34 h. ago My best friend of 50 years knew me better than anyone. But when she died, no one seemed to take my grief seriously

Friends know you differently from family, but where do you sit in the pecking order after they die? Below immediate relatives, ahead of a cousin, behind a workmate?I don’t remember a time in my life when Chrissy wasn’t in it. We were born 11 days apart and were both one when our families moved on to the same street in Geelong, a port city an hour south-west of Melbourne. We had a very Australian childhood; summers spent in our bathers, running through sprinklers; swimming in back yard pools; eating sausages in bread on New Year’s Eve, when we were allowed to stay up late while our parents drank cask riesling with the neighbours, and we’d lie on the cool evening grass listening to crickets.During those blisteringly hot summer days of our childhood, we lived at the beach, where shark alarms were constant and the waves dangerous. Occasionally, Chrissy would paddle out on her inflatable red and blue raft to the big waves out the back where the serious surfers were. Sometimes, I’d panic ...

Events

54 h. ago The big changes that can already be seen in Cardiff Bay as work gets underway on a new arena

Cardiff Bay will look completely different when the redevelopment Atlantic Wharf is complete, but some changes can already be seen as ground works get underway

Politics

57 h. ago Darren Day says ADHD diagnosis ‘changed his life’ in five days

‘My head was quiet for the first time in 20 years,’ said the singer

Politics

65 h. ago 'I visited every country in the world and asked everyone I met one question'

Michael Zervos embarked on a trip around the world, visiting 195 countries in 499 days and asking hundreds of people exactly the same question - what was the happiest day of your life?

Politics

3 d. ago National Donut Day 2025: Where to get the best freebies and deals

The holiday dates back to 1938

Economics

3 d. ago Emma Louise Connolly in hospital weeks after giving birth amid 'hardest few days of her life'

Emma Louise Connolly revealed she was admitted to hospital just weeks after giving birth to her second child with husband and former Made in Chelsea star Oliver Proudlock

Politics

5 d. ago Which dips are OK to buy, and which should I make? | Kitchen aide

Our expert panel recommends the dips that are worth whizzing up fresh at home, and which shop-bought options are good to be titivated before servingDips are a great unifier, whether they’re married to a big bowl of crisps and crudites or served as a companion for a picnic spread. If there’s hummus, cacik or borani in the picture, then it’s a party. Happily, says David Carter, founder of Smokestak, Manteca and Oma in London, “you can get a lot of good stuff in stores these days”. That said, he adds, anything involving vegetables is “always going to be best when made fresh”.If your dip needs lead you to the shops, the trick is to create contrast. Much like getting dressed, you first need to consider the temperature. “Let’s say you have some shop-bought hummus,” Carter says. “If you put that in a pan with a bit of hot water and maybe some lemon juice, then whisk, the hummus will loosen, turn creamy and completely change from the usual fridge-cold stodge.”Got a culinary dilemma? Email f...

Politics

5 d. ago Britain's most dangerous inmate plotted to use guard's severed fingers to escape jail

Joanna Dennehy is one of only four women in the UK to be serving a whole-life order after going on a 10-day killing spree, during which she murdered three men and attacked two others

Events

5 d. ago NADINE DORRIES: The inexplicable thing that happens to me every time the anniversary of a loved one's death draws near

June 7 - this coming Saturday - is a poignant date in the life of the Dorries family. It's the day that everything changed. Nothing has been the same since, nor will it ever be again.

Events

6 d. ago ‘People would prevail’: why The Towering Inferno is my feelgood movie

The next in our series of writers highlighting their go-to comfort picks is a look back to 1974’s rousing disaster classicAmong the many reasons I’m long overdue for therapy would be that I consider a feature about a bunch of people trapped in a burning skyscraper as a feelgood movie. But there it is: the stunning effects (which hold up to this day), the sprawling, larger-than-life cast and accompanying who-will-make-it-to-the-end? suspense, the earnest, cheeseball dialogue – whenever I feel anxious or down, something about The Towering Inferno offers solace.The most obvious reason boils down to one thing: nostalgia. My parents were film enthusiasts who would usually take us to a movie every week. And this was no ordinary experience: The Towering Inferno was the crown jewel in the 1970s disaster cycle, disdained by many critics for being trashy (while acknowledging it was entertaining trash). It was the talk of the schoolyard: whose parents were cool enough to actually take their ki...

Politics

6 d. ago Gorgeous moment Danny Dyer saw daughter Dani in wedding dress and sweet role at nuptials

Danny Dyer's daughter, Dani Dyer, said she'd had the 'best day of her life' when she married footballer, Jarrod Bowen, on Saturday, at a lavish bash in Buckinghamshire

Politics

6 d. ago Simon Cowell admits he was 'lost' after death of parents in emotional confession

Talent show boss Simon Cowell has admitted he was 'lost' for years following the deaths of his parents as he shared the one thing that has changed his life completely

Events

7 d. ago Doctors thought I was just hungover. Days later my life completely changed

Nia Tyler was settling in for her final year at university when she woke up with a headache. What happened next left her shell-shocked and she is still living with the effects today

Politics

8 d. ago Rangers to officially change name after takeover by US consortium completed

After the club were taken over by a US led consortium, Rangers are set to undergo a name-change, in a move which is provoking a lot of curiosity

Politics

8 d. ago A dystopian surveillance fear has become reality in Texas | Arwa Mahdawi

Law enforcement used license-plate readers in several states to search for a woman who had an abortionHello and welcome to the latest edition of “lo and behold, the dystopian thing that women and activists warned would happen ends up happening”. This time the issue is automated license plate readers (ALPRs), which capture (no prizes for guessing!) license plate data and allow law enforcement to build a picture of where a particular vehicle has been. There’s no opting out of being tracked: if you drive, you should simply assume that these cameras, which are sometimes hidden in objects like traffic cones, are logging your movements. And you should assume that this license plate data can be combined with other surveillance data to paint a very detailed picture of your life. Privacy only exists for our billionaire overlords these days. The rest of us are just data points.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Woman smells 'like rotten fish, rotten eggs, urine and faeces' and says she rarely goes out

'I don't have any quality of life - I have to wake up and have this smell every day', said Carmen Davies who has an ultra-rare condition

Politics

9 d. ago Don’t settle – shop the best gifts for dads and go beyond for Father’s Day 2025

Gift goals, unlocked

Politics

1 week ago Victoria Beckham promises 'there will be tears' in new warts

The former Spice Girl will take centre stage in a new Netflix docuseries about her day-to-day life as creative director of the eponymous fashion and beauty brand she originally launched in 2008.

Events

1 week ago Liverpool parade dad whose baby in pram flung 15ft gives update on youngster

Daniel Eveson, 36, said the 'best day' of his life turned into the 'worst' after his partner was run over & baby flung 15ft when a car ploughed into a Liverpool parade - he shared an update on his family

Politics

1 week ago Julie Chrisley’s prison life as a ‘card shark’ revealed days after freedom bid update

Julie and husband Todd are currently serving prison sentences after being convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022

Events