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The Guardian
Prince Andrew giving 'zero' cooperation to Epstein inquiry, say US prosecutors (lun., 27 janv. 2020)US attorney for southern district of New York says so far Andrew has not responded to a request for an interview Prince Andrew has provided “zero” cooperation with the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking inquiry, US prosecutors said on Monday, despite earlier promises to help investigations in any way possible. Speaking outside Epstein’s Manhattan mansion, Geoffrey Berman, US attorney for the southern district of New York, said the agencies had contacted Andrew regarding an interview, but that he had not yet agreed to provide one. Continue reading...
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Gary Lineker says BBC should make licence fee voluntary (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Highest-paid BBC presenter would raise cost for those who pay Lineker upset by Brexit but will not ‘keep going on about it’ Read Donald McRae’s full interview with Gary Lineker The BBC licence fee should become a voluntary charge, the Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker says, in comments that are likely to cause dismay at the national broadcaster as it faces a battle with the government over its future. Lineker, the highest-paid BBC star with earnings from the corporation of £1.75m in 2018-19, told the Guardian the licence fee was the broadcaster’s “fundamental problem” and in need of reform. Continue reading...
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Britons in Wuhan will be offered help to leave, Hancock tells MPs (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Health secretary says those who return will be asked to self-isolate as a precaution Up to 200 British citizens trapped in Wuhan will be offered repatriation to the UK, Matt Hancock has said, as cases of coronavirus continued to mount in the Chinese city. The health secretary told the House of Commons that the government was “rapidly advancing” plans to help citizens leave, and he urged any Britons in Hubei province to contact the Foreign Office. Continue reading...
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'Never forget': survivors of Holocaust mark 75th Auschwitz anniversary (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Memorial event in Westminster one of thousands held across the United Kingdom Survivors of the Holocaust in the UK and a second world war veteran have warned that the lessons of the atrocities that took place are being forgotten, as they marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. The national commemorative event in Westminster on Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) was attended by more than a dozen Holocaust and genocide survivors, as well as Boris Johnson, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and high profile political and religious figures. It was one of 10,000 events taking place to mark the day around the UK. Continue reading...
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Highways England's smart motorways policy killed drivers, says ex-minister (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
A report said recordings of 999 calls by stranded drivers on live lanes were ‘harrowing’ The ex-minister who signed off Britain’s smart motorways has called for the roll out of the scheme to be halted immediately, and accused Highways England of killing motorists by “casually ignoring commitments” on safety systems. Mike Penning, who was roads minister in 2010, spoke out as he and fellow MPs published a damning report on the motorways, which allow motorists to drive on the hard shoulder to increase capacity. Continue reading...
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Labour defeat due to gimmicks and division, say members (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Review led by Ed Miliband tasked with suggesting ways the party might find a path to power Gimmicky policies, horrible inefficiency and factional promotions are among the catalogue of errors behind Labour’s dismal performance at the general election, according to party members. The damning comments on Labour’s campaign forms part of an early release of views gathered by a team headed by the former party leader Ed Miliband consisting of MPs, union leaders and party members. They have tasked themselves with analysing Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign and suggest ways the party might find a future path back to power. Continue reading...
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Trump impeachment: president dismisses John Bolton's Ukraine claims as 'false' – live (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Bolton claims in book Trump linked Ukraine aid to Biden inquiry Impeachment trial resumes with Trump’s defense’s opening arguments Help us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution 9.05pm GMT Congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party over his opposition to Trump, criticized the president’s lawyers for ignoring news reports as they present their opening arguments. The defense team’s strategy rests on pretending that news doesn’t exist. 8.54pm GMT Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that he was not given “any advance notice” about John Bolton’s manuscript. “The Leader did not have any advance notice.” – spokesman for Leader McConnell on Bolton's manuscript Continue reading...
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Protests as Catalonia's leader stripped of voting rights (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Quim Torra will be unable to vote in parliament but will remain head of Catalan government Catalonia’s parliament has stripped the head of the region’s pro-independence government of his rights as a regional lawmaker, angering supporters who scuffled with police outside the assembly. The parliament’s speaker, Roger Torrent, said the assembly in Barcelona had to comply with a Spanish court ruling against regional leader Quim Torra to ensure future votes are not deemed invalid, but said he would seek ways to overturn the decision. Continue reading...
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Elderly abuse suspect could be allowed to starve himself to death, judge says (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Judge says there is evidence the man has mental capacity to decide to starve himself An elderly man who stopped eating after being accused of historical child sexual abuse could be allowed to starve himself to death, a judge has said. The man, in his late 80s, is at the centre of litigation in the court of protection, where issues relating to people who may lack the mental capacity to make decisions are considered. Continue reading...
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Ministers snub proposals to fund public-interest reporting (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Lady Morgan says government cash would damage press freedom Ministers have rejected proposals that state funding should be used to support public-interest journalism in the UK, saying that intervention by the government would damage a free press. Last year’s official review into the future of public interest journalism by Dame Frances Cairncross, which painted a dire picture of the financial state of British journalism and suggested it would be necessary for the state to support reporting which is essential to a functioning democracy. Continue reading...
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Global heating may lead to wine shortage (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Rise of 2C would cause 56% loss of vineyard land, while 4C would wipe out 85% From wildfires to rising tides, the climate crisis is already bringing many threats. Now scientists say it may also bring a shortage of many popular wines. Researchers looked at the land suitable for 11 popular varieties of wine grape and found that 2C (3.6F) of warming above pre-industrial levels – a rise the world is on track to exceed – would result in a 56% loss of suitable land within current wine-growing regions compared with the 1970s, before the most serious impacts of global heating. Continue reading...
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'Thou shalt not be indifferent': from Auschwitz's gate of hell, a last, desperate warning (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Humanity will soon be without first-hand witnesses of the depths to which it can sink. Survivors at the memorial knew that They came to bear witness one last time. Exactly 75 years after the Red Army’s liberation of Auschwitz, those who had seen humanity’s descent into hell returned to speak of it while they still could – and with a new, double urgency. They testified like people running out of time, aware that their own mortality is pressing in on them – and alarmed that the world needs to hear their message now more than ever. There were fewer than 200 of them at Monday’s international ceremony, confirmation that their ranks are becoming thinner and more frail with the passage of time. Feted as honoured guests in the place where once they were reviled inmates, even together they filled just a few rows. They were at the front of a vast marquee, large enough to house the iconic “gate of death” through which those men and women – almost all mere boys and girls at the time – had passed when it was not theatrically lit to make a spectacular backdrop for television, but when it had the power to terrify. Continue reading...
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Catharsis queen: how Billie Eilish became the voice of Gen Z – and the Grammys (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
With her radical style and songs of self-loathing, the singer has swept the board at this year’s biggest music awards – and inspired devotion from her fellow teenagers Just before Billie Eilish won album of the year at the Grammys on Sunday night, she was caught on camera. “Please don’t be me, please,” she appeared to be saying, as if appalled by her own success. It had been an extraordinary evening. The 18-year-old whispery pop innovator swept all of the “big four” categories – album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist – with her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. She became only the second person in history to do so – and the first woman and youngest person (the first person to win all four of these awards in one go was Christopher Cross, in 1981). She also broke a record previously held by Taylor Swift. A decade ago, Swift became the youngest person to win album of the year, aged 20. Eilish unseated her, with an offering that would never have seemed likely to seduce the mainstream. As her brother and collaborator Finneas explained in their acceptance speech: “We wrote an album about depression and suicidal thoughts and climate change … We stand up here confused and grateful.” Continue reading...
