37 h. ago Spirituality isn’t rigid dogma. It’s a living, breathing practice that helps make sense of an incomprehensible world | Shadi Khan Saif

I grew up in Kabul and Karachi. In both, I learned the value of the quiet rituals observed while no one is watchingWhen I was leaving London for Melbourne, my eldest sister-in-law told her kids not to forget the “tradition” – to throw a bowl of water behind me as I stepped out the door. Just a small splash on the ground, a gesture older than borders. “La har azaab po aman se,” she whispered in Pashto under her breath – may all hardship stay away from you. The little ones giggled and waved their goodbyes as they spilled the water, somewhere between shy and amused.My mother used to do this too, back in Afghanistan. Every time I left for a journey, especially international ones, she’d quietly follow me to the gate with a bowl of water, whispering prayers I couldn’t always hear. But this moment, between two western cities, with children growing up in a world so far from where that habit began, felt different. It was softer. Bittersweet. Like watching an old song being hummed in a new la...

Politics

63 h. ago Why do so many gen Z women across the US identify as ‘leftist’?

Generation Z women represent the most leftwing demographic in modern US history: ‘There’s definitely a gender divide’When Emily Gardiner first started paying attention to politics, she was 15, just beginning high school in 2016. It was the start of the first Trump administration, a moment that politicized a lot of young Americans.Now 23, Emily works as a library assistant in eastern Connecticut and is rewriting the second draft of her adult fantasy novel. She describes herself as “definitely leftist, not liberal”. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Parents list top skills and traits they want kids to learn before they leave home

Hardworking parents in this modern age value practical skills and habits, including managing money wisely and changing bed sheets regularly, the new research shows

Events

5 d. ago Where is No One Saw Us Leave's Tamara Trottner now? Inside real life behind Netflix show

Netflix show No One Saw Us Leave tells the true story of Tamara Trottner who was kidnapped by her dad as a child.

Politics

5 d. ago Netflix No One Saw Us Leave fans keen to know where Tamara Trottner is now

No One Saw Us Leave tells the brutal real-life story of a father who kidnaps his own children.

Politics

5 d. ago NPSCC advice on when to leave kids alone at home ahead of half term

While every child is different, there are some non-negotiables when it comes to the issue

Politics

7 d. ago Husband accused of setting his wife of 10 years on fire leaving their seven kids reeling

Sean Hoffman, 42, is accused of intentionally dousing his wife, Sheena, with a highly flammable liquid and setting her alight

Events

7 d. ago Husband accused of setting his wife of 10 years on fire leaving their seven kids reeling: ‘I felt angry and I felt scared’

Sean Hoffman, 42, is accused of intentionally dousing his wife, Sheena, with a highly flammable liquid and setting her alight

Events

1 week ago Welsh Government told they must act now over alarming obesity rates

A quarter of children in Wales are overweight or obese by the time they start school

Politics

1 week ago Welsh Government told to act now over alarming obesity rates

A quarter of children in Wales are overweight or obese by the time they start school

Politics

1 week ago Outrage over £120 school fines for lateness ‘start supporting families!'

The school has decided it will start issuing fixed penalty notices if a child is persistently late for school

Economics

2 w. ago School to start charging parents £120 if their child is often late

In a move aimed at bringing attendances back to pre-pandemic levels the council is supporting the school in issuing the fines for persistent lateness and delays to returning from holiday

Society

2 w. ago A Tooth Fairy Tale review – animated adventure with a sprinkling of family

A child-suitable romantic subplot underpins this enjoyable story of fairies putting their long-standing differences with goblins aside to defeat a common enemyIn this animated adventure for preteens, the fairy community’s mission in life is to gather teeth from slumbering children and leave gold for the kids to find under their pillows. (Gold? In my day it was 10p! That’s inflation for you.) Skateboarding teenage rebel fairy Van (voiced by Booboo Stewart) is less than thrilled by the prospect of spending the foreseeable collecting baby teeth and, to be fair to him, this is entirely reasonable. He’s only a tiny bit more interested in the underlying economics of the situation: the fairies deliver the teeth to unseen goblins, who provide metal in exchange. But Van’s curiosity is piqued when he lays eyes on a goblin (voiced by Larkin Bell) and she turns out to be far from the hideous gnome he had been led to expect.The stage is set for an adventure with a light sprinkling of teen romanc...

Society

3 w. ago Teen's kidney explodes after doctor 'leaves something inside him' after surgery

The 15-year-old Russian teen was rushed to hospital after experiencing severe pain on his side. Clinicians later found two tubes inside him which were left there from a previous surgery.

Politics

3 w. ago Bungling cancer surgeons remove wrong kidney... leaving man, 77, with single, diseased organ

French surgeons wrongly removed a healthy kidney from a cancer patient, leaving the elderly man with just one of the blood cleaning organs-which is diseased.

Science

3 w. ago EUAN McCOLM: I've tried to impose order on my nocturnal teen's life

School's barely been back a week when the text messages start to arrive.

Politics

4 w. ago 'Five is too young to start school, so we're going to leave the UK with our kids'

These parents have ditched the UK for Asia after agreeing their five-year-old was too young for school

Politics