10 h. ago Here in Sweden, the Vikings are back. And this time they’re searching for stability in a chaotic age | Siri Christiansen

I joined a ‘sacrifice’ ritual outside Stockholm – and found that the revival of Norse paganism reflects broader battles over identity and climate anxiety“Hail Thor!” The priestess and her heathens, standing in a circle, raised their mead-filled horns. We were gathered in an unassuming spot in a pine forest outside Stockholm. This was our temple, and the large, mossy stone before us was our altar. I was relieved to see that the animal-based sacrificial offerings were long-dead and highly processed. A bearded man reached his tattooed arms into his backpack and raised a red, horseshoe-shaped sausage to the sky. A goth girl unboxed a plastic tub of hammer-shaped cookies. The priestess offered me a handful of flaxseeds to toss on the altar, which was overflowing with gifts, apples and bottles of homemade mead.A dozen people had gathered for an autumn sacrifice to summon Thor, the hammer-wielding Norse god of harvests and storms. Many pleaded for him to bring rain, after a summer plagued ...

Politics

4 d. ago Middlesbrough, Norwich, Southampton and Swansea chasing same managers as favourites emerge

The international break has given four Championship clubs the time to conduct searches for a new manager after the departures of Rob Edwards, Liam Manning, Will Still and Alan Sheenan, but who will end up where?

Politics

4 d. ago Race against time as rescuers search for trapped worker inside flooded coal mine

Holes have been drilled in the mine and dive teams have explored potential areas where air pockets might exist

Events

1 week ago Pennsylvania artist sorry for including Nazi camp arch on school parade float

‘I made a mistake’ says artist who included cloned archway on Halloween float for a Catholic school A Pennsylvania artist’s efforts to create a Halloween float for a local Catholic school went awry when he inadvertently included a replica of the gateway arch from a Nazi concentration camp, prompting a hasty apology from the diocese of Harrisburg.In apologizing for the fiasco, Galen Shelly told PennLive that a lighted archway and lanterns he ordered to decorate a parade float he was building for Hanover’s St Joseph’s school did not arrive in time – so he searched the internet for images of cemetery gates to represent the idea that “none of us get out of this life alive”. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Wales international signs for English Prem team alongside former Osprey

The Wales international has moved across the Severn Bridge in search of game-time

Politics

4 w. ago Man United predicted XI vs Liverpool as Amad call made and Kobbie Mainoo misses out again

Ruben Amorim is searching for back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time as Manchester United face old rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

Politics

4 w. ago Managerless Rangers salvage point but fans voice anger at players and board

James Tavernier’s late goal earned Rangers a 2-2 draw with Dundee United at Ibrox as the interim manager, Steven Smith, got a taste of the fragility which has dogged the club all season.The under-19s coach was taking the reins for the first time while the Light Blues search for a new manager to replace the sacked Russell Martin, with former Rangers player Kevin Muscat set to take over. Improvement under Smith was immediate and after 25 minutes Thelo Aasgaard scored a terrific first goal since signing from Luton in the summer. Continue reading...

Sport