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'Door' Matt an inspired choice to take the Huawei hit | John Crace (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
It needed someone clueless to face questions on the first contentious decision of the parliament Alas poor Baroness Morgan of Cotes. Just imagine Lady Nicky’s distress at being prevented from answering an urgent question on Huawei by her elevation to the Lords. There again, if she hadn’t unexpectedly had greatness thrust upon her in return for an absence of conscience, it’s more than likely Common Nicky would have found a good reason not to turn up in parliament. Catching up with Homes Under the Hammer. Or checking she still existed on Google. Nothing trivial. After all, what cabinet minister in her right mind would want to face an awkward 45 minutes of interrogation by MPs from all sides of the house on the first really contentious decision of this parliament? So it was left to Matt Warman, the most junior member of the ministerial team at the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, to take the hit. A man who had been out of his depth writing previews of The Great British Bake Off while a journalist at the Daily Telegraph, but like so many other MPs has acquired the mysterious knack of failing upwards. A man who knows less about digital infrastructure than almost anyone else in government and yet has been delegated as minister for broadband. A dial-up minister for a 5G service. Continue reading...
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‘Tradwives’: the new trend for submissive women has a dark heart and history (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
A certain kind of housewife has found social media and is airing the details of their fight with feminism. But maybe they should tone it down a notch What exciting trends are happening in the matrimonial sector? Kara, by email A thrilling new trend has emerged, and it’s as seismic as the New Look was in 40s fashion, or the emergence of Mediterranean cooking in 90s Britain: it’s called being a housewife. Continue reading...
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The disease always gets a head start: how to handle an epidemic (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Outbreaks such as coronavirus, Sars and Ebola have taught us communication is key, and that the world is only as strong as its weakest health system A patient presents at an emergency department somewhere in the world. They are feverish and vomiting. Doctors suspect it is influenza, but they are wrong. When the outbreak of a virulent new disease such as the coronavirus is identified, the starting gun is fired on a vast, multimillion-dollar international effort to try to contain it. Continue reading...
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Grenfell Tower inquiry: what we learned as second phase begins (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Key revelations from the public hearing as the focus moves on to the combustible cladding Grenfell cladding maker ‘knew it fell below safety standard’ Almost none of the corporate entities involved as client, consultant or contractor in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment are accepting much blame for the disaster and have ignored pleas from the inquiry not to engage in “a merry-go-round of buck-passing”, said the lead counsel to the inquiry, Richard Millett QC. Continue reading...
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Survivor: how we made Eye of the Tiger (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
‘Sylvester Stallone said it didn’t have balls. So we raised it one decibel – and he loved it’ Survivor had released two albums, neither of which had done particularly well, and we were worried our label was going to drop us. One day I came home, pressed play on the answering machine and I heard: “Yo Jim, give me a call, it’s Sylvester Stallone.” I went: “Yeah, right.” Continue reading...
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Huawei decision weighs technological benefits against political risks (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
US has been lobbying hard against Chinese firm but has yet to give UK a good enough reason to change stance Boris Johnson is expected to meet members of the national security council on Tuesday to decide whether the Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei should be allowed to supply equipment for the UK’s 5G mobile phone networks. Intelligence services and armed forces chiefs will be on hand to give advice, but the final decision will be taken by a core group of politicians including Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, Priti Patel, the home secretary, and the defence secretary, Ben Wallace. Continue reading...
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Life after Auschwitz | podcast (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Ivor Perl and Susan Pollack were 12 and 13 when they were transported to Auschwitz. On the 75th anniversary of the concentration camp’s liberation, they tell their stories On 27 January 1945 Soviet soldiers entered the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp in south-west Poland. The site had been evacuated by the Nazis just days earlier. Thus ended the largest mass murder in a single location in human history. Precise numbers are still debated, but according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, the German SS systematically killed at least 960,000 of the 1.1 million to 1.3 million Jews sent to the camp. Other victims included approximately 74,000 Poles, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 Soviet PoWs and at least 10,000 from other nationalities. More people died at Auschwitz than at any other Nazi concentration camp. Continue reading...
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How did Isabel dos Santos become Africa's richest woman? (Fri, 24 Jan 2020)
Dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of the former president of Angola, claims to be a self-made businesswoman, but the Luanda Leaks, a cache of 715,000 emails, charts, contracts, audits and accounts, help explain how she actually built her business empire. Plus, why are California’s oldest trees dying? Isabel dos Santos amassed a fortune estimated at $2.2bn (£1.7bn) while her father, José Eduardo dos Santos, was president of Angola. She is now battling allegations of corruption and nepotism following the publication of Luanda Leaks, an investigation by the Guardian and other media led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Guardian investigative journalist Juliette Garside tells Rachel Humphreys how Dos Santos has ended up being named as a formal suspect in a criminal investigation. She denies all wrongdoing. Continue reading...
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Peak meat: is veganism the future? (Thu, 23 Jan 2020)
Marco Springmann, a public health expert, tells Anushka Asthana why cutting out animal products is the best route to a healthy diet – and why veganism is good for the planet. Plus: Alex Hern on the Guardian’s exclusive story of how the Amazon chief, Jeff Bezos, allegedly had his phone hacked after receiving a WhatsApp message apparently sent from the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Veganism is having a moment. From ‘Veganuary’ promotions to whole lines of products in fast food retailers such as KFC and Greggs, there is a concerted effort to lure customers away from meat and dairy. But with the boom comes a deluge of quackery and misinformation. In this episode Marco Springmann, a public health researcher at Oxford University, separates fact from fiction. He tells Anushka Asthana what the data says about the health and environmental impact of veganism and cutting out meat and other animal products. Continue reading...
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As Labour’s deputy leader, I would rebuild trust with the nation | Rosena Allin-Khan (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Many former Labour voters feel unrepresented. That has to change The Labour party has shaped who I am today. It has helped provide me with the opportunity to train as a doctor and has given me and my family life chances we otherwise would not have had. I want everyone to experience these opportunities. It deeply saddens me to see a lost generation for whom the door closed on their dreams and ambitions on 12 December. Growing up poor and cold while my single mum worked three jobs to support me and my brother taught me the reality of day-to-day life for many people in the UK. Continue reading...
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Henny Beaumont on the commemorative Brexit 50p launch — cartoon (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
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The Guardian view on the Grenfell inquiry: trust must be rebuilt | Editorial (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
New evidence about the refurbishment proves how vital the troubled inquiry into the disaster’s causes is Along with strong criticism of the London fire brigade, and heartrending testimony about the 72 people who died, the most dramatic finding of the Grenfell Tower inquiry’s first phase was that cladding panels fitted around the west London block of flats not only contributed to but “actively promoted” the fire’s rapid spread. On Monday the inquiry’s second phase opened with the revelation that Arconic, the cladding system’s manufacturer, knew five years before Grenfell’s refurbishment that its panels were “not suitable for use on building facades” in Europe because they did not meet safety standards. When much of the argument about the disaster’s causes is unavoidably technical, involving as it does details of construction contracts and building regulation, such straightforward language has an immediate impact. A series of emails from an Arconic official, cited in a statement from the main building contractor, Rydon, referred to the “bad behaviour” of the Reynobond PE 55 panels when fitted in cassette form – as they were at Grenfell – and added that it expected them to be put “out of market”. The inquiry also heard that Celotex, the company which made the insulation used on Grenfell, was concerned in 2013 about how the material would behave in a fire when used behind cladding. Continue reading...
