48 minutes ago Clear skies and clear minds: Rams regroup in Arizona to prepare for playoff game vs. Vikings

Everything seemed pretty normal for the Los Angeles Rams during practice at their temporary home on a beautiful afternoon in suburban Phoenix

Politics

2 hours ago Lauryn Goodman asks Kyle Walker to rent out £2m Sussex home amid plans to move abroad

The 34-year-old footballer is facing a turbulent period, with transfer rumours surrounding his playing career and reports of a divorce adding strain to his personal life

Society

7 hours ago ‘A welfare state with a budget on the right side of zero’: Iceland’s youngest

Kristrún Frostadóttir, who entered politics just four years ago, speaks to the Observer about feminism, the far right and reopening talks on joining the EUNearly 45 years ago, Iceland made history by producing the world’s first elected female president of a country, setting it on a path to being the global feminist frontrunner it is today.Since then it has had multiple female presidents and prime ministers, but it wasn’t until three weeks ago, when social democrat Kristrún Frostadóttir took office, that the country’s two top positions were both held by women at the same time. It comes after Halla Tómasdóttir became Iceland’s second female president in August. Continue reading...

Economics

27 minutes ago FA Cup fourth round draw LIVE: Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City learn opponents after Arsenal vs Man Utd clash

The draw for the fourth round takes place, with fixtures to be played on the weekend of 8 February

Sport

40 minutes ago Nurse fighting for life after being stabbed in 'murder bid' at hospital A&E

A man is being held on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident with a 'sharp instrument', but understood to not be a knife.

Events

14 hours ago India headteacher forces 100 'humiliated' schoolgirls to remove shirts after 'Pen Day' celebration

Around 100 schoolgirls at a school in Dhanbad, India, were ordered to remove their uniform tops after their pen day celebrations, when friends write on their outfits

Culture

17 hours ago Breast surgery horror as patient starts 'convulsing' on operating table but doctor continues

Beauty clinic manager Jean Huang tragically died following a botched breast augmentation surgery - unregistered doctor Jie Shao was jailed and has now been banned from providing health services

Science

8 hours ago BBC celebrity chef nicknamed 'Flamebaster' went from working as a carer to traveling the culinary world

Chris 'Flamebaster' Roberts' from Caernarfon began showcasing his cooking skills on Instagram in 2016, but has since garnered a glittering career as a chef

Transport

51 minutes ago Music sounds better with you? How your listening habits affect your love life

Psychologists say that singing, dancing and song preferences play a key role in the viability of romantic relationships“What’s the one thing your readers should do to help them use music to find and catch the partner of their dreams?” asks Patrick Savage, a senior research fellow in psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Go to karaoke and sing a duet. Go and sing A Whole New World with Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. That’s the number one recommendation by science. Well, just by me. I don’t have data on this, but from my personal experience, that’s the best.”Given that he is a musicologist, it is perhaps unsurprising that music is a key part of Savage’s relationship with his wife. But his experience with using music as a romantic tool is not unique. Love songs are found across cultures and despite not being a neat category they have historically been most popular – 67% of the top 40 tracks in America between 1960 and 2010 contained love themes. Continue reading...

Politics

3 hours ago Family pay tribute to 'bright' student who died after falling from sixth floor at halls

"Matthew was just like every other teenage boy at university. It could have been anyone's son."

Society

14 hours ago Alexander Jensen to Aberdeen is ON as Jimmy Thelin lands his main man after bumper fee triggers deal

Jensen can play either full-back position or in midfield and has been one of Thelin’s top targets

Economics

51 minutes ago Man City 'legend' might have played his final game for the club as teammate reaction speaks volumes

Pep Guardiola named just one senior centre-back in his Manchester City side to face Salford in the FA Cup.

