60 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

60 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

61 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

85 minutes ago China says US is 'playing with fire' after latest military aid for Taiwan

The Chinese government is protesting the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire.”

Events

91 minutes ago Aston Villa legend's transfer warning rings true after more Jhon Duran heroics

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran was on target again in their big win over Manchester City - and Alan McInally feels that further transfer interest in the Colombian is nailed on

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

2 hours ago Foreign Office warns Christmas Market travellers never wear one thing or risk fine

Travellers heading away for the festive season and being warned

Events

2 hours ago Weekend washout as Britain hit by wind and rain with over half of UK covered by weather warnings

Huge parts of the country have been covered in yellow weather warnings with Saturday's rain replaced by heavy winds today, before conditions change again in time for Christmas

Events