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I have lived my life in the shadow of Auschwitz. This is what it has meant | Jason Stanley (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The Nazi death camp was liberated 75 years ago, but across the world its malign influence lives on My uncle Max survived several years in Auschwitz. I was not close to my uncle. When we visited my first cousins in their house on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, he was often in the basement – as a tailor, a trade he learned in a camp for displaced persons, he liked to work long hours. Once, catching me for some unfathomable reason singing Deutschland, Deutschland über alles at age nine or so, he told me about a day in Auschwitz. From that point on, I was frightened that he would tell me more, and avoided him. Max died of a heart attack in his late 50s. Except for his relationship with my cousins, with whom I was then so close, he did not play much of a role in my life. But Auschwitz did. Continue reading...
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Huawei should get a limited 5G role – the US trade deal can wait | Nils Pratley (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
A security issue should see Boris Johnson back his security advisers, even if it makes Trump furious Should Chinese firm Huawei’s kit be banned from the UK’s 5G network? As with HS2, Boris Johnson is guaranteed to end up infuriating one side of the argument. The stakes, though, are substantially higher here, whatever the prime minister says about his hopes for compromise. One route could lead to trade conflict with the US. The other could pile costs on to the UK’s 5G network, with a knock-on impact on UK competitiveness. Related: Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of 'doing a runner' on Huawei Continue reading...
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We should thank Fergal Keane for bearing witness to unbearable horrors | Suzanne Moore (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The BBC reporter has revealed that his work has left him with PTSD. On Holocaust Memorial Day, we should remember the debt we owe to those who have experienced dreadful things on our behalf Trauma, like its sibling stress, is a much-overused word these days. People are “stressed” by a full inbox or “traumatised” because they left their phone in an Uber. Maybe we underplay the reality of trauma because we cannot look it in the face. Our streets are full of bundles of rags in sleeping bags, with people inside. We could ask them about the trauma of abuse or addiction, but we scuttle past. This is not a blame game – we all cope by shutting down. But what if you can’t shut down? What if you can’t forget? What if the horrors you have seen can’t be put in a box marked “the past”, but are ever-present? Then you are in trouble. It was tremendously brave, even for a brave man such as the BBC reporter Fergal Keane, to talk about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Keane had been dealing with this after decades of reporting from conflict zones all over the world. His colleague Jeremy Bowen has spoken of long period of depression and PTSD after his many years in the Middle East. Continue reading...
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Bournemouth v Arsenal: FA Cup fourth round – live! (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
FA Cup updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off Fifth-round draw: Chelsea to face either Liverpool or Shrewsbury FA Cup fourth round: 10 talking points from the weekend Any thoughts? Email Simon or tweet @simon_burnton 9.17pm GMT 60 mins: It did look like Mustafi landed very awkwardly on his left foot, and that his ankle might very well be genuinely sore. Though of course he could just be timewasting. 9.16pm GMT 58 mins: The ball bounces towards Arsenal’s penalty area, with Solanke bustling around threateningly. Martinez comes out and goes to head it, Mustafi beats him to it, and the defender ends up on the ground, clutching his left shin. Bournemouth don’t profit from all of this panic. Continue reading...
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Gary Lineker: ‘Put my 1990 team against a modern team and we’d get murdered’ (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
BBC presenter and former striker on how VAR must change, his views on Klopp and Guardiola, Brexit ‘lies’ and why the licence fee should be voluntary Gary Lineker is surprisingly cheerful in his kitchen. He has even made us chicken soup for lunch which, on a midwinter afternoon, is as tasty as it is comforting. The world outside might be reeling but here, in the affluent enclave of Barnes, it is easier to feel sanguine. As the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, Lineker is seemingly insulated from the world’s miseries and woes. Yet he is also one of the most politically outspoken and compassionate people in British sport and, as a waspish critic of Brexit, he is entitled to feel gloomy that the UK will leave the European Union on Friday. Instead, he is resigned to a reality he has argued against for four years. “I find it difficult to comprehend,” Lineker says. “But it’s a done deal, so get on with it now. I don’t tweet about it any more. Some people keep going on about it – but I’m not going to bother saying: ‘I told you so.’” Continue reading...
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Kobe Bryant obituary (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Basketball superstar who achieved global fame with two Olympic gold medals and five NBA titles during 20 years at the LA Lakers Kobe Bryant, who has died aged 41 in a helicopter crash, was a basketball phenomenon – a transcendent, if enigmatic, superstar whose rare talent bridged the gap between Michael Jordan and LeBron James in America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) and in the global sport basketball has become. Bryant had retired only three years before his death, after a 20-year career in the NBA, all of it with the league’s most glamorous team, the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he signed his first contract when he was only 17. Five NBA championships and one Most Valuable Player (MVP) award later, he retired with the third-highest total of points in league history, 33,643, the youngest player to cross that 30,000 barrier; his total was overtaken by James on the day before Bryant died. Continue reading...
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Mark Wood takes four as England thrash South Africa and claim 3-1 series win (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
• Fourth Test, day four: England 400 & 248; South Africa 183 & 274 • England win by 191 runs as hosts collapse at the Wanderers The dynamic Durham pace duo, who are never seen at Chester-le-Street, bowled England to victory on the hottest, steamiest day of the series. Ben Stokes and Mark Wood shared six wickets as England completed yet another emphatic Test win to seal the series 3-1. Here the margin was 191 runs – it was 189 runs in Cape Town and an innings and 53 runs in Port Elizabeth. The Test at Centurion now seems a century ago. The Durham monopoly extended to the end-of-series celebrations. Wood finished with nine wickets in the game and was given the man of the match award; Stokes was the man of the series. He has long since given up any hope of anonymity. Continue reading...
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FA Cup fifth-round draw: Chelsea to face either Liverpool or Shrewsbury (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Liverpool (if they qualify), Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal (if they qualify) will all play away in round five Bournemouth v Arsenal: FA Cup fourth round - live! 7.45pm GMT Wayne Rooney has been handed the chance of facing his former club – if Derby County can overcome Northampton in their FA Cup fourth-round replay. Manchester United were paired with a trip to either Rooney’s current Championship side or Keith Curle’s League Two Northampton in the fifth round draw. Rooney – after signing for Derby in the January window – has already had a hand in disposing of a Premier League side, playing a key role in the 1-0 third-round victory over Crystal Palace earlier this month. 7.30pm GMT And with that, this liveblog is concluded. Do join me for Bournemouth v Arsenal here. Bye! Related: Bournemouth v Arsenal: FA Cup fourth round – live! Continue reading...
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Mourn Kobe Bryant or don't: but mourn the whole, flawed man (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The NBA superstar was, by all accounts, a good father and a family man. But we must not erase the allegations of sexual assault leveled against him Mourn him because he was transcendent on the court. Mourn him because he was so young when he was killed on Sunday, just 41, embarking on a post-basketball career poised to be as unexpected as it was impressive. Related: Kobe Bryant obituary Continue reading...
