26 h. ago ‘One of the oldest urban centres on the planet’: Gaza’s rich history in ruins

The territory’s ancient heritage has too often been ignored. As we mourn incalculable human losses, learning about its past can help us better understand the presentAs a ceasefire brings a measure of peace to the Dresden-like hellscape that Gaza has become, it is time to take stock of all that has been lost. The human cost of what the UN commission of inquiry recognises as a genocide is of course incalculable, but fewer are aware of how much rich history and archaeology has also been destroyed in these horrific months. This is bolstered by the widespread assumption that Gaza was little more than a huge refugee camp built on a recently settled portion of desert. That is quite wrong. In reality Gaza it is one of the oldest urban centres on the planet.Golda Meir famously declared that “there was no such thing as Palestinians”, but the reality is very different. Palestine is actually one of humanity’s oldest toponyms, and records of a people named after it are as old as literacy itself....

Politics

4 d. ago It's the 'end of an era' as building with rich Renfrewshire history razed

Demolition work on the St James' Business Centre closes a chapter in Linwood's history.

Politics

5 d. ago Abandoned Belfast shopping centre left to rot with mossy floors and 'crumbling' roof

Jamie Robinson, a 25-year-old urban explorer, told how a shopping centre near Belfast, which he used to visit as a child has been left 'abandoned' and 'crumbling'

Economics

9 d. ago Charming town with a 'friendly feel' just 14 miles from the Welsh border

If you find yourself in south Shropshire, be sure to visit Ludlow, a charming market town with a rich history and plenty of things to see and do

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 Africa's oldest golf tournament that Rory McIlroy last played in to make its long

The event has a rich history, having previously been won by Open champion Bobby Locke, while golfing legends like Rory McIlroy and Gary Player are among those to have played the tournament

Politics

2 w. ago Restored seaside townhouse in 'Scotland's artists town' hits the market

"Rich in history yet perfectly suited to modern living"

Events

2 w. ago The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet review – a monument to Afghan resilience

A sweeping social history of Afghanistan is seen through the lens of Kabul’s InterContinental hotel, where staff endured the horrific realities of life in a war zoneSo catastrophic has the last half century of Afghan history been that it is easy to forget how rich the country’s culture once was. The Mughals always regarded it as a much more refined place than India and looked to it as the source of the region’s greatest poets and artists, calligraphers and miniaturists, architects and tile makers. As recently as the early 1970s, at the height of the hippy trail, as Afghanistan filled with travellers “high on weed and low on cash”, Kabul was still known as the Paris of the east. Memoirs of the time describe a world of miniskirts, jazz clubs, bowling alleys and ice-cream parlours. This world was linked to a poor but extremely beautiful rural hinterland where life revolved around the vine harvest and the annual arrival of nomad caravans from the Wakhan corridor.A quick flick throu...

Politics

2 w. ago A school field trip to see neoliberalism in action? Count me in | Zoe Williams

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting from my daughter’s A-level geography class, but I had plenty of ideasIf you happen to have children of an age to willingly study geography, you’ll know that it’s the topic with all the best field trips. They’re constantly going somewhere. That place is rarely cool to begin with, and they zone in on the least cool thing about it, so if they go to the seaside, they’re there to measure groynes rather than taste-test ice-creams; and if they go to a shopping centre, it’s to ask local residents what they think of urban regeneration, not to look round the shops. But they seem really into it, so who am I to cavil?Therefore, while only somewhat listening to a conversation about an A-level module on globalisation – which is split into categories, one of which is shipping containers, like a parody of school being boring, and another is neoliberalism – I got it into my head that my daughter had to go on a field trip to see some neoliberalism in action. Conti...

Politics

3 w. ago From lotus to lava custard: Australia’s biggest mooncake sale – in pictures

It makes sense that Australia’s largest selection of mooncakes is found in Australia’s largest Chinatown. Haymarket in inner Sydney has a rich multicultural history. Thai Kee IGA supermarket, in particular, is the beating heart of the area, where locals make the most of the ‘best and widest’ selection of Asian goods in the city.The owners of Thai Kee travel to South Korea, Japan and China on mooncake sourcing trips, as well as collaborating with smaller local makers. They are running a pop-up mooncake sale as part of Market City’s Moon festival.Market City’s Moon festival runs until 12 October Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The common spice found to lower cholesterol and support heart health

Ginger has a rich history in traditional medicine, and modern science is catching up

Politics

3 w. ago Pretty riverside Welsh town with cosy pubs is perfect for autumn

It's a pretty town with a rich history and stunning scenery, perfect for a day trip or weekend break.

