2 h. ago Donald Trump too busy to buy Melania birthday present as First Lady to spend day at Pope Francis’ funeral

Donald Trump said he has not had much time to buy his wife, Melania, a birthday present as he’s been “pretty busy” while fallout from his tariffs continues.

Politics

4 h. ago The moment I knew: standing on her shoulders, I was impressed she could bear my weight

After training together for years, acrobats Tristan St John and Asha Colless realised their ability to support one another was more than just physicalFind more stories from The moment I knew seriesIn 2021 I was at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne. That’s where I first laid eyes on Asha. She was part of a group of new students joining my cohort. She instantly struck me as someone I wanted to be friends with. At ballet class that afternoon we shared a barre and became fast friends. Over the next couple of years things remained platonic and it wasn’t until our final year that chemistry began to build.Towards the end of that dark Melbourne winter, Asha asked if I’d work with her on some acrobatics. Every day after school we’d spend an hour or so training as a pair. There was lots of stretching and chatting, trying and failing various tricks and lots of laughs. It wasn’t long before I realised I was seriously enjoying these sessions, and not just in a professional or fr...

Politics

58 h. ago A dwarf crocodile carried home by a hunter: Thomas Nicolon’s best photograph

‘As a species, these crocs are easy to find and easy to catch. Brice Itoua is the most skilled hunter in his village. But they kill the crocs to eat – not to sell’The Congo dwarf crocodile is a lovely species. They’re very shy and, unfortunately, very easy to find and catch. Mostly hunted for their bushmeat, these crocs only grow up to a few feet in length and during the dry season, they often spend the daytime hiding in burrows and dens at the water’s edge. Hunters use a long, woody liana vine with a hook on the end to drag them out, before binding their snout with a shorter vine and carrying them away.Last summer, I shot a story about the Congo dwarf crocodile after being given access to the Lake Télé Community Reserve by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which manages this protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the Congolese government. Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago Hungry Brits spend two days a year talking about what they're having for dinner

As a nation of food lovers, Brits dedicate 48 hours annually to chatting about what’s on their plates, with debates over ‘dinner’ vs ‘tea’ still dividing the country

Politics

62 h. ago Food is 'so much more than fuel' says expert as people spend nearly 50 hours a year discussing it

A survey of 2,000 adults found that, on average, those who chat about dinner every day spend eight minutes on the topic - adding up to 48 hours a year

Politics

5 d. ago Syrian refugee says Home Office ‘breaking my heart’ by refusing dying mother entry to UK

Home Office intervened after initial ruling allowing grandmother with terminal cancer to join family in GlasgowA Syrian refugee says the Home Office has “broken her heart” by trying to bar her mother, who has weeks to live, from coming to the UK to spend her final days with the grandchildren she has never met.Ola Al Hamwi fled Syria with her husband, Mostafa Amonajid, in 2015. They had lost their baby after a bombing and were unable to take Al Hamwi’s mother, Soaad Al Shawa,with them. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Parents should stop being ‘child’s friend’ over phones – children’s commissioner

Nearly a quarter of children spend more than four hours a day on an internet-enabled device, a survey suggested earlier this month.

Society

6 d. ago Navy's nuclear submarine hiring crisis as sailors forced to spend record 204 days underwater

The Royal Navy is struggling to hire and hold on to sailors manning the Trident nuclear deterrent, resulting in shortages of engineers and other critical roles.

Events

1 week ago 'Extreme daytrippers' spend eight hours abroad to escape 'dreary' UK

The friends have plenty of trips booked

Politics

1 week ago Why I can’t stop watching two pandas not have sex | Emma Beddinton

Despite all Copenhagen zoo’s best efforts, pandas Mao Sun and Xing Er have been playing chase, squeaking, wrestling and napping – doing everything but procreate Spring is properly here, potent, pollinated, fecund. The garden is electric with sex and postcoital doings: sparrows are shagging on the roof, nests are being frenetically constructed and grubs transported to nesting mamas. I spend my days voyeuristically peeping at tits (I got a nestcam for my birthday and I’m obsessed). Even educated fleas are doing it and I dread to imagine what filth the squirrels are up to.I tell you who isn’t doing it, though: Mao Sun and Xing Er, the Copenhagen zoo pandas. Since their arrival in 2019, the pair haven’t managed to mate. This is my third year tuning in to the intense will-they-won’t-they soap opera, shared by keeper Nadja Søndergaard on her extremely entertaining Instagram account @thegoodbearsandme. The pandas are solitary creatures, only coming together for Mao Sun’s 36-hour oestrus wi...