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Jettisoning Jos Buttler from England’s Test side would be hasty and foolish | Jonathan Liew (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
England’s golden sapling has been underperforming in South Africa but it would be silly to apply normal rules to one of the sport’s most thrilling talents Spoiler alert: it’s Joe Denly next. And then Zak Crawley. Then, it’ll be time for Ben Stokes to be taken down a peg. Then probably Dom Sibley. Then, sometime next summer, Rory Burns or Jofra Archer. Then Denly again. Welcome to the England Test team in 2020, a toxic chalice of confected jeopardy in which somebody must always be in crisis. Somebody – anybody – must always be hovering just above the trapdoor. Right now, it’s Jos Buttler. Poor Jos: England’s golden sapling (and, just six months ago, their presumptive next captain in all formats) withered to a sad husk. Even as England cruised to a comfortable victory over South Africa, Buttler emitted the heavy-headed dolour of a man who suspects his time may be at hand. Continue reading...
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Circumcision: 'Penises are a taboo subject' | Modern Masculinity – video (Thu, 23 Jan 2020)
In this episode of Modern Masculinity, Guardian journalist Iman Amrani speaks to men about male circumcision. A third of men around the world are thought to have been circumcised with a rate of 8% in the UK and 70% in the US. Amrani speaks to men in London and New York on either side of the circumcision debate, including the actor and comedian Tom Rosenthal, the mohel Cantor Philip Sherman, who has carried out 20,000 rites, and film-maker Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon Watch the first episode Why is UFC so popular with men? | Modern Masculinity Tom Rosenthal's standup show, Manhood, is on tour in the UK Continue reading...
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Kobe Bryant leaves memories of stellar basketball career – video obituary (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Kobe Bryant, who has died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41, was a basketball prodigy, spending his entire storied career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five NBA championships. The Lakers star, nicknamed the Black Mamba, scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second-highest in NBA history. Bryant has been mourned by Magic Johnson as 'the greatest Laker of all time' and an inspiration to a generation of young players, but his reputation was tarnished by an accusation of rape in 2003. He was killed with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed outside Los Angeles on Sunday morning. Kobe Bryant: LA Lakers star killed in helicopter crash – live updates Continue reading...
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'I had no idea hot summers could kill': how 'climate apartheid' divides Delhi – video (Wed, 22 Jan 2020)
As the Earth continues to break new heat records, the UN is warning of a 'climate apartheid' between those who can afford to keep themselves cool and those who must live, work, suffer – and sometimes die – in the heat. In Delhi, where a heatwave of 48C recently killed 100 people, some workers have already paid the ultimate price Continue reading...
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Why 'stronger borders' don't work (Tue, 21 Jan 2020)
Thousands of people die annually trying to cross borders. It’s often argued stronger borders and more checks would deter people from making dangerous crossings. But how accurate is this? Maya Goodfellow explores what the current border regime means for people seeking asylum Continue reading...
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Jeff Bezos, the Saudi crown prince, and the alleged phone-hacking plot – video explainer (Wed, 22 Jan 2020)
The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone 'hacked' in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, sources have told the Guardian. Investigations reporter Stephanie Kirchgaessner analyses the background of the case and possible reasons why the Washington Post owner was targeted. Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement in the matter Revealed: the Saudi heir and the alleged plot to undermine Jeff Bezos Continue reading...
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Why it could take a century for Australia's animals to recover from the bushfires – video explainer (Wed, 22 Jan 2020)
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT OF DEAD ANIMALS An estimated 1 billion animals have been killed during or as a result of Australia's catastrophic bushfire season, and experts fear some species now face extinction. Huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and other species have been lost, with images of burned koalas and kangaroos fleeing the fire front beamed around the world. Slow-moving native animals have been hit particularly hard. 'We really sleepwalked into this disaster,' says University of Sydney ecology professor Christopher Dickman, who explains what the crisis means for the country's wildlife and why it may take up to 100 years for the ecosystems the animals depend on to bounce back. More than 100 threatened species hit hard by Australian bushfires, pushing many towards extinction Podcast: will native animals recover from this bushfire season? Continue reading...
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Grenfell cladding maker 'knew it fell below safety standard' (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Arconic was aware panels were being used on tower and were unsuitable, inquiry is told Grenfell Tower inquiry: what we learned as second phase begins The company that made the cladding panels used on Grenfell Tower knew in 2011 they were “not suitable for use on building facades” and performed worse in fire tests than declared on safety certificates, a public inquiry into the disaster has heard. On the opening day of the second phase of the inquiry into the blaze that killed 72 people, bereaved relatives and survivors heard claims that Arconic knew the fire performance of its Reynobond polyethylene-filled panels was below the minimum required for facades in Europe, but the panels went on to be used on Grenfell with the knowledge of the multibillion-dollar US conglomerate. Continue reading...
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'Laughing stock': letter from clergy attacks C of E's guidance on sex (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Almost 3,000 signatories criticise decree that sex is only for married heterosexuals Almost 3,000 people, including nearly 800 members of the clergy, have signed an open letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, saying guidance issued by bishops last week saying sex is only for married heterosexuals has made the Church of England a “laughing stock”. The signatories express “anger and disappointment” at the bishops’ “pastoral statement”, which says a same sex or opposite sex civil partnership should be celibate. Continue reading...
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Barnier refutes Johnson's claims over Irish Sea trade checks (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
EU’s chief negotiator says UK agreed to checks as part of withdrawal agreement The EU has rejected Boris Johnson’s claims that there will be no checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after Brexit, with Michel Barnier warning such checks are not dispensable. Days after the prime minister said there would “emphatically” be no checks on trade across the Irish Sea, the EU’s chief negotiator told an audience in Belfast that the UK had agreed to them as part of a “creative and flexible” solution to the Irish border question. Continue reading...
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'Systemic failure' led to misdiagnosis of woman with cervical cancer (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Kevin O’Connor raises concern about NHS trust’s ability to learn from wife’s death The husband of a nurse who died from cervical cancer after she was wrongly told that a smear test and biopsy were normal has expressed concern at her inquest that there could be many other “victims”. Julie O’Connor, 49, from Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, repeatedly went to see her GP over a 14-month period, complaining of gynaecological problems, and was referred three times to Southmead hospital in Bristol for further tests. Continue reading...
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Boris Johnson hints at compromise over Huawei and 5G (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
PM says solution will allow technological progress but not jeopardise US relationship Boris Johnson has signalled that he wants Huawei to be deployed in British 5G mobile networks in defiance of US objections and widespread concern from party colleagues that doing so would create a long-term surveillance risk. The prime minister said he would unveil a compromise plan to restrict the Chinese company’s role in 5G, although it has to be accepted by senior cabinet ministers at a crunch meeting of the national security council (NSC) on Tuesday. Continue reading...
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Nicola Sturgeon calls for Scotland to have own immigration powers (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
First minister says country needs strategy to tackle falling birth rate and Brexit impact Latest politics news – live updates Nicola Sturgeon has called for Scotland to have its own visa and immigration strategy to deal with the country’s falling birth rate and the impacts of Brexit. The first minister urged the UK government to start talks on devolving migration powers to the Scottish parliament, to allow it to introduce a flexible “Scottish visa” without the tight restrictions in force across the rest of the UK. Continue reading...
