Crossbow killer admits murdering ex-girlfriend, her mum and sister
Kyle Clifford pleads guilty to killing Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt at their home in July.
Kyle Clifford pleads guilty to killing Carol, Hannah and Louise Hunt at their home in July.
Former "Maga granny" Pamela Hemphill tells the BBC the Trump government is trying to "rewrite history".
Storm Éowyn will bring severe gales to parts of the UK on Friday with widespread disruption likely
Justin Baldoni says footage shows he didn't sexually harass Blake Lively, but she says the opposite.
Police believe Marianne Kilonzi, who was found dead in her Woolwich flat, knew the suspect.
Meta's attempt to lure creators to its platforms comes as questions remain over the future of its main rival in the US.
Some survivors did not hear a fire alarm and there are claims of failures in the hotel's fire safety.
Investigators say they are following up several leads in the hunt for who illegally dumped the waste.
Thousands on hold to HMRC's helpline say they were cut off after waiting for 70 minutes.
Even presidential powers have their limits - and in some cases, Trump faces hurdles before his plans can become reality.
The Republican has started his second term at a fast pace. Here's a handy guide to waht he's done so far.
Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.
OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank and MGX join forces to build artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Trump has pardoned almost 1,600 people charged in connection with the 2021 US Capitol riots.
The Lose Control singer talks about masculine role models, becoming a father, and facing prejudice.
Snow and freezing rain hits parts of the deep south, closing highways and airports and prompting a first-ever blizzard warning in southwest Louisiana.
Former mental health patients are worried camera surveillance is being used without explicit consent.
The Highland Wildlife Park's female bear Victoria has reached the grand old age of 28.
The US Traitors host and Hollywood star took over at Pitlochry Festival Theatre last year.
An undercover reporter infiltrated a far-right group and exposed extreme views.
Borrowing - the difference between spending and tax revenue - was £17.8bn last month, putting more pressure on the chancellor.
A livestream of a "corpse flower" due to bloom in Sydney's botanic gardens has captivated the internet.
A police investigation into how Alex Batty vanished in 2017 before being found in France has ended.
A proposed new law will also give ministers greater powers to request bank account information.
Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests
Nick and Amol are joined by Justin Webb to answer your questions.
And how he’s already changed America (again)
Crowds gather as Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time at the team's Fiorano test track.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner dismisses concerns about his physical state to thrash home hope Alex De Minaur and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.
McLaren's Lando Norris tells a new series of a BBC podcast that he has "got everything it takes" to mount another F1 title challenge.
A clear double bounce in the Australian Open quarter-final between Iga Swiatek and Emma Navarro restarts the debate over tennis' use of video technology.
Manchester City travel to Paris St-Germain on Wednesday with both sides battling to stay in the new-look Champions League - BBC Sport looks at what both teams need and what an early exit could mean.
NGN apologises to royal ‘for phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators’The Duke of Sussex has settled his high court legal action at the eleventh hour against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN).NGN offered “a full and unequivocal apology” to Prince Harry “for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them” at the News of the World. Continue reading...
PM ducks questions when Green party co-leader asks if he has dropped opposition to planA new online train ticket retailer backed by the UK government is to be created, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced, with the aim of simplifying the process of buying tickets from different rail operators. Joanna Partridge has the story.PMQs is almost with us. Continue reading...
Former soldier, 26, also pleads guilty to false imprisonment and possession of a crossbow and a butcher’s knifeA former soldier has pleaded guilty to murdering three women with a crossbow at their home in Hertfordshire last year.Kyle Clifford, 26, admitted killing Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah and Louise in Bushey on 9 July. Continue reading...
The actor, who was diagnosed with macular degeneration in 2012, has also struggled to see on film sets and learn lines having done so thanks to a photographic memoryJudi Dench has said she can no longer attend events or go out alone due to her deteriorating eyesight, saying she now needs someone to “always be with me”.In 2012, Dench first revealed a diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the degenerative eye condition that is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people. Continue reading...
Israel defence minister calls Jenin siege ‘shift in … security strategy’, as Palestinian Red Crescent says ambulances cannot reach dead and woundedMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsraeli forces have besieged a Palestinian government hospital in Jenin and a nearby refugee camp in the heart of the city, as the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the assault marked “a shift in … security strategy” in the West Bank.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday they had carried out airstrikes in Jenin as well as detonating roadside explosive devices. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 10 people were killed in Jenin, with more than 40 wounded. Continue reading...
Trump administration orders federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program roles to be put on leave by Wednesday eveningUS federal diversity staff put on leave as Trump orders end to programmesThe Wall Street Journal has spoken to some federal workers affected by the slew of executive orders signed by president Donald Trump at the outset of his second term as president, and reports “a sense of anxiety and confusion” among staff.One person, a product-support manager for the US navy, said “It’s leaving a lot of uncertainty that folks have never really had to feel. It seems like there is a level of distrust with how things are working.” Continue reading...
Two IDs will be needed to verify age as Keir Starmer says measures needed to stop ‘shockingly easy’ access to knivesUK politics live – latest updatesAnyone buying a knife online will face tougher requirements to prove their age under measures announced by Keir Starmer after the Southport attack.The prime minister said the “lessons of this case could not be clearer” as he vowed to stop people being able to order weapons off the internet “without any checks or barriers”. Continue reading...
Executive tells WEF in Davos the sites will still have ‘the industry’s most sophisticated community standards’Business live – latest updatesNick Clegg has given a robust defence of Meta’s decision to downgrade moderation on its social media platforms and get rid of factcheckers.The changes on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, which also included moves to promote more political content, were announced by the chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, earlier this month. As he prepares to depart the tech company after six years to make way for the more Donald Trump-friendly Joel Kaplan, Clegg denied that Meta was downgrading its commitment to truth. Continue reading...
Representatives of Heartland Institute linking up with MEPs to campaign against environmental policiesClimate science deniers from a US-based thinktank have been working with rightwing politicians in Europe to campaign against environmental policies, the Guardian can reveal.MEPs have been accused of “rolling out the red carpet for climate deniers” to give them a platform in the European parliament, amid warnings of a “revival of grotesque climate denialism”. Continue reading...
Mittens made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia after she was not spotted in cargo holdA Maine Coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.Mittens, eight, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new home in Melbourne, Australia on 13 January. Her owner, Margo Neas, said on Wednesday that she waited for Mittens to be unloaded from the plane’s freight area, but three hours passed with no sign of the cat. Continue reading...
With more than 15,000 structures burned to the ground, experts say Angelenos of all income levels will be affectedHours after losing her house to the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, Charlotta La Via was looking out of her hotel window and half-wishing she’d booked the hotel across the street when she spotted a “for lease” sign on a building nearby.It was advertising a luxury apartment complex in downtown Santa Monica, more like a five-star hotel than conventional living, with prices to match. But she and her husband didn’t hesitate. They signed a lease on a three-bedroom apartment almost as soon as they’d finished touring it. Continue reading...
Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar are being detained and forced back by Bangladeshi border guardsIn the dim light of his home in Arakan, Myanmar, Mohammed is talking above the wailing of his youngest child. All three of his children are hungry, he says. The 32-year-old Rohingya man’s parents, leaning together against the wall, are just visible as Mohammed speaks on the video call.He fears for his safety too much to allow his surname to be used – Rakhine state is a dangerous place to be after four years of Myanmar’s civil war. Continue reading...
Juan Guillermo Garcés had a brush with death while burning jungle for cattle pasture – now he runs a nature reserve in Colombia where more than 100 new species have been discoveredWords and photographs by Anastasia Austin and Douwe den HeldJuan Guillermo Garcés remembers coming face to face with death at age 17. Smoke filled the air, choking his lungs. The temperature rose and Garcés struggled to see through the haze. Panic set in as he watched monkeys, snakes, lizards and birds desperately trying to escape the flames surrounding them.Garcés and his brother started the fire that nearly killed them to clear a large stretch of land. But when the wind suddenly changed direction, they found themselves locked in. The brothers survived, but the fire destroyed the little remaining patch of virgin forest on the family’s 2,500-hectare (6,200-acre) ranch, nestled along Colombia’s Magdalena River. Experiencing firsthand what the animals and plants endured was a turning point for Garcés. Continue reading...
