1 hour ago Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser review – painfully clunky lessons in art

This French bestseller, in which a girl and her grandfather visit Paris museums, aims to be a Sophie’s World for art history – but the conversations are sentimental and simplisticThe complaint that cynics often make about modern art is that most of it looks as though it were made by children. (If your 10-year-old is pulling out crumpled Kandinskys from their schoolbags on a regular basis then lucky you, I say.) But what about art criticism? Could a child’s understanding of art be as radical as John Berger’s or as wise as Sister Wendy’s, for instance? Art historian Thomas Schlesser thinks so. His debut novel, a bestseller in France, has been translated into 38 languages. Perhaps in one of them it lives up to the hype.In Mona’s Eyes, a 10-year-old girl embarks on an artistic adventure with her grandfather, visiting the most famous works in Paris museums over the course of a year. They pledge to gaze at these works intently and to discuss them deeply. The resulting conversations are in...

Politics

2 h. ago American tries Greggs, Wetherspoons, Tesco and Nando's for first time and names two winners

Jon Barr, a US YouTuber whose videos showcase his adventures seeking out the most "unusual, affordable, and unforgettable" food experiences, recently embarked on a trip to the UK to check out British fast food

Politics

5 h. ago Mississippi is set to execute a man convicted of raping and killing a college student

A Mississippi man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 20-year-old community college student is set to be executed Wednesday evening at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman

Events

8 h. ago 65% of 2020s students have embarked on a side hustle or part

While the majority of people said they had a side hustle for financial necessity, some said they wanted to develop new skills or monetise a hobby.

Politics

10 h. ago UK employers cut graduate hiring for second consecutive year, survey finds

Institute of Student Employers cites cost pressures and worries over economic outlook

Politics

15 h. ago Former Eton College teacher who performed sex act on pupil found guilty

Reading Crown Court heard Jacob Leland, a former Eton teacher, sexually abused a student while he worked there between September 2010 and August 2012

Politics

18 h. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

18 h. ago ‘Under 5ft 5in? Forget about being a prince!’ How the Royal Ballet school is kicking out the old rules

What will the ballet dancer of the future look like? We visit the hunting lodge where the next generation are being trained – and find huge changes are under wayIt’s an idyllic autumn day in leafy Richmond Park, London, where a grand Georgian hunting lodge houses the Royal Ballet school. Enter through the classical columns and it feels like a bubble away from the world. “I was on a video call with my son,” says the school’s artistic director, Iain Mackay. “He said, ‘Where are you? Hogwarts?!’” This is indeed a place of magic for children who come here, hoping to follow in the footsteps of generations of leading dancers. They touch the middle finger of Margot Fonteyn’s statue for luck as they pass, the bronze rubbed shiny by their superstition.Getting a place at the school, founded in 1926 by the formidable Ninette de Valois, is a huge achievement. Two years ago, 40 students were accepted from more than 1,000 applications (all on merit – 90% are supported by bursaries). Mackay, 45, a...

Politics

18 h. ago 'I'm a film student and Netflix show you're overlooking should be your next watch'

Netflix has a vast array of movies and shows to choose from, with one film and TV student was floored by an unexpected series that has quickly got them 'hooked'

Culture

21 h. ago Teacher had 'conversations about orgasms and sex toys' as student 'caught by gran'

One student at Westleigh School in Wigan claimed Kathryn Matthews told her class 'about someone who stuck a dildo with a suction cup on the end of it on to the back of his bedroom door'

Society

22 h. ago Identities of the dead hostages returned to Israel are revealed

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces named two of the victims as 26-year-old Israeli national Guy Iluz and 22-year-old Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi.

Events

24 h. ago City St George’s, University of London students work with UNFPA to launch podcast series on women’s issues

City St George’s, University of London students work with UNFPA to launch podcast series on women’s issues  Podnews

Culture

26 h. ago Plans to demolish London shopping centre and build 1,700 homes set for approval

Lewisham Shopping Centre would be demolished to make way for towers up to 35 storeys high

Economics

26 h. ago Law student 'who "took pleasure in killing" fatally poisoned four people in five

Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes, 36, is said to have premeditated the horrific acts as she admitted to killing 10 dogs in order to test the strength of the poison before using it on her victims.

Events

32 h. ago Conservative bid to prevent student visa ‘abuse’ on hold after Lords debate

Baroness Lawlor suggested foreign students who go to university and then ‘abuse’ their visa to seek asylum should have their claim struck down.

Economics

36 h. ago Female law student 'who 'took pleasure in killing' fatally poisoned four people'

Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes, 36, premeditated the horrific acts as she admitted to killing 10 dogs in order to test the strength of the poison before using it on her victims.

Events

41 h. ago Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement

A new round of layoffs at the Education Department is depleting an agency that was already hit hard in the Trump administration’s previous mass firings, threatening new disruption to the nation’s students and schools

Events

42 h. ago Eerie footage shows Bryan Kohberger calmly shopping for groceries just hours after brutal murders of four Idaho students

CHILLING video shows a calm-looking Bryan Kohberger shopping for groceries - only hours after he stabbed four University of Idaho students to death.  Cowardly Kohberger, 30, was given four life sentences in July for the killings that took place in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022.  He pleaded guilty to the killings...

Economics

43 h. ago Staff overseeing $15 billion in special education funding is gutted by Trump’s shutdown layoffs: report

An estimated 7.5 million students with disabilities will be impacted by the latest move

Economics

45 h. ago Indian state leader says girls should not go out at night after alleged rape of student

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s comments spark backlash

Politics