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Sexism and gender divide ingrained in UK theatre, study claims (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Researchers say gender gap has grown in some areas and accuse Arts Council of ignoring it British theatre has an institutional problem with sexism and gender inequality, according to the authors of a study who say Arts Council England (ACE) is ignoring the issue and failing to help redress the balance. The research – conducted by the playwright Jennifer Tuckett and the Sphinx Theatre Company – paints a bleak picture of British theatre, with a bigger gender gap in certain areas compared with eight years ago, when the Guardian conducted an in-depth study of the issue. Continue reading...
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Philip Hammond joins British bank OakNorth as adviser (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Job with fintech startup is former chancellor’s second since stepping down as MP The former chancellor Philip Hammond has taken his second job since quitting frontline politics last year, joining the British business bank OakNorth as an adviser. OakNorth lends to small businesses and operates a technology platform that helps lenders make decisions, which it has licensed to banks worldwide. It is backed by investors including the Japanese SoftBank Vision Fund, which in turn is backed by Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund. At the time of its last fundraising, London-based Oaknorth was valued at $2.8bn. Continue reading...
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Terror police list that included Extinction Rebellion was shared across government (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Document was sent to several departments, NHS England, Ofsted and 20 councils Controversial guidance that listed Extinction Rebellion as an extremist ideology was sent to a wide range of government departments and local authorities including the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing headquarters, the Guardian can reveal. The south-east division of Counter Terrorism Policing was forced to recall the document, which listed the climate crisis group alongside neo-Nazis and jihadists, after it was exposed by the Guardian. Continue reading...
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Small music venues to get 50% reduction in business rates (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
230 small and medium-sized venues in England and Wales will see an average saving of £7,500 each The government has committed to reducing business rates for small and medium-sized music venues in England and Wales for the first time. The 50% reduction available to smaller retailers will be extended to 230 small and medium-sized music venues with a rateable value below £51,000. Independent cinemas will also benefit from the reduction. The Music Venue Trust estimates that the move will save each site an average of £7,500 a year, and release more than £1.7m back into the grassroots live music sector. Music Venue Trust strategic director Beverley Whitrick said it was a “much needed and long overdue boost”. Continue reading...
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Michelin launches 2020 guide amid controversy over Bocuse downgrade (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Head of guide defends stripping late chef’s Auberge du Pont de Collonges of coveted third star The 2020 edition of the Michelin guide, the “gastronomy bible” that can make or break restaurant reputations, has been launched amid fresh controversy over a leak that revealed it had downgraded the oldest three-star restaurant in the world. After a year in which the little red book’s ratings have been challenged in court, the loss of a coveted third star for the late chef Paul Bocuse’s Auberge du Pont de Collonges near Lyon sparked anger in the restaurant world. Continue reading...
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Key Republicans signal openness to Bolton testimony in impeachment trial (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
After the revelation that the ex-national security adviser’s book implicates Trump, senators Romney and Collins spoke out After a bombshell report about John Bolton’s forthcoming book, key Republican senators moved on Monday towards supporting testimony from the former national security adviser in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. On Sunday night, the New York Times reported that the manuscript version of Bolton’s memoir, The Room Where It Happened, contains the claim that the president told Bolton in August 2019 to keep withholding nearly $400m of security aid to Ukraine, until officials in Kyiv helped investigate Trump’s political rivals. Continue reading...
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Kobe Bryant: investigators on scene to determine cause of helicopter crash (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Medical examiner said rugged terrain complicated efforts to recover remains of nine victims killed in Sunday crash outside LA Investigators worked on a rugged hillside outside Los Angeles where the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others crashed in foggy weather over the weekend. About 20 investigators on Monday worked at the crash site in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48km) north-west of downtown Los Angeles. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but the helicopter went down in weather considered dangerous enough that the Los Angeles police department and the county sheriff’s department had grounded their choppers. Bryant’s helicopter had received special approval to fly amid the worse than usual weather, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...
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Irish parties under pressure to consider Sinn Féin coalition (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Republicans’ polls surge tests centrists’ commitment to keeping them out of power Sinn Féin has surged in Ireland’s election campaign, putting pressure on centrist parties to drop their opposition to forming a coalition government with it after the election next month. Opinion polls show sharp rises in support for the republican party before an election on 8 February, potentially edging it closer to its goal of gaining power in Dublin to push for unification between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Continue reading...
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College football coach suspended after naming Hitler as dream dinner guest (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
‘Bad intentions but you can’t deny he wasn’t a great leader’ Grand Valley State University launches investigation Grand Valley State University has suspended one of their football coaches after he named Adolf Hitler as one of his dream dinner guests. Morris Berger, who is the team’s offensive coordinator, was interviewed by the Grand Valley Lanthorn newspaper earlier this month. Berger studied history at university and the paper asked him which three historical figures he would have dinner with. He named John F Kennedy and Christopher Columbus after expanding on his reasons for naming Hitler. Continue reading...
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US confirms jet crashed in Afghanistan – but disputes it was downed (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Taliban claim they shot down US air force E-11A plane over territory near Ghazni city The US military has confirmed that one of its aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan but said there was “no indication the crash was caused by enemy fire”. A Taliban spokesman had claimed that the group shot the plane down over territory they control near Ghazni city. The US Bombardier E-11A went down early on Monday afternoon and was initially mistaken by Afghan authorities for a passenger jet. But footage, purportedly from the wreckage site, soon emerged, showing the US air force insignia on a charred fuselage. Continue reading...
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Scores dead as heavy rains bring landslides and evacuations in Brazil (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Storms have submerged entire neighborhoods and sent homes tumbling down hillsides, causing more than 30,000 to flee More than 30,000 people have been displaced by heavy rains in south-east Brazil that have killed 54 people and left 18 missing. The storms have caused floods and landslides, submerging entire neighborhoods and sending homes tumbling down hillsides in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. Rains subsided by Monday, but were expected to resume later this week in some areas. Continue reading...
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Belgium's King Albert II admits he fathered child in 1960s affair (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
King acknowledges result of court-ordered DNA test linking him to Delphine Boël King Albert II, who abdicated from the Belgian throne in mysterious circumstances in 2013, has acknowledged having fathered a child during an extramarital affair in the 1960s, following the result of a court-ordered DNA test. Delphine Boël has been fighting in the courts for six years to prove that Albert, 85, is her biological father. She could now be entitled to one-eighth of Albert’s estate. Continue reading...
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Man behind football exposé revealed as source of Dos Santos leak (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Football Leaks founder passed on financial records of Africa’s richest woman, says lawyer Revealed: how Angolan ruler’s daughter used status to build $2bn empire A Portuguese man behind one of the biggest exposés in the history of football has been identified as the source of a leaked cache of financial records about the business empire of Africa’s richest woman, Isabel dos Santos. Lawyers for Rui Pinto, who is awaiting trial in Portugal on charges including alleged hacking and attempted extortion, said in 2018 he passed a non-profit whistleblowing organisation a hard drive containing data relating to Dos Santos’s business empire, which is estimated at $2.2bn. Continue reading...
