games, which was puzzling until I remembered that Russell Martin was managing them. And also that fans of top-of-the-table Celtic are, and I quote, ‘mutinous’” – Noble Francis. Like Chad Thomas (Friday’s Football Daily letters), I also love the verb play that Football Daily does. Sadly, I very seldom get to see my favourite verb used these days, because Alex Ferguson doesn’t make the headlines as often, and typically isn’t angry as much. Gone are the days that he ‘purpled’ on a weekly basis. Nostalgia always gets you” – Todd Van Allen. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading...
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Football agent Kia Joorabchian’s big racing spend needs to start paying off (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Ancient Egypt is the colt who could make all the cash-flashing, both last year and this, feel like money well spent The first of the four weekends that will decide the champions of the 2025 Flat season in the northern hemisphere passed in a blur of Classic and Group One action at Doncaster, Leopardstown and the Curragh, and while Aidan O’Brien, as ever, emerged with a lion’s share of the spoils, there were also hints that he will not have things all his own way as the cavalcade moves on towards Paris, Ascot and finally the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in California. It was encouraging too – since variety, after all, is the spice – that it was not the usual suspects from Godolphin and Juddmonte that were giving Ballydoyle the most to do. Continue reading...
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WSL talking points: Kerr strikes after 634 days and Liverpool woes mount (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Russo shines in the No 10 role, bluntness costs Liverpool and London City struggle with juggling act Alessia Russo opened her account for the season in style, powering an effort from the edge of the box into the top corner and converting a second from the spot in Arsenal’s 5-1 defeat of West Ham. The England forward also provided the assist for Stina Blackstenius’s goal to put the visitors in front in the second half. Russo showed how effective she can be in the No 10 role as well, her goals and assist coming once she had dropped deeper after Blackstenius came on. “She is really good from those positions – that’s why we’ve been working with Less every now and then in that position,” said the head coach, Renée Slegers. “We have two really good 9s and sometimes we need a Russo player type in the 9 and sometimes we need the Blackstenius player type in the 9, and then we know that Less can do the 10 as well.” SW Match report: West Ham 1-5 Arsenal Match report: Everton 0-2 Spurs Continue reading...
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Spain’s PM calls for Israel to be banned from sports events after Gaza protests force end to Vuelta race (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Pedro Sánchez speaks after Gaza protesters forced cycle race’s early end, while €700m deal with Israeli defence firm said to be off Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has called for Israel to be barred from international sports competitions for as long as its “barbarism” in Gaza continues, as the Spanish government reportedly cancelled a contract worth nearly €700m (£605m) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers. The cancellation, reported by local media, Haaretz and Agence France-Presse, came after Sánchez announced last week that his government would “consolidate in law” a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel over its offensive in Gaza. Continue reading...
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Elon Musk buys nearly $1bn in Tesla stock in push for more control (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Tesla shares rose by more than 8% after news of CEO’s transactions, a week after he was offered $1tn pay package Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, has purchased nearly $1bn worth of the electric-vehicle maker’s stock, a regulatory filing showed, reinforcing Musk’s push for greater control over Tesla. Tesla shares jumped more than 8% in premarket trading on Monday following the news. Continue reading...
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Conflict, aid cuts and equality backlash causing ‘stagnation and regression’ of women’s rights – UN (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Report calls on governments to commit to renewed action at general assembly in New York, saying ‘a different path is still possible’ Hard-won progress on women’s access to healthcare, rights and employment is being put at risk from global conflict, cuts to aid spending, and a backlash against gender equality, according to a UN equality watchdog. A woman’s chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth is more than a third lower than it was 25 years ago, UN Women said in its annual report, while girls are more likely to complete school than ever before. It also found that rates of intimate partner violence were 2.5 times lower in countries that had introduced comprehensive measures on violence. Continue reading...
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‘Our children matter’: parents protest against government’s Send overhaul plans (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Concerns grow about potential cuts to educational support as Lib Dem leader addresses rally at Westminster Parents fearful about the government’s plans to overhaul special needs education in England took their fight to parliament on Monday, where the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, warned the prime minister: “Get this wrong and you are out.” Up to 700 parents, many carrying colourful, homemade banners, took part in the Westminster day of protest. “Failed,” said one poster in blood-red paint, dripping over a list of children’s names. “Stop cuts, start caring,” said another. Continue reading...
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‘Gratuitous’ use of force on Bloody Sunday disgraced British army, trial told (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Trial of former paratrooper Soldier F, charged with two murders and five attempted murders, begins in Belfast Soldiers disgraced the British army by targeting unarmed civilians in an “unjustified” and “gratuitous” use of force on Bloody Sunday, the murder trial of an army veteran has heard. The shooting by the former paratrooper and his comrades was “unnecessary” and had a profound impact on Northern Ireland, a prosecutor told Belfast crown court on Monday at the opening of the long-awaited trial. Continue reading...
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Weakening net zero policy ‘will spook investors’, warns UK’s climate adviser (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Nigel Topping says shifting course risks deterring capital, as he urges ministers to hold firm on green transition Weakening or changing net zero policy would deter investors and spook financial markets, the UK government’s new climate adviser has warned. Nigel Topping, recently appointed chair of the climate change committee (CCC), said there was “robust evidence” the UK would benefit economically from strong climate policy, despite calls from some politicians to back down. Continue reading...
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Hedgehogs, salmon and birds at risk after dry summer, says Natural England (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Loss of spawning pools, insects and marshy habitats has had ‘catastrophic effect on our flora and fauna’ Hedgehogs, salmon and birds have been put at risk by this summer’s dry conditions, Natural England has said, as drought conditions continue. The government nature watchdog addressed the National Drought Group of government officials and stakeholders in its meeting on Monday to warn of the dire effect on wildlife the dry summer weather has had. Continue reading...
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New legal challenge to plan for Spurs football academy in London park (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Campaigners crowdfund £26,000 to seek judicial review of move to construct pitches in wildlife-rich area Campaigners are mounting another legal challenge to the building of a women’s football academy by Tottenham Hotspur on wildlife-rich parkland in north London. The Guardians of Whitewebbs group has successfully crowdfunded £26,000 to seek a judicial review of Enfield council’s granting of planning permission for the Spurs academy, which will include all-weather pitches, floodlights and a turf academy built on 53 hectares (130 acres) of Whitewebbs Park. Enfield council’s planning committee approved the proposals in February, despite local protests, on greenbelt parkland rich in bats, newts and mature trees. Continue reading...
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‘Bipartisan, common sense, science-based’: California leads the way in banning ultra-processed school meals (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Experts hope that a ‘California effect’ will push other states to ban UPFs, similar to its law against six synthetic food dyes California has long led the way on school meals. In 2022, it became the first state in the country to make school meals free for all students, regardless of income. Many districts have implemented farm-to-school programs to bring local foods into the cafeteria. And last year, months before the “Make America healthy again” movement would make its way to the White House, it became the first state in the nation to ban six synthetic food dyes from school meals. This week, it passed legislation that will put it in the lead on school meals in yet another way – banning ultra-processed foods. On Friday, California lawmakers passed a bill that will define, and then ban, ultra-processed foods from school meals. The legislation, which must now be signed by the governor, Gavin Newsom, is believed to include the first statutory definition of ultra-processed foods in the world. Continue reading...
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MI5 concedes it ‘unlawfully’ obtained data from former BBC journalist (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Revelation relating to then Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, a ‘matter of grave concern’ MI5 has conceded it “unlawfully” obtained the communications data of a former BBC journalist, in what was claimed to be an unprecedented admission from the security services. The BBC said it was a “matter of grave concern” that the agency had obtained communications data from the mobile phone of Vincent Kearney, a former BBC Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent. Continue reading...
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Family of man who died on Bibby Stockholm question mental health care (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Sisters of Leonard Farruku tell inquest his ‘mental state was clearly not right’ and ask why he was put on the barge The family of an asylum seeker who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge say they do not understand why a man “whose mental state was clearly not right” was moved there. An inquest into the death of Leonard Farruku, an Albanian asylum seeker whose body was found in a shower room on the barge in Portland Port on 12 December 2023, opened in Bournemouth on Monday. Continue reading...
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Eden Project architect Nicholas Grimshaw dies aged 85 (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Groundbreaking designs included the original Eurostar terminal in London and the Financial Times’s Printworks The architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, who designed the Eden Project in Cornwall and the original Eurostar terminal at Waterloo in London, has died aged 85. His company, Grimshaw, founded in 1980, was responsible for a series of groundbreaking buildings, the first of which was the Financial Times’s Printworks, which opened in 1988 and won several awards. It was Grade-II listed in 2016. Continue reading...
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‘Her light shone so brightly’: Southport attack inquiry hears parents’ memories of their daughters (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Mothers of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice da Silva Aguiar also speak of struggles with trauma and loss The parents of the three girls killed in the Southport attack have told the inquiry into their deaths of the unbridled joy their daughters brought them and the enduring trauma of their loss. “This should never have happened in a safe and just society,” said Jenni Stancombe, the mother of Elsie Dot Stancombe. “This cannot happen, no other parent should feel this pain.” Continue reading...