Trans communities expected Trump to deliver on his threat to roll back their rights. That didn’t make it hurt any lessRight after Donald Trump won the election, Max Kuzma set to work. As a trans man living just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, he knew he needed to get his documentation in order. He considers himself lucky that he already legally changed his name, but rushed to make sure his passport and other documents reflected that. Like so many other trans Americans, Kuzma worried Trump would make good on his promise to roll back LGBTQ+ rights and threaten trans healthcare and the overall safety of the queer community.“I was anticipating an attack,” Kuzma said. Still, watching Trump sign an executive order that rolled back trans and non-binary people’s rights felt like “a twist of the knife”. Continue reading...
Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Chiefs of Police criticizes blanket clemency to 1,500The largest police union in the US, which endorsed Donald Trump during his campaign, said Trump’s decision to pardon more than 1,500 people convicted over the January 6 insurrection “sends a dangerous message”, in a statement on Tuesday.The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which endorsed Trump in September 2024, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) warned that the blanket clemency offered to rioters – including those convicted of violent offenses, and several leaders of the attack on the Capitol – threatened Americans’ safety. Continue reading...
Yuan and Chinese stocks fall despite suggestion of lower tariff than president mentioned during campaignBusiness live – latest updatesDonald Trump has threatened to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese-made goods arriving in the US from as early as 1 February, adding that he was also considering levies on imports from the EU.Ordering an investigation into US-China trade on his second day in office, Trump said any penalties on Chinese goods would be “based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada”. Continue reading...
If criminal charges were meant to deter acts of violence, the pardons of over 1,500 people do the opposite, say expertsDonald Trump spent the four years after the January 6 insurrection attempting to rewrite the violence and chaos he inspired as his supporters stormed the US Capitol.On the first day of his second term as president, he took the rewriting to its final step by issuing pardons and reducing sentences for those involved in the insurrection, including the leaders of far-right militias and those who battled with police that day. Continue reading...
The cosmetics industry has been reeling men into its multibillion-dollar empire in recent years, writes advice columnist Jessica DeFinoHi Ugly,My father is falling down a plastic surgery rabbit hole and trying to drag everyone around him down with it. He’s in his late 50s and, in the past year, he got his first cosmetic surgery and made a whole fuss about the results. I personally can’t see any difference whatsoever, but he brags about it constantly to anyone and everyone!Photos of myself make me shudder in horror. Does that mean I’m hideous?How do I deal with imperfection?How should I be styling my pubic hair?I want to ignore beauty culture. But I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t look a certain way Continue reading...
Link between cricket and beer is occasionally bitter but members are close to seeing the fruits of their own labourThe link between cricket clubs and beer is long and not always frothy. Some have held real-ale festivals on site, others have split over bitter disputes around bar takings, many more are kept in business by the thirst of their patrons. But very few – if any – grow their own hops. Step into the ring, East Rainton CC.Set in an ex-mining village between Sunderland and Durham, East Rainton (formerly known as Hazard Colliery CC) dug in their first hops plant last year against the sunny south-facing wall of their clubhouse, in collaboration with the local nano-brewery Wear Beer. That name may be familiar from when the brewery hit the headlines 15 months ago, after being served a legal letter by Mercedes Benz, which objected to its logo – featuring the Lambton worm wrapped around a three-pointed red star. Continue reading...
I suspected there was something more than friendship at work – but what? My mother was so outraged by my questions she wouldn’t even talk about itAbout a decade ago, my po po (maternal grandmother) entered aged care. As Mum and I sorted through her belongings, I found a sepia photograph, hidden inside an almanac, of my grandmother and a woman I had never seen before. Po Po didn’t like to be photographed and rarely smiled in photos but, in this one, she looked happy. There was also an intimate air to their pose.I asked my mother about this woman, wondering if she was one of my grandmother’s lost friends. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, many of them had fled the country in refugee boats but had not survived the journey. Mum said the woman had been the tenant of a spare room in their house and, for years, she and my grandmother had been inseparable. Then, one day, when my mum was about 11, the woman announced that she had met a man and would be going to live with him. My mum didn’t recall all the details, but she did remember my grandmother accusing the woman of “betrayal”. Afterwards, they never saw each other again. Continue reading...
Why community-based grassroots politics may be key to surviving the next four years. Plus, comfort foods in the run-up to RamadanHello and welcome to The Long Wave. This week Donald Trump was inaugurated in Washington, and the moment feels familiar but also very different. I spoke to the Guardian US colleagues Marina Dunbar and Adria R Walker about inauguration day and how Black Americans were bracing for a second Trump term. But first, the weekly roundup. Continue reading...
According to Oxford University Press, these three words are beloved of kids. Unfortunately, one makes no sense whatsoeverName: Kids’ slang.Age: Far too young for you. Continue reading...
A judging spectre watches as depression and heavy drinking befall Lucy Liu’s home in an intelligent film full of uncanny, sudden-chill momentsSteven Soderbergh has made a ghost story with a screenplay from Hollywood veteran David Koepp. It sticks to a single location – the haunted family home – and the main character is the handheld camera’s ghostly point-of-view. It is the mute witness to everything that happens, roaming wordlessly around the house: up and down the stairs, in and out of the bedrooms, and evidently forbidden to go out back into the garden or out front on to the porch. We see what it sees.Presence is conceived on elegant and economically spare lines, dialogue scenes are presented blankly, shot mostly from a distance (the ghost detached and hanging back) and interspersed with blackouts; it is well-acted, disciplined and intimate as a play. But for me it is marred by an early, unsubtle moment of overt supernatural creepiness, which signals a retreat from ingenuity and restraint. Perhaps it was a commercial concession to the idea that, for all the cool underplaying and periodic, uncanny sudden-chill moments in which a character will glance warily into the lens, the audience has to be reassured that this is a scary horror movie; it has to be shown what happens when an invisible ghost picks something up and carries it to the other side of the room. Surging strings on the soundtrack further underline the scariness. Continue reading...
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary wants European airports to clamp down on pre-flight drinking. But is it really such a problem? There’s only one way to find out …It is 10.30am on Thursday at Gatwick, and Jenny and her friend Alison, both 63, are drinking champagne. It’s an elegant scene. They are on a stopover between Barbados and Guernsey, and neither are planning to get drunk and kicked off their connecting flight. Alison describes the unique drinking culture at an airport. “We don’t know what day it is, never mind what time,” she says. “There aren’t any windows, so you can’t tell if it is day or night. Everyone is in a different time zone anyway, so nobody is looking at anyone else thinking, ‘They’re starting a bit early.’”The perfect environment, in other words, to enjoy a morning drink. But now I’m casting around my mind for every other place on Earth where one might have a breakfast beer or glass of wine: cricket matches; bottomless brunches; weddings. In every one of those scenarios, a good number of drinkers would be carousing after half an hour. But the airport is so serene. Continue reading...
It reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer – while boosting the health of our gut microbiome and brain. Yet we all eat far too little fibre. Here is the no-fuss guide to getting your 30g a dayWhat is the leading risk factor for diet-related ill health? Ultra-processed food? Too much salt, sugar or fat? According to a systematic analysis published in 2022, it is our low intake of wholegrains. Wholegrains contain B vitamins, folic acid, omega-3 fats, protein, antioxidants and micronutrients. And, crucially, they are packed with fibre.“Fibre feels like the forgotten nutrient,” says Dr Samantha Gill, a specialist gastroenterology dietitian for the British Dietetic Association. “It has a reputation for being bland, boring and tasting like cardboard. On top of that, fibre is often related to bloating and flatulence.” Continue reading...
The prince was right to fight – and also right about the need to stop good journalism being sullied by the bad. Trust has been severely damagedThe apology is “full and unequivocal”. The damages to be paid are huge. Appearing before the Leveson inquiry in 2011, Rupert Murdoch pronounced that to be “the most humble day of my life”. News Group’s settlement today of Prince Harry’s monumental case citing phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators may make this another such day. It appears to vindicate Harry, not just in complaints about his treatment by the Murdoch press, but also the intrusions into the life of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. One can only speculate about the sting of that within the Murdoch empire.But if the best courtroom drama ends with a sense of justice being done and a triumphant winner, the long-awaited denouement is unlikely to win awards and the satisfaction for the victor, having settled the case must be – to some degree – limited. In this tale of celebrity, scandal and corruption there has been no obvious winner.Jane Martinson is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Any funding disparities can be addressed, but another pandemic is coming – and we’ll need the WHO to help fight itThis week, in East Sussex, a case of mpox was announced, the sixth UK case since October. New cases have also been detected recently in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Canada and the US as mpox spreads out of Africa. Also this week, Tanzania’s president confirmed an outbreak of Marburg, an Ebola-like virus, which the country’s health minister had previously denied, only after the World Health Organization (WHO) independently reported an outbreak of nine suspected cases and eight deaths.These two new reports of infectious diseases, thousands of miles apart, emphasise why, if a World Health Organization did not exist, it would have to be created to identify and prevent the spread of infectious diseases worldwide.Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010 Continue reading...