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Salvini suffers setback in leftwing stronghold during Italy regional elections (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
League’s Matteo Salvini has failed to wrest crucial Emilia-Romagna from centre-left, projections suggest Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right League party, has failed to overturn decades of leftwing rule in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna in an election that brought relief to the embattled centre-left. With 98% of the ballots counted, the incumbent Democratic party (PD) governor Stefano Bonaccini had won 51.4% of the vote compared to 43.7% for Lucia Borgonzoni, the candidate backed by the League and its allies, interior ministry data showed. Continue reading...
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Margaret Atwood to publish first collection of poetry in over a decade (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Dearly, out in November, will be the Canadian author’s first book since The Testaments Margaret Atwood is set to publish her first collection of poetry in over a decade, an exploration of “absences and endings, ageing and retrospection” that will also feature werewolves, aliens and sirens. After jointly winning the Booker prize with Bernardine Evaristo last year for her bestselling sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, Atwood’s publisher said today that the 80-year-old Canadian author’s next book would be Dearly. Out in November, the collection will be Atwood’s first book of poetry since 2007’s The Door. Continue reading...
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Who let the dogs out: how Paw Patrol lost its bite (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The children’s animation about problem-solving dogs started with a simple premise but it was ruined by commerce and a conveyor belt of plastic tat Thanks to YouTube, children’s entertainment has become the wild west. Traditional kids’ shows now have to compete with badly animated nursery rhymes, toy unboxers and – in one unfortunate incident I stumbled across three weeks ago – a Lego remake of Avengers: Endgame where Captain America gets stabbed through the heart by a home invader. Compared to this, even the most cynical, conventionally made kids’ show is a relief. Even Paw Patrol – a dystopian fantasy about every terrible thing that would happen if a society chose to privatise its emergency services and sell them to a suspiciously wealthy 10-year-old with a worrying penchant for strapping heavy robotic equipment to puppies – was a source of relief, at first. Sure, there were gripes. The male dogs heavily outnumbered the females. Chase, the matinee idol of the Paw Patrol, constantly elbowed his way to the front of every episode at the expense of poor, overlooked Zuma. The mayor was just a negligent woman who walked around with a chicken in her handbag. But the show on the whole had a sensible underlying schema. There would be a problem. The dogs would be told how to fix it. They would fix it. The end. Continue reading...
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The Nest review – Jude Law and Carrie Coon fall apart in eerie 80s drama (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The director of Martha Marcy May Marlene has delivered an accomplished follow-up focused on a family imploding in a gloomy house in Surrey There’s always a warm homecoming at festivals for directors who return after breaking out there years prior, as well as an unspoken fear that their follow-up might not have quite the same impact. In 2011, Sean Durkin premiered his first feature, the chilly psychodrama Martha Marcy May Marlene, at Sundance and won a directing award as well as a flurry of excitable reviews, planting his name, as well as star Elizabeth Olsen’s, on the map. It was the kind of jolting debut that made anyone who watched it curious to know what he would do next. In the nine years since, he directed the disturbing British miniseries Southcliffe, but has been notably absent from the big screen. He returns to the fold this year with the accomplished and uneasy family drama The Nest, a film with a delicate slow build that feels fitting for a director who’s also taken his time to make it. Related: Downhill review – Ferrell and Louis-Dreyfus crash with redundant remake Continue reading...
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Kobe Bryant's Dear Basketball: a love letter to a sport that is now a poignant epitaph (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The NBA star’s Oscar-winning short film, in which he mused on his post-basketball future, now has a new layer of sadness and irony Dear Basketball was always a bittersweet piece of work. This was the Oscar-winning short film from 2017 directed by the Disney animator Glen Keane, with stirring music by John Williams and written, produced and narrated by Kobe Bryant, on the occasion of his retirement from basketball. Related: Kobe Bryant: NBA legend dies in helicopter crash aged 41 Continue reading...
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Celtic Connections to scale back on overseas acts to fight climate crisis (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The festival’s creative producer said limiting the number of artists who fly in to perform was ‘the responsible thing to do’ A Scottish festival celebrating international folk, roots and traditional music has said it may have to limit the number of overseas artists it invites to perform in response to the climate crisis. Celtic Connections’ creative producer, Donald Shaw, described the issue as “the biggest challenge” facing the festival. “We cannot bury our head in the sand. It’s not really enough to fly 300 artists from all around the world and justify it on the grounds that art is important. Festivals like this one are going to have to think very seriously about whether we can do that any more.” Continue reading...
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Stephen Joyce, last direct descendant of James Joyce, dies aged 87 (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Stephen, the executor of the Joyce estate, was known for his fierce defence of his grandfather’s legacy Stephen Joyce, the last direct descendant of James Joyce who was known for his fierce guardianship of his grandfather’s works, has died at the age of 87 in Ile de Ré. Stephen was the son of Giorgio Joyce, the son of James and Nora Joyce. His birth in February 1932 was marked by the Ulysses author with the poem Ecce Puer, which also mourns the death of Joyce’s father. “Of the dark past / A child is born; / With joy and grief / My heart is torn,” wrote Joyce. “A child is sleeping: / An old man gone. / O, father forsaken, / Forgive your son!” Continue reading...
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The Alpine region that never sleeps: after-dark fun in Austria’s SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental area (Tue, 12 Nov 2019)
From night skiing to igloo sleepovers, this forward-thinking corner of Austria provides all manner of twilight adventures for nocturnal thrill-seekers There is nothing like the feeling of still being out, high on the shoulder of an Alpine peak, when the pink-peach of the evening Alpenglow dwindles to grey, and the icy black of night takes hold, making smoke of your breath. In Tirol’s vast SkiWelt region, you could be up the mountain in the dark of night for many good reasons – for apres ski, of course, for adventure, doing a high-energy, adrenaline-fuelled activity, or something utterly romantic … Continue reading...
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Austria’s best-kept secret: everything you need to know about the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena (Mon, 04 Nov 2019)
The little-known region is the ideal holiday destination for hikers, mountaineers and those who love being in nature Everest, Denali, the Matterhorn … you’ve heard of those. But how about the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena? The highest peak in Germany, the Zugspitze also forms a border with Austria; while it might not be such a familiar name to British skiers, it is truly one of Europe’s landmark summits. Standing 2,962m above sea level, a great hunk of limestone armoured with a glacier, its most impressive attribute is the incomparable views it affords from the top, when on a clear day you can see across four countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, as far as Munich’s TV tower and Switzerland’s 4,049m-high peak, Piz Bernina. Of course, as all skiers know only too well, there’s always the chance of a total whiteout just at the moment you reach the top, but if the weather’s on your side, a staggering 360-degree panorama awaits. If you’re not so lucky, there are far worse places to wait out the clouds, as a host of activities and attractions can be found at the top. The museum Faszination Zugspitz tells the history of the mountain and the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn cable car – Tirol’s first – built in 1926. Continue reading...
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From downhills to downtime: how to combine skiing and relaxation in Austria’s Ötztal (Tue, 29 Oct 2019)
Ötztal isn’t just for skiing – with its thermal bath and spas, it’s also an ideal location for some R&R. Here are our top tips on how to make the most of the Alpine valley With more than 186 miles of slopes, and six ski areas offering varied terrain for all levels, there is plenty to keep you busy on the slopes in the Ötztal valley. But there’s much more to the area than just skiing and snowboarding. The valley is also known for its thermal bath and spas – ideal for easing aching limbs, those who fancy a relaxing day away from the slopes, or for non-skiers who simply want to enjoy the mountains in a different way. Continue reading...
