21 h. ago My life’s a mess. Will turning it into a game make everything better?

With two small kids and a dog to take care of, I often struggle to look after myself. Self-care apps promise to help – if you can handle the quests, magic potions and rainbow stones. I put four of them to the testThe other night, I didn’t moisturise before bed. The baby had just woken and was crying for a feed. I didn’t want him to wake the toddler he shares a room with, and I couldn’t, in that intensely fraught moment, locate my Elizabeth Arden.We all find it hard, at times, to fit in self-care. But if there’s one thing I’ve noticed since becoming a mum of two small children, it’s that even the most basic level of personal care requires military-level planning. Often, I pour from an empty cup because I haven’t had time – or, more likely, I’ve simply forgotten – to refill it. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago The secret to Race Across The World’s success? It's always pure joy to watch

The show, which is just starting a fifth season, is one of the most watched programmes on TV right now, and for good reason

Politics

5 d. ago Duke University warns international students not to leave US even during summer break

‘We are advising members of the Duke international community to avoid international travel unless essential’ read a Duke announcement Friday

Events

7 d. ago Sky News star Jacquie Beltrao reveals 'miracle drug' made her cancer

Presenter Jacquie Beltrao has spoken of the "pure joy and relief" after a pioneering drug reversed her stage 4 cancer

Events

1 week ago WHO member countries agree on a draft 'pandemic treaty' to try to avoid COVID

The World Health Organization's member countries agreed on a draft pandemic treaty that sets guidelines for how the international community might face the next global health crisis

Events

1 week ago Sudan in ‘world’s largest humanitarian crisis’ after two years of civil war

NGOs and UN say country is ‘worse off than ever before’ with wide-scale displacement, hunger and attacks on refugee campsTimeline: Sudan’s two years of war and its devastating tollSudan is suffering from the largest humanitarian crisis globally and its civilians are continuing to pay the price for inaction by the international community, NGOs and the UN have said, as the country’s civil war enters its third year.Two years to the day since fighting erupted in Khartoum between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, hundreds of people were feared to have died in RSF attacks on refugee camps in the western Darfur region in the latest apparent atrocity of a war marked by its brutality and wide-scale humanitarian impact. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Pakistan says host countries must resettle Afghan nationals by April 30

Pakistan has called on the international community to expedite the resettlement of thousands of Afghan nationals currently in transit within the country

Politics

2 w. ago Investing in climate adaptation is not just good for the planet, it’s good business | William Ruto and Patrick Verkooijen

Climate denialism should not blind investors and governments to the very real opportunities to be found in financing solutionsAmong the many shocks currently facing the international development community is the new direction of the US administration on climate, and the implications worldwide for mitigation and adaptation efforts.This is not uncharted territory. While a withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement is undoubtedly a setback, it no longer carries the same level of disruption as it did. The global community has become more resilient and will continue to advance climate action. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How scandal rocked the internet’s knitting community: ‘Not a week goes by without drama’

Faked deaths. Fat-shaming. Stolen design patterns. How did an ostensibly wholesome pastime become a hotbed of feuds and conflict? Newfound knitter Kate Ng digs into the strange world of ‘KnitTok’ and beyond

Events

3 w. ago Handle with care: the international community sending parcels of pure joy through the mail

Anna Ryan-Punch was 15 when she received her first friendship book. It was the start of a lifelong hobbyAustralian Anna Ryan-Punch was 15 when she received her first friendship book – a handmade and decorated pocket-sized booklet full of names and addresses of people looking for pen pals. Recipients were invited to add their details to the list, send a letter to other signatories, and then pass the booklet on to someone new.“They were included in letters as a side thing,” Ryan-Punch, now 44, says. When it was full of potential pen pals, the friendship book would, hopefully, be returned to the person who made it. “I didn’t have anyone to send them on to, but I wrote to people out of them and that kind of grew into a circle.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The people of Myanmar can’t seem to catch a break. Here’s my plea to the international community | Thin Lei Win

We have had to be resilient because no one has come to our aid. Myanmar needs tangible support before the humanitarian crisis claims even more livesTwo thoughts entered my head as soon as I saw that Myanmar, my home country, had been hit by an earthquake: “Is everyone OK?”, followed by, “We just can’t catch a break”.My loved ones thankfully turned out to be badly shaken but physically OK. There were material losses but nothing compared with what so many others are going through. Continue reading...

Politics