Sport

51 minutes ago ‘Brother for life’: man injured in New Orleans attack witnessed friend’s death

Ryan Quigley was celebrating the new year with former teammate Martin ‘Tiger’ Bech, one of the 14 victims killedAmong those who were injured but survived the deadly New Year’s Day truck attack on New Orleans’ most famous street was a former Princeton University football player whose ex-teammate was murdered by the assailant.Ryan Quigley, 26, was in New Orleans with Martin “Tiger” Bech – who grew up about a two-hour drive west of the city in Lafayette, Louisiana – to ring in 2025 after both had forged a friendship while playing for Princeton University’s college football team. They had joined other revelers on Bourbon Street when a former US army veteran inspired by the Islamic State (IS) terror group managed to drive a pickup truck into the crowd that had gathered on one of the world’s most festive thoroughfares. Continue reading...

Events

19 hours ago Couldn’t put it down: David Hurn’s photographs of people reading – in pictures

In 1983 David Hurn met one of his photographic heroes, André Kertész , and jokingly suggested that, when he reached Kertész’s age of 89, he would remake his seminal volume, On Reading. True to his word, the Magnum photographer has now done so. Wherever Hurn travelled as a photojournalist, he took images of people reading books, magazines and, lately, on mobile phones. “One of the things that happens in every country in the world is people read,” he says. “It’s lovely to read – the touch of the paper, the ease of being able to check back a few pages. But we’re at a time now where we’re not quite sure whether, in the future, books on paper are going to disappear.”David Hurn’s On Reading is published by RRB Photobooks (£35) Continue reading...

Culture

20 hours ago China's 'Batwoman' scientist 'still conducting risky coronavirus tests after lab leak'

Chinese scientist Shi Zhengli, 60, continues to work on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan - top virologists say her work could have a 'potentially catastrophic' impact five years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic

Science

51 minutes ago Return looted shipwreck treasures to countries of origin as reparations for slavery, says lawyer

Proposal suggests restitution for colonial artefacts should also apply to underwater heritage Shipwrecked colonial treasures that have lain on the seabed for centuries could be recovered and returned to their countries of origin as reparations for slavery.Tim Maxwell, an international cultural heritage lawyer, said repatriating artefacts found underwater could help former colonial powers meet moral obligations to countries they had historically exploited for their transatlantic trade. Continue reading...

Politics

23 hours ago We built our world with fire. Now heat is destroying our lives | John Vaillant

We fell in love with the power and speed that fossil fuels brought us. But the price being paid in California, and around the world, has become too highZero per cent contained. In layperson’s terms, that means “out of control and burning at will”. It’s a common designation for a wildfire – in the wild. But when a fire like this enters an urban area such as Los Angeles County, the most highly populated metropolitan area in the US, it becomes an exploding bomb, and this one has been detonating since last Tuesday.By now, the energy release from this wind-driven, drought-fuelled firestorm turned urban conflagration is into the megatons, and the nuclear-scale destruction is there for all to see: block after block and neighbourhood after neighbourhood levelled – roughly 12,000 structures destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, 55 sq miles of city and mountain burnt, nearly 200,000 residents evacuated – so far. There is more to come. Continue reading...

Society

14 hours ago Inside Hearts' January transfer dealings and the role played by Jamestown Analytics

Neil Critchley lifts lid on recruitment process

Economics

4 hours ago Conor McGregor plays amateur football and 'tackle' has fans making the same jokes

The UFC star, who recently threatened to buy two professional Irish football teams, took an opposition player to the ground in a move that wouldn't look out of place in the octagon

Sport

88 minutes ago Family of British hiker still missing in Dolomites issue heartbreaking statement

Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, both from London, were hiking in Italy's Dolomites mountains when they went missing on January 1. Tragically, Mr Harris' body was discoverd on Wednesday

Events

22 hours ago Photographer captures proposal at Scots tourist spot and begs others to 'get out shot'

"It wasn't a pleasure editing everyone else out though but all part of the job."