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A mountain of culture: your guide to Austria’s Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau (Tue, 05 Nov 2019)
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the local customs and traditions of a new place while enjoying the slopes, Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau in the Austrian region of Tirol has plenty to offer When it comes to skiing holidays, you won’t find me battling down a black run in a blizzard or getting up at dawn to carve fresh tracks on virgin powder. But atmosphere is something I am choosy about; I want to go somewhere that has charm and character, somewhere that has life both on and off the piste. Just a 45-minute drive from Innsbruck, the Wildschönau and Alpbach valleys tick all of those boxes. Steeped in Tirolean culture, the mountains are dotted with pretty villages, handsome wooden farmhouses, onion dome churches and a great choice of family-run hotels and restaurants serving up hearty Austrian fare. And it’s good value too, making it an ideal choice for families and first-timers. Continue reading...
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Rail and sail: how to book the perfect holiday – without any flying (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
More than half of Britons plan to travel to mainland Europe this year. Here’s how to have a great time, while minimising your carbon footprint January is always a struggle – cold, dark, full of broken resolutions and battered bank balances – but the beginning of 2020 has been particularly grim. From the crisis in Iran, bushfires in Australia, coronavirus and Brexit around the corner, the year could hardly have got off to a worse start. There is hope – of course – and there are holidays, too: this is peak booking time for the travel sector. Despite uncertainties around the impact of Brexit, 54% of Britons plan to travel to Europe in 2020, according to a survey by the peer-to-peer currency platform WeSwap. And the good news for anyone who has resolved to give up flying is that we are entering a new golden age of rail travel, with expanding networks, a revival of sleeper trains and Interrailing, along with a growing number of travel companies replacing flights with train travel. Add in improved ferry services, a boom in remote hideaways, and alternatives to traditional destinations, and the outlook for anyone wanting to escape the headlines looks positively sunny. Here’s our guide to planning your own exit – albeit for just a week or two. Continue reading...
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One ping after another: why everyone needs a notification detox (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
They tell us when someone has called, texted and WhatsApped us - even to drink water and exercise. Is it time to turn them all off for good? Three years ago, Aishah Iqbal had just qualified as a doctor and was finding it a “steep learning curve”. She often felt overwhelmed at work – and whenever she took out her phone and saw “all these messages coming up”, she felt worse. “It was very easy to get distracted from why I’d pulled my phone out, or to feel like there were so many people that I needed to reply to immediately.” When we talk about the fragmenting effect of technology on our attention, or the dopamine hits that keep us refreshing our feeds as if they are buttons on fruit machines, we are often thinking about notifications: the pings, pop-ups and glowing red dots that pull us back into our phones, and push us from app to app. Continue reading...
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Horlicks or nocturnal teas: are hot drinks the secret to the perfect night’s sleep? (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Sales of the malt drink are up, and many people swear by a cuppa before bed. The soporific effect may have less to do with what’s in your mug – and more with the routine of making it Shock news: millennials are capable of consuming things other than avocados. People in this age group are allegedly boosting sales of the traditional hot milky drink Horlicks. A spokesperson for the company has claimed that: “Many millennials are seeking ways to soothe the everyday stresses of life.” I am one of these millennials, and I can safely say that I am far more likely to be cradling an old-fashioned hot drink before bed than chugging back an old-fashioned cocktail. From herbal teas to pillow sprays, non-medical sleep aids are ubiquitous in the modern era. But does a hot drink before bed actually work to aid sleep? Continue reading...
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The truth about hydration: should you drink eight glasses of water a day? (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The 8x8 rule has become a health goal for many. But when it comes to healthy skin, eyes and having bags of energy, the research tells another story Before you read this article, can I just check you’ve drunk enough water today? You might want to refill your bottle because, remember, if you wait until you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated. No one is sure where this advice came from, but it’s all over the internet. “Nowadays this is not considered sensible,” says Stuart Galloway, an associate professor in physiology, exercise and nutrition at the University of Stirling. “As humans, we have this homeostatic system, so when we need water, we feel thirsty.” Drinking when you are thirsty, he says, maintains your body’s water level within about 1-2% of its ideal state. “For most people, this is absolutely fine. Even for athletes, a loss of around 1% is considered to have negligible impact upon performance. So, although thirst may not kick in until you have lost some body water, this is not necessarily a bad thing.” Continue reading...
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Get another room! Should you have a dedicated sex den in your home? (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Could a love nest other than the bedroom spice up your relationship – or is a sex drawer all you need? Here’s what the experts say As if the housing crisis were not acute enough, it turns out that your home probably does not have the one room that promises a life of excitement and a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship: a shag room. A dedicated space for such purposes is the “hot new trend for sex in 2020”, according to the Sun. The actor Brian Cox recently told the Guardian that he and his wife meet up in a room a few floors below their Manhattan apartment. “It’s basically her room and I’m allowed to visit occasionally,” he said. So if you don’t have a dedicated shag space, are you missing out? Should you turf one of the kids out of their room, or forgo a downstairs loo? For most of us, the bedroom is where the action happens, but as Lucy Beresford, the broadcaster and author of Happy Relationships, says, it “also becomes the place where you charge your mobile phone, have your laundry basket, maybe your kids come in and want to share your bed at various times of the night. All of those things need to be stripped out if possible. If that is difficult, having a room that is completely dedicated [to sex] is a brilliant idea.” Furnish it how you like, install flattering lighting. “You can pretend you’re in a hotel, you can turn it into whatever you want it to be. It’s also a place you go to, so it has that sense of anticipation – every time you go to the den, this is what’s going to happen – and that can be just as arousing. It can also be the place that everybody else knows is your sex space.” Continue reading...
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The Brexit 50p: how has one coin caused so much controversy? (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
High-profile figures are pledging to boycott the new coin – Alastair Campbell because the slogan opposes his core beliefs and Philip Pullman because, he says, it is missing an Oxford comma Name: The Brexit 50p. Age: Unveiled this weekend. Continue reading...
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Tell us: have you been affected by the coronavirus? (Thu, 23 Jan 2020)
If you have been affected or have any information or news tips for our journalists, we would like to hear from you 新型冠状病毒：现在武汉的情况怎么样? Latest updates More than 1,280 infected and 18 cities in lockdown in China as officials try to stem spread of virus which has reached Europe, the US and Australia. Continue reading...
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Tell us about your favourite Kobe Bryant moment (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
We would like to hear from you about the NBA great, who has died aged 41 Kobe Bryant, the former LA Lakers star and one of the greatest basketball players of all time, has died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles county. Over a career spanning 20 seasons, Bryant won five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals. He was also named an All-Star 18 times before retiring in 2016 as the league’s third-highest all-time scorer. Continue reading...
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How has your workplace treated bereaved parents? (Fri, 24 Jan 2020)
As paid leave for bereaved parents is being introduced under Jack’s Law, we want to hear what parents experienced at work after they lost a child Bereaved parents are now entitled to two weeks’ paid leave from work under the new Jack’s Law. We want to hear from bereaved parents who had to juggle the grief, trauma and practicalities of their child’s death with the demands of their employers. What could your employers have done to make your experience more bearable or did you feel supported at work – and if so, what helped? What difference would Jack’s Law have made for you – would it have been enough? Continue reading...