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Alleged cocaine-smuggling kingpin said to have earned €230m goes on trial (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Heavy security as Flor Bressers, 39, appears in Brussels court where 30 suspected accomplices will also be tried The alleged head of a large cocaine-smuggling operation, who was one of Europe’s most wanted men at the time of his arrest, has gone on trial in Brussels. Flor Bressers, 39, was flanked by heavily armed security officers when he arrived at the courtroom on Monday, dressed in a sharp suit and with slicked-back hair. Continue reading...
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‘Tinder Swindler’ Shimon Hayut arrested in Georgia on Interpol request (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Hayut, a convicted fraudster who was focus of a Netflix documentary, was detained on as-yet unknown grounds A convicted con artist who was the focus of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler has been arrested in Georgia on Interpol’s request, officials have said. Shimon Yehuda Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev, was taken into custody on Sunday as he arrived at Batumi international airport in the south-west of the country. Continue reading...
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Trump threatens national emergency to force Washington DC police cooperation (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Mayor halted support for immigration enforcement after president’s 30-day police takeover ended US politics – live updates Donald Trump on Monday threatened to again take control of Washington DC’s police department if the city did not cooperate with his plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. The president’s threat comes days after the expiration of a 30-day takeover of the Washington Metropolitan police department (MPD), which Trump ordered in response to his claim the capital was experiencing an “out of control” crime wave. He also ordered in national guard troops and federal agents, who remain in the city. Continue reading...
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First objects retrieved from wreck of Titanic’s sister ship in Greece (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Transatlantic passenger liner HMHS Britannic sank in 1916 after striking German mine off island of Kea Deep-sea divers have retrieved a first batch of objects from the Titanic’s sister ship, which sank off the coast of Greece in 1916, including a signal lamp, ceramic tiles and a pair of binoculars. The Greek culture ministry said on Monday that a research programme had involved “the retrieval of objects from the wreck site [of the HMHS Britannic] for the first time, from depths exceeding 120 metres [390ft].” Continue reading...
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‘We were being watched by the KGB’: how Scorpions made Wind of Change (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
‘A guy from our record company told me to take out the whistling. I said no way. When the song went through the roof, he came to me, bent over and said, “Kick my ass!”’ Being a West German band made playing the Soviet Union in the late 1980s particularly special. We’d grown up in a divided country and had tried many times to play in East Germany, but they would never let us in. When we did our first gig in what was then Leningrad, the atmosphere was a bit grey, not very colourful or rock’n’roll – but hearts started opening up over the course of the 10 gigs we did in the city. It ended up a bit like Beatlemania, with fans circling our cars after every show. Continue reading...
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‘I always wondered what it would be like up there’: artist Paul Cocksedge on his Nelson’s-eye view of London (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The London design festival installation uses AI to imagine the panorama from the top of the column, from the 1840s, through the Blitz and swinging 60s, and into the future Artist Paul Cocksedge is beaming from ear to ear in Trafalgar Square. It’s installation day for the sculpture he’s created for this year’s London design festival and, like the many other visitors to one of the capital’s best known public spaces, he’s enjoying the sunshine. His new work – What Nelson Sees – looks good in the bright light. The fused bundle of weathered steel industrial pipes is eye-catchingly at odds with the grand fountains, statues and Victorian pomp of the massive bronze lions. But this sculpture is completely site-specific: press a play button and look into one of the eyepieces embedded into three of the five pipes and you see images of the surrounding city from the viewpoint of naval commander Horatio Nelson’s statue 45m up in the sky. Keep watching and the eyepiece plays a film which runs through AI-generated imagery of the view since before Nelson’s Column was first erected and then goes on into a possible future of pedestrianised streets and rooftops covered in hydroponics. Continue reading...
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Solo review – joyful yet heartbreaking story of drag artist consumed by toxic relationships (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Théodore Pellerin is outstanding as Simon, a performer navigating a bullying boyfriend and a distant mother in Sophie Dupuis’s sad and celebratory film Théodore Pellerin is a star, and director Sophie Dupuis knows it. In their third film together, the rising Canadian actor is at once magnetic and utterly heartbreaking as Simon, a young gay artist honing a budding career as a drag queen. At night, he transforms into Glory Gore, a glittery vision dressed in exquisite costumes that have been lovingly designed by his sister Maude (Alice Moreault). Off stage, Simon is much less self-assured, despite his swagger. An unexpected visit from his absent mother Claire (Anne-Marie Cadieux), along with a toxic romance with fellow drag performer Olivier (Félix Maritaud), soon throw this sensitive soul into an emotional whirlpool. Dupuis’s astute writing keenly conveys the paradox of falling for a narcissistic manipulator. At first glance Olivier is a perfect creative and life partner, but soon whittles down Simon’s self-esteem with jabs about the latter’s talent and looks. As the relationship grows more dysfunctional, Dupuis pushes Pellerin to the edge of the frame, a visual correlation of his isolation among his real-life and drag family. Pellerin, moreover, embodies the character’s turmoil with stunning physicality; his quivering gaze betrays a vulnerability that starkly contrasts with his larger-than-life stage persona – and yet, like a boiling frog, he also luxuriates in the attention of his cruel lover. Continue reading...
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‘I laugh out loud’: why Johnny Stecchino is my feelgood movie (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The latest in our ongoing series of writers remembering their go-to comfort picks is a tribute to Roberto Benigni’s Italian comedy farce I’ve never been drawn to humour built on exaggerated mishaps. Roberto Benigni’s Italian comedy Johnny Stecchino is the exception. Yes, it’s farce, but it’s also sly social commentary, ridiculing the mafia without sanctifying its opposition, and playing with the gap between how things are and how they appear. Six years before his Oscar-winning role in Life is Beautiful introduced him to a global audience, Benigni wrote, directed and starred in this 1991 box office hit that instantly became a national classic. Stecchino is Italian for toothpick, and mafia boss Johnny Stecchino always has one between his lips, a prop that defines his swaggering persona. Continue reading...
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Queen of the Ring review – diner waitress turned first lady of the all-girl wrestling scene (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Genial, entertaining indie movie about Mildred ‘Millie’ Burke, a single mother who became America’s first millionaire sportswoman, is a good yarn In the coming months, there will be a lot of noise about it girl Sydney Sweeney’s transformation into boxer Christy Martin for David Michôd’s biopic Christy. A spoiler is proffered by this genial, roundly entertaining indie, which arrives with little fanfare yet goes on to demonstrate all any film requires is a good yarn and the right jobbing performers in place. It’s one of those stories you can’t believe hasn’t been filmed before: that of Mildred “Millie” Burke (played here by Emily Bett Rickards), a single mother and diner waitress who in the postwar era became America’s first millionaire sportswoman under the sobriquet of “the Kansas Cyclone”, first lady of the nascent all-girl wrestling scene. At a more confident moment, such material might have yielded a major studio vehicle perhaps for Demi Moore or Angelina Jolie. In this economy, a modest stipend has been afforded director Ash Avildsen (son of the late Rocky director John G Avildsen) to fashion something resembling a superior telemovie. Part of the fun is that Mildred and trainer/manager/on-off beau Billy “the Big Bad” Wolfe (Josh Lucas) are having to invent a sport on the hoof, girl-on-girl combat having been proscribed in certain states, with stuffed shirts convinced this just isn’t a woman’s place. The script – by Avildsen and Alston Ramsay, parsing Jeff Leen’s biography – has one pointed, self-sustaining running joke: wherever Mildred fights, the audience is full of contemporaries looking to unleash frustrated energies. Continue reading...
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Coldwater review – Andrew Lincoln’s wild Scottish thriller is top quality nonsense (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
The Walking Dead star plays a total berk who stumbles into a terrifying confrontation in the woods. It’s like Deliverance in the Highlands Andrew Lincoln has been Rick Grimes – the leader of a group of survivors of a zombie plague in Frank Darabont’s at first mesmeric and then mesmerically dull post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead – for 15 years. Off and on (and in a spin-off) but mostly on. Now, at last, he is free. He’s had a shower, a haircut and – thank God – cleared his throat after a decade and a half of rattling phlegmily through increasingly ropey scripts and pretending to care about his son Carl, and is appearing on stage in The Lady from the Sea at the Bridge theatre, London and on our screens in the fairly bananas thriller Coldwater. You can see what attracted Lincoln to the part. John is the anti-Grimes. We meet him (once the obligatory opening scene of the character covered in blood and running through some woods is over and we’ve flashed back to “Two months earlier”) fleeing the sight of a man in the playground beating up a woman, so panic-stricken that he leaves one of his two children there and has to go back for her. The family then moves to Scotland for a fresh start, although his high-flyer wife, Fiona (Indira Varma), seems far too intelligent for us to believe that she would countenance this as the answer to his post-playground PTSD and/or be married to a berk. Continue reading...