Politics

3 w. ago Tiny UK village with stunning beaches and a storybook ancient castle

One tiny village in North Wales has it all - stunning beaches, a historic castle and rich local history. It has been dubbed the "Pearl of Wales on the Shores of Snowdonia" and it's easy to see why

Politics

3 w. ago 'Idyllic' market town with all the history and none of the crowds of famous neighbour

Some might know exactly where to find it, but for so many others we're sure you'll be left thinking 'What's this place?', despite its rich history it seems many agree it has everything to become one of the best places in the UK

Culture

3 w. ago Homebound review – emotionally rich study of friends in rural India trying to get home in the pandemic

Neeraj Ghaywan’s film benefits from excellent lead performances, strong cinematography and an apparent mentorship from Martin ScorseseHaving screened earlier this year at the Cannes film festival, this Indian drama has already drawn inevitable comparisons with All We Imagine As Light, an Indian film at Cannes the year before – but they are only glancingly similar. Payal Kapadia’s woozy, dreamy, femme-centric tale was primarily an urban-set story sprinkled with magical realist fairy dust. This is a much more four-square, on-the-nose, realist work about impoverished young men from a rural northern Indian town struggling to get ahead, and loosely based on a New York Times story published in 2020.But director Neeraj Ghaywan, whose 2015 debut Masaan was well-regarded, has a fairy godfather in Martin Scorsese no less, who apparently mentored Ghaywan through the script development and editing. Who knows who is responsible for which choices, but the end result is pretty damn good. It’s an e...

Events

3 w. ago France recognises state of Palestine, Macron tells UN; Abbas says Hamas to ‘surrender their weapons’ – Middle East crisis live

French announcement followed by Morocco, Belgium, Malta and Luxembour; Palestinian president says Hamas must have ‘no role’ in governing GazaThe Israeli military, which justifies its assault on Gaza City by saying it wants to “destroy Hamas military infrastructure” hasn’t given a timeline for the ground offensive, but there are indications it could take months.Amid this flurry of diplomatic activity, Israel is continuing to launch deadly attacks on Gaza, including on Gaza City, the biggest urban centre in the territory. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago France recognises state of Palestine, Emmanuel Macron tells UN general assembly – Middle East crisis live

French president makes announcement during official address; Trump to hold high-stakes meetings with leaders from Ukraine, EU and several Middle Eastern nations on TuesdayThe Israeli military, which justifies its assault on Gaza City by saying it wants to “destroy Hamas military infrastructure” hasn’t given a timeline for the ground offensive, but there are indications it could take months.Amid this flurry of diplomatic activity, Israel is continuing to launch deadly attacks on Gaza, including on Gaza City, the biggest urban centre in the territory. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Colourful UK forest trail past stunning waterfalls named one of 'best autumn walks'

The Hafren Forest in Mid Wales has been named as the UK's most popular autumn walk. t's a stunning forest with a rich history and a variety of walking trails

Politics

4 w. ago IDF warns aid workers only hospitals are protected sites in northern Gaza

Israeli military says aid infrastructure could be targeted after order to ‘all Gaza residents and inhabitants’ to leaveHumanitarian workers in northern Gaza have been repeatedly warned by the Israeli military that only hospitals will be considered protected sites and all other aid infrastructure could be targeted.In messages and conversations with aid workers in recent days seen by the Guardian, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an order to “all Gaza residents and inhabitants” to evacuate Gaza City, the biggest urban centre in the territory, applied “to all humanitarian locations [there], except hospitals” and warned that “to defeat Hamas [Israeli troops] will operate with great force”. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Charming European destination is foodie hotspot and October is cheapest time to visit

Our writer discovered innovative Scandi cuisine and rich history in this Norwegian city of culture, followed by stunning scenery in the surrounding countryside

Events