3 h. ago I don’t want childen. Is it hypocritical to not be forthright about this soon after meeting someone? | Leading questions

Not wanting kids isn’t especially unusual, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. It might help to frame the conversation as what you’re saying yes to rather than what you’re refusingRead more Leading questionsI know that I don’t want to have any children, and that to not offer this up early in any relationship would make me a hypocrite. But I have become convinced that the reason I never meet anyone is because I am forthright about my opinion about children. How can I meet someone without having to be a liar or a hypocrite?Eleanor says: If it’s your job to figure out when to share this, it’s also a partner’s job to figure out when to ask. Wanting kids isn’t like monogamy or working for a living, where until instructed otherwise people can basically assume that’s your plan. More people than ever are deciding they don’t want kids. The fact that you’re one of them is not shocking, confronting or even especially unusual. If that’s a dealbreaker for a partner, they need to share ...

Politics

12 h. ago World Cup qualifying preview and new WSL season kicks off – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Watson, Jonathan Fadugba and Suzy Wrack to discuss a new Women’s Super League format and the race to reach the 2026 World CupRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On today’s pod: the international break is here, and England’s squad raises more questions than answers. No Trent Alexander-Arnold, no Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, but a surprise return for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and call-ups for Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence. The panel asks how good England must be for us to learn anything new against Andorra before Tuesday’s trip to Serbia. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Beware the chatbot: Can conversing with AI cause delusions and psychosis?

A spate of shocking breakdowns and even deaths involving AI chatbots is fuelling panic over ‘AI psychosis’ and new safety features. It’s not quite that simple, say experts

Events

15 h. ago 'Big cat' sighting as 'black panther' terrorises village for second time this summer

The second panther sighting of the summer has been reported in Bulgaria, and has been sparking viral memes and national conversations about an illegal exotic animals trade

Events

17 h. ago Summer’s ending – and the delusion that a new me might be possible is back | Emma Brockes

The start of a new school year always awakens my resolve: time to be more disciplined, less cluttered and nicer to the catsSign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and moreEvery year at this time, I think of a quote from the Bible, but which I know from Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, in which seven-year-old Jeanette stitches a needlepoint sampler decorated withthe inscription: “The summer is ended and we are not yet saved.” We are not yet saved: no, not in this house, where I experience the back-to-school week in September far more urgently than New Year’s Day as the time of year for a behavioural reset. New school year, new me, new cast-iron conviction I can put the rocky road on the top shelf after I’ve used it in my girls’ packed lunches and not get it down until tomorrow.This is the first and most pressing item on the list: diet. Ten days o...

Politics

20 h. ago From bagpipes to borscht: exploring Edinburgh’s Ukrainian heritage on foot

A new walking tour offers a chance to meet the city’s Ukrainian community, with stops for hearty dumplings, castle views and shared historiesBefore arriving in Edinburgh, Nataliya Bezborodova’s impression of Scotland was shaped largely by Hollywood. “My knowledge of this country was pretty much based on the film Braveheart,” she admits with a laugh, standing before the grand neoclassical columns of the National Galleries of Scotland. As if on cue, the castle’s daily gun salute fires overhead, scattering pigeons and punctuating our conversation with a jolt.Three years have passed since the 47-year-old anthropologist left her home in Kyiv for Edinburgh, after the Russian invasion. Celluloid warriors have long been replaced by the rhythms of life in a city she now knows like the back of her hand. So well, in fact, that she has launched a walking tour revealing a layer even locals might miss: the story of Edinburgh’s vibrant Ukrainian community. Continue reading...

Politics

24 h. ago Melvyn Bragg waves goodbye to radio show after more than two decades and 1,000 episodes

Lord Bragg, 81, has presented every episode of the programme since it first launched in 1998, taking listeners through conversations with expert guests.

