2 h. ago A moment that changed me: I adopted a koala – and I remembered something important about myself

As I watched the news about Australia’s devastating bushfires in 2020 I felt compelled to help. It was the start of a new relationship with nature, and a reminder of my childhood joie de vivreAs hookup sites go, it was in another league. I was looking for a different kind of soulmate and I was spoilt for choice. Would it be Floyd, “a stylish poser and a winner of hearts”? Or Bobby, “who loves cuddling and is a bit of a showoff”? Or could it be the “beautiful and incredibly sweet Morris with a gentle nature”? One stood out. Not only was he “very affectionate” but he was also “a bit of a troublemaker – always exploring and often found sitting on the rocks”. Just what I was looking for; I swiped right. That’s how I met Jarrah. My koala.A month before, in 2020, I’d seen a newsflash about the bushfires in Australia. The effect on the continent’s wildlife was devastating. An estimated 61,000 koalas had been killed or injured among 143 million other native mammals. There were two things I ...

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3 d. ago Epic Principality Stadium moment unfolds as change to Wales anthem blows world away

The Welsh anthem was changed to mark a 120-year anniversary and it went down an absolute treat

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4 d. ago ‘You really feel like you’re going to die’: Millie Mackintosh on the life changing moment she decided to go sober

‘A best friend said, I just can't see you do this to yourself anymore. Six months later, I stopped drinking.’

Events

5 d. ago Winter has finally kicked in – it’s time to crack out the casserole dish and get stewing

The temperature has truly dropped, so get a pot of something warming and delicious going on the stove. Plus: Amy Poon’s perfect post-pub fareSign up here for our weekly food newsletter, FeastAt the risk of sounding like a British cliche, can we take a moment to discuss the change in the weather? This week’s sudden drop in temperature has our house excited for potential snow (the children are giddy), with everything suddenly feeling a lot more wintry. New coats are on the hooks, thermals are being dug out and a casserole dish filled with some sort of soup, stew or stock seems to be permanently ticking away on the hob. These range from quick, warming weeknight dinners to leisurely, slow-cooked weekend meals.Whatever the time of year, I always have speedy packets of wontons and gyozas in the freezer, and cook them depending on how I feel (fried and steamed versus boiled and soupy). At the moment, I am craving warmth and nourishment, and Meera Sodha’s quickish vegan wonton soup hits all...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump and his ilk imagine a world without international law – but they will not achieve it | Philippe Sands

History shows us that the creation of international rules and institutions is followed by their partial destruction, and a reconstruction that builds on what came beforeNineteen forty-five was a pivotal moment in international law, marking the founding of the United Nations and the International Military Tribunal to investigate war crimes committed during the second world war. Eighty years on, it is increasingly being said that we are living through a moment of great change, towards a world that is without such law.In September, the Financial Times published an editorial headlined A world without rules. That view was premised on two incidents: Israel’s launch of a missile strike on a building that hosted Hamas officials in Qatar; and the flight of 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace. This flouting of the previous “rules-based order”, the FT said, was now producing “a kind of anarchy and a proliferation of violence”.Philippe Sands is professor of law at University College LondonTh...

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7 d. ago A moment that changed me: I broke my foot – and took up a sport that led to stratospheric success

I had run every day for ten years and cried when the doctor said I needed two months off. Then I borrowed an oversized road bike. At first, I couldn’t wait to ditch it, but something kept me going ...I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that I broke my foot. The injury didn’t seem like a big deal at first, because stress fractures sneak up on you. It just hurt, and wouldn’t stop hurting, except while running. Maybe because running was the only time I felt good about myself. But in the end the pain intruded there, too. I ran on stubbornly, with a limp.Eventually I had to go to the doctor, and that’s when it hit me. She said it would take eight weeks to heal – no running. I couldn’t imagine even one week without running. I had run every single day for nearly 10 years and I loved it. I tried to find the words to explain, to say that this “rest” was just not possible, but I was too embarrassed. It was a minor injury by clinical standards – and self-inflicted, too. But afterwards, in the...