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Do you know someone with dementia admitted to hospital as an emergency? (Wed, 22 Jan 2020)
If a relative, friend or someone you care for with dementia was admitted to hospital, we want to hear what happened. Share your experiences Do you know anyone with dementia who has been admitted to hospital as an emergency? If so, we’d like to hear from you. We’d also like to hear more about this issue from NHS staff. Figures from NHS data showed that hospitals in England recorded more than 379,000 admissions of people with the condition during 2017/18. That was 100,000 more than the number of such patients admitted in 2012/13. Continue reading...
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Animal behaviour: Learn to master the subtle art of communication (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Degrees in this emerging field offer fascinating research opportunities and career options If your pets could speak, what would they tell you? Experts at the animal-computer interaction lab at the Open University (OU) are close to finding out. There, animal behaviour specialists work with designers to create the kind of technology that helps animals communicate and work alongside humans more naturally – to raise the alarm if an owner falls ill, put a wash on, or switch out the lights for an owner who has a disability. “If you give animals more of a voice, they can make themselves better understood. It’s as though they can talk back to us – and this can be very valuable,” says Clara Mancini, a communication and design expert who founded the lab back in 2011. “We are researching with them, allowing animals to participate in the design process.” Continue reading...
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Brexit explained: how it happened and what comes next (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Confused by the whole 1,300-day Brexit saga? This summary sets out how and why it happened, and what can be expected in 2020 and beyond Where to start? There’s geography: Britain is an island, and has been since geologically Brexiting from the continent 8,000 years ago. And history: unlike most of western Europe, it has not spent the past few centuries as a battlefield. Its history, rather, is global and imperial. Continue reading...
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'Volunteering is one of the most important things you can do': how one student is tackling the environmental crisis (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Emily Stevenson, an MSc student at Exeter, co-founded Beach Guardian CIC in 2017 I’ve been incredibly lucky to grow up in Cornwall so I feel a strong duty of care towards the ocean. As a child, I started making art out of the plastic I found on beaches and set up my first website when I was 11 to raise awareness and funds for the Marine Conservation Society. While studying marine biology at Plymouth University as an undergraduate, I realised how dire the situation really was and how much needs to be done. In 2017, during my third year, I co-founded a social enterprise called Beach Guardian CIC with my dad. After watching Blue Planet, people wanted to make a change but didn’t know how, so we had the privilege of facilitating local community beach cleans around Padstow – it’s a special thing because everyone feels Beach Guardian belongs to all of us. We’d be nothing without the volunteers who join us on the beach. Continue reading...
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'The playbook is the American alt-right': Bolsonaristas follow familiar extremist tactics (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Brazil’s government looks to the US for inspiration – and the US alt-right copies how Bolsonaro supporters use social media When Jair Bolsonaro’s culture secretary published an official video paraphrasing Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, it wasn’t just Brazilians who were stunned. The video, in which Roberto Alvim called for a “rebirth of art and culture in Brazil” while Adolf Hitler’s favourite Wagner opera played in the background, sent shockwaves around the world. Alvim was sacked within hours, as Brazilians asked: was this an aberration, a one-off, or even a communist trick? And what did it say about the far right president’s communications masterplan? Continue reading...
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'Satanic wombs': the outlandish world of Trump's spiritual adviser (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
A video has surfaced of Paula White saying ‘We command any satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now!’ This weekend, a video of Trump’s spiritual adviser, Paula White, surfaced showing her preaching some potentially ungodly words. “We command any satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now!” she says, before clarifying: “We declare that anything that’s been conceived in satanic wombs that it will miscarry, it will not be able to carry forth any plan of destruction, any plan of harm.” Continue reading...
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Undue influence: Carrie Symonds and the curse of political wives (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
Boris Johnson’s girlfriend – whose influence over a ditched badger cull will be explored in court – is far from the first political “Wag” to be presented as scheming The farmers of Derbyshire are up in arms because they have been denied a licence to cull badgers. The influence of the prime minister’s girlfriend is suspected, given that Carrie Symonds is an animal lover, a conservationist and was briefed by the Badger Trust a few weeks before the decision. This is no idle chatter: the National Farmers’ Union has brought a case to judicial review naming Symonds. In response, Labour’s former deputy leader Tom Watson wrote on Twitter: “Good on Carrie Symonds for having opinions. It’s quite ridiculous to expect her not to share them with her partner.” It is a slightly disingenuous point, since what the NFU objects to is not that the opinions were shared, but that they may have had regulatory effect. Continue reading...
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Tributes, rallies and roadblocks: Monday's best photos (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...
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Thiago Soares at the Royal Ballet – in pictures (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
In 2019, Thiago Soares announced his retirement as a principal dancer after 16 years with the Royal Ballet. As he returns in Onegin as a guest principal, revisit the Brazilian sensation’s roles All photos by Tristram Kenton Continue reading...
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Kobe Bryant: a life in pictures (Sun, 26 Jan 2020)
A look back at one of the most storied careers in NBA history, following the death of the former LA Lakers basketball player in a helicopter crash Continue reading...
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Grammy awards 2020: Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish and others – in pictures (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
The 62nd annual ceremony pays tribute to Kobe Bryant, while Ariana Grande, Iggy Pop and Tyler, the Creator dazzle on the red carpet • Award winners: the full list Continue reading...
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Changing roles in Burkina Faso - a photo essay (Mon, 27 Jan 2020)
In one of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso, a very special school gives new hope to orphaned or disadvantaged girls In Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso in west Africa, a school and training programme is combating entrenched attitudes and gender stereotypes that confine women to low-paid unskilled labour, or worse. At the CFIAM, girls and young women, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, can train to be car mechanics, a trade that offers them the skills necessary to enable them to pursue independent lives and achieve a measure of socio-economic progress. Such is the success of CFIAM and its students that it has been the subject of an award-winning documentary Ouaga Girls Continue reading...
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The big picture: Mick Jagger, the world's least likely wallflower (Sun, 26 Jan 2020)
Tony Curtis and Madonna leave the Rolling Stone in the corner in Dafydd Jones’s photograph, taken at Vanity Fair’s 1997 Oscars party Dafydd Jones got his break as a photographer by capturing the excesses of the “bright young things” at Oxford in the 1980s – a decadent cast that included Hugh Grant and Nigella Lawson and prime ministers Cameron and Johnson. As a result, he was hired by Tina Brown as Tatler’s society photographer, with an insider’s eye for the edge between observation and satire. When Brown moved to New York in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair, Jones moved too, in 1988. Nearly a decade later, in 1997, he was sent to photograph Vanity Fair’s annual Oscars bash by Brown’s successor as editor, Graydon Carter. He was struggling to find a good image until he noticed Mick Jagger sitting by himself looking bored, the world’s least likely wallflower. “Madonna crossed the room and sat down next to him,” Jones recalls. “She started talking and he became quite animated. Then Tony Curtis came along and sat down at the same table on the other side and started monopolising Madonna. Jagger was on his own again and looked miserable.” Continue reading...
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