Culture

20 hours ago 'Batwoman' boffin at centre of Covid lab leak theory still doing 'dangerous' virus tests

Millions died, economies were destroyed and years of people's lives were lost to the Covid-19 pandemic – which some blame the Chinese 'batwoman' for bringing into the world

Science

51 minutes ago Nathan Aké claims Kyle Walker would be a ‘massive’ loss for Manchester City

Walker has told Pep Guardiola he wishes to leaveFull-back played no part in City’s 8-0 rout of SalfordNathan Aké has stated Manchester City will “massively” miss Kyle Walker if he leaves in the winter window after the 34-year-old informed the club he wishes to do so.After City’s Saturday’s 8-0 FA Cup third-round rout of Salford City, Pep Guardiola revealed the defender was left out of the matchday squad after his request on Thursday to “explore the option” to play abroad. Milan are interested in signing Walker, though a move to Saudi Arabia is not thought to be an option currently. Continue reading...

Politics

24 hours ago Elon Musk's links to Liverpool from scouse 'nana' to family he 'shows no interest in'

The world’s richest man Elon Musk spent his childhood in Merseyside with his scouse grandmother, a far cry from the upper echelons of society he now knows today

Society

14 hours ago Rachel Reeves 'eyes hotel tax' to bolster UK's coffers: Families are facing surcharge on holidays to foot bill for Labour's economic chaos

Treasury officials are thought to have done 'modelling exercises' over the impact of introducing a 'tourist tax' similar to that in France as part of efforts by Rachel Reeves to stabilise finances

Economics

12 hours ago Moment Conor McGregor WRESTLES opponent to the floor in an amateur football game

UFC superstar Conor McGregor took his work in the octagon to the football pitch, while playing for his pub's football team on Saturday.

Sport

1 hour ago Germany says sanctions against Syrian war crimes suspects must stay but people need relief

Germany’s foreign minister says sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad

Events

29 hours ago Antiques Roadshow guest’s jaw drops as she discovers huge value of late husband’s worldwide hit children’s book

An Antiques Roadshow guest couldn’t contain her surprise when she was informed just how much a copy of her late author husband’s book and accompanying scrapbook were worth.

Culture

28 hours ago HMPV: Health expert's verdict on whether virus from China could trigger global pandemic

A surge in cases of HMPV (human metapneumovirus) has raised fears of another Covid-19 style pandemic after harrowing images in China show children in hospital beds needing urgent treatment

Science

60 minutes ago Sabalenka starts bid for third straight Australian Open title with win over Stephens

World No 1 beats Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in first roundSabalenka looking to match Hingis’s Melbourne hat-trickAs Aryna Sabalenka strode down the tunnel inside Rod Laver Arena that leads players straight to the court, the cameras momentarily captured a perfect shot. The pathway to Melbourne Park’s premier court is filled with large, rectangular plaques emblazoned with the names of former champions and the dates of their triumphs.For a second, Sabalenka stood perfectly next to the sign that memorialised her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open victories. Already focused on new records and objectives, however, she kept on moving. Continue reading...

Politics

26 hours ago ITV presenter Nicki Shields says ’supportive husband’ is secret to balancing family and travel

EXCLUSIVE: Nicki Shields is the face of ITV and TNT Sports' coverage of Formula E motorsport and is able to travel the world with the series despite having three young children at home

Society

23 hours ago White House working on hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel, says CIA director

Donald Trump hopes agreement will take place before his inauguration amid renewed optimismThe White House is working to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before president-elect Trump’s inauguration, William Burns, the director of the CIA, has suggested.“Negotiations going on right now are quite serious and do offer the possibility, at least, of getting this done in the next couple of weeks,” Burns said in an interview with National Public Radio on Friday. “This administration worked very hard at that right up until 20 January. I think the coordination with the new administration on this issue has been good. President-elect Trump has made clear his interest in trying to get a deal, you know, before his inauguration.” Continue reading...