It’s time to celebrate all the little things in life, according to an annoyingly upbeat Belgian campaigner. But what if whingeing is actually good for you?April may be the cruellest month – but January is easily the most depressing. The weather outside is frightful and, around this time, everyone’s despondently giving up their new year resolutions. It’s dreary and dark and, if you’re the complaining sort (which, you may have noticed, I quite definitively am), there’s – waves hands vaguely at our crumbling dumpster fire of a planet – a lot to complain about. Indeed, a new report has found that champagne sales are sinking. Not just because of dry January, but because people can’t find much to celebrate.Enter Isabelle Gonnissen, a Belgian woman who seems to be annoyingly obsessed with positivity. She wants all the whingers and whiners out there to change their tune and celebrate the little things in life. Several years ago, Gonnissen launched a 30 Days Without Complaining challenge in Belgium; this year, she’s reportedly bringing it to the Netherlands. According to the NL Times, the campaign launched on Blue Monday (the third Monday of January), which is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It probably isn’t, by the way. Rather, Blue Monday is a pseudoscientific PR stunt that entrenched itself into our consciousness because it feels kind of true – but I’m not going to grumble about that now. In fact, I’m going to try not to grumble at all. There’s no way I can give up complaining for 30 days, but I’ll heroically give it a go for the next few sentences. Continue reading...
Germany’s capital was known for its affordable rents. Now ‘furnished temporary’ flats risk destroying the heart of the cityFrom London and other overpriced cities, we often look to Berlin as a beacon of progressive housing politics. Renting in the capital, as some 84% of households do, is associated with secure, unlimited, rent-controlled tenancies. Berliners have rallied behind moves to freeze rents and expropriate hundreds of thousands of apartments from corporate landlords. But in the last few years, Berlin’s housing crisis has escalated to unprecedented proportions, with median asking rents across the city rising by 21.2% in 2023 alone. Far from “poor but sexy”, as it was once dubbed by its own mayor, Berlin now has one of the most overheated property markets in the world.The reasons for Berlin’s housing crisis are complex, yet there is one simple and resolvable mechanism driving the stratospheric rent increases of recent years: the large-scale exploitation by landlords of a strange loophole in German federal law. If apartments are rented out as “temporary” and “furnished”, owners can evade tenancy regulations and charge considerably higher rents.Tim White is a researcher and writer studying housing, cities and inequality. He is Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the Free University of Berlin and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics Continue reading...
In the end, the best bet against oligarchy remains countervailing powerTwenty years ago, someone calling the United States an oligarchy would have been labelled a crazy commie or, at best, cuckoo. Now Biden made it central to his goodbye to the American people – and warned of a tech-industrial complex to boot.It is a salutary recognition that, especially since the US supreme court started to open the floodgates of dark money in politics, wealthy individuals face few obstacles in purchasing political power. But now oligarchs like Musk put themselves at the center of political campaigns and aspire to govern. That new visibility – evidenced by the tech leaders seated in front of Trump’s cabinet at the inauguration – could also make oligarchs more politically vulnerable.Jan-Werner Müller is a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...
Our job is to imagine scenarios from the impact of the climate crisis to the rise of AI – and decision-makers need our helpEmma Newman’s Planetfall science-fiction series was shortlisted for the best series Hugo awardI am an imaginative person, but I never once imagined I would find myself in a room with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) talking about what the world could be like many decades into the future. But that is what I have been doing recently, as one of several science-fiction authors on the Creative Futures project, a partnership between Coventry University and the MoD’s defence science and technology laboratory.As it seems the world is hellbent on making some of the dystopian futures we have imagined become reality, I raised my concerns about how our work would be used. But we weren’t there to suggest ideas for weapons of mass destruction. We were there to talk about things such as the impact of the climate crisis and potential future technologies, and how both could impact society. What kind of crises could arise and what sort of disaster relief may be required. The sci-fi writers of the past did a pretty decent job of predicting our present – from the moon landings (Jules Verne, 1865) to the use of geostationary satellites for global communications (Arthur C Clarke, 1945) – so I can see why the MoD wanted our contributions.Emma Newman is an author, podcaster and audiobook narrator. Her Planetfall science-fiction series was shortlisted for the best series Hugo award Continue reading...
What a remarkable coincidence Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
Difficult choices between alignment with Europe and the US are coming at the prime minister fast. He risks losing control of the debateWhen all eyes at Westminster are fixed on Washington, it is easy to forget how little attention is paid back in return.Unlike Mexico and Canada, Britain doesn’t have a long border with the US. It doesn’t rival America’s superpower primacy on the planet, unlike China. And it doesn’t export more goods across the Atlantic than it imports – a trait Donald Trump despises about the European Union. Continue reading...
The first arrest of a sitting president, over his declaration of martial law, shows the strength of the nation’s safeguards – but also that more must be doneSouth Korean presidencies have often ended badly. Office holders have been assassinated, ousted and impeached. Former leaders have faced corruption investigations and sometimes lengthy prison terms.Yoon Suk Yeol has nonetheless set a precedent as the first president to be arrested in office. Accused of insurrection over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, the former prosecutor has swapped his suits for the standard khaki uniform of a detainee. In a piquant detail, the man who led his country’s first impeachment of a president, Park Geun‑hye, has also been impeached himself. His powers are currently suspended.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...
A new study reveals the extent to which the economy remains one of the most unbalanced in Europe. Labour needs a broader vision to address the problemOne of Labour’s first actions in office was to rename the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, ditching the Johnsonian slogan that briefly dominated British politics following the “red wall” election of 2019. Since July, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has instead presided over the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The change of title reflected a shift in emphasis. While still hoping to lift the fortunes of post‑industrial towns in the north and Midlands, the new government’s overriding mission was to raise living standards across the country by investing in a new era of higher growth and productivity.Amid market turbulence and gloomy economic prognoses, the early challenges to that approach have been well documented. Meanwhile, the country’s regional divides remain as deep and corrosive as ever. This week, a report by the Centre for Cities thinktank offers a salutary reminder of the yawning gaps that led to talk of levelling up and “rebalancing” the economy in the first place.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...
A new Dylan is needed to inspire protest against Trumpism, writes Toby Wood. Plus letters from Patrick Owen, Cris Yelland, John Blake, Ian Cunningham, Richard Barnard, John Beer, Jane Barrett, Charles Jeffrey, Helen Keating, Rae Street, Pete Lavender and Tom StubbsOn Monday, my wife and I went to our local cinema to watch A Complete Unknown, not only to see Timothée Chalamet’s stunning re-creation of a young Bob Dylan but also to avoid the wall-to-wall televised coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Set in the early 1960s, the film reminded us of how Dylan ignited and spoke for the interests of young people, starting out with simple folk songs of hope and aspiration, swiftly followed by angry snarls of rage exacerbated by the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King.With Trump once again ensconced in the White House, promising/threatening a multitude of actions, now is surely the time for a new Dylan to appear – hopefully someone who can galvanise and electrify a new generation and then inspire and support a viable new Democrat leader who can first provide opposition to any Trump excesses and then fight to ensure that his like never succeeds again (Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division, 20 January).Toby WoodPeterborough Continue reading...
The SpaceX founder’s salute was ‘chilling’, writes Robert Saunders. Plus letters from John Gorenfeld, Martine Frampton and Simon FowlerElon Musk’s fascist-style salute appears to be a Bellamy salute, named after Francis Bellamy, the author of the pledge of allegiance to the flag (Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally, 20 January). This salute was common in the US until the 1930s, when the similarities with salutes to Hitler and Mussolini gave rise to concern that it could be misconstrued.As a consequence, on 22 December 1942, Congress amended section 7 of the flag code to decree that the pledge of allegiance should “be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart”. Whether or not Musk is familiar with this or any other history, it is chilling that he appears to be unconcerned about being associated with fascist ideology. Robert SaundersBalcombe, West Sussex Continue reading...