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LSO/Pappano review – big, bold and filled with blazing conviction (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Barbican Hall, London Bernstein’s Symphony No 3 evoked the Cuban missile crisis before Copland’s Third Symphony lifted us on a tide of postwar optimism This felt like a very LSO way for the London Symphony Orchestra to open its season: two 20th-century American symphonies, both of them big, bold showpieces with something to say about the time in which they were written. Bernstein’s Symphony No 3 has a huge role for a narrator who speaks words written by Bernstein himself, against a choral backdrop of the Jewish Kaddish prayer, sung in Hebrew and Aramaic. Composed either side of the Cuban missile crisis and dedicated to the memory of John F Kennedy, it is unmistakably a product of the anxieties of the early 1960s. But have those anxieties ever really gone away? Thanks to the blazing conviction of Antonio Pappano’s conducting it didn’t feel at all dated here. The playing was bright and precise, the London Symphony Chorus equally responsive in a piece full of challenges: at one point half a dozen of them had to become conductors, each directing a sub-group of their colleagues as they sang in different tempos and rhythmic patterns. The Tiffin Boys’ Choir proclaimed their first entry through cupped hands so as to cut through the heft of the orchestra, before joining in the dancing rhythms of the finale. At the work’s centre, the soprano soloist Katharina Konradi sang a serene lullaby. Continue reading...
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‘Did he really play on Petula Clark’s Downtown?’ Stewart Lee on his guitar hero Derek Bailey (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
He was a genius of improvised music, a performer who abandoned composition – and wondered why anyone would buy his records. Comedian Stewart Lee celebrates the eccentric life of his great inspiration Today’s episode of BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives is my third attempt to use my limited comedy fame to foist the non-idiomatic music-making of the Sheffield-born guitarist Derek Bailey on an unsuspecting public. In 2009, I chose Derek as my specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind, beating the comedian John Thomson, who chose James Bond villains. To be fair, I would also have won if I had done his round. I was getting questions like, “Which Japanese duo collaborated with Derek Bailey on the 1995 album Saisoro?” and John was getting, “What colour was Blofeld’s cat?” Musical minds immeasurably superior to mine have grappled more succinctly with the enigma of Derek, who died in 2005 at the age of 75. Writing in the Quietus four years ago, Jennifer Lucy Allan explained: “Derek Bailey is one antidote for anyone who thinks they’ll never understand improvised music. His guitar playing is that which requires a surrendering to your own ears. It is what it is, and that’s exactly what he intended it to be.” I, in turn, listen to Derek and think: “This, whatever it is, is resolutely and implacably this.” And that is what I, as a comedian, have tried to steal from it. Continue reading...
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‘Indie boy gone bad’: the Hidden Cameras on their kinky, clubland inspired new sound (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
From his early 00s ‘gay church folk music’ via country-tinged indie, Joel Gibb has always been an outlier. Now he is back with an album of synthy pop pumpers At a recent Monday night gig in London, Joel Gibb – AKA the Hidden Cameras – took to the stage with his acoustic guitar dressed in a sensible white shirt, looking for all the world as if he’d come straight from an office job. As he played a suite of Hidden Cameras songs old and new, the guitar was dropped, the shirt came undone then was removed, revealing a white vest. The room starting shaking to an electronic backing track, and things got sweaty. “It was a rebirth,” he says from a booth in the studio where he recorded new album of electronic pop pumpers Bronto, “like the indie boy gone bad.” The synth-driven purr and slink of Bronto makes for a startling shift from country-tinged last album Home on Native Land and the exuberant multi-instrumental pop with which the Hidden Cameras first emerged from Toronto, Canada in the early 2000s. This genre twist was thanks to the melodies largely being written in Gibb’s head on the house and techno dancefloors of Berlin, his home for the last two decades. “I kept singing the same refrains to myself over other tracks – the ‘ooh’ and the ‘ah’, the ‘ah’, the ‘ooh’,” he says, “what else are you going to do? Dance music is very empty, but dancing is meditative.” Continue reading...
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No other show gets as up-close-and-personal as this: best podcasts of the week (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The long-awaited return of the series about finding closure is a warm look at parental clutter. Plus, the incredible tale of Taj, who traces his roots from being kidnapped in India to being adopted in Utah Jonathan Goldstein’s narrative pod about regrets, mistakes and the pursuit of closure – cancelled by Spotify in 2023 – makes its return this week under the Pushkin banner, and it’s been worth the wait. Heavyweight does up-close-and-personal like few other shows, and this first episode – about a son’s fears around his parents’ cluttered house, and a plot to relocate their trinkets to a barn – is both warm and spiked with melancholy. Hannah J Davies Widely available, episodes weekly from Thu Continue reading...
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From shocking short stories to a talking foetus: Ian McEwan’s 10 best books – ranked! (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As the author’s future-set novel, What We Can Know, hits shelves, we assesses his top 10 works – from chilling short stories to Booker prize-winning satire Two old friends, composer Clive Linley and newspaper editor Vernon Halliday, meet at the funeral of charismatic Molly Lane, a former lover of both men (along with many other successful men of the time). This sharp 90s satire – the Conservatives have been in power for 17 years – has the misfortune of being McEwan’s only novel to win the Booker prize in his 50-year career, despite being widely considered one of his slightest. But it fizzes along like the champagne that is part of the euthanasia pact hatched by the two men in a plot that even the author conceded was “rather improbable”. New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani was right when she concluded that it was testament to the author’s skill that he had managed “to toss off a minor entertainment with such authority and aplomb” to win the gong he had so long deserved. Continue reading...
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Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang review – a daughter of China speaks again (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The bestselling author returns with an account of how her homeland has changed – and the personal costs of fame Remarkable success notoriously brings its own problems. Wild Swans, first published in 1991 and written by Jung Chang with the help of her husband, Irish-born historian and writer Jon Halliday, had a global impact few authors dare to dream of. It told the story of three generations of women in 20th-century China – Chang’s grandmother, her mother and herself – and became one of the most popular nonfiction books in history, selling more than 13m copies in 37 languages and collecting a fistful of awards and commendations. For any author, following that would be a challenge. Now, Fly, Wild Swans returns to the story, picking it up after Chang’s own departure from China in 1978, and revisiting episodes from the earlier work with added detail. Wild Swans was Chang’s second book: her first was a biography of Soong Ching-ling, the wife of the early 20th-century revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, which, she volunteers, had deservedly little impact. Wild Swans was different: animated by a powerful family story, set against the dramatic political background of war and revolution and enlivened by Halliday’s formidable narrative talent, it was an instant hit. Continue reading...
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91-year-old author Maureen Duffy wins Pioneer prize launched by Bernardine Evaristo (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The RSL president has set up a new literary award for female writers over 60 using the £100,000 she herself won through the Women’s prize Author Bernardine Evaristo is using the £100,000 she won through the Women’s prize outstanding contribution award to fund a new prize for “pioneering” British female writers over 60. The RSL Pioneer prize – administered by the Royal Society of Literature, of which Evaristo is president – will award £10,000 to 10 living writers over the next decade. The prize will honour women across all genres who “have been trailblazers in their field, especially in the past when it was more difficult for women to have successful careers as writers”, said the RSL. Continue reading...
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We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad review – a delicious follow-up to Bunny (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Scabrous satire drives this camp, goofy sequel about a cabal of writing students at an Ivy league university – its hot-boyfriend golems are adorable We Love You, Bunny, is the much-anticipated sequel to Mona Awad’s beloved campus horror/satire of 2019, Bunny. Both books are set at an Ivy League university in a crime-ridden New England town; from various well-seeded clues, we can identify this as Brown University. Here it is called Warren, because the Bunnyverse is unabashedly silly and self-referential. Rabbit jokes abound. The first book followed Samantha, an alienated, cash-strapped creative writing student cold-shouldered by her workshop cohort, a cabal of four ultra-feminine rich girls who all call each other Bunny. The Bunnies wear fluffy dresses, eat mini food and – as Samantha learns when she’s finally inducted into their cult – express their creativity through demonic rites that involve exploding rabbits. Samantha has to transcend them to find her voice as an artist. The story of Bunny is the result. Continue reading...
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EA Sports FC 26 preview – new play styles aim to tackle Fifa challenge (Thu, 11 Sep 2025)
After a lacklustre response to the 2025 edition, the game has gone all out to engage players and respond to user feedback In an open office space somewhere inside the vast Electronic Arts campus in Vancouver, dozens of people are gathered around multiple monitors playing EA Sports FC 26. Around them, as well as rows of football shirts from leagues all over the world, are PCs and monitors with staff watching feeds of the matches. The people playing are from EA’s Design Council, a group of pro players, influencers and fans who regularly come in to play new builds, ask questions and make suggestions. These councils have been running for years, but for this third addition to the EA Sports FC series, the successor to EA’s Fifa games, their input is apparently being treated more seriously than ever. The message to journalists, invited here to get a sneak look at the game, is that a lacklustre response to EA Sports FC 25 has meant that addressing user feedback is the main focus. EA has set up a new Player Feedback Portal, as well as a dedicated Discord channel, for fans to put forward their concerns. The developer has also introduced AI-powered social listening tools to monitor EA Sports FC chatter across various platforms including X, Instagram and YouTube. Continue reading...
