72 minutes ago Being a parent means you’re never quite your own person again, but that self

Parents must frequently say ‘no’ to their own wants and needs to serve their child’s long-term flourishing – and growth into a wonderful adultRead more in our Making sense of it seriesI believe power trips and parenting should never mix, so I freaked out when the early childhood nurse told me that to my baby boy, I was a “goddess”. She meant he was dependent on me for everything, so I had to be everything to him, come what may. But the life divine didn’t come easily to me: my boy didn’t sleep much, so I didn’t either.A decade on, I’ve seen the light. The nurse was right all along: parenting is a God gig. You don’t need to be a believer for something miraculous to happen when you become a parent: you go about becoming the god you don’t believe in, and your child’s personal guarantee that the world is a welcoming place. Continue reading...

Politics

16 hours ago Crippling five months of rail strikes set to begin today will cost us £1billion and 'paralyse' UK economy, say hospitality chiefs

Train managers at Avanti West Coast will walk out every Sunday until May 25 in an ongoing row over rest-day shifts, bringing another blow to venues which have already lost billions in previous strikes

Economics

1 hour ago ‘Psychologically scarring’ horror film dubbed best in memory now available to watch online

Film left fans unable to sleep and was called one of the ‘best serial killer films in recent memory’

Events

22 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

4 hours 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

19 hours ago Upgrade your mattress without spending hundreds on one shoppers say is 'wonderful to sleep on'

One delighted buyer called it an 'absolute wonder to sleep on'

Economics

30 hours ago Exact time more snow will hit UK today as cold snap set 'last for weeks'

Snow is expected to batter Britain this afternoon as the bitterly cold weather is expected to last throughout the rest of January - but some key FA Cup matches will go ahead

Events

4 hours ago Dream journey: a nostalgic trip aboard the sleeper train from Amsterdam to Berlin

Taking the overnight train between the capital cities and on to Dresden is all about slow travel and the romance of life on the trackOn the evening of our overnight train journey from Amsterdam to Berlin and on to Dresden aboard the European Sleeper, we enjoy a restorative plate of oysters and steak tartare on the decks of Amsterdam’s BrasserieMarie overlooking the Amstel. Then, after a nightcap in the adjoining Freddy’s Bar, a legendary spot in the Hotel De L’Europe, we make the short stroll to Amsterdam Centraal Station for the so-called Good Night Train.At 22.20 we board the train to Berlin, the bunks are swiftly made up and the blinds part pulled down for sleep. You can open the window for fresh air, brush your teeth in your own basin and there is crisp, clean linen. This slow journey is all about the romance of life on the track – and, for me, a lingering nostalgia. Continue reading...

Politics

5 hours ago UK weather maps show rain incoming for Wales but snow and ice could return

While temperatures are set to increase in Wales and the rest of the UK for the rest of January, we could be seeing more unsettled weather during that time

Politics

21 hours ago Joe Biden got plenty right at home, but on the world stage he let himself be taken for a fool | Simon Tisdall

In another era, the outgoing president would have made a great cold war leader. Instead, his tenure was dogged by errors, naivety and overcautionIn a week when the US bade a sad farewell to Jimmy Carter, presidential legacies came under particular scrutiny. Yet few presidents are widely remembered beyond their lifetimes, their “historic” achievements even less so. In the 20th century, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon make the truly memorable list. Most of the rest are mere school-book names and dates.Joe Biden’s standing in this unprepossessing pantheon is now being assessed, as he prepares to depart the White House on 20 January. Like his 44 predecessors, he reportedly frets about his “place in history”. All presidents do this. It smacks of vanity. They give valedictory lectures, endow foundations, build libraries, write memoirs. They confuse fame with continuing relevance. Continue reading...

Politics

26 hours ago Scientist says we've been cooking steak all wrong and should be microwaving

A scientist claimed we're all cooking and eating steak the 'wrong way', and we should be cooking our steaks in the microwave

Politics