9 h. ago Jimmy Thelin hails Aberdeen for surviving 'difficult times' as he sets them challenge after breakthrough win

Thelin wants his Dons to kick on after sealing their long awaited first league game of the season

Events

14 h. ago ‘Difficult times’ for Tories, says Russell Findlay, as he focuses on economy

The Scottish Tory Party leader spoke at the Scottish fringe at the UK Conservative conference where he said the party would focus on the economy,

Politics

26 h. ago Burger restaurant in small Welsh village exploded, then everything went wrong

The chef spoke candidly about how the hospitality industry has seen an "unprecedented difficult time" as the economy struggles

Politics

34 h. ago Strictly's Amy Dowden shares 'worrying' cancer moment as she admits 'it's difficult'

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has opened up about her cancer journey, admitting that it can be 'very difficult' and 'worrying' at times

Politics

42 h. ago ‘No reason not to be all in’: is Saturday Night Live ready to meet a major political moment?

The return of the long-running series lands at a difficult time for late-night comedy – and free speechPaul Simon sang The Boxer. New York mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared with firefighters. When producer Lorne Michaels asked: “Can we be funny?”, Giuliani replied: “Why start now?”It was September 2001 and, just 18 days after the worst terrorist attack in US history, Saturday Night Live’s blend of satire, silliness and live music was back on the air. “In bad times, people turn to the show,” Michaels told Rolling Stone magazine 20 years later. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago How to live a good life in difficult times: Yuval Noah Harari, Rory Stewart and Maria Ressa in conversation

From superintelligent AI to the climate and democracy, three leading thinkers discuss how to navigate the futureWhat happens when an internationally bestselling historian, a Nobel peace prize-winning journalist and a former politician get together to discuss the state of the world, and where we’re heading? Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli medieval and military historian best known for his panoramic surveys of human history, including Sapiens, Homo Deus and, most recently, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. Maria Ressa, joint winner of the Nobel peace prize, is a Filipino and American journalist who co-founded the news website Rappler. And Rory Stewart is a British academic and former Conservative MP, writer and co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast. Their conversation ranged over the rise of AI, the crisis in democracy and the prospect of a Trump-Putin wedding, but began by considering a question central to all of their work: how to live a good...

Events

66 h. ago ‘We’re all in this together’: New York cathedral pays tribute to immigrants with new mural

At St Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest permanent artwork commisioned in its 146-year history is a plea for acceptance and community at a difficult timeIn the neo-gothic splendor of New York’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, a throng of today’s immigrants – mostly Latino, Asian, and Black – pause on a hillside slope with their humble sacks and bags. A man in a T-shirt cradles an infant, a kid in sneakers sits glumly in the foreground. Overhead in the towering clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar amid the clustering gleam of golden pendulous stripes evoking the presence of God.The scene, humane and magnificent, is a part of what is perhaps the most significant new piece of public art in today’s riven America. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago In my 30s and 40s I convinced myself that I needed children. I spent thousands on IVF... but now I realise the truth. This is why I'm so glad I'm child

Every week I make a point of checking in with my friend Lucy. She has been going through a difficult time over the past couple of years, ever since her son - her only child - cut her out of his life.

Politics

3 d. ago Reality star who won hit dancing show dies aged 36 as tributes pour in

Dance star Joshua Allen, who won So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, has sadly died aged just 36, with his family asking for "privacy and prayers" at this difficult time

Events

4 d. ago I spent years desperate to have a baby and £30,000 on IVF, but here's the surprising reason I'm so glad to be child

Every week I make a point of checking in with my friend Lucy. She has been going through a difficult time over the past couple of years, ever since her son - her only child - cut her out of his life.

Economics

6 d. ago England have won hearts and minds, a prize even greater than the World Cup | Robert Kitson

The Red Roses have done for rugby what the Lionesses have done for football – putting women’s sport at the forefrontSometimes it is about more than just a shiny trophy. Yes, the Red Roses are now the champions of the world and deservedly so. Yes, they have claimed the elusive glittering prize for the first time since 2014. But in all sorts of ways the past month will go down in history for something even more important: the coming of age of women’s rugby union as a mass spectator attraction in a summer of female sporting empowerment like no other.Everyone will have their own abiding memories of the past month, just as they did when the Lionesses captured their nation’s hearts in July. For every small child aching to be Chloe Kelly or Lucy Bronze there will now be others dreaming of being as brilliant as Ellie Kildunne or Meg Jones. Winning helps, of course it does, but so does relatability, connection and shared enjoyment. The Red Roses put smiles on a lot of faces not least because...

