66 h. ago Do we think enough about parents who care for sick or disabled children – and how not to make things harder? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Mina Holland’s book about parenting her seriously unwell daughter sheds light on the situation faced by so many, and the complicated psychology at playWhen you have a baby, especially if you’re in an antenatal class, or friends or family members have a child of about the same age, there is a feeling that you’re all in it together, at least at first. For me this big, life-transforming event might have felt intensely personal, but the shared connection with other new parents, who were also learning on the job, not to mention the books – Your Baby Week By Week, The Wonder Weeks – can trick you into thinking that the path is a predictable one.From hourly feeds and wake-ups to sleeping through the night, breast- and bottle-feeding to solids, crawling to walking, maternity leave to nursery to school, the journey may have slightly different scenery, but the impression given is that ultimately it ends up in the same place. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago The new rules of small talk: how to nail every conversation, from first dates to weddings, parties and funerals

Dull questions, awkward silences, excruciating gaffes: socialising can be a minefield. Here’s how to avoid disaster – and even enjoy yourself The cliche about small talk is that everybody hates it. The misapprehension is that it has to be small. In fact, conversational interactions are objectively good. “The person who starts the conversation is in a better mood afterwards; they tend to feel more connected – and not just to the person they’re talking to,” says Gillian Sandstrom, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Sussex. “We all have a fundamental need to feel connected, valued and seen.” Even if small talk were not socially beneficial, society would demand it nonetheless – we are coming in to wedding season and we are all going to need some moves.However, we have this perception that there are rules, which haven’t really changed since the 50s: keep things light and relevant, avoid sex, religion and politics, stay on safe territory, such as the weather. But an...

Politics

4 d. ago Rising Voices, Bold Visions: The Fresh Talent Redefining Edinburgh Fringe 2025

As the world’s largest arts festival returns, Edinburgh Fringe 2025 is set to showcase an extraordinary wave of fresh voices and bold new talent. This year’s lineup features powerful explorations of identity, resilience, friendship, and societal change—offering audiences a chance to connect with stories that are as timely as they are personal.

Politics

4 d. ago Lanarkshire MSP recognised for dedication to protecting Scotland's environment

Labour’s Central Scotland list MSP Monica Lennon’s award was ‘in recognition of a MSP who has developed a personal connection with a species or habitat through her Nature Champions role’.

Politics

8 d. ago Text therapy: study finds couples who use emojis in text messages feel closer

Using emojis in text messages enhances connection and fun in close personal relationships, US study findsThe secret to a good relationship may be staring smartphone users in the face.A new study published in the journal Plos One found that using emojis in text messages makes people feel closer and more satisfied in their personal lives. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago How three young Londoners set out to explore the countries of their parents’ birth

‘No resorts, no tourist traps and no fancy restaurants’ – the friends behind the Kids of the Colony YouTube channel go in search of real connections in their countries of origin‘Kayum was my friend for years,” recalls Abubakar Finiin. “But when I met his grandad in Bangladesh, it just felt like I understood his whole story. I knew so much more about him as a person.” This moment of connection captures the essence of Kids of the Colony, a grassroots travel series on YouTube created by three childhood friends from Islington: Abubakar, Kayum Miah and Zakariya Hajjaj, all 23. In a series of chatty vlogs that thrive on their offbeat humour and close friendship, the trio provide a rich travelogue of culture and identity as they explore the countries of their parents’ birth.The idea came to Abubakar while contemplating his next steps after graduating from Oxford University in 2023. “I just thought about the places that we came from,” he says, reflecting on the layered identity of growing u...

Politics

1 week ago How three young Londoners set out to explore the countries of their parents’ birth – and redefined the travel vlog

‘No resorts, no tourist traps and no fancy restaurants’ – the friends behind the Kids of the Colony YouTube channel go in search of real connections in their countries of origin‘Kayum was my friend for years,” recalls Abubakar Finiin. “But when I met his grandad in Bangladesh, it just felt like I understood his whole story. I knew so much more about him as a person.” This moment of connection captures the essence of Kids of the Colony, a grassroots travel series on YouTube created by three childhood friends from Islington: Abubakar, Kayum Miah and Zakariya Hajjaj, all 23. In a series of chatty vlogs that thrive on their offbeat humour and close friendship, the trio provide a rich travelogue of culture and identity as they explore the countries of their parents’ birth.The idea came to Abubakar while contemplating his next steps after graduating from Oxford University in 2023. “I just thought about the places that we came from,” he says, reflecting on the layered identity of growing u...