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Hollow Knight: Silksong has caused bedlam in the gaming world – and the hype is justified (Wed, 10 Sep 2025)
In this week’s newsletter: the long-awaited release from the three-person Team Cherry studio has crashed gaming storefronts and put indie developers back in the spotlight Just one game has been dominating the gaming conversation over the past week: Hollow Knight Silksong, an eerie, atmospheric action game from a small developer in Australia called Team Cherry. It was finally released last Thursday after many years in development, and everybody is loving it. Hollow Knight was so popular that it crashed multiple gaming storefronts. With continual game cancellations, expensive failures and layoffs at bigger studios, this is the kind of indie triumph the industry loves to celebrate at the moment. But Silksong hasn’t come out of nowhere, and its success would not be easily reproducible for any other game, indie or not. If you’re wondering what this game actually is, then imagine a dark, mostly underground labyrinth of bug nests and abandoned caverns that gradually yields its secrets to a determined player. The art style and sound are minimalist and creepy (though not scary) in a Tim Burton kind of way, the enemy bugs are fierce and hard to defeat, your player character is another bug with a small, sharp needle-like blade. It blends elements of Metroid, Dark Souls and older challenging platform games, and the unique aesthetic and perfect precision of the controls are what make it stand out from a swarm of similar games. I rinsed the first Hollow Knight and I’m captivated by Silksong. I’ve spent 15 hours on it in three days, and it has made my thumbs hurt. Continue reading...
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Cronos: The New Dawn review – survival horror is dead on arrival (Wed, 10 Sep 2025)
PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2; Bloober TeamAn intriguing setup sees an unnamed protagonist time-travel to discover the origins of a devastating outbreak, but a stingy inventory and one-sided battles lead to frustration Bloober Team, the Polish developer behind 2021’s hugely underrated psycho-thriller The Medium and last year’s excellent Silent Hill 2 remake, clearly understands that there is an established, almost comforting rhythm to survival horror games. It’s baffling, then, to see this latest game excel in so many areas while failing spectacularly on several of the genre’s most basic tenets. You play an unnamed traveller, the latest of many, sent to gather information about a devastating outbreak that transformed the citizens of a town called New Dawn into the sort of misshapen monsters that have become the staple of sci-fi-adjacent survival horror: contorted of limb, long of fang, and ample of slobber. As you explore the stark, often beautifully devastated aftermath of the outbreak, you search for places where you can travel back through time to when all hell was breaking loose, extracting persons of interest who may shed light on the disaster. A slow-burn story is revealed through the usual assortment of voice notes, missives and grim environmental clues (often, as is de rigueur, daubed in blood on walls). Continue reading...
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Forget Tomb Raider and Uncharted, there’s a new generation of games about archaeology – sort of (Wed, 03 Sep 2025)
In this week’s newsletter: an archaeologist and gamer on why we love to walk around finding objects in-game and in real life The game I’m most looking forward to right now is Big Walk, the latest title from House House, creators of the brilliant Untitled Goose Game. A cooperative multiplayer adventure where players are let loose to explore an open world, I’m interested to see what emergent gameplay comes out of it. Could Big Walk allow for a kind of community archaeology with friends? I certainly hope so. When games use environmental storytelling in their design – from the positioning of objects to audio recordings or graffiti – they invite players to role play as archaeologists. Game designer Ben Esposito infamously joked back in 2016 that environmental storytelling is the “art of placing skulls near a toilet” – which might have been a jab at the tropes of games like the Fallout series, but his quip demonstrates how archaeological gaming narratives can be. After all, the incongruity of skulls and toilets is likely to lead to many questions and interpretations about the past in that game world, however ridiculous. Continue reading...
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Tosca review – Natalya Romaniw is riveting in WNO’s season-opener (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Wales Millennium Centre, CardiffThe Welsh-Ukrainian singer was in ravishing voice, and the orchestra brought richness to a reduced score, while Edward Dick’s production seemed chillingly relevant Welsh National Opera have opened their autumn season with the production Opera North premiered in 2018. So this Tosca is neither new to the company nor helped by the attention focused on last week’s Royal Opera House staging in which Anna Netrebko commanded the headlines. Here, the focus was on the Welsh-Ukrainian Natalya Romaniw, who three years ago made an acclaimed ROH debut in the career-defining title role. This was emphatically Romaniw’s night, every inch the absolute diva, in ravishing voice and investing her characterisation with such fine nuances of gesture and colouring of the words as to hold one riveted. It was certainly worthy of Sarah Bernhardt, for whom Victorien Sardou wrote his original play and whose performance inspired Puccini to compose his opera. Puccini’s faithfulness to the specific Roman locations and the historical facts of June 1800 in this period of the Napoleonic wars, would seem to preclude a contemporary setting elsewhere. Yet director Edward Dick’s allusions to the rise of the far right and the thuggery of the regime which chief of police, Baron Scarpia, represents are all too chillingly resonant of the political machinations and skullduggery that have only escalated globally in the seven years since Dick conceived his approach. Continue reading...
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Mozart’s Women: A Musical Journey review – Lauren Laverne helms an insight-free night that goes out with a bang (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Coliseum, London If you wanted to learn about the composer’s female influences, you would have been disappointed – but the arias eventually built to an electric climax English National Opera’s first season with one foot in London and one in Manchester begins in earnest with Rossini’s Cinderella at the end of the month. In the meantime, feeling like a kind of warmup, came this one-off concert. It was filmed for Sky Arts, the cameras so unobtrusive as to be almost unnoticeable, but was still an odd hybrid of an evening, with a talking-heads-and-bleeding-chunks format that seemed geared more to TV than to a theatre audience. We had excerpts from nine of Mozart’s operas, with the ENO orchestra and conductor Clelia Cafiero on stage behind, and with a cutely cliched, periwigged child Mozart occasionally popping up as a kind of silent host. If you wanted to learn much about the women in Mozart’s life you would probably have been disappointed, although several were at least mentioned in the informal scripted links from the presenter Lauren Laverne, who slipped into friendly interviewer mode to ask the singers for more personal contributions. It was a big ask of the singers, who were required to appear at ease as themselves on stage, offer seemingly unscripted insights into the microphone, and then switch seamlessly into character – often to portray that character at a moment of peak emotional stress. Continue reading...
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Small Acts of Love review – tragedy and tenderness in Lockerbie eulogy (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Citizens theatre, Glasgow The people of a small Scottish town offer hope to bereaved families in the aftermath of the 1988 bombing in a moving music-theatre show What a joy to hear applause again in the Citz. The theatre’s seven-year renovation has been hard. In that time, many have been lost, including the victims of the pandemic and, only last month, the mighty Giles Havergal , the company’s artistic director from 1969 to 2003. Fitting, then, that the opening production should be a requiem. Less a drama than a mass, it is a eulogy to those killed in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, the single biggest terrorist loss of life on UK territory. The powerful act one closing song has just three words: “Let us remember.” Continue reading...
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Creditors review – Charles Dance, Geraldine James and Nicholas Farrell get gasps and guffaws from Strindberg (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Orange Tree theatre, London Director Tom Littler finds the comedy in the Swedish tragedian’s play about how people use each other up in love and art In an interview before his production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, the director Michael Blakemore reported telling the cast to aim for “Strindberg with laughs”. The line suggests a gulf between the Swedish dark tragedian and English light comedian but the dramatists have a curious affinity. August Strindberg’s Creditors (1889) and Coward’s Private Lives (1930) both start in hotels where a troubled couple is haunted by a former marriage. It’s unclear if the influence was conscious but, if so, would have been apposite. Strindberg identified his drama as a “tragicomedy”, the genre in which, as Blakemore recognised, Coward is increasingly seen to belong. Continue reading...
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‘The live music bedrock has vanished’: gig venue closures from Oxford to Birmingham (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
In UK cities full of musicians, the fast-shrinking nightlife scene is leaving artists with nowhere to play. We asked how it is affecting our readers ‘There’s just not that much on offer in Cambridge,” says Ella Stranger, 22. “We’ll either just go to the pub, or go out in London, or honestly, not do anything at all.” Ella, who moved to Cambridge to study in 2020, says there has been “a real lack of spontaneity” to nightlife in the city since the Covid pandemic restrictions were lifted in 2021. “The main big venue is Cambridge Junction, with regional or UK DJs or acts, and tickets would be £20 to £30. So not really the type of thing that you would go to weekly,” she says. Continue reading...
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Photo booth fans chase down the vanishing machines: ‘Kissing inside one is really fun’ (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Analog obsessives flocked to the International Photobooth Convention in New York City to draw the curtains – and shoot their shots Holly Varah bartends at a dive in Port Townsend, Washington. Until this spring, she owned a photo booth. It was a private, almost confessional space, shut off from the bulk of the revelry in the bar’s side room. Soon after Varah bought the booth, someone directed her attention to its classic red curtains: the velvet drapes were short, coming down just above the hips of whoever sat in it, “so that you can’t get up to anything in there” – mainly sex or drugs. But Varah, who is 42, wanted her booth to be a space of indiscretion. “I immediately put a long curtain in,” she said. For five years, the bar had a house policy: take a nude inside the booth and receive a token for another free round. A person takes a photo at the Classic Photo Booth warehouse event in Old Bridge, New Jersey, as part of the International Photobooth Convention in New York City, on 30 August 2025. Continue reading...
