80 minutes ago From Charli to Jilly to Moo Deng the hippo: the faces we won’t forget from 2024

Some made a splash in politics, social media, sport or the arts. Others took a brave personal stand. Observer writers and critics pick the names on everyone’s lips this year Continue reading...

Politics

81 minutes ago Scotland's richest man, a letter to a SNP minister and a spaceport 'win win'

The sudden decision to “pause” the Sutherland Spaceport, which received £14.6m in public funding, continues to reverberate.

Politics

81 minutes ago Joe Newell opens up on inspiring charity work that has helped him cope with 'hardest six months of my time at Hibs'

The honest skipper concedes it has been a tough time for the Premiership side

Politics

81 minutes ago Vet warns Christmas food that looks harmless poses serious risk for dogs

Pets at Home shared an urgent warning for dog owners about Christmas dinners ahead of the festive period

Events

2 hours ago ‘She should have a bit of me’: the Dutch mothers fighting for their children to carry their surname

Women are challenging the law that prevents them giving their kids both family names without father’s consentWhen 43-year-old Rebecca Lee took her birth mother’s Korean surname, it was a revelation. “I was adopted and got a Dutch name but I never felt completely Dutch,” she says. “When, a few years ago, I first went to Korea, things fell into place. You don’t just go ‘one, two, three’ and change your name, but now I feel more whole.”The entrepreneur from Groningen split from her husband and wants to give her five-year-old daughter “Lee” as part of a double-barrelled surname – but she cannot, under a Dutch law that some women, a leftwing MP and legal experts believe is unfair. Continue reading...

Politics

2 hours ago The Christmas that went wrong: The day was saved by the new friend I’d made on a drunken night out

I was alone in New York during the pandemic, in the aftermath of a breakup and unable to go home. A Korean family taught me to believe in the kindness of strangersLike many Jewish families, the Wolfsons take Christmas extremely seriously. Latkes and smoked salmon are served before homemade cranberry sauce and brussels sprouts. My dad’s hand-painted menorah, which he made during the ceramics cafe boom of the early 2000s, sits proudly underneath the Christmas tree.As such, I had never missed a Christmas with the family – although there had been some near misses. In 2019, we spent Christmas by my dad’s hospital bed after his stroke – us sipping on hospital canteen gingerbread lattes, him having Christmas dinner in the guise of vanilla-scented protein, fed through a tube. In 2020, I saw my family only from six feet away, double-masked and on the doorstep. I delivered presents, but they were not opened for a few days, to let any stray virus dissipate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 hours ago Exclusive: photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community

Automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest show images of the Massaco people, who are flourishing despite environmental threatsRead more on this story: New images show Brazil’s uncontacted people are thriving – but with success comes a new threatRemarkable images taken by automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest reveal an isolated community that appears to be thriving despite pressure from ranchers and illegal encroachment into the Amazon.The pictures, of a group of men, offer the outside world its first glimpse of the community – and give further evidence the population is growing. The group is known as the Massaco after the river that runs through their lands, but no one knows what they call themselves, while their language, social fabric and beliefs remain a mystery. Continue reading...

Culture

3 hours ago ‘I won that fight’: Tyson Fury rejects defeat as judges’ ‘Christmas gift’ to Oleksandr Usyk

Despite a unanimous decision against him by all three judges, Fury refuses to accept the Ukrainian fighter has now beaten him in back-to-back title bouts Tyson Fury described Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over him as a “Christmas gift” from the three judges who all scored the fight 116-112 in favour of the champion. The verdict was justifiably much more clear-cut than the split-decision ruling which had also given Usyk victory in May.But Fury offered his contrasting belief at the post-fight press conference: “I thought I won that fight. I thought I won both fights but I’m going home with two losses on my record. There’s not much I can do about it. I can just fight my heart out. Continue reading...

Events

4 hours ago Vanuatu hit by another earthquake as hundreds of Australians return home

Magnitude 6.1 quake shakes country’s main island as RAAF flights carrying 144 passengers land in Brisbane and SydneyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVanuatu has been hit by another earthquake after hundreds of Australians landed on home soil from the islands and the federal government announced a new round of financial assistance.The latest magnitude 6.1 quake shook buildings on the country’s main island at 2.30am on Sunday after it struck 30km west of the capital, Port Vila. Continue reading...

Events

4 hours ago Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi issue 'do not eat' warning as festive favourites urgently recalled

Some of the UK's most popular supermarkets have issued urgent recalls on a range of products including beef slices and cheese amid concerns they might be 'unsafe'

Events