52 h. ago October's most valuable vinyl: the 13 most expensive records sold on Discogs

From Northern Soul to Weird Al - here’s the big sellers on Discogs for the month of October

Politics

5 d. ago The Antichrist has long haunted American politics. Now it’s rearing its head again | Matthew Avery Sutton

From Silicon Valley to Michigan, the biblical figure is in the headlines. The shift from pulpits to politics is familiar – and dangerousTwo scenes from the past two weeks capture something unsettling – and familiar –about American public life. In San Francisco, a tech billionaire delivered a sold‑out, off‑the‑record lecture series on the antichrist. In Michigan, a man rammed his pickup truck into a Latter‑day Saints meetinghouse during Sunday worship, opened fire and set the building ablaze, apparently believing that Mormons are the antichrist.The antichrist is clearly back. But perhaps he has never really left.Matthew Avery Sutton is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of the forthcoming Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity (Basic Books), in addition to five prior books on Christianity. He is the Claudius O and Mary Johnson distinguished professor and chair of the department of history at Washington State University. The views expressed here are h...

Politics

9 d. ago Taylor Swift beats Adele’s first week in US sales record with Life of a Showgirl

The star has already sold 3.5m units of her critically divisive album, a new record in the modern era of music salesTaylor Swift’s divisive new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has beaten Adele’s record-breaking 25 in first week sales numbers.According to data tracking firm Luminate, the album has already sold 3.5m units in the US which equates to 3.2m physical copies and 300,000 attributed to streaming activity. Adele achieved 3.482m in 2015 with her opening week sales of 25 which was led by hit Hello. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Sporting seek edge by tapping into new market: English footballers

Georgia Eaton-Collins and Ria Bose are making waves in Portugal having bought into the club’s ambitious visionSporting CP have a rich history of developing prodigious young talents, none more so than Cristiano Ronaldo, and the club’s philosophy is spreading to their successful women’s team.Although Sporting have not broken the domestic dominance of Benfica, no more proof of their development success is needed than the case of Olivia Smith, who was plucked from Canada’s academy system and sold to Liverpool a year later for a club record fee. Now Sporting are expanding into a new market: English players. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago ‘Politics is nasty. And it’s getting worse’: Lionel Richie on his worries for America, his friend Michael Jackson – and why he still believes in the power of love

He’s known for his ballads and winning smile – but the singer has also had a ringside seat to history, from the civil rights battles in his native Alabama to the rise and fall of pop’s biggest superstarLionel Richie walks into the hotel meeting room at 6.20pm and stretches his arms out wide. “Good morning, everybody,” he says in a southern drawl as smooth as whipped cream. He’s not joking. Richie, 76, is touring here in Budapest, and he’s on rock’n’roll (well, legendary soul balladeer) time. The singer-songwriter, who has sold more than 100m records over his six decades in the business, has just got up. “That bed was saying to me, ‘Stay here, Lionel, you’re looking goooood.’”He introduces me to his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi, a Swiss entrepreneur. Parigi is in her mid-30s, gorgeous, friendly, and young enough to be his daughter – or granddaughter at a push. To be fair, though, Richie looks fabulous. As a young man, he was all chin and tache. Now he’s just regular handsom...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘They have changed my life’: John Mitchell open to staying as England coach

Coach may extend contract after 2026 Six Nations‘Some parts of the day will stick in my life forever’John Mitchell has described coaching England’s World Cup-winning women’s team as a life-changing event and revealed he is open to the idea of continuing in his role beyond the 2026 Six Nations. England beat Canada 33-13 at a sold-out Twickenham, with a record 5.8 million watching on television, to lift the World Cup and extend their winning run to 33 games, an unbeaten streak that takes in the whole of Mitchell’s reign, which began in 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane could become most expensive album art ever sold

Original image shot by Brian Duffy estimated to fetch £300,000 when it goes under the hammer in OctoberThe original image for David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album could become the most expensive album artwork ever sold when it goes under the hammer with an estimate of £300,000.The famous picture of Bowie with a lightning bolt across his face could beat the record set by Led Zeppelin’s debut album artwork, which sold for $325,000 in 2020. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Twickenham stage set for England to deliver fairytale finish and lasting legacy

An epic end is in sight for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, with an 82,000 crowd ready to roar on the Red Roses, but Canada are not to be underestimatedFor years it has been a mirage shimmering on a distant horizon. A sold-out 82,000 record crowd for a standalone women’s rugby fixture, millions more watching on television, a nation entranced. Finally the vision will become reality this Saturday with just one big question left: can England also deliver the ultimate fairytale finish?It promises to be as much a psychological as a physical challenge, with hype levels about to be ramped up to 11. Appropriately given England’s forward strength, Battersea power station will host a fan zone for those without tickets. Asahi, the tournament’s beer sponsor, has linked up with more than 1,000 pubs across the UK to screen the final, as part of the collective drive to spread the women’s rugby gospel far and wide. Continue reading...

Society

4 w. ago Frida Kahlo portrait could sell for $60 million and shatter records at Sotheby's

A self-portrait by Frida Kahlo’ could set records when it is sold at auction in November

Economics