18 h. ago Just when the world desperately needs wise elders, its fate is in the hands of old and ruthless patriarchs | David Van Reybrouck

The global order is being dismantled by a generation that will not live to see the wreckage they leave behindLet’s attempt something delicate: talking about age without slipping into ageism. Never before in modern history have those with the fate of the world in their hands been so old. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are both 72. Narendra Modi is 74, Benjamin Netanyahu 75, Donald Trump 79, and Ali Khamenei is 86.Thanks to advances in medical science, people are able to lead longer, more active lives – but we are now also witnessing a frightening number of political leaders tightening their grip on power as they get older, often at the expense of their younger colleagues.David Van Reybrouck is philosopher laureate for the Netherlands and Flanders. His books include Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World and Congo: The Epic History of a People Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago UK study shows 8% of children aged eight to 14 have viewed online pornography

Ofcom says research shows need for stricter age checks being introduced in July, which most major sites have signed up toNearly one in 10 children aged eight to 14 have watched online pornography, according to the UK’s communications watchdog, as most adult content providers gear up to adopt stronger age checks ahead of a 25 July deadline.Ofcom published research showing that 8% of children aged eight to 14 in the UK had visited an online pornography site or app over a month-long period. Boys aged 13 to 14 were the most likely viewers, with two out of 10 visiting adult sites. Continue reading...

Politics

59 h. ago Hamish Stewart Wimbledon: Who is Scottish tennis ace, what has he won, rank and where to watch Wimbledon 2025

The Scottish tennis player is taking part in the Wimbledon qualifiers 2025

Events

60 h. ago Hamish Stewart: Who is Scottish tennis player aiming to qualify for Wimbledon 2025? Age, birthplace, rank

The Scottish tennis player is taking part in the Wimbledon qualifiers 2025

Sport

3 d. ago Scottish tennis ace ranked 550th in world one win away from Wimbledon after dramatic qualifier

Strathblane man earns win of his career to set up SW19 chance

Events

3 d. ago The rules of age gap relationships? Here’s what we can learn from famous men | Arwa Mahdawi

There has been much discussion this week about the romance between actor Anna Camp, 42, and her 24-year-old girlfriend – which is a bit surprising, given the many more egregious examplesHere’s a maths problem for you. If actor Anna Camp (42) has a new girlfriend called Jade Whipkey (24), meaning there’s an 18-year age gap between them, is this a) disgusting; b) perfectly fine; c) something I have no desire to think about?If you answered c), then I’m afraid large sections of the internet disagree with you. There has been heated debate about the propriety of the Camp-Whipkey romance ever since the two went public – so much so that Camp recently spoke out on the matter. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Scotsman Obituaries: Howard Moody, oral pathologist who helped identify casualties of the Lockerbie bombing

Dr Geoffrey Howard Moody, oral pathologist. Born: 13 June 1943 in Stafford. Died: 25 March 2025, age 81

Events

4 d. ago Scottish Government confirms Winter Heating Payments for pensioners

The Scottish government has confirmed that it will provide Pension Age Winter Heating Payments to pensioner households from 2025/26 onwards, providing a vital lifeline to older and disabled people facing rising energy costs.

Economics

4 d. ago Flying in the new age of conflict – the hotspots diverting flights and leaving pilots blind

Amid conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, airlines have been forced to divert around warzones while managing new threats to their systemsThe first indication that something was wrong came when the clock on the flight deck began to go backwards. The aircraft was cruising thousands of metres above Israel and as the crew noticed the error, they checked their GPS signal. The plane’s internal instruments showed it was flying at just 1,500ft, well below the cruising altitude of 38,000ft it should have been at.Seconds later, alarms began to sound and lights flashed throughout the cockpit. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago The Gilded Age review – so gloriously soapy the suds practically foam on the screen

With its fun new series, Julian Fellowes’ preposterous ‘transatlantic’ Downton has morphed from joylessly pompous to truly joyful TV. Consider me a convert!The Gilded Age is a curious, unwieldy thing. It is rich in qualities that I love, such as Broadway stars of a certain pedigree and truly extravagant hats. But, for a series that clearly takes a great effort to make, at what appears to be an enormous expense, it is oddly slight. The events of New York society in the late 19th century glide on by, as women dressed in fine, frilly clothing dip in and out of dramas that are sometimes important, sometimes entirely trivial, but almost always afforded equal weight, regardless of how much they matter. To watch it is to sink into a comfortable fugue, and think mostly about the hats.The household of the sisters Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranksi) and Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon) has undergone a significant shift in power. After their nephew Oscar (Blake Ritson) almost ruined the family by lo...

