17 h. ago Macmillan coffee morning is happening soon – these are the best board games to play

Forget Trivial Pursuit – our pick of the best board games will elevate your next get-together

Politics

20 h. ago Forget Tomb Raider and Uncharted, there’s a new generation of games about archaeology – sort of

In this week’s newsletter: an archaeologist and gamer on why we love to walk around finding objects in-game and in real lifeThe game I’m most looking forward to right now is Big Walk, the latest title from House House, creators of the brilliant Untitled Goose Game. A cooperative multiplayer adventure where players are let loose to explore an open world, I’m interested to see what emergent gameplay comes out of it. Could Big Walk allow for a kind of community archaeology with friends? I certainly hope so.When games use environmental storytelling in their design – from the positioning of objects to audio recordings or graffiti – they invite players to role play as archaeologists. Game designer Ben Esposito infamously joked back in 2016 that environmental storytelling is the “art of placing skulls near a toilet” – which might have been a jab at the tropes of games like the Fallout series, but his quip demonstrates how archaeological gaming narratives can be. After all, the incongruity ...

Politics

56 h. ago Dog owners urged to act as toxic autumn problem sparks £2,000 emergency

Experts are urging dog-owners to stay vigilant this autumn as a toxic seed commonly found in parks can end up making them seriously ill or, in severe cases, even be deadly

Economics

5 d. ago Jessica Simpson looks tense as she reunites with estranged husband Eric Johnson for Las Vegas flight... seven months after split

The 45-year-ole Irresistible hitmaker was seen sitting next to the 45-year-old former NFL player on board of a commercial plane at Burbank Airport on Friday.

Politics

5 d. ago Veterinary diagnostics company MI:RNA recruits renowned veterinary experts to support advancement of its cutting

Pioneering veterinary diagnostics company MI:RNA has recruited leading veterinary experts to support the advancement of its cutting-edge diagnostic technology. Forming part of MI:RNA’s first clinical advisory board (CAB), they will play a vital role in sharing expertise, fostering curiosity and critical connections, and helping shape key projects. This will include the launch of the company’s first early diagnosis product for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), one of the most common heart diseases in cats.

Science

8 d. ago France faces new political crisis as PM expected to lose confidence vote

François Bayrou says he will ‘fight like a dog’ to stay in power but he appears almost certain to be toppledFrance is braced for another political crisis as the minority government of François Bayrou appears almost certain to be toppled in a confidence vote next month, amid deep political divisions over an unpopular austerity budget and debt-reduction plan.“I will fight like a dog,” the centrist prime minister told L’Express on Tuesday after his surprise decision to call a vote of confidence from parliamentarians. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Beat the Street returns for six weeks to Rutherglen and Cambuslang

The aim of the free game is to score points and win prizes for walking, running, cycling and scooting as far as possible.

Politics

9 d. ago 11 dog breeds that stay small forever ideal for pet owners with limited space

These small pooches won't outgrow their beds or collars.

Economics

2 w. ago Celtic fan mutiny amid 'sack the board' chants as one player hits new low and key injury concern

Anarchy in stands as Champions League hopes left hanging in balance

Sport

2 w. ago Celtic fans in mutiny amid 'sack the board' chants as one player hits new low and key injury concern

Anarchy in stands as Champions League hopes left hanging in balance

Sport

2 w. ago 'I'm a dog trainer and this is why having a puppy is harder than a baby'

A former dog trainer turned stay-at-home mum has shared her view on whether having a puppy is harder than a baby. Des shares her puppy training tips with her 28,900 followers on Instagram, where she posts about her Labrador puppy Popcorn

Politics

2 w. ago Dog Mountain is the perfect place to celebrate the bond between dogs and their humans

It includes hiking trails, swimming ponds, an art gallery and a Dog Chapel

Politics

2 w. ago Unlikely couple offer to hold new baby before mum realises who they really are

The couple were branded the 'kindest souls' after a video showed them holding and playing with the baby on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, giving the mum a few minutes to herself

Politics

2 w. ago Blockbuster, board games and boredom: why everyone’s parenting like it’s 1999

Nostalgic millennial parents are increasingly keen to replicate their own childhoods. But were the 90s as blissful as we remember?When I look back on my 1990s childhood, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic. We roamed for miles without supervision, riding our bikes, building dens and swimming in streams. After school, we did crafts or played board games and, though the internet existed, my parents would boot me off to use the landline. Media was tangible – tapes, CDs, VHS – and often consumed as a family. I still recall the thrill of going to the video shop to choose a film.It’s normal to feel like this, especially once you have babies of your own, and the social media algorithms know it. In the three years since I had my son and started writing the Guardian’s Republic of Parenthood column, I’ve noticed a huge upswing of interest in “90s parenting” and, this year, the trend seems to have exploded. Former 90s kids are in the thick of it, trying to work out how to parent our own children. ...

Politics

3 w. ago Dogs should 'stay inside playing board games' instead of walking during heatwave

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is urging pet owners to give their pets 'puzzle feeder' toys, which look like board games, during the sweltering heatwave

Sport

3 w. ago Game of Thrones costume designer says hazardous White Walker armour was like a ‘huge cheese grater’

‘The armorists just loathed it because they really cut themselves’

Events