Politics

34 h. ago Trump says ‘you’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions – Europe live

Trump makes comments while meeting Polish president Karol Nawrocki after Putin warns Russia will use ‘military means’ to achieve objectives if diplomacy failsPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago A boy contemplates life from a caravan window: Nik Roche’s best photograph

‘This kid went into the caravan and looked out at me. Does he look reflective? Sad? I think he is staring out of the window and seeing the world at his feet’Having designed and built gardens all my life, I bought my first camera when I was 47. Photography gave me an opportunity to have conversations about myself through questioning others. I don’t just take some snaps and then go, I fully immerse myself in the lives of the friends I make. Who am I to speak on anybody’s behalf if I haven’t experienced what they have, myself?I photograph where I live, in south Wales, because I know it better than anywhere else, but in this case I wanted to document a community I lived near but wasn’t part of. The body of work this picture is part of came about as a result of working with people who have been in and out of prison and become trapped in a cycle of incarceration, freedom then back to incarceration. I was wondering what draws them back to the place where they committed all their crimes. Co...

Culture

35 h. ago Believers claim eerie footage of baby carriage moving through empty store is 'proof' ghosts are real

A viral video on TikTok has set off a wild conversation online, with many claiming the footage proved the existence of ghosts.

Politics

36 h. ago ‘Let him come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – Europe live

Russian president questions legitimacy of Ukrainian government as Zelenskyy ramps up diplomatic efforts in Denmark and Polish president prepares to meet Donald TrumpPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

39 h. ago Cringe or comfort? Why some Black people ‘code switch’ their accents

Dialects are powerful identifiers, especially when you’re from an ethnic minorityDon’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThere are times on The Long Wave desk when a conversation sparks a sort of group therapy session. A few weeks ago, Jason came back from a reporting trip to Barbados and made a comment about how some Bajans thought he was from the Caribbean, because his accent changed when he was there. This was fascinating to me. The ensuing discussion made me realise that all of us had shifted our accents at various times, which got me thinking about all the unconscious ways in which we “code switch”, alternating between different identities. Continue reading...

Politics

39 h. ago ‘BEWARE’: How and why Trump attacked a Venezuelan ‘drug cartel boat’

The attack comes a day after the Venezuelan president accused the Trump administration of plotting a military invasion of his country

Events

40 h. ago It’s time for Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries to step down | Mehdi Hasan

This fascist moment, this age of Trump, demands outspoken, unrelenting and fearless opposition. We all deserve betterIn a recent podcast conversation, the former spokesperson for Jeb Bush sat down with the leader of the House Democrats. Guess which one of them endorsed the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York?“I was a Republican up until two minutes ago and I’m a capitalist, and I had Zohran on it’s not really a close call, is it?” Tim Miller said to Hakeem Jeffries on his Bulwark podcast, to which a defensive-sounding House Minority leader replied: “What I can say is that he’s the only one I’m scheduled to talk to.”BASH: You previously warned that the administration charging members of Congress was a, quote, ‘red line’. What are you doing now that the red line you talked about has apparently been crossed?JEFFRIES: We will make that decision in a time, place and manner of our choosing. But the response will be continuous, and it will meet the moment that is required. Continue ...

Politics

40 h. ago Amy Dowden gives Strictly partner update after admitting 'delusion' post

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden joined Lorraine on her Wednesday morning show as she spoke all things Strictly and her recovery post surgery

Politics

42 h. ago ChatGPT down LIVE: OpenAI users frustrated as thousands report chatbot issues

Thousands of OpenAI users have complained about issues involving ChatGPT that has left many frustrated amid an outage with the service this morning, according to Downdetector

Politics

52 h. ago They want to talk to somebody. That ‘somebody’ ends up being AI

What is it like to get your mental health treatment from an unlicensed chatbot? Users tell Io Dodds how A.I. helped them through difficult times — but also how it can go catastrophically wrong

Politics

54 h. ago Moment furious locals confront 'delusional' African 'Queen' in Scottish woodland

Jean Gasho, who calls herself 'Queen Nandi', took footage of the people she claimed were harassing her group this week and posted it on her social media.

Politics

58 h. ago Calls for AI chatbot 'age verification' as kids can chat to 'Saddam Hussein'

A probe found an avatar from a chat bot site urged a kid to complete a variety of dares including licking the sole of a shoe, drinking a cocktail of tabasco and mustard and eating a snail

Politics

59 h. ago Sandie Peggie tribunal RECAP: NHS Fife accused of 'delusion' as hearing involving Dr Beth Upton resumes

The tribunal hearing involving nurse Sandie Peggie, NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton will hear closing submissions for a second day.

Sport