Updates from the series opener at Eden GardensSign up for The Spin | Email RobThe left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, an outstanding bowler in this format, will take the first over.Phil Salt and Ben Duckett are ready to go. It’s time for episode one of the ECB’s new spin-off, Bazball Nights. Continue reading...
Defending champion demolished eighth seed 6-3, 6-2, 6-1Sinner will face US 21st seed Ben Shelton in semi-finalAt one point during this humbling defeat by world No 1 Jannick Sinner over Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park, the Australian’s mother Esther looked to the heavens. Her son was in the middle of his greatest test, a clash against the world No 1 as deep at a grand slam as the Australian had ever been. But above the open roof at Rod Laver Arena there was no god, only seagulls. And looking down again at her son, the man they called “Demon” was in hell.In a warning to the other semi-finalists, defending champion Sinner blitzed his top 10 peer, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in a brisk 108 minutes on a breezy Wednesday night. There was no sign of the illness that afflicted him in the round of 16. Rather the opposite, this was a performance that will make his rivals sick in the stomach. Continue reading...
No 2 seed brushes aside Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 in 89 minutesKeys beats Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to continue winning streakEven as Iga Swiatek has consolidated her position at the top of women’s tennis over the past few years, sweeping up significant titles on hard and clay courts alike, she has struggled to back up her success at some of the biggest tournaments in the world. While she has built an all-time great era of dominance at Roland Garros, winning four of the last five tournaments in Paris, Swiatek had also gone two seasons without making a semi-final in Melbourne, London or New York.This week at the Australian Open, things have come together at last. Swiatek will battle Madison Keys for a spot in the final after the Polish No 2 seed dismantled the eighth seed Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 to continue her dominant run in Melbourne. Earlier on Wednesday, Keys maintained her own excellent form at the start of the season with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over 27th seed Elina Svitolina. Continue reading...
Nils Nielsen, the former Manchester City director of football, believes he can help country’s huge talent flourish as their first foreign managerFlashback to July 2011 and the jubilant celebrations by Japan’s World Cup heroes as they hoist the trophy high into the Frankfurt night sky and you could easily have thought the Japanese women’s game was going to enjoy a period of sustained prosperity. However, despite history being made that summer evening, success at major tournaments has proved impossible for the Japan FA.Now, though, there is hope of a new dawn. Enter Nils Nielsen, the former Manchester City women’s director of football and Denmark women’s coach, who has been charged with guiding the Nadeshiko back to the heights of 2011. The appointment serves as a landmark moment with the Greenlander becoming Japan’s first foreign manager. Continue reading...
San Diego player agrees personal terms with WSL clubFee tops previous record of $860,000 for KundananjiThe United States defender Naomi Girma is set to have a medical at Chelsea this week after agreeing personal terms to join from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee. Chelsea will pay $1.1m (£890,000), the first women’s football transfer fee to exceed a million US dollars.The Guardian understands Chelsea have agreed a long-term contract with Girma and she is set to travel to London for a medical with Sonia Bompastor’s side, who are seven points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League at the halfway stage. Continue reading...
Sweeney reveals he wanted to defer bonus payment‘ I do believe I’m doing a good job’Bill Sweeney has vowed to fight on as the Rugby Football Union chief executive despite facing calls for his dismissal over a pay and bonuses scandal. Sweeney has also revealed that he wanted to defer the controversial bonus payment that has led to calls for his removal.The RFU has agreed to hold a special general meeting, at which Sweeney will face moves to end his tenure, after the Six Nations. A total of 141 signatories are included on a letter that was sent to the RFU on 9 January, easily exceeding the 100 member clubs needed to trigger an SGM under the governing body’s rules. Continue reading...
Plus: non-champion Champions League regulars, dramatic upturns in form and prolific scorers in an abandoned gameMail us any of your questions and answers“What’s the longest ‘yo-yo’ sequence of a team that really can’t decide which league to stay in?” weeps Southampton fan Rupert Sheard.Southampton are on course to yo-yo for the third consecutive season, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2022-23 and promoted from the Championship last year. “Rupert can console himself that Saints are a few years from troubling the record books,” writes Mike Slattery. “There are two clubs in English League football who were promoted or relegated in six consecutive seasons. Rotherham United played in either League One or the Championship every second season from 2016-17 to 2022-23, so they are the champions of the yo-yo league. They managed to stay up two seasons ago and so ended their run at six. Continue reading...
The 37-year-old showed killer instinct against younger rival, a willingness to go to hell and back in pursuit of gloryIn the most recent late-night exhibition of his insatiable resilience and desire, as he again belied his ageing body to deliver another legendary performance, one of the most significant moments of Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final defeat of Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open came as the Serb clung desperately on to his frail momentum.While leading set point on his serve at 5-3 in the third set, Djokovic was hurled around the court by Alcaraz, chasing down a drop shot before stumbling back to the baseline in pursuit of a lob. The frantic point – and set – ended with Djokovic slipping an angled backhand passing shot by Alcaraz before cupping his hands to his ear while the Rod Laver Arena erupted. Continue reading...
António Guterres issues warning at Davos, days after Donald Trump pulled US out of Paris climate agreementDavos day two live – latest updatesThe world’s addiction to fossil fuels is a “Frankenstein’s monster sparing nothing and no one”, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.“Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein’s monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master,” Guterres said in a speech days after 2024 was revealed to have been the hottest year on record and Donald Trump began his second term as US president by pulling the country out of the Paris climate agreement and pledging to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas. The fossil fuel industry gave $75m (£60m) to Trump’s campaign. Continue reading...
Climate crisis is making it harder for insurance companies to operate, with many pausing or withdrawing policiesHomeowners in the United States are facing an enormous financial crunch due to the climate crisis, with many struggling to find insurance or even dropping premiums that are soaring due to a mounting toll of wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters, new federal government data shows.The figures, the most comprehensive numbers ever released by the US treasury department on the issue, show insurance premiums are increasing quickly across the country, with people living amid the greatest climate-driven risks experiencing the steepest rises of all. In the four years to 2022, people living in the top 20% riskiest places for such perils paid, on average, 82% more than those in the 20% lowest climate risk zip codes. Continue reading...
Climate negotiator André Aranha Corrêa do Lago given top job, bypassing Brazilian environment minister Marina SilvaBrazil has announced the top team for the next UN climate summit, which will be hosted in Belém this November, bypassing the country’s environment minister, Marina Silva, in favour of a veteran diplomat for the crucial role of president of the talks.The experienced climate negotiator and secretary for climate, energy and environment, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, will preside over the Cop30 summit, which is expected to draw scores of world leaders to Brazil – though not Donald Trump, who soon after his inauguration on Monday ordered the US’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Continue reading...
Critical CO2 stores held in permafrost are being released as the landscape changes with global heating, report showsA third of the Arctic’s tundra, forests and wetlands have become a source of carbon emissions, a new study has found, as global heating ends thousands of years of carbon storage in parts of the frozen north.For millennia, Arctic land ecosystems have acted as a deep-freeze for the planet’s carbon, holding vast amounts of potential emissions in the permafrost. But ecosystems in the region are increasingly becoming a contributor to global heating as they release more CO2 into the atmosphere with rising temperatures, a new study published in Nature Climate Change concluded. Continue reading...
Charities in England that bid for share of millions say idea that Treasury could keep money is ‘heartbreaking’Charities that bid for a share of millions of pounds of water company fines to restore rivers in England polluted by sewage say the UK government will be guilty of an appalling breach of trust if the cash is diverted to Treasury coffers.“I appreciate that the Labour government have inherited a mess, I am a Labour supporter myself, but I think this is a really deeply appalling decision for a Labour government given the promises they made, and it is a really worrying indication of where we are headed,” said Kathryn Soares, chief executive of the Nene Rivers Trust. Soares runs one of a number of groups waiting more than eight months for grants from an £11m fund made up of water company fines for pollution which Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, wants to divert to the Treasury, it was revealed on Sunday. Continue reading...
Teenager arrested on suspicion of murder following incident in Hall Green areaA 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham.West Midlands police said the boy was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday and was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries. Continue reading...