Economics

16 hours ago James Rodríguez is a player out of time who brings his best to international stage | Jonathan Wilson

The 2024 Golden Boot winner flopped at Everton and faded away at Real Madrid but is still a maestro for ColombiaOn Monday, Rayo Vallecano released James Rodríguez on a free transfer. It hadn’t been much of a stay. In four and a half months at the club, he managed 136 minutes of league football. Only once did he start in La Liga. Rodríguez is 33 now. Since he left Everton in 2021, he has started just 37 league games and scored only 10 goals. This is the sixth season in a row in which he has been released on a free transfer as he has drifted from Real Madrid to the team currently 12th in the table, via Qatar, Greece and Brazil. The sense is of a waning career nearing its end.And yet in those three and a half years since his last game for Everton, Rodríguez has played 32 times for Colombia. While at Rayo, he has played 374 international minutes. True, he doesn’t often last a full game, but there are few other indications of decline. As Colombia reached the final of last year’s Copa Amé...

Sport

2 hours ago California wildfires: How and why did fire hydrants run dry across Los Angeles?

Critics have erroneously blamed California environmental policies and empty reservoirs for lack of water

Events

1 hour ago The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf review – charming portrait of an artist in her own world

Kraf’s charming and challenging fourth and final novel, now published in the UK, is narrated by a New Yorker who experiences psychotic episodes“I am glad I have the radiance. This time I am wiser,” begins Elaine Kraf’s 1979 novel – now published for the first time in the UK – in irresistibly intriguing style. The narrator is Ellen, an artist living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where she regularly experiences periods of what she calls radiance, or what the rest of us would call psychosis, mental illness, or detachment from reality.And what “the rest of us” think is part of the problem for Ellen, because the radiances make her happy and she is no threat to anybody. “Fools! No one likes anyone for what they really are.” So she becomes Esmeralda, self-styled princess of 72nd Street. “I am not one of those rulers who is never seen on the streets mingling with the common people.” Continue reading...

Politics

28 hours ago Darts star suspended after furious response to loss and calling PDC 'a disease'

Patrick Bulen, a previous participant at the World Darts Championship, has been kicked out and suspended after exploding at a qualifying event where he took aim at the PDC

Economics

17 hours ago Man City player ratings vs Salford with two 9/10s as James McAtee hits hat

Manchester City thrashed Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup on a Saturday stroll for them at the Etihad

Sport

3 hours ago Dogs, horses and peacocks were rescued from the LA fires. A charity waits for the owners

Injured animals are still being taken into pet shelters

Events

2 hours ago Nigel Slater’s recipes for potatoes with sherry, and lemon and bergamot curd

Two kinds of zesty citrus celebration to brighten any winter’s dayThe kitchen is aglow with citrus fruit. The lemons came with their wide, glossy leaves intact. Oranges, their skin flashed with viridian at the stem and sporting thin, pointed leaves, smelled of their own blossom. A box of wrinkled green makrut limes, warty and beautiful, now sit waiting to be grated into a green curry sauce. There is even a handful of bergamots, the yellow-green lemons whose tantalisingly perfumed zest I will use in a pot of citrine yellow curd.The tight-skinned citrus varieties, such as the neat clementines and larger, almost perfectly round Valencias, are inevitably the juiciest and a world away from the watery flavour of the easypeel varieties with baggy skins. Bergamot lemons and yuzu are a rare find, but worth tracking down during their brief season in midwinter. The juice of the bergamot is peppery with a kick of sherbet about it and is best used in tandem with that of a classic lemon. On its o...

Politics

31 hours ago The EU islands charging every tourist £16.77 to do one thing this summer

Overtourism is a big problem across parts of Europe, with the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini starting the New Year with tough new restrictions

Economics

18 hours ago Manchester United given Cole Palmer transfer timeline as brutal Chelsea truth delivered

Palmer is arguably the best player in the Premier League at the moment and is a boyhood Manchester United fan

Sport

3 hours ago Sydney synagogue attack condemned as ‘massive escalation’ in antisemitism

Images released by police show two people spray painting synagogue’s fence and building

Events

2 hours ago Grieving dad's heartbreaking plea to Keir Starmer played live on BBC's Laura Kuenssberg

Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died in 2017, has appealed directly to the Prime Minister as a father to stop children from facing the 'dangers' they’re currently experiencing online