Politics

6 d. ago Andy Murray gives blunt verdict on glittering event after not being able to sit with family

The Scottish Tennis ace opened up on being forced to attend the traditional ­champion’s dinner after Wimbledon win.

Politics

9 d. ago Cole Palmer aiming to emulate Man Utd hero after making Chelsea change

Cole Palmer has confirmed a major change ahead of his third season as a Chelsea player and is aiming to help the Blues to another trophy at the Club World Cup in the USA

Politics

9 d. ago Andy Murray holds hands up in honest admission about relationship with wife

Andy Murray has been married to Kim Sears since April 2015, and the Scottish tennis sensation has said how his wife of a decade was imperative to his success on and off the courts

Events

1 week ago Viking age burial site full of ancient objects found in Denmark, say experts

‘Spectacular’ discovery at site of about 30 graves includes pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing gold threadA 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered in northern Denmark, packed with a “spectacular” trove of ancient objects, a museum has said.The discovery came almost by chance when pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing a gold thread were unearthed during construction work near Lisbjerg, a village located 4 miles (7km) north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Tatjana Maria outwits Anisimova to complete Queen’s Club fairytale aged 37

German qualifier becomes oldest WTA 500 championMaria wins first women’s final in 52 years 6-3, 6-4Tatjana Maria completed an extraordinary week of giantkilling in London by becoming the surprise first women’s champion at Queen’s Club in 52 years as she defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4.Maria, a 37-year-old German qualifier, is the oldest WTA 500 champion in history. She had arrived at Queen’s Club on a nine-match losing run before building momentum from the qualifying draw and defeating four top-20 opponents in a row. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Parklife 2025 age restrictions and how old you need to be to get in

There is an age limit on who can attend the Heaton Park music festival

Politics

2 w. ago Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o belonged to an age of prophets – we must honour his teaching

Along with other icons of African writing, Ngũgĩ taught generations how to decolonise literature, language and the mind• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, giant of African literature, dies aged 87Growing up in post-independence Nigeria in the 1970s, at home you always had access to the Bible if you were Christian, or the Qur’an if you were Muslim, along with books in the Heinemann African Writers Series. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was a staple, and the plays of Wole Soyinka: The Lion and the Jewel, most likely, or The Trials of Brother Jero. Often accompanying them were books by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o – I remember we had both Weep Not Child and The River Between. And even if you didn’t have them at home, you’d soon encounter them in school – they were standard set texts, from secondary school to college.These three writers belonged to the so-called first generation of African writing, the generation that started publishing in the 1950s and 1960s. The three names stood, like the legs of the thre...

Politics

2 w. ago Europe was promised a new golden age of the night train. Why are we still waiting? | Jon Worth

Romance, excitement and sustainability – continent-crossing sleeper trains should be a hit. It’s time for the EU to catch onAs Europeans woke up to the joy of travel post-lockdown, it looked as though we were in store for a resurgence of continent-crossing night trains. Sleeper train fans hailed a “night train renaissance” and a “rail revolution”, combining some of the nostalgia for an old way of travelling with modern climate and sustainable transport concerns.The long-distance European train journey might be slower than a short-haul flight, but it is surely better in terms of the environment and the traveller experience. For those on a budget, the prospect of saving on a night in a hotel appeals too. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago In Spain, a chat on the doorstep is a custom worth preserving in the digital age | María Ramírez

It’s great to see so much support for the value of ‘taking the breeze’ – the authorities must respect public space tooThe mayor of a small town in southern Spain felt compelled, a few days ago, to clarify that there is no new municipal ban on older women sitting out on the pavement in their own chairs. He was responding to a furious online backlash directed mostly at the town’s police after they posted a message on social media urging the residents of Santa Fe to show “civility” by not sitting in the streets in the late hours disturbing neighbours.This plea for respect for the public space was hardly a draconian law and order crackdown: it was a reasonably worded reminder. “We know that putting chairs or tables outside the door is a tradition in many towns,” it said, “but public spaces are regulated. If the police ask you to remove them, do so out of respect and in the interests of coexistence.”María Ramírez is a journalist and the deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outle...

Politics

3 w. ago Simone Biles blasts ‘truly sick’ Riley Gaines over swimmer’s mockery of 17

Gaines had taken aim at a 17-year-old trans softball player

Politics