49 m. ago Will you look at that! Why we are delighted by random, beautiful marvels | Patti Miller

They cannot be sold, made into a tasty dish or set to work. So what qualifies as a marvel? And why do we respond to them with such deep pleasure?Last Sunday, while I was walking along a coastal path in Sydney, I was stopped in my tracks by a marvel. It was first noticed, as these things often are, by a small boy who was walking with me. Look at that! We both stopped and gazed at the marvel.It sat on a low sandstone rock near the edge of the sea. We squatted down to examine it more closely. It was only a walking boot, but it was laced delicately all over the back and sides and tongue, and even the rim of the sole, with small white conical seashells, as if someone had stitched the shells into the fabric. The shells’ bright whiteness was tinged with a faint pink and there was a dark narrow opening where, with careful observation, we could see in each shell a soft living creature.Full fathom five thy father lies/ Of his bones are coral made/ Those are pearls that were his eyes/ Nothing ...

Politics

49 m. ago I went searching for the grandmother I never met. Under a tree where she once sat with Leonard Cohen, I broke | Gina Chick

When adoption laws changed in Australia, we discovered her name: Charmian Clift. I felt instant recognition. This explained everythingGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhen I was young, I had no idea that my mother was such an extraordinary woman. She was just my mother, swirling in and out of the house, singing to her jonquil bulbs, tripping over the animals I rescued, all while reading five books at once. If she was in the kitchen, my sisters and I hid downstairs as she clattered and crashed all the saucepans and swore like a sailor at the latest ruined batch of biscuits.She wept at whatever devastation the nightly news delivered into the lounge room. She loved and was loved in return by my father, Douggie. She birthed four babes, grew the surviving three into formidable women and instilled in us a fierce belief that there was nothing we could not do. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago What would happen to Earth if the Moon suddenly disappeared?

If the Moon were to suddenly vanish from the solar system, our home planet would suffer devastating consequences

Events

4 h. ago Entire UK reservoir to disappear forever in a matter of weeks – here's why

The reservoir, in eastern foothills of the Clwydians, dates back to the Victorian era and will disappear forever in the weeks ahead after a decision was made to decommission it

Events

8 h. ago Coastguard asks drivers visiting beach to do one vital thing

Cars have been parking close to its base creating delays as rescue officers respond to shouts and potentially endangering lives

Politics

9 h. ago Mystery of the Lake Michigan triangle with strange disappearances, sinkings and weather that defies nature

The Great Lakes have been the final burial grounds for 6,000 ships, but Lake Michigan alone has eaten a quarter of those.

Events

9 h. ago Hollywood stars who vanished – mummified bodies, still missing and tragic spiral

Some of the biggest film stars on the planet have disappeared from the spotlight over the years - and one Hollywood actress was never seen again after going missing

Events

14 h. ago "I sat down, he shouted 'Char Siu and' disappeared behind a curtain"

“If you’re in a rush, there is a McDonald’s right in town. Be my guest”

Events

25 h. ago WWE's The Miz exclusive interview: Proven 'right' about John Cena, dream match and working with younger talent

The Miz sat down with Standard Sport ahead of WrestleMania 41 as he approaches two decades as a full-time member of the WWE main roster

Politics

27 h. ago Beckenham Place Park: Urgent hunt for boy, 16, 'missing in water' after swimming in lake

A 16-year-old boy has gone missing at Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, London, while swimming in a lake with emergency services having launched an urgent search

Events

29 h. ago Amazon deal cuts 36% off eye cream that 'blurs' fine lines and makes wrinkles 'disappear'

The popular eye cream is said to 'sell one every 10 seconds'

Economics

30 h. ago Shop closures in April 2025: The names disappearing from high streets across Great Britain

More big-name brands are shutting their doors for good this month, continuing January, February and March’s exodus

Events

31 h. ago She’s a waitress raised on a farm – can Rebecca Cooke win a key Wisconsin seat?

Moderate Democrat believes she can unseat Republican Derrick Van Orden, who was at the Capitol on January 6Wisconsin’s third congressional district has voted for Donald Trump every time he’s been on the ballot, but the moderate Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a waitress who grew up on a dairy farm, thinks she can flip the state’s most competitive seat next year.Last year, Cooke outperformed other Democrats when she tried to unseat incumbent Derrick Van Orden, a retired US Navy Seal who attended the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally at the Capitol and shouted “lies” during Joe Biden’s 2024 state of the union address. She lost the race by less than three points. Continue reading...

Politics

33 h. ago Moment dad slaps and bites teen outside school and shouts 'do you want some?'

Mohammed Liaquat, 43, got out of his car and confronted a group of boys outside the school in Huddersfield - where he slapped one kid and grabbed another, shouting 'do you want some?'

Politics

41 h. ago A Green Beret looked into divorce. Then his wife was arrested after his dismembered body was found in a pond

Shana Cloud, 50, was charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a death two months after the disappearance of her husband, Clinton Bonnell

Events

43 h. ago More than 200 passengers on London to Mumbai flight stranded at Turkey military base after plane forced to make emergency landing

The flight had left Heathrow for Mumbai at 11.40am but never arrived as a woman started 'shouting and screaming at 30,000ft'.

Events

44 h. ago ADRIAN THRILLS reviews Elton John and Brandi Carlile 'Who Believes in Angels?': Sir Elton's fresh start at 78

When a music legend hints at bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career, it's best to treat their words with caution.

Politics

51 h. ago Olmo and Pau Víctor cleared to play on but La Liga says Barcelona have failed FFP

Spanish sports council upholds Barça’s complaintLeague queries disappearance of €100m from accountsDani Olmo and Pau Víctor can continue to play until the end of the season after the Spanish sports council (CSD) upheld Barcelona’s appeal against the league’s decision to unregister them because the club did not meet a 31 December deadline on financial controls.The judgment comes a day after La Liga said Barcelona still did not comply with the salary limit set and that it would report the club’s former auditors after €100m effectively disappeared from their accounts. Continue reading...

Events

52 h. ago Viral lawn moss remover makes it 'disappear' and there's no need to rake after

One woman was left impressed after she used a viral lawn moss remover to get rid of the weed - and there's no need to rake the grass after you've applied it

Events

54 h. ago This Morning viewers 'switch off' as ITV host shouts at passing ambulance

This Morning viewers were left fuming during Thursday's episode of the ITV show as Kate Lawler issued an epic rant at a passing ambulance during a live segment

Politics