Politics

19 hours ago Chelsea player ratings vs Morecambe: Joao Felix provides timely reminder as Tosin Adarabioyo steps up

The Blues made light work of their League Two counterparts

Sport

3 hours ago California fires latest: LA firefighters battle high desert winds forecast for days as 16 confirmed dead

Palisades and Eaton fires continue to rage with more than 36,000 acres burned

Events

2 hours ago Mercury Retrogrades in 2025 revealed – here's the 'disruption' you should expect

EXCLUSIVE: Whether you're a believer or not, astrology buffs give a lot of credence to this period of astral activity. And Palmist Ankur has warned that 2025 will be no exception

Politics

24 hours ago Best EA FC 25 TOTY preparation – 4 ways to improve your chances of packing TOTY players

There's no way of guaranteeing yourself a TOTY player, but using these tips may just boost your chances of getting one in EA FC 25.

Sport

3 hours ago Medieval Women: In Their Own Words review – a bracing cold shower with Joan of Arc and co

British Library, LondonA letter from the French saint and a lethal shopping list are among the stars of a mind-bending show of the words, mystical visions and everyday lives of women from 1100 to 1500What does hell smell like? At the British Library last week, I opened a small wooden door and inhaled a scent that was bitter and vegetal: a combination of sulphur and something that I didn’t dare to think about for too long so soon after breakfast. Ugh. To spend eternity breathing in this! Happily, though, a counter-stink was on hand. Before the devil had a chance to appear, I closed the door and opened another next to it. This time, my nose filled with the sweetness of honey. It wasn’t precisely heavenly; to be worldly just for a moment, I think you need Chanel or Guerlain for truly celestial perfumes. But it did make me smile. The things museum curators get up to when they’re trying to encourage time travel.The horrible smell was inspired by the saintly Julian of Norwich’s 16th and f...

Events

3 hours ago The week in TV: Patience; 7/7: The London Bombings; Playing Nice; American Primeval – review

The week in TV: Patience; 7/7: The London Bombings; Playing Nice; American Primeval – review  The Guardian

Politics

25 hours ago Manchester United’s transfer problem is simple – their players are unsellable

High wages, ageing players, and repeated injuries make United’s squad unappealing for other clubs in the market

Sport

4 hours ago Police give major update after woman falls 500ft to her death from rock climbing hotspot

The woman died after falling from the deteriorating Caminito del Rey pathway in Malaga, southern Spain, with her companion surviving but "in shock" when he was found

Events

3 hours ago In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World review – visions of mortality abound

Fitzrovia Chapel, LondonIn a former hospital chapel replete with its own stories, works by Paula Rego, Phyllida Barlow and others resonate in their exquisitely contemplative surroundingsThe Fitzrovia Chapel is a miniature cathedral in the heart of London – a tiny vault of marble, stained glass and gold conceived on the most human of scales. Old photographs show congregations of barely more than 50. It is possible to walk from one end to the other in fewer than a dozen steps, but along the way are glimmering mosaics, glowing stars and some of the most moving words I have ever read in a church.This chapel, where King Charles recorded his recent Christmas message, is all that remains of the old Middlesex hospital in the heart of London. A neo-gothic building of dark red brick, it once nestled inside this venerable teaching hospital, founded in 1745. Now it stands alone, and fully visible, dwarfed instead by the high-rise apartments and luxury shops of the Pearson Square complex that re...

Politics

25 hours ago Four Man United players David Moyes could sign at Everton to help Ruben Amorim

Former Manchester United manager David Moyes has returned to the Premier League with old club Everton as they battle to avoid the drop

Sport

4 hours ago Boob job leaves woman foaming at the mouth on operating table before tragic death

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: A 35-year-old woman went for a breast augmentation procedure but didn't make it off the operating table after an unregistered doctor injected hyaluronic acid filler

Events

27 hours ago 11 Rangers players who nearly joined Celtic including Ibrox hero who would've 'jumped' at Parkhead move

The career paths of some famous names in Rangers' history could've turned out very differently

Sport

4 hours ago LA wildfire death toll rises to 16 as devastation forces 150,000 to evacuate

The blazes have already destroyed more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday

Events

4 hours ago Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrison's More loyalty schemes ranked by Which?