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1 week ago Kate Lawler reflects on Big Brother’s 25th anniversary ahead of the 2025 grand final

EXCLUSIVE: The former Big Brother champion reflects on the Sliding Doors moment that changed her life and how things have evolved since, from family life with daughter Noa to new work on screen and beyond

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2 w. ago Celebrity Traitors star exposes unseen moment that changed the course of the final

The Celebrity Traitors final was nail-biting to the end as millions tuned in to see fantastic Traitor Alan Carr took home the prize pot after fooling David Olusoga and Nick Mohammed

Politics

2 w. ago Zohran Mamdani NYC Mayor win could 'inspire left' sparking huge changes in UK

The massive victory for young left-wing Zohran Mamdani, in the New York City mayoral race, could signal a huge moment for change in the left and the Labour Party in the UK

Politics

2 w. ago Martin O'Neill reveals Celtic moment that keeps him awake at night as 'no brainer' change to catch out Midtjylland

Celtic are in Denmark for their first European game under Martin O'Neill in more than 20 years

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3 w. ago A moment that changed me: I thought I was a lesbian. David Bowie made me realise the truth

When I went to the Bowie exhibition at the V&A, I hoped that by losing myself in his gender experimentation I might, in turn, stumble across a clue to my own identity ...In 2011, a couple of years before the David Bowie Is exhibition opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, I came out as a lesbian. Up until that point I had been exclusively dating men, one of whom I married. Two years later, I was in my early 40s, a newly separated mother of four children, living in the US. I had started to question my gender identity, as well as my sexual orientation, and was looking for some answers.I was born in England in the early 1970s – before the advent of the internet. As a teenager, my friends and I didn’t have Reddit or YouTube to turn to when we had questions about sex; instead, we turned to pop stars, and in the 80s everyone was messing with gender. Annie Lennox wore boys’ clothes, Boy George wore girls’ clothes, and pop groups such as Erasure and Bronski Beat had members...

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3 w. ago Foster cat hated being around rescuer until they played song that changed it all

A woman revealed her foster cat was struggling to warm up to her until she played a very specific tune that changed everything – and the sweet moment has melted hearts

Events

3 w. ago Wallabies firing again in time for England clash after return to free

Victory over England at Twickenham 12 months ago proved a launchpad for Australia to begin climb back from nadirIf only Henry Slade had managed to stop Ben Donaldson getting that off-load away, if only Ollie Sleightholme had been able to make that wrap-up tackle on Len Ikitau, if only Marcus Smith was able to catch Max Jorgensen. But Slade didn’t, Sleightholme couldn’t, Smith wasn’t, and Jorgensen scored in the corner. This time last year the Wallabies beat England 42-37, their first victory against them at Twickenham in nine years, and it was, the players will tell you themselves, the moment when everything changed. “This game last year was a big turning point for us as a group,” says the Australia captain, Harry Wilson, “it really made us believe that on our day we can beat anybody in the world.”Twelve months ago England weren’t worried about the Wallabies so much as they were worried for the Wallabies. The one thing an Australian team doesn’t want is pity, but that’s what they go...

Politics

4 w. ago A moment that changed me: I hated running – until I saw it through my daughter’s eyes

She was five when I first took her to a junior parkrun and I was amazed at her attitude and ability. After a lifetime of seeing exercise as punishment, I could suddenly appreciate itAs a teenager, I was very much a “don’t put me down for cardio” girl. At school I would volunteer to be the goalkeeper as it required the least amount of movement. When it came to sports day, if I couldn’t blag a sicknote, I’d reluctantly sign up for long jump, since the long-jump pit was tucked away behind the bike shed and drew no crowds. The idea of running on the track in front of the whole school felt like a nightmare brought to life.Unlike lots of my male friends who played football or rugby for fun, I only saw exercise as punishment. Diet culture in the 90s dictated that thinness – and subsequent “goodness” – was a simple case of calories in versus calories out. Exercise was a gruelling way to stay slim and nothing more. I knew nothing of the feelgood effects of exercise, since I only ever experie...

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