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‘The old white patriarchy isn’t knocking on my door!’ Sandra Oh on joy, despair – and going viral with a euphoric dance (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
In her apocalyptic new film, everything’s sorted – but you have to die at the age of 50. The actor talks about tech shocks, doomscrolling and the agent who told her to go back to Canada This summer, Sandra Oh stood behind a lectern at a graduation ceremony in New Hampshire, preparing to give university-leavers words of hope at a time of permacrisis. She rose to the challenge, opening up about her past battles with depression and anxiety, before making a heartfelt case for embracing discomfort and kindness “so we can meet cruelty again and again and not lose our humanity”. This was increasingly important, she explained, when many world leaders “claim power through fear and oppression”. And then came the moment that would go viral. Oh instructed everyone to stand up and do something Cristina Yang, her career-making character on Grey’s Anatomy, used to do when times got tough. “Dance it out!” she exhorted as David Guetta’s Titanium washed over the crowd. “Remember this feeling!” “I was very, very, very nervous about it,” says Oh. “I worked really hard.” She had been putting herself into the mindset of 20-year-olds not just worried about their own futures but about the larger picture. “The world is burning!” she says, imagining their dark thoughts. “There’s wars all over! My heart is so heavy, so all I’m going to do is doomscroll.” But, crucially, Oh wanted her audience to find their way to joy – thus the dancing. “Sitting there trying to bear the pain in the world,” she says, neatly summing up the philosophy she shared that day, “will help you figure out how to be in the world.” Continue reading...
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Adolescence triumphs at the Emmys while The Studio breaks records (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Netflix drama dominated limited series categories as first season of Apple TV+ satire became most awarded comedy ever Full list of Emmy 2025 winners Emmys 2025 red carpet – in pictures Hannah Einbinder and Javier Bardem among Emmy stars to call for Gaza ceasefire Netflix’s breakout drama Adolescence has triumphed at this year’s Emmys, winning six awards. The series, which became the streamer’s second most-watched show ever, won for limited series, directing and writing and also picked up three acting awards. Continue reading...
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Welcome to Life Delivered. Inspiration and effortless living – powered by Ocado (Fri, 29 Aug 2025)
We’ve assembled some of the freshest voices in food to bring you their finest tips and shoppable picks, from dreamy dinners and alfresco feasts, to the simple joy of a punnet of strawberries Continue reading...
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Shish kebabs, peri peri chicken and antipasti: chef Hasan Semay’s barbecue feast (Thu, 31 Jul 2025)
True Turkish hospitality means providing more food and drink than your guests could ever consume. Here’s a great way to do it … with a little help from the 2024 Young MasterChef judge, best known as Big Has I spent a lot of my childhood sitting in the passenger seat of my dad Kamil’s Volvo, on the barbecue run, listening to Turkish radio. We would usually get the same things: chicken breasts for mum, boneless thighs for the rest of us, and some sort of lamb on the bone for dad. He would purposely butcher it poorly, leaving bits of meat on the bone to grill slowly and pick at as he cooked for the rest – a “trick” he had learned from his dad. My love for barbecues, cooking over live fire, and entertaining, definitely stems from him. Barbecues would always start with an impromptu announcement at the table after Sunday morning family breakfast. Mum would begrudgingly agree, knowing the mess my dad can produce in about 20 minutes. It didn’t take much persuading in my house to get the mangal [Turkish barbecue] lit. We didn’t need perfect blue skies. A dry day and enough sunlight to see us through to the evening would be enough to seal the deal, although dad has been known to barbecue under a tree in a bin bag if the weather didn’t cooperate. Continue reading...
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Summer hosting: everything you need for a dinner, a girls’ trip or a kids’ party (Tue, 29 Jul 2025)
Superhost and influencer Saff Michaelis loves nothing more than throwing a party. And if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s to let shops she trusts do some of the heavy lifting There is something so deliciously informal about summer hosting. Gone are the elaborate table lays, multiple courses and floral arrangements of the colder months. In exchange, we simply dust off the garden furniture, open a pack of olives and hope for the best. Picnics in the park segue straight into rosé-fuelled suppers – usually under the dappled shade of a tree your partner has been aspiring to prune since the sun first appeared. Through these little moments with family and friends, it becomes apparent that hosting is more than a hobby; it’s a love language. Independently of what’s served at the table, hosting is a way of providing meaningful in-person interactions in an age when much of our lives feel digitised and somewhat mundane. ‘Special moments demand a suitably special menu’ Continue reading...
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Life delivered: three Ocado regulars unpack the stories behind their weekly shop (Thu, 24 Jul 2025)
From fizz destined to make a girls’ night sparkle to a watermelon needed for an alfresco summer salad, we asked three shoppers to share the meaning behind their latest online order The meaning behind the choices we make can get lost in the rhythm of routine, particularly when it comes to the groceries we order week in, week out. But there’s a whole lot more than dinner in our shopping baskets, as these shoppers reveal. Even the most prosaic items can conjure a memory, speak to a value, or make good on an intention. It’s life, delivered by Ocado … Reena Mistry. Photographs: Helena Dolby Continue reading...
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Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for bibimbap with miso-peanut sauce | Quick & easy (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
A Korean-style rice bowl that’s ideal for using up vegetables – and to leave you with enough for lunch the next day I love bibimbap, the Korean rice bowls – they’re a great way to use up bits and pieces in the fridge; arrange them beautifully on a bowl of rice and top with an egg and Korean chilli sauce. I don’t always have gochugaru at home, so came up with this addictive miso-peanut chilli sauce instead. Roast the vegetables in some sesame oil in a tray, pop the rice in the microwave, boil or fry an egg, and that’s dinner sorted. Continue reading...
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The one change that worked: I went to a festival by myself and made peace with being perimenopausal (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As I reached my late-40s, I’d become anxious and risk-averse. A solo trip made me realise who I was again – and taught me to embrace the thrill of trying something new I used to pride myself on being a gung-ho kind of person, embracing change and thrills in life, whether that was travelling alone to South America or doing standup comedy. But, as my 40s progressed, I found myself becoming more cautious. I started to choose the safer option, such as booking a package holiday instead of a DIY adventure, or hesitating before sending a work email, worried it didn’t sound “right”. I felt anxiety, low mood and brain fog – all symptoms of perimenopause – creeping in. I was in what I would call a menopausal funk: weighed down by my feelings and my slightly aching body. I began experiencing this two years ago. I’m 47 now. Taking HRT (hormone replacement therapy) helped, but I felt as if I had reached a point in my life where I had to accept that I was just going to be a bit less “me” and not so brave. Continue reading...
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Who buys an MP3 player in 2025? Why music streaming doesn’t always cut it (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Nostalgic tech; autumn garden hacks; and what to wear when it rains • Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here When I was 18, I bought a heavily reduced MiniDisc player. This wasn’t even what you could charitably call “fashionably late”, given the format was already on its last legs, but I loved it, and because nobody else was interested, blank discs were dirt cheap. I have a vague recollection of grabbing packs at Poundland, allowing me to create a glorious self-curated library of cheap music, five years before the birth of Spotify. I’m reminded of this because this week I’ve published a piece on the Filter about the portable audio technology that killed them: MP3 players. Or digital audio players, to give them their more accurate name, given MP3 playback is just one of many supported file formats. The best beauty Advent calendars in 2025, tested (yes, we know it’s early!) The finishing touch: great buys for under £100 to lift your living space, chosen by interiors experts ‘It’s better than plastic and cheaper’: 20 sustainable swaps that worked (and saved you money) How to get your garden ready for autumn: 17 expert tips you can do now – and what to skip ‘The crunch? Spot on’: the best supermarket gherkins, tasted and rated What to take to university – and what to leave behind, according to students How to decorate your university room: 16 easy, affordable ways to make it feel like home Continue reading...
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How to get your garden ready for autumn: 17 expert tips you can do now – and what to skip (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Dry herbs, sow green manure, catch the rain: garden professionals share the simple jobs that will make all the difference come next spring • The best garden tools to make light work of autumn jobs The nights are drawing in, TV programming is kicking back into gear and there are ominous warnings about “party season”. However, that doesn’t mean we should ascribe to horticultural tradition and “put our gardens to bed”. There’s still plenty you can do in the garden to make the most of those crisp, bright autumnal afternoons and relish the offerings of the season to come. Whether squeezing some more joy out of the garden before it dies back for another winter or doing jobs your future spring self will thank you for, these are the things that define the season. Continue reading...
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The finishing touch: great buys for under £100 to lift your living space, chosen by interiors experts (Sat, 13 Sep 2025)
From statement pieces to functional furnishings, 16 experts select accessories that will light up your home without costing a fortune • The best bedding brands interiors experts use at home, from luxury linen to cool cotton The best thing about a beautifully decorated room is often not the most expensive. Though interior designers can work with generous budgets, the savvy ones also know how to spot great design in unlikely places (hello, B&Q). If you don’t have the budget for a full renovation, but still want to add a little design nous to your home, some help is at hand. We asked a range of experts in the interiors world for the pieces they’ve got their eye on – all of them less than £100. Continue reading...