New retailer, which is part of Great British Railways plan, is not expected until 2026 at the earliestBusiness live – latest updatesA new online train ticket retailer backed by the UK government is to be created, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced, with the aim of simplifying the process of buying tickets from different rail operators.However, the service will only be available once Great British Railways (GBR) has been established, which is not expected to take place until late 2026 at the earliest. Continue reading...
Rolling coverage of the second day of the World Economic Forum in Davos Rachel Reeves has also revealed ministers want to increase higher skilled migration by creating with more visas for people working in AI and life sciences:She told attendees at Davos that the government will publish an immigration white paper later this year.“He recognised that this government has got a different strategic approach when it comes to regulation, and he recognised it was time for him to move on and make way for somebody who does share the mission and the strategic direction that this government are taking.” Continue reading...
Increase to £17.8bn is well above City forecasts and is highest December figure for four yearsBusiness live – latest updatesUK government borrowing jumped unexpectedly to £17.8bn last month, piling pressure on Rachel Reeves to plan budget cuts before a spending review in the summer.The figure was about a quarter higher than the City had forecast and was up by £10.1bn more than in the same month a year earlier, making it the highest December borrowing for four years. Continue reading...
Experts say UK should stop biomass burning as electricity sector decarbonisation by 2030 can be achieved without itThe UK should stop burning wood to generate power because it is not needed to meet the government’s target of decarbonising the electricity sector by 2030, according to analysis.Ed Miliband, the energy security and net zero secretary, is expected to make a decision soon on whether to allow billions of pounds in new public subsidies for biomass burning, despite fierce opposition from green groups. Continue reading...
Mike Osman, aka ‘Donald Trumped’, from Southampton, says he is expecting busiest year of careerA British Donald Trump impersonator is looking forward to an “unstoppable” four years, thanking the American president for providing him with a pension pot for his retirement.Southampton-based Mike Osman, a 65-year-old comedian, said his income had increased by between 30 and 40% since Trump was re-elected and he was expecting to have the busiest year of his career. Continue reading...
Potential changes to US policy under Trump could also hamper aid efforts to most vulnerable, says former UK foreign secretaryThe rise of “alternative facts” and the end of automatic deference to doctors is creating dangers for global efforts to vaccinate vulnerable children, David Miliband has warned.The former UK foreign secretary, who now runs the International Rescue Committee (IRC), was speaking hours before Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the US. Continue reading...
Range of womenswear and menswear contains 49 pieces adapted from brand’s bestselling items to suit variety of needsIt’s a go-to shop for cheap knickers and designer dupes, but now Primark hopes to become the top destination for clothing designed for those with a range of disabilities.In a first for the budget high street shop, it is releasing a 49-piece line of womenswear and menswear, adapted from its bestselling items to suit a range of needs. Continue reading...
Analysis shows patients need to exercise and keep their weight down to reap maximum benefitMuscular strength and good physical fitness could almost halve the risk of cancer patients dying from their disease, according to a study that suggests tailored exercise plans may increase survival.The likelihood of people dying from their cancer has decreased significantly in recent decades owing to greater awareness of symptoms, and better access to treatment and care. Continue reading...
Angry scenes over speaking time arrangements in the Dáil with rows delaying the expected confirmation of Martin’s role by the presidentTusk, a historian by training, also urged Europe to increase its defence spending:Some people think it’s extravagant or wrong to warn that we should spend up to 5% of GDP on our security. … But this is a time when Europe cannot afford to save on security.We spend 5% not on our own security, but also on the security of the whole of Europe. … If Europe is to survive, it needs to be armed.Do not ask what America can do for Europe and its security; ask what ourselves we can do for our security. Continue reading...
Further shooting and explosions reported after 10 killed yesterday as Ayman Safadi tells Davos meeting of fears for territoryAfter months of negotiations, a ceasefire has paused the devastating war in Gaza, but it risks collapsing as a result of deep distrust between Israel and Hamas and the multi-phased nature of the deal, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).Qatar, which mediated the talks along with the US and Egypt, has expressed hope the six-week truce and hostage-prisoner exchange will become permanent. However, that outcome is far from certain with the releases timetabled at a slower pace in comparison with a previous truce agreement. Continue reading...
Witnesses say people used bed sheets or jumped to try to get out of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel after fire broke out early in the morningSeventy-six people died and 51 others were injured when a fire engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains, forcing guests to jump out of windows or attempt to use bed sheets to flee the building.The fire broke out at about 3.30am on Tuesday in the restaurant of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, north-west Turkey. Continue reading...
The singer has filed a lawsuit against the media conglomerate for making defamatory claims against him in the 2024 film Chris Brown: A History of ViolenceThe R&B star Chris Brown is suing the media conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery for $500m (£406m) for making defamatory claims against him in the 2024 documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence, Rolling Stone reports.Released in October, the documentary addressed the allegations of misconduct and sexual assault against Brown. It features a Jane Doe who sued him for allegedly drugging and assaulting her at a party in 2020 on Sean “Diddy” Combs’s yacht (the case was dismissed without prejudice). In 2009, Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna before the Grammy awards. Continue reading...
Officials describe ‘tsunami of people’ in city of Cúcuta escaping one of worst outbreaks of violence in recent yearsAuthorities in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta are scrambling to cope with an influx of internal refugees, as thousands of civilians flee an outbreak of fighting between rival rebel factions.Buses, trailers and dump trucks packed with disoriented mothers and children have been streaming into the border city since Friday when the bloody conflict began engulfing north-eastern Colombia. Continue reading...
Commonwealth War Graves Commission begins project to honour those who, unlike white counterparts, were never commemoratedElliot Malunga Delihlazo’s grandmother would say that her brother Bhesengile went to war and never came back. The family knew he had died in the first world war, but they never had a body to bury, only a memorial stone in the rural family homestead in Nkondlo in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.Now the Delihlazos know that Bhesengile died on 21 January 1917 of malaria in Kilwa, Tanzania, more than 2,000 miles from home. He was a driver in the British empire’s military labour corps, but was never given a war grave. Continue reading...
The Iraqi parliament has passed a ‘terrifying’ law permitting children as young as nine to marryIraqi MPs and women’s rights groups have reacted with horror to the Iraqi parliament passing a law permitting children as young as nine years old to marry, with activists saying it will “legalise child rape”.Under the new law, which was agreed yesterday, religious authorities have been given the power to decide on family affairs, including marriage, divorce and the care of children. It abolishes a previous ban on the marriage of children under the age of 18 in place since the 1950s. Continue reading...
Creator links up with Jesse Tinsley as Donald Trump says he is open to Elon Musk and Larry Ellison buying siteBusiness live – latest updatesMrBeast, the YouTube star and highest-earning creator on the internet, has officially joined a bid to buy TikTok’s US operations.The 26-year-old has teamed up with the tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, the founder of the online HR company employer.com, to make an all-cash offer for the social video app’s American unit. The approach was announced as Donald Trump said he was open to the US tech billionaires Elon Musk and Larry Ellison buying TikTok in the US. Continue reading...
US president reinstates Cuba on terror list despite Biden deal to release prisoners jailed over demonstrationsThe families of Cuban protesters jailed in anti-government demonstrations are waiting anxiously to see if the government will continue with a planned prisoner release after Donald Trump reneged on a deal made last week by Joe Biden.Activists from the human rights group Justicia 11J believe about 150 prisoners have been released so far of the 553 agreed with the Catholic church. Continue reading...
Keep your two-wheeler secure with our expert-recommended bike locks, from coveted Kryptonite locks to lightweight and combination designs• From heated gloves to commuter jackets: 11 winter cycling essentials to keep you safe and cosyFew among us do not have a tale of a stolen bike: you leave work with your helmet fastened or come out of a shop after picking up some milk, and your bike has disappeared.Tens of thousands of people reported a bike theft to police in England and Wales in 2024, so having the right lock is crucial to protect your two-wheeler. But just as everyone has their own preferred bike, choosing the right lock, from ultra-secure bolts to lightweight devices, is highly personal. Riders need to consider where they live, how attractive their bike is to thieves (they often look for more elaborate city and racing bikes), and how long they leave it unaccompanied. Only then is it possible to start pinning down what is needed.Best affordable lock: Halfords 23cm D Lock£30 at HalfordsBest super-secure lock: Hiplok DX1000£299 at HiplokBest for city cyclists: Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7£39.43 at AmazonBest combination lock: Kryptonite KryptoLok Combo£47.25 at DecathlonBest chain lock: Kryptonite KryptoLok Series 2£89.99 at CyclelaneBest lightweight lock: Foldylock Mini£76.98 at Amazon Continue reading...
