13 h. ago Domination by Alice Roberts review – a brilliant but cynical history of Christianity

The humanist historian brings objects to life beautifully, but falters when it comes to people and their beliefsDomination tells the story of how a tiny local cult became one of the greatest cultural and political forces in history. Alice Roberts puts the case that the Roman empire lived on in a different form in the church.It is not an original idea – after all the foundation prayer of Christianity says “thy Kingdom come” – but Roberts tells the story from the point of view of individual parishes and even buildings. It’s a revelation, like watching those stop-motion films of how a plant grows and blooms. There’s a section about how a Roman villa might transform into a parish, the long barn providing the footprint, the web of relationships providing the social connection, the very tiles and columns providing the building materials. I can’t think of anyone who writes better about the way objects can speak to us. There’s a passage here describing her joy on grasping wha...

Politics

34 h. ago Job offer on world's most remote island with just 1,000 people – but there's a catch

The island only has around 1,000 people living on it, and an older couple are looking for people to come and live with them and tidy up their garden . . . but there's a catch

Politics

57 h. ago Jennifer Aniston reveals cosmetic procedures after refusing to let 'grey hairs take over'

The Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston opened up about ageing in an interview published this week ahead of the Apple TV+ show's fourth season launching later this month

Politics

3 d. ago Met’s Counter Terror police arrest activists linked to Palestine Action in dawn raids ahead of fresh protests

It comes after more than 700 people were arrested for supporting the proscribed group at protests over the summer

Events

3 d. ago Met’s Counter Terror police arrest Palestine Action activists in dawn raids ahead of fresh protests

It comes after more than 700 people were arrested for supporting the proscribed group at protests over the summer

Events

3 d. ago Sanatorium review – Ukraine health resort guests seek sanctuary amid shelling

Poignant documentary by Irish director Gar O’Rourke peers into a faded Soviet-era institution where visitors search for relief while war grinds on outsideThere is something ever so slightly Martin Parr-like about this documentary, filmed inside a shabby rundown health resort near Odesa, in Ukraine. It’s not the colour palette, which is Soviet-era pale beige, but the images of holidaymakers: elderly men strutting about in thongs and playing ping pong in their vests; retirees of both sexes glad-ragged at the disco. Like Parr’s photos, the images are funny but not unkind; everyone retains their dignity. The director is Irish film-maker Gar O’Rourke, who planned Sanatorium before the war, but filmed it after Russia invaded Ukraine, which adds a layer of melancholy to the guests’ search for health and happiness.The huge Kuyalnik sanatorium is a time warp with its brutalist architecture and institutional interiors. Back in its glory days, people must have come here in their thousands. Now...

Politics

4 d. ago Omaze boss claims British 'Nimbyism' is behind reason why raffle prize firm can't find enough posh houses

Californian businessman Matthew Pohlson says houses of the quality and size that people have come to expect from Omaze draws are in short supply.

Economics

4 d. ago Afghanistan earthquake live: ‘There is death in every home’, families say, after at least 800 killed in quake in east of country

Several villages in Kunar province ‘completely destroyed’, says public health ministry, as rescue operations take placeMagnitude 6 earthquake hits eastern AfghanistanHow have you been affected by the earthquake?One resident in Afghanistan’s Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said almost the entire village had collapsed under the force of the earthquake. “Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble,” the villager, who did not give his name, told the Associated Press.“We need help here,” he pleaded. “We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.” Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Afghanistan earthquake live: more than 800 dead after shallow quake strikes country’s east, state media reports

Several villages in Kunar province ‘completely destroyed’, says ministry for public health, as rescue operations take placeAt least 250 dead after 6.0 magnitude quake near JalalabadHow have you been affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan?One resident in Afghanistan’s Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said almost the entire village had collapsed under the force of the earthquake. “Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble,” the villager, who did not give his name, told the Associated Press.“We need help here,” he pleaded. “We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.” Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Thousands eligible for £1 bus fares in Wales from today, with more to come

The scheme enabling young people to travel by bus for £1 comes into effect today

Economics

5 d. ago Sadistic crimes of the 'Brookyln Vampire': How 'Grey Man' cannibal serial killer strangled girl, 10, then wrote to her mother revealing which body parts he had cooked and eaten

He not only murdered, but mutilated and cannibalised children, leaving a trail of letters and confessions that shocked even seasoned detectives.