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‘The crunch? Spot on’: the best supermarket gherkins, tasted and rated (Sat, 13 Sep 2025)
Combining both salty and sour flavours, gherkins act as a great elevator for many a dish or just as a standalone snack. But whose strikes the perfect balance? • From kimchi to kombucha, it’s easy to ferment at home. Here’s all the kit you need A jar of gherkins reminds me of the sea around the British Isles – murky, seaweed-green and mysterious – and of that bizarre marine animal, the sea cucumber (though sea gherkin would perhaps be more accurate, given how similar some species look). Gherkins also happen to be one of my favourite foods, though I usually eat them straight from the jar and rarely save any for all those recipes that benefit from their addition, from potato salads to bloody marys. I like a gherkin that puckers the mouth with a sour smack to the gustatory cortex. It should also be salty, but not overpoweringly so – some of those I tested tasted of salt, vinegar and not much else. Aromatics such as onion, mustard and dill intensify when pickled, so how much is used needs to be well considered; too much mustard or black pepper, say, catches in the throat, while too much red pepper turns the liquor soupy. Dill, however, is essential. Continue reading...
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Fish mint, Himalayan chives and berry pickle: how wild ingredients are transforming school lunches in India (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
In the remote state of Meghalaya, foraged foods are helping to diversify state-provided menus – and tackle chronic malnutrition Excited chatter and the clattering of steel plates drown out the din of the monsoon rains: it is lunchtime in Laitsohpliah government school in the north-east Indian state of Meghalaya. The food has been cooked on-site and is free for everyone, part of India’s ambitious “midday meal” – PM Poshan – programme to incentivise school enrolment. The scheme covers more than 1m state-run schools across the country, but the menu at Laitsohpliah is hyperlocal, thanks to a recent charity initiative in the state. A lunch of rice, dal, potatoes with east Himalayan chives, cured dry fish and sohryngkham, a wild berry pickle Continue reading...
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Chetna Makan’s recipes for corn on the cob curry and coriander mint chutney butter corn (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Enrich corn’s natural sweetness in a creamy and earthy curry, and in a fresh, herby chutney Inspired by a corn curry from Maharashtra, today’s recipe has the perfect umami flavour: a bit of heat from the chillies, some gentle sweetness from the sugar and lots of sourness from the lime juice, along with the creamy coconut milk and juicy corn. The sharpness of a fresh, herby chutney with salty butter, meanwhile, makes the perfect topping for barbecued corn on the cob. I often cook the corn straight on the hob, which is a bit tricky, but it’s how we did it when I was growing up in India. Continue reading...
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How to make fried tofu with chilli crisp – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
You don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy a hot, crisp nugget of deep-fried beancurd The New York Times once described raw tofu as having “the texture and disposition of a particularly upbeat sponge” – sauteeing, the writer decreed, was the only way to render the stuff “acceptable”. As it happens, I often eat the creamy, wobbly silken variety straight from the packet, but I wouldn’t disagree: you don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy a hot, crisp nugget of deep-fried beancurd. Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Serves 2 Continue reading...
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Anarchy in the IPA: as punk brewer’s sales stall, are we past peak BrewDog? (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
An embrace of private equity and publicity missteps have diluted the craft beer company’s original rebel ethos There comes a time in every punk’s life when they are no longer the snarling face of the avant garde. In the UK beer community, opinion is divided about exactly when that sobering moment arrived for BrewDog, the self-styled “punk” brewery founded in Scotland in 2007 whose once-fizzing sales are now turning flat. Continue reading...
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My wife and I had couples therapy on TV. It nearly wrecked our marriage (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
After Jessica and I received expert counselling from the hit show Couples Therapy, I became public enemy number one. Here’s what didn’t make it to the screen “You are the reason women hate men,” a woman commented on one of my Instagram posts. “You don’t deserve Jessica, you schmuck,” another said in a direct message on Facebook. “I hope you’ve gotten the help you need and set your poor wife free,” wrote a third. I am a novelist who relishes connecting with his audience. That disposition has suffered. The reason: three months ago, the US network Showtime aired the latest season of the documentary series Couples Therapy, on which my wife Jessica and I appeared as one of the pairs. Continue reading...
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The kindness of strangers: I felt self-conscious studying law, then a classmate praised my op-shop suit (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
It was a nice suit but it hadn’t exactly been tailored to fit me properly. Thanks to her, I walked into class with confidence Read more in the Kindness of strangers series I started law school in 1976. Gough Whitlam had abolished university fees, which meant a lot of older women who previously wouldn’t have been able to afford to study were arriving at uni for the first time. I was 17 and nursing an otherness of my own. One day in class, our lecturer asked everyone who had attended a private high school to raise their hand. The sea of arms that shot up revealed that, in a class of 30 people, I was the only one who’d come from a state school. The lecturer didn’t do this cruelly – he was making a point about lawyers being privileged people, and how that affects the legal system. But I nonetheless felt very confronted by the different world my peers came from. Continue reading...
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This is how we do it: ‘I want sex four or five times a day, but I’m learning to respect her libido’ (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Grace and Theo’s long-distance relationship – and mismatched libidos – puts pressure on their sex life, but they are learning to build intimacy • How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously “We’ve been getting to know each other and building intimacy in bursts of a few weeks at a time Continue reading...
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I’m ashamed of my daughter’s messy garden. Should I say something? | Ask Annalisa Barbieri (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Your concern may be an expression of care for your daughter – but you need to dig down into why you feel like this My daughter, aged nearly 50, lives in a pleasant cul-de-sac of privately owned houses. Her front garden is the only one in it that, frankly, looks a mess. The grass is never cut because she says it’s eco-friendly and has wild flowers. (Mainly dandelions and three prized wild orchids.) It’s a very small garden and is crammed with untended bushes, fruit trees and a central tree that takes all the light from her sitting room. Recently, she’s been given five large fruit bushes in pots, which straggle over the path. I would be very disappointed if I had such an eyesore next door to me. She’s a single mum with two sons who have recently left school, but she won’t let them tidy up her garden. We live three hours away, but always feel ashamed when we visit and push our way up the overgrown path. Does it matter or are we just pernickety old folk with outdated views? I’d appreciate another opinion. Continue reading...
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‘A lack of care’: how big companies still fail bereaved customers (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Those trying to report a death can face bureaucracy, costly delays and other shocking mistakes Ella Stevens* had steeled herself for the painful task of informing a string of companies that her mother had died. She notified her mother’s insurer, Direct Line. It responded by sending a letter to her late mother thanking her for letting it know of the change. When Stevens complained, Direct Line dispatched its apology and a goodwill cheque to her mother. Continue reading...
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Debt collectors keep pursuing me for a stranger’s bills (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Despite repeated emails, letters and calls, and hiring a solicitor, a reader is still mistaken for their namesake For 10 years I’ve been harassed by letters from debt collecting agents claiming I owe money to companies I have had no dealings with. I even found a county court judgment (CCJ) had been issued against me without my knowledge. It turns out I shared my maiden name with the person who does own the debt, although we have different middle names and live in different counties. I’ve repeatedly asked the debt collectors to remove me from their records. Continue reading...
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UK lender offers 98% mortgage to first-time buyers – but bars bank of mum and dad (Sat, 13 Sep 2025)
Newcastle building society aims for those with smaller deposits and no help hoping to get on to housing ladder First-time buyers are being offered the chance to borrow up to 98% of the price of a property – but they cannot get help with their deposit from the bank of mum and dad. Newcastle building society’s First Step mortgage is designed to help those who have been saving to get on the housing ladder. Continue reading...
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Tudor homes for sale in villages across England – in pictures (Fri, 12 Sep 2025)
From a grand Elizabethan hall to a timber-frame house offering ample parking, properties rich with detail Continue reading...
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This natural rubber yoga mat lasted me a decade of daily practice (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
The JadeYoga Harmony helped me unlock a new form of fitness, and stuck with me for the long haul Have a buy it for life product recommendation – or disagree with our review? Email thefilter.us@theguardian.com Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things. The original yogis didn’t have rubber mats, or foam ones, for that matter. They had bare ground, grass mats and animal skins, if they were lucky. So when my wife suggested I spend $90 on a natural rubber yoga mat like the one she had, I balked. Is that really necessary? It turns out the answer was yes. Ten years later, I’m still using the JadeYoga Harmony mat I sprang for, and I’m no longer a skeptic, I’m an evangelist. Natural rubber provides enough cushion for comfort, enough grip to safely push my limits, and the durability of a truck tire. Continue reading...
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Experience: my babies were born seven weeks apart (Fri, 12 Sep 2025)
After years of miscarriages, I had abandoned the prospect of giving birth. Then, as we prepared to conceive using a surrogate, the impossible happened The first time I miscarried, I blamed myself. After getting pregnant early on in our relationship, at 34, I had a flash of doubt that my partner Alex and I weren’t ready to be parents. Then, a few weeks later, the pregnancy was over. My second early loss, just a few months later, hit me harder. We went to a fertility specialist, and the tests on both of us came back clear, but then I couldn’t get pregnant at all. Continue reading...