This week: feel-good January fixes, interior designer-approved bed linen and Grace Dent on the best extra-chocolatey biscuitsWhat do the words “self-care” mean to you? A long scented soak in the bath? A winter run with a podcast as the sun sets? Box-fresh bed linen? It could even be all of the above, in one evening.Whatever your poison, there’s no denying a little self-care is needed at this time of year. We try to avoid jumping on bandwagons here at the Filter (particularly “Blue Monday”), but there’s little doubt that the short days, cold weather, empty bank accounts and current world events can drag you down.The beauty products and gadgets Sali Hughes tried, tested and loved last yearThe best heated clothes airers to save time and money when drying your laundry, tested Continue reading...
Discover your perfect coffee maker with our tried-and-tested recommendations, from top-rated brands like Sage and Nespresso to capsule and manual espresso machines• How to choose the right type of coffee machine for youWhen it comes to something as earth-shatteringly important as coffee, everyone has an opinion. Some crave a single perfect shot of espresso, while others seek the milkiest latte; some love Starbucks and others, well, don’t. This is why the idea of there being a single best coffee machine is fanciful – everyone’s idea of the perfect coffee couldn’t be more different.As a selfless service to coffee drinkers everywhere, I’ve spent months researching and trialling coffee machines to produce a shortlist of tried-and-tested recommendations. The list spans all the main types of coffee maker: manual espresso, filter, bean-to-cup and capsule (not sure what all of this means? Read our dedicated guide to the different types of coffee machine.Best manual machine for beginners: Sage Bambino Plus £349 at ArgosBest low-effort coffee at an affordable price: De’Longhi Magnifica Evo One Touch£419.99 at LakelandBest for simple filter coffee: Moccamaster KBG Select £212.99 at AmazonBest for capsules: L’or Barista Sublime £85.03 at AmazonBest low-effort premium coffee: Jura C8 £795 at Appliance CityBest capsule machine for long coffees: Nespresso Vertuo Plus £99 at Amazon Continue reading...
From weighted blankets and de-puffing masks to sunrise alarm clocks, our self-care buys are sure to brighten your moodA new year brings fresh starts, but after the indulgent and languid festive season, we’re usually not feeling so hot. Without the twinkly lights and social gatherings to counteract the short days and Baltic temperatures, it’s also natural to feel a little down.And while Blue Monday has long been discredited as a ruse to sell holidays, many of us will probably find the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration a little more depressing than your typical first day of the week. Either way, when it’s cold and dark outside, it’s a great time to focus on self-care to brighten your mood. Whether you’re looking for a small indulgence or want to invest in something that will genuinely better your day-to-day, these are my favourite self-care buys right now. Many are aimed at improving your health and wellbeing, while others will simply help you feel warm and cosy. Continue reading...
Barbican, LondonLittle happens in this wordless show about an Irish navvy who lives a lonely existence and yearns for home but it is oddly affectingOne egg cup on the shelf, one tin mug, one knife, a game of Solitaire. Such are the trappings of a lonely life. On stage is a sparse home, washed in grey dust, the light a specific shade of dingy. A weary body gets home from work, pulls off heavy boots, strips to saggy underwear. His head, though, is covered with a knobbly mask of thick clay, like a gargoyle, with a pinched nose and tiny eye holes. It’s an alienating presence.This is the work of Galway-based company Brú Theatre, led by director James Riordan (performed as part of MimeLondon, a descendant of the London International Mime festival). As the title suggests, there are no words, bar a final poem in Irish voiceover, on the experience of exile. The inspiration behind this odd, but oddly affecting piece of theatre, is the story of the Irish navvies, who emigrated to Britain in the 19th century to build railways and other infrastructure, and the lives of forgotten migrants, yearning for home. Continue reading...
Opera House, ManchesterA meandering musical based on the Doris Day movie delivers the sure-shot showtunes in style with a whipcracking lead in Carrie Hope FletcherThe 1953 film Calamity Jane is quick on the draw. Doris Day’s romcom western gets under way with lickety-split rhythm and irresistible whip-crack-away refrains. This stage adaptation takes its sweet time to get going, with a bit of tomfoolery from a grizzled, banjo-twanging barfly and the denizens of Deadwood opening with a ballad, The Black Hills of Dakota.That is indicative of a show that ambles through the same storyline, adding half an hour (including a handful of extra songs) to its running time. Some of the material passes by like tumbleweed but the song Men! features Calamity ribbing the opposite sex, redressing the barrage of feminine ideals she faces in the film. Another catchy addition, Careless With the Truth, reinforces the frontierswoman’s taste for self-mythologising.At Manchester Opera House until 25 January. Then touring until 27 September. Continue reading...
★★★★★/★★★★★Drawing on hardboiled US fiction, as American film had fed on his own Seven Samurai, the director brings unforgettable intensity to his anxious noirAkira Kurosawa’s scalding 1949 cop thriller Stray Dog (★★★★★), with its extended closeup shot of a mad dog snarling into the camera over the opening credits, is about a stolen gun; as with De Sica’s stolen bicycle the year before, the resulting search leads us on a tour of the city, scene by scene into a world of poverty, cynicism and violence.It is a gripping, drum-tight picture, a panoramic drama of crime revealed over one sweltering summer in postwar Tokyo which culminates in an ominous monsoon downpour and it stars two alpha-dogs of Japanese cinema, both stalwarts of Kurosawa. Takashi Shimura is veteran police officer Detective Sato, tolerant, good-humoured, realistic about the prospects for containing, if not eradicating crime, and Toshiro Mifune is his partner, rookie cop Murakami, part of the new, thoughtful postwar generation concerned with upbringing and psychology. Murakami teaches the older man the unfamiliar term “après-guerre” to describe his new attitudes, although he has to be reminded that the police is different from the army, less regimented and more about initiative. Mifune is still a young man of 29 in this film, although he clearly shows that amazing natural severity and martial nobility. Continue reading...
Are the guitars right? Is Joan Baez sidelined? Who is this Sylvie Russo? And why is it an American shouting ‘Judas’? A Dylan tribute singer, two biographers, a superfan and more weigh inRichard Williams, biographer Continue reading...
Royal Concert Hall, GlasgowThe Glasgow singer-songwriter’s voice has got even better with age – a shame, then, that the crowd just want to hear his 80s hitsLloyd Cole is singing songs of love and pain, and singing them very well. But, ach, you can’t please everyone. “Lost Weekend!” shouts a fan in the balcony, requesting a hit from 1985. Cole, dapper in a white suit, takes a moment before replying: “I’m definitely too old to play Lost Weekend.”“But that’s why we’re here,” comes a second voice, across the room. Continue reading...
A personal trainer puts her abusive ex-boyfriend through his paces in a revenge tale from the author of Elizabeth Is MissingEmma Healey’s first novel, the bestselling Elizabeth Is Missing (2014), was narrated by an elderly woman losing her memory. Her second, Whistle in the Dark (2018), told the story of a 15-year-old girl who goes missing for four days and returns refusing to speak about what happened. Sweat again focuses on a woman in peril. Cassie, the narrator, is a personal trainer who left her controlling boyfriend, Liam, two years before the start of the novel.They initially met when Cassie attended his bootcamp classes; Liam now turns up at the gym where Cassie works, seeking to take advantage of an offer of half-price personal training sessions for those with disabilities. Liam is claiming to be blind; and though Cassie, who is assigned as his trainer, is unsure of how impaired his sight really is, she decides to pretend to be someone else and perhaps wreak some kind of revenge on him. Continue reading...
Put in place plans to cope with whatever life throws at you – from interest rate rises to car repairsFinancial resilience doesn’t just mean having lots of money stashed away, but rather having contingency plans in place for certain scenarios. Continue reading...
The classic Creole stew in nine simple stepsGumbo, “New Orleans’ most famous Creole creation”, is a word of Angolan origin that describes a dish that brings together West African, Native American, Spanish and French influences in one gloriously savoury pot of stew. City Creole or country Cajun, everyone in Louisiana has an opinion on the best way to make it, be that with fish and meat, fish or meat, or indeed no meat at all, especially during Lent. This is my version.Prep 15 min Cook 3 hrServes 4 Continue reading...