From collecting points to dual-pricing, it's hard to not be enticed into the world of supermarket loyalty schemes. But, is it really worth signing up to become a member?

Politics

30 hours ago Hibs v Motherwell: Marathon schedule puts players at risk, says Well boss

The Steelmen's trip to Easter Road will be their seventh game in 22 days

Sport

5 hours ago BREAKING: LA fires death toll rises to 16 as firefighters send 'cadaver dogs' into smoking ruins

Dogs have been deployed in Los Angeles to search for human remains among the tens of thousands of burned out acres, with six fires still raging in California after nearly a week

Events

4 hours ago Britain is a weak link in Donald Trump’s new world order, so it needs to find friends fast | Will Hutton

Amid deepening debt and an onslaught by the president-elect, Labour must calm the markets, then think big economicallyIt’s certainly not 2008, nor even Truss 2022, but the men and women who move the financial markets are suddenly darkly pessimistic. Some of the private emails and WhatsApp messages circulating last week matched any efforts by Cassandra. The mood has turned against Britain.It is not one single thing, but a toxic mix. There is the prospect of a long period of stagflation, the consequence, as even the markets recognise, of 14 years of epic misgovernment. The problem now is partly that Labour does not have a plausible growth story, partly that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is painted as having an economic tin ear that douses capitalist animal spirits, and partly because Trump’s arrival has exposed just how dependent an indebted, economically wounded Britain is on the kindness of strangers. It’s not yet a crisis – the stock market has held up – but without some skilful e...

Politics

31 hours ago Student films quest to become a pro rugby player like best friend Louis Rees

Isaac Marsh is a talented inside centre who wants to become a professional rugby player

Sport

5 hours ago LA fires death toll rises to 16 as firefighters send 'cadaver dogs' into smoking ruins

Dogs have been deployed in Los Angeles to search for human remains among the tens of thousands of burned out acres, with six fires still raging in California after nearly a week

Events

4 hours ago ‘It’s an enormous emergency’: the doctor saving Sudan’s most vulnerable

MSF medical teams provide vital care in the war-torn country where pregnant women, new mothers and newborns are dying needlessly at alarming ratesDonate to our charity appeal hereIn Sudan, where a war that has caused the world’s biggest humanitarian disaster is in its second year, Dr Javid Abdelmoneim has his own daily struggles, trying to save lives in a place where the health system has all but collapsed.Rockets and bullets have an immediate effect on people caught in the crossfire, but the wider consequences of war are wreaking havoc on the population’s health. Continue reading...

Politics

6 hours ago Women’s Ashes: England fall to ODI defeat as Australia draw first blood

First ODI: Australia, 206-6, beat England by four wicketsHealy anchors run chase in multi-format series openerAlyssa Healy’s stated ambition on the eve of this Women’s Ashes was to “throw the first punch”. Mission very much accomplished. England limped away from North Sydney on Sunday evening with a bloody nose, whimpering to 204 all out in 43.1 overs – a total that despite their best efforts proved impossible to defend.England undoubtedly missed the parsimonious bowling of Kate Cross, whose back injury continues to plague her; her fitness for the remainder of the series remains in doubt. But the real blame lay with the England batters, who played in classic “Jonball” fashion (the aggressive style to which coach Jon Lewis lends his name), lacking the patience required to see off Australia’s world-class attack. The hosts’ eventual margin of victory was just four wickets. Imagine what alternative outcome we might now be contemplating had England scored even 30 more runs. Continue read...