Events

6 d. ago 'I holiday in Italy and British tourists make huge mistake when it comes to gelato'

Whilst travelling Italy, there is so much to enjoy. When it comes to food, people are spoilt for choice, but British holidaymakers make a huge mistake when it comes to gelato

Politics

7 d. ago Brits holidaying to Turkey warned of 'expensive mistake' that could cost you

Turkey is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Brits, but many people make a mistake when it comes to exchanging their money that can make their trip more expensive

Events

7 d. ago Digested week: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting engaged is news we need | Lucy Mangan

Star couple’s engagement has all the hallmarks to follow for months. Plus, why September marks the true new yearIt is not often that one conceives and fulfils a lifetime ambition all in one morning but today I achieved this momentous feat. To wit: over breakfast I read about the great sunflower fields at Westgate Farm near Walsingham, Norfolk, which for the two weeks that the mighty blooms are in mighty bloom across its 16 acres invites people to come and pick their own for a small fee. Have you ever heard of anything better? Desire – no, need – filled me. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘It’s nature at its purest – remote, quiet and rejuvenating’: readers’ favourite wild places in Europe

From kayaking between icebergs in Iceland to a Pyrenean hideaway, our tipsters know how to get away from it all• Tell us where to go for late summer sun – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherOne of the most magical places I’ve been is Lake Saimaa in eastern Finland – a huge labyrinth of islands and tranquil forests where you don’t come across many people. We rented a lakeside cabin (typically they cost from about €100 a night, sleeping two) and watched the midnight sun shimmer across peaceful waters. Days were spent kayaking between uninhabited islets or hiking pine-scented trails, with only the call of black-throated divers (or loons) for company. We visited the Linnansaari national park on an archipelago in the middle of the vast lake (the largest in Finland and fourth largest freshwater lake in Europe), where encounters with rare Saimaa ringed seals await. It’s nature’s embrace at its purest – remote, quiet and utterly rejuvenating.Anthony Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Orphan review – László Nemes’ fable of resentment and rage in post

This always interesting film-maker displays impressive technical control in this painful, sombre story about a boy who meets the father he never knewAfter the spiritual ordeal of his Holocaust movie Son of Saul, and his complex, nuanced drama about prewar Budapest, Sunset, Hungarian director László Nemes comes to Venice with a valuable, interesting picture: another painful, sombre story from 20th-century central Europe composed in his familiar sepia visual palette, and executed with impressive technical control.Set in the aftermath of Hungary’s failed uprising against its Soviet masters, it is a story about sons rebelling against fathers, but also about coming to terms with (or having to swallow resentment at) the reality of a new order of power – just as the Hungarian people had to come to terms with Moscow’s rule and with finding their proud spirit of independence stigmatised as quasi-fascist. With no support for their self-determination, Hungarians in 1956 were orphaned by the ti...

Politics

9 d. ago Top pharmacist: 'There's a mistake millions make every day that's rendering their medications useless... and putting lives at risk'

Peter Thnoia, of online pharmacy PillTime, said: 'Too often, people don't read or fully follow the instructions that come with the medication-and that can have a real impact on how well it works.

Events

1 week ago Welsh households buying olive oil urged to avoid mistake which can ruin taste

Olive oil can be pretty pricey, so you'll want your bottle to last as long as possible without losing its flavour. But there's a simple mistake that many people make when it comes to storing their olive oil, which can make it bland.

Society

1 week ago Even in the most complex and painful circumstances, people can come together

A visit to Ottawa is an eye-opener for Kayrn McCluskey

Politics

1 week ago Drag Race star Tayce slams Strictly after being snubbed by BBC despite Christmas win

Tayce has claimed that as 'negative focus on trans people' cost her a place on Strictly Come Dancing even though she won the Christmas special last year

Politics