Politics

1 week ago Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers review – finally, Netflix makes a great, serious documentary

Twenty years on, this heart-racing four-part series reconstructs the terror attacks and the vast investigation that followed, without losing sight of the survivors. The detail about the bathtub is astonishingNetflix is not always known for its restraint in the documentary genre, but with its outstanding recent film Grenfell: Uncovered, and now Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers, it appears to be finding a new maturity and seriousness in the field. There have been plenty of recent documentaries on the subject of the attacks and the sprawling investigation that followed – no surprise, given that it is the 20th anniversary this week – but there is still real depth to be found here.Over four parts, this thorough series unravels the initial attacks on the London transport system, which killed 52 people and injured more than 700, then follows that febrile month into the failed bombings of 21 July, and then the police shooting of the innocent Jean Charles de Menezes, a day later. Th...

Events

1 week ago Juror accused of having personal connection to school in stabbing trial

It is alleged Christopher Elias had a connection to the school involved as well as to 'persons associated with the trial'

Politics

1 week ago Jamaica’s film industry gets boost from government funding and co

Black River film festival invited US, European and African producers and directors to explore partnerships with local film-makersA film festival has brought US, European and African producers and directors to Jamaica to explore collaborations with local film-makers, who are set to benefit from several million US dollars-worth of government investment to boost the domestic industry.Held on a beach in Black River, in Jamaica’s south-western parish of St Elizabeth, the Black River film festival over the weekend gave Jamaican actors and film-makers a rare opportunity to screen their films to experienced movie makers such as the Netflix producer and director Samad Davis, the Atlanta-based executive movie producer Dolapo Erinkitola, and Cédric Pierre-Louis, the programming director of Nollywood TV, ROK and Zacu TV (Canal+). Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Jamaica’s film industry gets boost from new funds and global collaborations

Black River film festival brings together US, European and African producers and directors to explore partnerships with local film-makersA film festival has brought US, European and African producers and directors to Jamaica to explore collaborations with local film-makers, who are set to benefit from several million US dollars-worth of government investment to boost the domestic industry.Held on a beach in Black River, in Jamaica’s south-western parish of St Elizabeth, the Black River film festival over the weekend gave Jamaican actors and film-makers a rare opportunity to screen their films to experienced movie makers such as the Netflix producer and director Samad Davis, the Atlanta-based executive movie producer Dolapo Erinkitola, and Cédric Pierre-Louis, the programming director of Nollywood TV, ROK and Zacu TV (Canal+). Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago NICOLA METHVEN 'Grenfell: Uncovered will leave you feeling anguished and make your blood boil'

It's a tough and emotional watch but the 90-minute film shows the full horror of the failings which led to 72 people losing their lives in 2017

Events

2 w. ago Police charge eighth person following damage at US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course

Police have arrested and charged an eighth person in connection with damage at US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course.

Politics

2 w. ago 2nd person arrested in connection with viral London Walmart fight

2nd person arrested in connection with viral London Walmart fight  FOX 56 News

Events

2 w. ago Man charged in connection with attempted murder after person found injured in Scots street

The 39-year-old victim was rushed to hospital for treatment following the attack.

Events

2 w. ago Netflix documentary Grenfell: Uncovered branded 'damning' by heartbroken viewers

Viewers are re-living the 2017 inferno and the devastating aftermath in Grenfell: Uncovered as Netflix shines a light on the struggle for justice eight year on from the blaze

Politics

3 w. ago How many people died in Grenfell Tower fire and who were the victims?

Netflix's documentary Grenfell: Uncovered features interviews from survivors and those who lost loved ones in the tragedy

Events

3 w. ago Grenfell: Uncovered review – heartwrenching account of avoidable tragedy

Bleak, enraging documentary combines firsthand accounts of the disaster with appalling record of official negligenceThe 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London which caused 72 deaths is now the subject of Olaide Sadiq’s heartwrenching and enraging documentary, digging at the causes and movingly interviewing survivors and their families, whose testimony is all but unbearable. At the very least, the film will remind you that when politicians smugly announce they wish to make a bonfire of regulations, they should be taken, under police escort if necessary, and made to stand at the foot of the tower. As for the housing secretary at the time of the tower’s refurbishment, the abysmally arrogant Eric Pickles, he was made a life peer in 2018.With the very considerable help of the housing-issues journalist Peter Apps, the film shows how the horror was created by a perfect storm of incompetence, mendacity, greed, and (that heartsinking phrase) systemic failure. The local council were keen to spruc...

Politics

3 w. ago Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered is a raw, urgent film that pulls no punches

The question at the centre of this powerful film is whether we’ve done enough to prevent the catastrophe from repeating itself

Politics

3 w. ago Director of Netflix's Grenfell: Uncovered's personal connection to devastating fire

72 people lost their lives in the tragedy that occured in 2017

Events