89 minutes ago Top Ukraine cleric pleads with Starmer for help over Zelensky’s Orthodox church crackdown

Exclusive: Prime minister has been criticised for delaying his appointment of a new envoy for religious freedom

Politics

91 minutes ago Why sex discrimination at work doesn’t go away until women are in charge | Torsten Bell

New research reveals men pay little heed to women in mixed-sex teamsSingle-sex teams are something for the football pitch, not the workplace. It’s not the 1950s. Many studies show the benefits of mixed teams: among scientists, for example, they produce more impactful research.But does it matter how mixed they are? Yes, for the women in them, concludes fascinating American research. In a couple of experiments, undergraduates were randomly assigned to small (five or six people) male- or female-majority teams, who then worked together for a period as part of their studies.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue r...

Events

91 minutes ago How can the candidate with most votes lose? The US electoral college explained

Every four years, electoral college members meet in all 50 states and cast their votes – here’s what to knowEven though the United States touts its status as one of the world’s leading democracies, its citizens do not get to directly choose the president. That task is reserved for the electoral college – the convoluted way in which Americans have selected their president since the 18th century.Contrary to its name, the electoral college is more a process than a body. Every four years, in the December following an election, its members – politicians and largely unknown party loyalists – meet in all 50 states on the same day and cast their votes for president. Then they essentially disappear. Continue reading...

Politics

91 minutes ago The week in audio: Origin Story: Russell Brand – Confidence Man; Lost Notes: Groupies; The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder – review

Brand’s strange journey from darling of the left to cancelled crank makes for an informed podcast, while a power imbalance impairs rock groupies’ tales. Plus, writer Katherine Rundell on the power of children’s fictionOrigin Story: Russell Brand – Confidence Man (Podmasters)Lost Notes: Groupies: Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk (KCRW)The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder (Radio 4) | BBC SoundsOrigin Story, a podcast about understanding politics (topics covered: centrism, George Orwell, No 10, among others), has just launched its sixth series. The opening episode is a 90-minute show on that renowned political powerhouse Russell Brand. Which may seem odd, but hosts Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey use Brand in a way, you could argue, that Brand has used others: as a means of gettin...

Politics

91 minutes ago Good with numbers: the sketchbook art of director Tim Burton – in pictures

In the early 1980s, while working as an apprentice animator at Disney, a young Tim Burton channelled his creative energies into personal projects. One of these was this series of extravagantly decorated numbers, created for an unpublished children’s book; they were later repurposed as chapter headings for The Art of Tim Burton , a 2009 book bringing together 40 years of his artistry. “Anthropomorphic creatures feature heavily across Burton’s work,” says Maria McLintock, curator of a new exhibition displaying more than 600 Tim Burton designs and objects including costumes and storyboards. “He sketches voraciously, often engrossed in a pocket-sized sketchbook with a small watercolour kit in tow. The genesis of almost every shot in his films is a drawing.”The World of Tim Burton is at the ...

Culture

94 minutes ago Pop stars Lizzo and Usher to join Kamala Harris for last push in Michigan and Georgia

Kamala Harris is scheduled to appear with Detroit-born singer Lizzo as the Democratic presidential nominee marks the beginning of in-person early voting in the city

Politics

1 hour ago Meet the oldest train driver in Greater Manchester who has spent 50 years on the railway

Mike Hughes joined the British railways in 1974 - and he's still going at the age of 75

Politics

2 hours ago Sydney Sweeney to play boxing icon shot and stabbed by husband in evil murder attempt

Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney is set to portray legendary women's boxing champion Christy Martin, who was nearly murdered by her husband in a horrific attack, then married one of her biggest rivals

Events

2 hours ago ‘The bully of the bird table’: how the humble starling conquered the world

Some celebrate them, others despise them. Yet this mimicking, competitive and acrobatic songbird still exerts a powerful fascinationA stream of people heads steadily down the path, towards the viewpoint over the reedbed. As I walk alongside them, I’m reminded of a crowd ­heading to a football match, or a ­gathering of medieval pilgrims hoping for a miracle.There is usually a moment, about 20 minutes before sunset, when the gathering falls strangely silent, anticipating what we are about to witness. Then, just as some are ­wondering if they’ve come to the wrong place, or on the wrong day, the first birds appear in the far ­distance. A small flock of starlings, flying determinedly in our ­direction. A collective sigh of relief ripples through the crowd. We can relax. Continue re...

Politics

2 hours ago ‘Appreciate winter for what it is, without wishing it were something different’: psychologist Kari Leibowitz on beating the seasonal blues

The researcher spent 10 years studying how attitude affects mood and behaviour, and her new book shares ways in which we can learn to value the colder monthsKari Leibowitz holds a PhD in social psychology from Stanford University, where she studied the role of our mindsets on our health and wellbeing. For the past 10 years, Leibowitz has been investigating people’s attitudes to winter and the ways they can powerfully affect our mood and behaviour – research that has culminated in her debut book, How to Winter: Harnessing Your Mindset to Thrive in Cold, Dark Or Difficult Times.As a Fulbright scholar, you moved from Atlanta to the University of Tromsø in Norway. The polar night there lasts for almost two months. How did that experience inform your views of winter?I was looking for a resea...

Politics