Politics

1 week ago Why I can’t stop watching two pandas not have sex | Emma Beddington

Despite all Copenhagen zoo’s best efforts, pandas Mao Sun and Xing Er have been playing chase, squeaking, wrestling and napping – doing everything but procreate Spring is properly here, potent, pollinated, fecund. The garden is electric with sex and postcoital doings: sparrows are shagging on the roof, nests are being frenetically constructed and grubs transported to nesting mamas. I spend my days voyeuristically peeping at tits (I got a nestcam for my birthday and I’m obsessed). Even educated fleas are doing it and I dread to imagine what filth the squirrels are up to.I tell you who isn’t doing it, though: Mao Sun and Xing Er, the Copenhagen zoo pandas. Since their arrival in 2019, the pair haven’t managed to mate. This is my third year tuning in to the intense will-they-won’t-they soap opera, shared by keeper Nadja Søndergaard on her extremely entertaining Instagram account @thegoodbearsandme. The pandas are solitary creatures, only coming together for Mao Sun’s 36-hour oestrus wi...

Politics

2 w. ago Parents reckon their kids will spend four hours a day during Easter on devices

Have you made your plans for the Easter holidays? If not, this quiz is here to help.

Politics

2 w. ago My husband is always on his iPad. I miss him. How can I ask for screen

Time without screens doesn’t need to feel like homework, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But it might help to suggest some active alternativesRead more Leading questionsMy husband is on his iPad or his phone a lot. It is the last thing he does before bed and the first thing he reaches for in the morning.We have a toddler and are pretty good at sharing childcare, but the minute I appear after work he gets his iPad out. It grates on me more than I can say (especially if we are eating dinner that I’ve cooked). I get that parenting can be lonely and tedious and that he likes to unwind at the end of the day, but I want us to spend time together as a family. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Nearly quarter of children spend more than four hours a day on devices – poll

The Children’s Commissioner for England has called for ‘stronger action’ to protect young people from harmful content online.

Politics

2 w. ago Once, my father carried me into the surf. Now my arm steadies his steps back to the sea | Tim Baker

Early morning swims were a daily ritual for my dad until age and illness took its toll. On a recent visit, I hatched a plan to get him in the ocean againGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIt’s a delicate moment. My father’s a proud man. I don’t want to be condescending, so I tell him to let me know the level of help he needs. “I’ll take my cues from you,” I offer quietly. With a default formality I still find endearing, he tells me he’ll require assistance at two stages of the process: getting in and getting out.I’ve travelled from my home in northern New South Wales to Perth to spend 10 days with my father, while his second wife, my stepmum, is in Melbourne visiting their two adult sons and new grandsons. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Incredible UK city is Britain's smallest but keeps being rated one of the best

Many holidaymakers are looking forward to spend a couple of days to disconnect from the busy city life. Just a few hours away from the UK's capital city, Wells is a promising spot.

Politics

2 w. ago Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing review – nothing about this shocking tale feels OK

This grim documentary shines a light on child social media star Piper Rockelle, the hugely murky ethics surrounding this kind of content – and the high-profile lawsuit that engulfed their careerThe title of the new documentary Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is interesting. It could be said to presuppose the existence of a good side to allowing, encouraging or coercing young children and early teens to put their lives online for attention and validation (or deliberately creating content to attract subscribers, brand interest and sponsorship deals). But perhaps, you think, I am being hopelessly old-fashioned. Perhaps this is the way forward. Perhaps it is the way things are these days. Who am I to say how youngsters should connect, spend their time, be raised in 2025?I understand this impulse to ignore the past. I almost admire it. It is good for us all, as we get older, to fight against the creeping belief that the past was better. It is a canard, a conflation of the ha...

Events

2 w. ago British family spend four days stuck in Kenyan wildlife surrounded by wild animals after vehicle gets stuck in mud when they 'diverted from main travel route'

A British couple and their two young children were forced to spend four days surrounded by wild animals in a Kenyan safari park after their vehicle got stuck when they went off their planned route. 

Politics

2 w. ago Hidden Greek beach with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean

Xerocambos Beach, located in the lesser-visited south eastern part of Crete, has white silky sands and clear waters - making it the perfect place for tourists to spend a day in the sunshine

Politics

2 w. ago John Swinney to lead Tartan Day parade in New York amid charm offensive

The First Minister is in America on a charm offensive and will spend the day touting Scotland's cultural heritage in the US and join the parade's grand marshal, actor Alan Cumming

Politics