6 d. ago 10 questions you should never ask a Scottish person if you want to be polite

The Scots are a proud and passionate nation so there are certain things you should never say to those from north of the border.

Politics

1 week ago What does China really think of Trump? That he and vengeful chairman Mao would have got on well | Tania Branigan

Many see parallels with the architect of the Cultural Revolution. Both relished disruption and have exploited the power of the mobWhen rare protests flared in China in 2022, one slogan read: “We want reform, not a Cultural Revolution.” It alluded to complaints that the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, was behaving in an increasingly Mao-esque manner. His extraordinary dominance over his party, political repression, tight social controls and burgeoning personality cult all lent themselves to comparison with the man who ruled China for decades.Yet Xi is committed to order and discipline, exerting authority through the organs of the Communist party. Mao Zedong relished disruption and turned to the power of the masses. That’s why, increasingly, many in China are comparing Mao to another modern-day leader. Despite the ferocity of Donald Trump’s trade war, they are perhaps just as shocked by what he is doing to his own country. They see a proud nation felled not by an external threat, but by...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump admin refuses to engage with reporters who include their pronouns in email signatures

The use of preferred pronouns has become the target of conservative politicians and media personalities

Politics

2 w. ago The Penguin Lessons is just the latest film that teaches us how animals rescue men from loneliness

The comedy, about a curmudgeon played by Steve Coogan and his waddling new friend, joins a subgenre of movies from King Kong to John Wick – in which men are emotionally and socially rescued by animalsThe penguin at the centre of The Penguin Lessons, a new movie by Peter Cattaneo, is nothing if not hard-working. The film, adapted from the 2015 memoir by Tom Michell, uses the political turmoil of Argentina in 1976 as a backdrop for the personal transformation of an English teacher at a boys’ school. Michell (Steve Coogan) is an idle curmudgeon when he rescues an oil-drenched Magellan penguin from a beach in Uruguay in an attempt to impress an attractive woman. She leaves, but he is stuck with the bird, whom he duly names Juan Salvador, and who thaws him out sufficiently to bond with students and colleagues, process past trauma and rekindle a political idealism.Naturally, there are hurdles for Juan Salvador to clear before the interspecies friendship spreads its wings. Michell tries a ...

Events

2 w. ago The Penguin Lessons is the latest film to teach us animals rescue men from loneliness

The comedy, about a curmudgeon played by Steve Coogan and his waddling new friend, joins a subgenre of movies from King Kong to John Wick – in which men are emotionally and socially rescued by animalsThe penguin at the centre of The Penguin Lessons, a new movie by Peter Cattaneo, is nothing if not hard-working. The film, adapted from the 2015 memoir by Tom Michell, uses the political turmoil of Argentina in 1976 as a backdrop for the personal transformation of an English teacher at a boys’ school. Michell (Steve Coogan) is an idle curmudgeon when he rescues an oil-drenched Magellan penguin from a beach in Uruguay in an attempt to impress an attractive woman. She leaves, but he is stuck with the bird, whom he duly names Juan Salvador, and who thaws him out sufficiently to bond with students and colleagues, process past trauma and rekindle a political idealism.Naturally, there are hurdles for Juan Salvador to clear before the interspecies friendship spreads its wings. Michell tries a ...

Events

2 w. ago Interior Department staff’s unusual demands — like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies — have ‘alarmed’ officials

The Interior Department staff also ordered a U.S. Park Police helicopter for personal transport and asked political appointees to work as servers for a meal, a report claims

Events

2 w. ago Interior Secretary’s unusual demands — like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies — have ‘alarmed’ officials

Burgum also ordered a U.S. Park Police helicopter for personal transport and asked political appointees to work as servers for a meal, a report claims

Society

3 w. ago Kae Tempest review – a brave, intimate set where the personal is political

Village Underground, LondonThe laser-focused spoken-word performer returns to the musical stage with new tracks focusing on their identity, but wider concerns are never far away“This has been a performance piece about how technology is going to be the death of us all,” jokes rapper, poet, author and playwright Kae Tempest as a keyboard player and a technician wrestle with malfunctioning equipment. We’re just two tracks in; Tempest assures us that if the electronics are not back up soon, they’ll do the whole show a cappella.They could, too. The teenage Tempest cut their teeth battle-rapping in south London, turning to slam poetry when more direct avenues into hip-hop refused to open easily to a young, blond slip of a thing. You suspect they have never wasted the opportunity when handed a mic. Given Tempest’s extended output over more than a decade of albums, works of fiction, poems, plays and nonfiction, with prizes and accolades for many of them – you can’t imagine them ever being a...

Politics

3 w. ago Liz Kendall admits it would be 'personal failure' if child poverty is still rising at next election

The Work and Pensions Secretary told The Mirror child poverty "will be going down" - despite a grim official analysis of her department's welfare cuts

Politics

3 w. ago Kae Tempest at Village Underground review: spitting bars and radiating trans joy

An intimate gig allowed the poet and rapper to debut new songs — and a new voice

Politics