Events

4 hours ago A Real Pain review – Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin spar in sublimely bittersweet Holocaust tour movie

The stars play Jewish American cousins touring Poland in honour of their grandmother in Eisenberg’s sharp, highly personal comedy boasting an Oscar-tipped performance from CulkinIt’s a slip of a thing, clocking in at a tight 90 minutes; a deft, light-footed amalgamation of two potentially formulaic comedy genres: the road movie and the mismatched buddy flick. But the second directorial venture from actor Jesse Eisenberg, which he also wrote and stars in, is considerably more than the seemingly slight sum of its parts. A Real Pain is a whip-sharp comedy driven by the rattling verbal sparring between uptight, neurotic David (Eisenberg) and his outgoing, unpredictable cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin). It’s also a profound character study – a substantial and emotionally nourishing journey that contains, courtesy of Culkin, perhaps the most devastating final shot of any film you will see this year.It’s a notable step up for Eisenberg as a writer-director. His 2022 debut, When You Finish Savi...

Politics

6 hours ago Why abandoning Ukraine will usher in new world order in which great wars are inevitable

The current international legal order prohibits the use of force by countries to win territory. If this concept is shattered in Ukraine, a new world order based on threats and violence will emerge

Events

4 hours ago Mikel Merino eager to prove he can play like Arsenal and Man City legends

Mikel Merino joined Arsenal last summer to add more physicality to their midfield but Spain international believes he can also create in a similar way to compatriot Cesc Fabregas

Politics

7 hours ago Woman killed Disney worker husband 'for no reason' and buried him in backyard

Laurie Shaver pretended to be the man she’d murdered to cover up the horrific and bloody crime she later blamed on their young daughter in a crime that shocked locals and the entire court room

Events

5 hours ago At home with Simon Rattle: ‘There are still things I feel are beyond me’

The world-famous conductor, now 70, on family life in Berlin, why music keeps you young and the bleak outlook for the arts in BritainThe instruction was straightforward: “10.30am at home. Coffee and croissants.” Since timing, at least in part, is a conductor’s priority, a visitor feels the pressure – especially with the siren call of coffee – to be prompt. Simon Rattle lives on the edge of Grunewald, the expanse of forest and lakes to the west of Berlin, a haven for the prosperous who built villas there at the end of the 19th century, and a green lung for all Berliners today. I arrive a few minutes early – long enough to take issue with Christopher Isherwood who, in his Berlin Stories, complained about the “expensive ugliness” of the properties here, ranging from “the eccentric-rococo folly to the cubist flat-roofed steel-and-glass box”. Gables and turrets turn suburban houses into small castles, a reminder of Germany’s romantic folklore past. Fairy lights – we meet shortly before C...

Politics

7 hours ago World's longest £8bn EU tunnel hit by chaos seven years after it opened

Despite costing a whopping £8 billion and taking 20 years to complete, the world's deepest and longest railway tunnel descended into chaos following a derailed train - just seven years after its grand opening

Events

5 hours ago Elon Musk and the new world order: the hijacking of the global conversation

How can we publicly debate policy in the face of the rising – and polarising – influence of the X owner and others whose only aim is to serve themselvesHow should we as a society interact with one another, debate, come to decisions? What impels politicians to focus and act on one thing and not another?The Athenians had the Agora, where (male, slave-owning) citizens gathered to debate and decide the issues of the day. In the early 20th century, John Reith envisioned the BBC, in a most patrician way, as a space where the nation could come together to enhance the (supposedly) British values of democracy, reasonableness and debate. Continue reading...

Politics

8 hours ago Los Angeles fire chief at the center of public spat with City Hall as wildfires rage

Kristin Crowley was elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of department turmoil

Events

5 hours ago Ruben Amorim told harsh truth that speaks volumes about Man Utd situation

Nigel Winterburn has told Ruben Amorim that he need not worry about Arsenal swooping in for any of his star players in the January window, given the current state of affairs at Old Trafford

Politics

8 hours ago Tokyo pub hosts a haggis, neeps and tatties Burns night as Japanese chef serenades diners with bagpipes

Japanese chef Tomohiro Onuki took up playing the bagpipes and opened his own Scots restaurant in Tokyo

Events