I spent years desperate for help and exhausted from lack of sleep. But the condition is badly misunderstood – even by doctorsI’d always known something was wrong with my legs. When I was a teenager, my best friend and I shared her full-sized bed – she would wake me up, giggling: “Lying next to you is like trying to sleep through an earthquake!” Now I’m 45, and my boyfriend says the same thing.I have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a condition that affects up to 14% of the global population, according to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. Every night, I feel an uncontrollable urge to move my legs. I get up and walk – a trusty but temporary solution. It stops. I lie back down. It starts again. I try to ignore it, but I can’t. The movements persist in arrhythmic cycles for hours. By bedtime I’m exasperated, in tears. I just want to sleep. Continue reading...
A super side dish of buttery pak choi spiked with savoury miso and spicy gochujang – adapt at willWho doesn’t love a sauce that soaks into every nook and cranny? The crunchy, celery-like stalks of pak choi and their tender, crisp leaves are the perfect vessel for this buttery miso and gochujang sauce. Vinegar and honey add a sweet-and-sour acidity, while the heat of chilli and gochujang pack the perfect punch. And if you can’t find pak choi? Swap it for any seasonal greens you can get your hands on. Continue reading...
The luxury collection, created in partnership with Nigo, brings varsity jackets, abstract camo and wide-leg silhouettes to the Louvre catwalkPharrell Williams kicked off Paris fashion week on Tuesday night with a menswear show that cemented Louis Vuitton’s position as the new luxury leader in streetwear.The collection was created in partnership with Nigo, a Japanese designer and one of the most influential figures in streetwear. Continue reading...
Free to explore my hilly corner of the countryside, I found hidden paths to sacred springs, prehistoric monoliths, empty swimming holes …When I moved from London to a hilly area of rural France in 2017, I brought my bike with me. A faithful secondhand racer, it had served me well over the years to commute from south to central London. On day two in France, I took it out on the road and was completely exhausted by the time I got to the next village, 2km and four big hills away. I put the bike in the shed and forgot about it.But I didn’t forget about cycling. With its empty roads and miles of meandering logging paths through ancient woodland, the area around my home is perfect for the adventurous cyclist. If only I could overcome the exhaustion problem. I needed to extend the range I could cycle safely, while still getting a respectable amount of exercise. Continue reading...
We’d like to hear from those looking for work in the UK as well as from UK employers about their recent experiences of the labour marketBritain’s unemployment rate has risen unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).It estimated that the number of payrolled employees had shrunk by 47,000 in December, the biggest drop since November 2020. The jobless rate meanwhile increased to 4.4 per cent in the three months to November, up from 4.3 per cent in the three months to October. Continue reading...
We want to hear from people who have tried to secure care in a hospice and what the process has been likeWe are interested in finding out more about people’s experiences of hospice care in the UK. Whether you have tried to secure in-patient care for yourself or a loved one, we would like to hear from you.What has your experience been like? If you were not able to secure care in a hospice what happened next? Do you have any concerns? Continue reading...
We’d like to hear from young people starting out in the creative sector about their experiences of internships We’d like to find out more about internships in the UK creative sector.A 2018 report by the Sutton Trust revealed that 86% of interns in the UK’s creative industry were unpaid and we’d like to hear about the opportunities for people trying to enter the sector now. Continue reading...
Got something you’d love to ask the former Baywatch star about her life and new career directions? Now’s your chanceDirector Gia Coppola had only one actor in mind to star in The Last Showgirl: Pamela Anderson. Having watched Ryan White’s Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, Coppola knew she would be perfect as Shelly Gardner, an ageing Las Vegas dancer facing the closure of Le Razzle Dazzle, the classic revue she has starred in for three decades. The problem was, Anderson’s (now former) agent threw the script in the bin. Coppola did not take no for an answer. She got in touch with Anderson’s son Brandon Thomas Lee, who made sure the pitch reached his mum. Now trailing accolades, award nominations and an Oscar buzz, the film is bringing the 57-year-old icon something she struggled to find earlier in her career: respect.Having risen to fame as a Playboy Playmate, Anderson became an international superstar in the 1990s in Baywatch, which cemented the sex-symbol image she struggled for years to shake off. Recently, however, her public persona has morphed into something much more multilayered, thanks not only to the Netflix doc but also to her thoughtful 2023 memoir Love, Pamela and her well-received Broadway debut the previous year as Roxie Hart in Chicago. As she said in a recent magazine interview: “The stars have aligned.” Continue reading...
President says he’ll help states execute people but experts skeptical of bold pledge to expand capital punishmentDonald Trump has signed an executive order committing to pursue federal death sentences and pledging to ensure that states have sufficient supplies of lethal injection drugs for executions.The order promises that Trump’s attorney general will seek capital punishment for “all crimes of a severity demanding its use”, specifying that the US will seek the death penalty in every case involving murder of law enforcement and a capital crime committed by an undocumented person, “regardless of other factors”. Trump has also pledged to pursue the overruling of longstanding US supreme court precedents that limit the scope of capital punishment. Continue reading...
It was once a privilege afforded to only Singapore, Brunei and Japan but now travel rules have been relaxed for dozens of countries. But are many people coming?A few years ago, getting a visa to visit China was a “ball ache”, says Kate Murray. The Australian was going for a four-day trade show, but the visa required a formal invitation from the organisers and what felt like “a thousand forms”.“They wanted so many details about your life and personal life,” she tells the Guardian. “The paperwork was bonkers.” Continue reading...
After the state hourly minimum wage increased to $20 in April, CEOs warned of price rises and job cuts – yet staff say ‘that’s a lie’Joe Erlinger did not mince his words. “This lopsided, hypocritical and ill-considered legislation hurts everyone,” the top McDonald’s executive declared in 2022, as California considered a landmark $20 hourly minimum wage for fast-food workers.The state ignored such warnings, enforcing a pay rise for an estimated 500,000 people in California – home to some of lowest-paid staff in the US workforce – last April. Continue reading...
Tarrio and Rhodes, who both have ties to far-right groups, were serving long sentences until Trump granted clemencyAmong the 1,500 people Donald Trump granted clemency over the January 6 insurrection, two stand out: Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, who were serving long sentences for their key roles in plotting the storming of the Capitol.Both men had their sentences commuted by Trump in one of his first acts in office, a statement of intent from a president who has insisted the violent siege of the seat of government, which is linked to nine deaths, was a “day of love”. Continue reading...
A notable international contingent turned up for Trump’s swearing-in as well as galas and parties surrounding the eventAside from the US tech billionaires and the Maga crowd, Trump’s inauguration included a notable international contingent, from fringe far-right European politicians to an Irish cage fighter.Here are some key figures who flew overseas for Trump’s swearing-in, as well as galas and parties surrounding the event. Continue reading...
‘This is attacking where Jewish and non-Jewish people go,’ one mother says after Maroubra childcare centre was targeted on Tuesday morningFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe news of another antisemitic incident is a “punch in the guts” for Australia’s Jewish community, but an arson attack on a Sydney daycare centre has created a heightened sense of anxiety.Only About Children, a non-religious daycare centre near the Maroubra synagogue and Mount Sinai college, was set alight and graffitied in the early hours of Tuesday. Continue reading...
The Southport case shows how easily the seeds of extremism can now be sown – and the law needs find a way to keep upUK ministers pledge to overhaul terror laws amid Southport murders outcryAs yet, those with the closest knowledge of the Southport case cannot answer these questions: what cause was Axel Rudakubana trying to advance and who was he trying to influence when he unleashed his atrocity? As such, police cannot declare it a terrorist incident.The UK primarily combats the threat of terrorist violence through civilian law enforcement bodies governed by laws, not the military or paramilitaries, so there needs to be a legal definition of terrorism. Continue reading...
President says his executive orders will lead to ‘complete restoration of America’. Here’s what we know so farDonald Trump returns to office – live updatesOn his first day back in the White House, president Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including rescinding Biden-era executive actions and withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord.Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his campaign that he would be a dictator only on “day one” and use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.Trump sworn in as 47th president – follow live inauguration updatesA who’s who of far-right leaders in WashingtonMigrant groups at US-Mexico border await mass deportations‘Doge’ violates federal transparency rules, lawsuit claims Continue reading...