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Does my vagina really need a ‘facial’? (Thu, 11 Sep 2025)
The idea that your vagina should smell as fresh as a daisy or look like a doll’s is an insult to your humanity and a hazard to your health Hi Ugly, I have been noticing a barrage of ads for “vaginal wellness” products: suppositories, balms and serums, and even a “vagi facial” at a local spa. What’s up with this? I was always taught that my vagina was self-cleaning and beautiful. Suddenly I am not so sure, and even find myself wondering if my labia are “normal” or in fact gross. Is this really happening? Why is this column called ‘Ask Ugly’? How should I be styling my pubic hair? How do I deal with imperfection? My father had plastic surgery. Now he wants me and my mother to get work done I want to ignore beauty culture. But I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t look a certain way Continue reading...
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Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people? – podcast (Thu, 11 Sep 2025)
The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row – a trend mirrored across the world, with two-thirds of the global population now living in countries with below-replacement-level fertility. In the second episode of a two-part series, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dean Spears, assistant professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr Jennifer Sciubba, chief executive of the Population Reference Bureau, to ask whether declining birth rates are really something to worry about – and how societies can adapt to a future with fewer children. Watch the new Guardian documentary Between Moon Tides Listen to episode one: are we on a path to depopulation? Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
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‘More of an attitude’: how 1985’s Buffalo look changed fashion for ever (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Created by photographer Jamie Morgan and stylist Ray Petri, the Buffalo look – tough, but also cinematic – was worn by Naomi Campbell, Neneh Cherry and Kate Moss. Morgan explains what it means, then and now Fashion’s historic references come and go. Currently, they might include Harrison Ford in shorts in the 1970s and 90s Oasis. But there are also some that are canon – such as Buffalo, the look masterminded by stylist Ray Petri and photographer Jamie Morgan in the mid-80s. Shaped largely through fashion shoots for the Face magazine, the duo created a look that reflected the culture and creativity of London at the time, but gave it the classy and cinematic feel of a Marlon Brando portrait or a shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson. This beautifully lit black-and-white photography of street-cast models and people – including a then-unknown Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Neneh Cherry and Nick Kamen, who later went on to star in Levi’s famous 1985 launderette advert – went on to shape both fashion photography and fashion. Continue reading...
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Cos takes centre stage at New York fashion week and Gwyneth Paltrow rebrands (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The high street brand moves beyond fast fashion with a brutalist collection, while Paltrow loses the gimmicks The headline act on day four of New York fashion week had all the hallmarks of a typical designer catwalk, including a pulsating soundtrack and a front row peppered with Hollywood stars. However, there was a twist. Instead of a luxury brand staging the show on Sunday, it was the high street label Cos. The Swedish label, founded in 2007 by the H&M group, welcomed guests including the British actors Jodie Turner-Smith and Naomi Watts as well as the singer Lauryn Hill to a former 1890s rope factory in Brooklyn. Continue reading...
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Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors show a breezy, romantic vision of the US (Sat, 13 Sep 2025)
The American dream has never looked more seductive, with long and loose summer wardrobes and beachy jewellery With the death of Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren became the world’s oldest major working fashion designer. The spotlight arrives with great timing for an 85-year-old on a hot streak. His brand is in better health than it has been for decades, with shares up 35% in 2025 and annual sales figures showing an 8% growth to $7.1bn (£1.25bn). On the first night of New York fashion week, Lauren hosted the curtain-raiser for a month of catwalks with a show in his Madison Avenue design studio. Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King chatted to Lauren’s family; Usher smiled broadly behind sunglasses, lounging on a plushly cushioned front row. Champagne was served on silver trays under twinkling chandeliers. In the fractious climate, with the US reeling from the shooting of the far-right activist Charlie Kirk, Ralph Lauren’s affable, charming vision of the American dream has never looked more seductive. Continue reading...
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‘It’s silent but does the heavy lifting’: the soft power of the white shirt (Fri, 12 Sep 2025)
The white shirt speaks of formality without trying too hard and is making a comeback on the catwalk and on screen Victoria Beckham has positioned herself as a pop star, mother, perfumier, TikToker and fashion designer. But whatever job next month’s Netflix documentary focuses on – details are scant, but it’s thought the early October series will end at her Paris catwalk show – she will always be scrutinised over how she looks. How to temper that? Wear a plain white shirt. The documentary poster released this week shows Beckham wearing a diamond tennis bracelet, open-collar white shirt – and nothing else. Last week, the Princess of Wales appeared in public at the Natural History Museum, also in a plain white shirt. Earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex launched her Netflix series in a white shirt (one of seven in fact), and when Taylor Swift recently announced her new album she did so wearing a white shirt. Laura Dern wore hers twice at the Venice film festival, and the woman with the most enviable wardrobe in fashion – Sarah Jessica Parker – chose a billowing version to promote her role as Booker prize judge. Continue reading...
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‘All of Sussex is laid out before us’: walking a new trail in the South Downs national park (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Perfect for a weekend getaway, the Petworth Way takes in historic estates, welcoming inns and spectacular views There are many ways to make an entrance, but lurching into a pub full of smartly dressed diners while windswept, muddy and more than a little frayed wouldn’t be my first choice. At 7.30pm on a sunny Sunday evening, the Welldiggers Arms – a country pub just outside Petworth in West Sussex – is full of people tucking into hearty roasts, the glass-walled restaurant overlooking glorious downland scenery, the sun all but disappeared behind the hills. For my husband, Mark, and I, it’s more than a stop for supper; the pub marks the halfway point on our two-day walking adventure along a brand new trail, the 25-mile Petworth Way. Twenty-five miles may not sound like much (I have keen walker friends who would do it in a day) but, for us, it’s the perfect length, with plenty of pubs along the way. The first leg, from Haslemere to Petworth, covers countryside we’re both entirely unfamiliar with; the second, Petworth to Arundel runs through landscapes I’ve known since childhood. Happily, the start and finish points can be reached by rail – meaning we can leave the car at home and set off with nothing but small rucksacks, water bottles and detailed printed instructions. Continue reading...
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Six of the best late-summer getaways in southern Europe and Morocco (Sat, 13 Sep 2025)
The sun is still shining but the crowds have gone … It’s the perfect time to head south, to gorgeous spots in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Morocco and Corsica The summer has left the water deliciously warm. We paddle into sea caves as stunning as cathedrals Continue reading...
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‘I’m here to help people, which gives me a superpower’: one man’s challenge to swim 10 Swiss lakes (Fri, 12 Sep 2025)
Neil Gilson is undertaking a huge mental and physical task to raise awareness of a neuropsychiatric condition that affected his son Jack The physical effort as he battles currents, coldness and wind is massive, but the mental challenge of ploughing on alone for hours on end is even more testing. Neil Gilson, a father of three from Devon, is about to set off on the next leg of his attempt to become the first person to swim the 10 largest lakes in Switzerland, a total of about 230 miles. Continue reading...
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‘A tantalising mystery’: could I find the standing stone on a Scottish island from a childhood photo? (Thu, 11 Sep 2025)
My mum gave me an old picture of me sitting on the cairn on Islay when I was 11. Forty years later, I set out to find it I don’t remember the picture being taken. Somewhere in Scotland, sometime in the 1980s. It has that hazy quality you get with old colour prints: warm but also somehow melancholy. I’m wearing blue jeans, white trainers, an army surplus jumper – and am perched on a standing stone. My mum gave me the photo when I turned 50. She found it up in the loft. Some of these childhood pictures, souvenirs of trips with my grandparents to historic sites, have the place names written on the back. This one was blank, a tantalising mystery. Though I didn’t recognise the location, something about the landscape and quality of light suggested it was Islay, an island I’d visited just once – when I was not quite 12. So I decided to see if I could find the spot, slipped the photograph into my notebook and set off. Continue reading...
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A new start after 60: I’d spent five decades travelling. Then I fell in love, got married and finally found a home (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Grady Harris spent his young life hitchhiking, working various jobs and playing in a band. When he met his future wife, he found his ‘bulwark’ and has never looked back On Grady Harris’s wedding day, his father, a Presbyterian preacher, presided over the vows. “And when my father told us to kiss, and we did, I felt a sense of joy that I’d never felt before,” Harris says. “I’ve had a life full of happiness … But that was a new joy.” Harris was 60, and marrying for the first time. Now 69, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Marcia Wood, 66, who has an art gallery in the city. At times, their relationship must have seemed unlikely – 12 years separated their first and second dates, and they met by chance through a long chain of friends of friends. Continue reading...
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Did you solve it? The simple T-puzzle that fools everyone (at first!) (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The answer to today’s T-zer Earlier today I set you a classic 19th century puzzle The T-puzzle Continue reading...
