29 h. ago Message in a bottle found on popular beach leads to incredible discovery

A handwritten letter travelled 300,000km across the Atlantic before being discovered on a popular beach in Ireland. And now the special note has led to another amazing find

Politics

4 d. ago Parents fined for taking kids out of school for holiday told to pay more after losing fight

The pair went to Spain with their four kids for a cheaper break during term time.

Politics

5 d. ago Parents not put off by fines for holidays during school term time, research finds

Fines are not outweighing out the savings that families get from taking trips during term time

Politics

7 d. ago Vile paedophile who offered gran £300 to let him abuse baby girl is jailed

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Craig Binns, 31, met the woman on a dating website and within less than three weeks was trying to get her to let him sexually abuse her baby granddaughter

Events

7 d. ago Paedophile offered gran £300 to let him abuse baby girl as horror messages revealed

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. A paedophile has been jailed after boasting to a woman he met on a dating app about the alleged abuse he had carried out against children

Events

8 d. ago Iran’s devastation has hardened hearts towards the west – even for those with no love of the state | Hossein Hamdieh

The double standards and hypocrisy used to justify Israel’s aggression will not be forgotten here, or in other countriesA trembling ceasefire has brought a pause to what had become the familiar sounds of explosions over Tehran. I was born in 1988, a year before the Iran-Iraq war came to an end. For my generation, war was something that belonged to the past – an impossible event, until this summer.For 12 days, we lived in the capital under incessant Israeli attacks, and what we saw has changed us for good: dead neighbours, buildings gutted and worry – endless, deep-etched worry – on the faces of people.Hossein Hamdieh holds a joint PhD in Geography and Anthropology from Humboldt University of Berlin and King’s College London. He is currently based in Tehran, where he works as a social researcherDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please ...

Events

2 w. ago The Guardian view on the Nato summit: Europe must take the path of strategic self

Donald Trump upholds the alliance for now, but the era of confidence in US security guarantees is overThere is more to Nato than article 5 of its founding charter, but the alliance depends on that commitment to mutual assistance. Enemies are deterred because an attack on one is understood as an attack on all. That is why Donald Trump’s record of ambivalence has been so destabilising.Nato leaders, gathered for their annual summit in The Hague this week, were heartened to hear the US president say he is “with them all the way”. It was a stronger affirmation of the alliance’s purpose than the one he had given the previous day. Asked about his commitment to article 5, Mr Trump equivocated, saying: “It depends on your definition.”Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on China, Africa and disappearing donkeys: an unexpected crisis offers a clue to perils ahead | Editorial

The surging export of hides created domestic tensions – and shows how globalisation plays out in unexpected waysWhat can help to protect women’s health, boost the incomes of impoverished families and thus allow girls to avoid early marriage? What – when it disappears – can set back children’s education, damage mental wellbeing, drive conflict within communities and become a vector for racial hatred?The humble donkey has rarely been in the spotlight. Yet Chinese demand for its skin proved so destabilising that African governments agreed to a continent-wide ban on the slaughter of the animal for its hide last year. This week, officials are meeting in Ivory Coast to discuss implementation.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago One in four parents happy to pay a fine to take children on term

An estimated two million parents anticipate taking their children out of school for summer holiday this year

Society

2 w. ago Forgive me if I raise an eyebrow at Botox mania – it’s because I still can | Coco Khan

I’m with Jennifer Garner and Ariana Grande: down with tweakments, be done with fillers and celebrate the lines that make life beautifulIf, like me, you have watched agog, alarmed or just confused at the speed at which tweakments and cosmetic surgery have gone mainstream, then consider this minor piece of celebrity news.Earlier this month, Jennifer Garner became the latest A-lister to say that having Botox was a mistake. “Botox doesn’t work very well for me,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I like to be able to move my forehead.”Coco Khan is a freelance writer and co-host of the politics podcast Pod Save the UKDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Parents at risk of £300 fine for buying this bike for their child

Electric bikes are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, but there is a speed limit to adhere to - and if a child is caught riding an e-bike they could be in breach of road laws

Economics

3 w. ago Parents could be fined £300 for letting their child ride this type of bike

Electric bikes have become increasingly popular in recent years, but there are strict rules in place that parents need to be aware of when it comes to their children

Society

3 w. ago POLL: Should parents be fined for taking kids on holiday during term time?

Around half of parents say they cannot afford to take a holiday during the summer, with some families paying three times the cost of a break by booking during school holidays

Politics