Having left the library behind, the once budding academic talks about building JP Morgan’s UK digital lender from scratchIt all started in spring 2019, in a secret office on the seventh floor of JP Morgan’s London headquarters in Canary Wharf. Tucked behind the bustling staff canteen, at the end of a corridor that snaked past the office gym and in-house doctor, future Chase UK chief executive Kuba Fast was digesting the task ahead of him: helping build a new digital bank – from scratch – for the Wall Street giant.He had been selected to join the project months earlier by fellow McKinsey alumnus Sanoke Viswanathan, who had been travelling the globe to learn from other successful digital lenders, including Fast’s former employer, Poland’s mBank. JP Morgan gave little detail about its venture, which was then known by its codename, Project Dynamo. But Fast dived headfirst into the blank-slate project. “I agreed to join before knowing where I would live,” Fast says. Continue reading...
We are far more likely to use our hands to type or swipe than pick up a pen. But in the process we are in danger of losing cognitive skills, sensory experience – and a connection to historyHumming away in offices on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon and in the White House is a technology that represents the pragmatism, efficiency and unsentimental nature of American bureaucracy: the autopen. It is a device that stores a person’s signature, replicating it as needed using a mechanical arm that holds a real pen.Like many technologies, this rudimentary robotic signature-maker has always provoked ambivalence. We invest signatures with meaning, particularly when the signer is well known. During the George W Bush administration, the secretary of defence, Donald Rumsfeld, generated a small wave of outrage when reporters revealed that he had been using an autopen for his signature on the condolence letters that he sent to the families of fallen soldiers. Continue reading...
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Sid Lowe as Benfica and Barcelona play out possibly the greatest Champions League game everRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today; a completely ridiculous game in Lisbon sees Barcelona come from 4-2 behind to win 5-4 against Benfica in a game that had it all; red cards, goalkeeper howlers and a late, late controversial winner. Continue reading...
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2016: Jeffrey Karp is at the forefront of a new generation of scientists using nature’s blueprints to create breakthrough medical technologies. Can bioinspiration help to solve some of humanity’s most urgent problems? By Laura Parker. Read by Adetomiwa Edun Continue reading...
Senior political reporter Joan E Greve talks through the string of radical executive orders on immigration enacted by Donald Trump on his first day in officeDonald Trump’s first two days in office have brought many drastic changes – from withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accords, to pardoning hundreds of rioters convicted for the January 6 attack.But it is in the area of immigration, perhaps, where the returning president has been the most radical. “It’s like he came in with a very hardline anti-immigration agenda,” explains senior political reporter Joan E Greve, “and he intends to carry out that agenda in every possible realm of policy, in every possible way that he can.” Continue reading...
Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Emma Sanders and Emily Keogh to discuss the action as WSL returnsOn the podcast today: the WSL is back with a bang as Ella Toone steals the show in the Manchester derby, scoring a hat-trick in United’s thrilling 4-2 win over City at the Etihad. What does this result mean for both teams’ title hopes?The panel also discusses Arsenal’s dominant 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace, celebrating Renée Slegers’ permanent appointment as head coach, while Chelsea hit five past West Ham to solidify their lead at the top of the table. Continue reading...
A podcast promoting claims that non-verbal autistic children can read minds briefly knocked Joe Rogan off the top of the charts this month, which made the Science Weekly team wonder, how has science attempted to prove or disprove the existence of mind reading? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Chris French, emeritus professor of psychology at Goldsmiths University. They discuss how scientists have tested this phenomenon, what else could be behind the apparent ability of some people to read minds, and why the idea is still so popularClip: The Telepathy TapesSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
Donald Trump repeatedly made false and misleading claims during his inaugural address. Here are the facts on some of the false claims offered during his speechUS politics live Continue reading...
Donald Trump vowed to 'plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars' and 'take back' the Panama Canal as he was sworn into office for the second time. He announced a number of measures he planned to take such as ending the Green New Deal and declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico borderTrump sworn in as 47th president – follow live inauguration updatesFactchecking Trump’s speech Continue reading...
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th US president, beginning what could be a vengeful second term. His swearing-in ceremony, which was initially scheduled to take place outside on the Capitol’s west front, was moved inside. Trump vowed to sign a series of executive orders, with many focusing on immigration. The president was sworn in among global conservative politicians and tech billionairesUS politics live Continue reading...
Why are your favourite products getting smaller but costing the same? From toilet paper rolls to snacks, shrinkflation is the sneaky tactic is affecting many things we buy. In this video, Neelam Tailor looks into how companies hide shrinkflation and what you can do about it.After a holiday season where festive treats like Cadbury’s Christmas selection boxes shrank while prices stayed the same, shrinkflation continues to impact shoppers in 2025. Start the year informed and learn how to spot these subtle changes to protect your budget. Continue reading...
Darren Parkinson is one of about 2 million people living with long Covid in England and Scotland. The illness is having a detrimental impact on his life, stopping him from being the kind of active and involved parent he wants to be to his two children. The Guardian has spent a year with Darren and his family to document his journey as he tries to recover from long Covid and come to terms with his new reality Continue reading...
Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has announced a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, which it is hoped will bring an end to the fighting in GazaGaza ceasefire deal agreed by Hamas and Israel, Qatari PM saysMiddle East crisis live Continue reading...
After 30 years of relentless growth and capitalism, a new trend has emerged in China. The search for a simpler, calmer life is leading some Chinese people to seek a life abroad. The trend is so popular that it’s gained its own internet buzzword: the 'run philosophy'.Chiang mai, in northern Thailand is the country’s second biggest city. It’s a tourist hotspot popular with backpackers but has recently become an unlikely second home for thousands of Chinese people seeking alternative lifestyles. Continue reading...
A new Syria is emerging from the shadow of the brutal Assad regime. The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Ayman Abu Ramouz meet people celebrating their hard-won freedom, but also those grappling with a traumatic past. The pair travel to the notorious Sednaya prison, where they meet a former prisoner who was liberated by his family just days before Resistance was not a choice’: how Syria’s unlikely rebel alliance took Aleppo'The Syrian regime hit us with chemical weapons: only now can we speak out' – videoSyria’s disappeared: one woman’s search for her missing father Continue reading...
Pharmaceutical corporations claim high prices are the cost of innovation, but the reality is far more complicated — and troubling. In 2030, the patents of some of the world’s best-selling drugs will expire, an event called the 'patent cliff', and companies are doubling down on tactics such as 'evergreening' patents and pay-for-delay deals to keep prices high and competition out.In this video, Neelam Tailor uncovers the shocking strategies big pharma use to game the system, explaining how these moves protect profits but hurt patients Continue reading...
Using video analysis and satellite imagery, the Guardian has chronicled the destruction of the Jabaliya refugee camp through three offensives since October 2023. Repeated airstrikes and ground operations by Israel, which claims it is used as a Hamas base, have razed the camp to the ground and driven out most of the civilians. Observers have said the systematic destruction of entire neighbourhoods in northern Gaza is part a policy known as the 'generals’ plan', aimed at driving out civilians by declaring certain areas closed military zonesRead more about the destruction of Jabaliya refugee camp Continue reading...
Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every ThursdayStyle, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every ThursdayExplore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you Continue reading...
Be the first to see our latest thought-provoking films, bringing you bold and original storytelling from around the worldDiscover the stories behind our latest short films, learn more about our international film-makers, and join us for exclusive documentary events. We’ll also share a selection of our favourite films, from our archives and from further afield, for you to enjoy. Sign up below.Can’t wait for the next newsletter? Start exploring our archive now. Continue reading...
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays. Continue reading...
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideasEach week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.Sign up below to start receiving the best of our culinary journalism in one mouth-watering weekly email. Continue reading...
Some areas of the Amazon experienced their worst drought in 120 years in 2024. Brazilian rivers such as the Negro fell to their lowest levels on record, affecting more than 140,000 families for months. Photographer Musuk Nolte documented the crisis Continue reading...
Over a four-decade career, the Franco-Haitian artist has built his own world of contrasts, contradictions and blissful escape Continue reading...
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...
These two breathtaking shows by women artists – one shot in Oregon State hospital, the other a collaboration between siblings – helped challenge the photographic establishment Continue reading...
A look at the events and festivities in Washington as Donald Trump and JD Vance are sworn into office Continue reading...
People worldwide take to the streets after Donald Trump was sworn in as US president on Monday Continue reading...