Politics

7 d. ago This is how we do it: ‘Over 30 years, our spark has dimmed in difficult times, but we’ve always got it back’

After three children, Gavin and Lisa have sex less often these days, but it’s better quality and more meaningful than when they were younger• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymouslyBecause I haven’t slept with anybody else for decades, my sexual skills don’t feel transferable; they are specific to Lisa Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago The two simple ingredients that will clean your oven with 'no heavy scrubbing'

Cleaning your oven can be a difficult and time-consuming task

Events

9 d. ago Red card may figure in World Cup final between two physical attacking teams | Ugo Monye

Recent showpieces have been prone to dismissals but in Meg Jones’s all-court game England have a potentially decisive assetMeg Jones has a number of super strengths in this England team. She is the energy-giver, she provides massive momentum by producing big moments and she knits things together on and off the pitch. Perhaps her biggest in the World Cup final against Canada, however, is that she wasn’t involved in the defeat by New Zealand three years ago.She does not bear the scars that a lot of her teammates do. If things are tight on the scoreboard in the final quarter, her mind is not going to wander off to what happened in the 2022 final. Meg’s thought process will not be clouded by something she wasn’t a part of. It’s something that we really shouldn’t underestimate because it is only human nature for those who were part of that side to be affected by things that have gone before them. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Meg Jones: ‘Through difficult times and adversity, you can still fulfil your dreams’

Interview: Having lost both of her parents in the last 12 months, Jones has overcome grief to be one of England’s standout performers at a home World Cup

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on Ireland’s presidential election: a contest with consequences | Editorial

Since 1990, the heads of state of Britain’s closest neighbour have played important soft power roles. This needs to continueThe idea that the next head of state might be an elected one is as remote from British experience as a visit to the far side of the moon. But it is hardly an unthinkable proposition, and you do not have to travel as far as the moon to see such a process taking place in a smooth and dignified manner. In fact, you only have to travel to Ireland.Next month, Ireland will elect a successor to President Michael D Higgins, who has served two seven-year terms as the occupant of Áras an Uachtaráin (in bygone days the Viceregal Lodge) in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Mr Higgins has done the largely ceremonial job with charm, toughness and imagination. He has been good for Ireland, and good for British-Irish relations at a difficult time. In 2014, he made the first state visit to Britain by an Irish president. He is not a large man, but he leaves big shoes to fill. Con...

Politics

1 week ago ‘I didn’t get empathy from Borthwick’: Ben Youngs on family trauma and why he rates Eddie Jones

Former scrum-half admits family illnesses made it difficult for him to embrace his achievement of being England’s most-capped player“I found it hard, I really did,” Ben Youngs says as he explains why it was once so difficult to embrace his achievement of playing more times for England than any other men’s rugby player. Youngs won 127 caps and featured in four World Cups, but he used to look down at the ground whenever his longevity was mentioned.Youngs retired from international rugby at the end of 2023, and played his last game for Leicester in the Premiership final in June, and so he can now give public voice to the trauma he carried for so long. While his sister-in-law Tiffany suffered for years with blood cancer, and his brother-in-law Jake endured motor neurone disease, Youngs played for England. He often felt as if he was putting himself ahead of everyone else while his brother and sister lost their partners to terminal illness. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Women’s Rugby World Cup: Ellie Kildunne shrugs off England’s record in finals

England are in a seventh successive World Cup final, but have won just one of those previous six matches.

Sport

2 w. ago How England’s breakdown brilliance denied France — and could decide World Cup Final

The ruck contributions of Hannah Botterman and Meg Jones proved key in the semi-final - and slowing Canada’s scintillating attack will be vital next week

Politics

2 w. ago Chris Robshaw's famous singer wife, stalker nightmare and post

Former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw is one of the contestants on this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing, but has been going through a difficult time away from the dance floor

Politics