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‘Every soap had a villain, and I was the resident’: Neighbours’ Stefan Dennis on Strictly, showbiz and getting the sack (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
As Paul Robinson, he was one of Ramsay Street’s most notorious scoundrels. Now, he’s hoping to dazzle on the dancefloor. Here, he talks about the loss of his brother, leaving soap acting and his wildest storylines Stefan Dennis joined the cast of Neighbours as Paul Robinson, the git, for its first episode in 1985. He declines to tell me how old he was then. “See,” he says, with a glint of that Paul cunning: “That’s gonna give my age away if I tell you.” If I were to take a guess – looking at him today, in Boxpark in Wembley, pin neat and ready for anything (he could nip to the shops or go clubbing) in a Lacoste polo shirt, leaping on and off high chairs as gracefully as a cat, I would say early 60s. Wikipedia says he is 67 in October. My first and enduring impression is not his age, but the fact that he must, in some bigwig showrunner’s imagination, be this year’s Strictly Come Dancing crown prince. That’s just how it works – there are some irredeemably bad dancers who are fun to watch, there are some perfect physical specimens in their prime who look like the obvious contenders but then flame out, and then there’s the person who thinks they can’t cut a rug but has some inner dancer, that’s waited a lifetime to be activated, like a sleeper agent. Sorry to spoil it, everyone, but he is definitely that guy. Anyway, back to his age, which he insists is undisclosed. “The reason is, I was doing Flying Doctors …” This is the Australian drama about the outback. It was on in the daytime, if you were at school in the 80s you only watched it when you were ill, and I wonder how much the memory of it – very high drama, slightly terrifying, wide-open scenery, absolutely millions of sheep – was coloured by having a temperature. Anyway, Dennis was in the original miniseries but didn’t return for the series because, by that time, he was already Bad Paul in Neighbours. “And in the green room, I’m reading a magazine, and there was my wife on the cover, my first wife.” Continue reading...
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Google Pixel 10 Pro review: one of the very best smaller phones (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
Top-spec cameras, cutting edge AI, great software and stunning screen squeezed into a more manageable frame The Pixel 10 Pro is Google’s best phone that is still a pocketable, easy-to-handle size, taking the excellent Pixel 10 and beefing it up in the camera department. That makes it a contender for the top smaller phone with Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro, offering the best of Google’s hardware without an enormous screen. It is also the cheapest of three Pixel 10 Pro phones starting at £999 (€1,099/$999/A$1,699) sitting below the bigger 10 Pro XL and the tablet-phone hybrid the 10 Pro Fold. Continue reading...
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Between Moon Tides: hacking nature to save the saltmarsh sparrow documentary (Tue, 09 Sep 2025)
Sea levels are rising in New England at some of the fastest rates in the world. On a quiet ribbon of saltmarsh in Rhode Island, septuagenarian Deirdre isn’t prepared to accept the loss of her beloved saltmarsh sparrow - the species is facing extinction before 2050 due to elevated high tides inundating nests and drowning fledgling birds. Leading a team of citizen scientists, Deirdre unravels the secret to finding delicate nests amid thick marsh grass, while they design and deploy a low-cost ‘ark’ to try to raise the sparrow nests to safety. Continue reading...
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‘I kept asking: “Why? What did I do?”’ How come so many young, fit, non-smoking women are getting lung cancer? (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
For decades, lung cancer has been viewed as a disease of older men who smoked. Now, cases among young women are on the rise and doctors are baffled. Could air pollution be behind it? Towards the end of 2019, Becca Smith’s life was full and hectic. At 28, she had taken on a unit in Chester to convert into a yoga studio, poured in all her savings and hired teachers, while at the same time working as a personal trainer. Her days started at 5am; she was driven, stressed, excited, and had no time for the back pain that just would not subside. “It kept moving around,” she says. “Every day it would be in a different part of my back. I was strapping on heat packs and ice packs just to get to work.” Smith saw her GP, her physiotherapist and a chiropractor, all of whom suspected a torn muscle. “What really worried me,” she says, “the worst-case scenario, was a slipped disc.” One day in March 2020, the pain was so intense that Smith took to her bed, fell asleep and woke with a crashing migraine and blurred vision. Her mum took her to the optician who shone a light behind Smith’s eyes, saw haemorrhaging and sent her straight to the hospital. Once there, Smith was admitted, and over the course of a week, had an MRI, a CT scan, and a biopsy taken from the cells in her back. Continue reading...
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‘My conscience is clear’: Prince Harry on Ukraine, his family and the media (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Exclusive: The duke talks about the cost of war, his portrayal in the press and boxing as the Guardian joins him on a visit to Kyiv It’s about midnight. It’s raining. A small group is huddled around a lonely roadside cafe somewhere near the border between Poland and Ukraine, getting wet in the drizzle, sharing cartons of chips and bottles of beer. One of the bedraggled men wonders out loud why on earth the owner of the cafe would choose to close now, when surely this must have been the busiest it has ever been, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, with a captive and hungry audience. Continue reading...
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How to burst the Israeli bubble | Noam Sheizaf (Sun, 14 Sep 2025)
Recognizing a Palestinian state is a limited but welcome step that addresses an enduring blind spot: Palestinian rights cannot be conditioned on Israeli interests Throughout the two years of the Gaza war, Israeli bombing has been so intense that, in certain weather conditions, its echoes can be heard here in Tel Aviv, 70km away. The mass starvation is quieter. Even images of dead children rarely pierce Israel’s media bubble. The war appears in protests over the hostages, political debates, stickers with the faces of fallen soldiers on walls and bus stops. Palestinian suffering – by contrast – remains distant, abstract, unmoving. After two years, Israeli society is adapting: the army has developed a practice of not calling reservists who are likely to dodge the draft; instead, it turns to former soldiers in need of cash or employment, offering them to fill the ranks of its combat units. At times, special arrangements are made so that reservists can keep working in their old jobs, practically doubling their income. Civilian contractors are hired to systematically raze whole neighborhoods in the Strip; they are paid by the house. The IDF is becoming a new military, adjusted for permanent operations in Gaza, the West Bank and the northern borders. The rest of the public goes on with their lives. War is the new normal. Continue reading...
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Share your reflections on the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally that took place in London (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
We would like to hear from people on what they think the rally says, if anything, about politics in the UK More than 110,000 people took part in the “Unite the Kingdom” rally on Saturday in London, organised by the activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. The protest is thought to be the largest nationalist event in decades. We would like to hear your reflections on the far-right rally and what it says, if anything, about politics in the UK. Was it an event that brought people with different concerns together in frustration - or is it a sign that the far-right has become more mainstream? Did you witness the event or attend it? Are you surprised that this is happening in Britain? Continue reading...
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Young voters in the UK: share your views on the pressing political issues of the day (Thu, 11 Sep 2025)
The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to speak to young voters. If you are aged 18-29 we would like to get your view on pressing political issues The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking to speak to young voters. If you are aged 18-29 we would like to get your view on the pressing political issues of the day. We are particularly interested in speaking to people who plan to vote for the Conservative party or the Reform party in the next election. The idea is to ask your opinion on subjects like feminism, immigration policy and the welfare state. Interviews can be anonymous, if you would prefer to speak to us without revealing your identity. Continue reading...
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People in the UK: tell us how you have been affected by the rise in energy costs (Wed, 10 Sep 2025)
We would like to hear from people about how they are coping with their household energy bills According to a report by the Resolution foundation thinktank, around 1m households are behind on their gas and electricity bills with no repayment plan. This comes as energy debts have more than doubled in the last 12 years. We would like to hear from people about how they are coping. Are you struggling to pay your gas and electricity bills? If you have been unable to pay them, how long for and what has the response been like from your energy provider? Continue reading...
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Share your highlights from the V&A East Storehouse (Wed, 10 Sep 2025)
We would like to hear from visitors to the V&A East Storehouse about their highlights from the exhibition The V&A has launched a new exhibition space, the V&A East Storehouse in East London, where visitors can choose from over 250,000 objects and have one delivered to a room for a private viewing. A recent addition to the collection is the David Bowie Centre, containing the singer’s archive. Continue reading...
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Sign up for the First Edition newsletter: our free daily news email (Tue, 20 Sep 2022)
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean Scroll less, understand more: sign up to receive our news email each weekday for clarity on the top stories in the UK and across the world. Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you Continue reading...
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Sign up for the Feast newsletter: our free Guardian food email (Tue, 09 Jul 2019)
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas Each 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...
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Sign up for the Football Daily newsletter: our free football email (Mon, 14 Nov 2022)
Kick off your afternoon with the Guardian’s take on the world of football Every weekday, we’ll deliver a roundup the football news and gossip in our own belligerent, sometimes intelligent and – very occasionally – funny way. Still not convinced? Find out what you’re missing here. Try our other sports emails: there’s weekly catch-ups for cricket in The Spin and rugby union in The Breakdown, and our seven-day round-up of the best of our sports journalism in The Recap. Living in Australia? Try the Guardian Australia’s daily sports newsletter Continue reading...
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Sign up for the Guide newsletter: our free pop-culture email (Tue, 20 Sep 2022)
The best new music, film, TV, podcasts and more direct to your inbox, plus hidden gems and reader recommendations From Billie Eilish to Billie Piper, Succession to Spiderman and everything in between, subscribe and get exclusive arts journalism direct to your inbox. Gwilym Mumford provides an irreverent look at the goings on in pop culture every Friday, pointing you in the direction of the hot new releases and the best journalism from around the world. Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you Continue reading...
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A truck in a hole, a young cadet and a Belfast protest: photos of the day – Monday (Mon, 15 Sep 2025)
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
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