73 m. ago Jamie George admits he was brains behind England’s provocative response to haka

George gave Pollock starring role in reaction to All BlacksEngland moved into V-shape during traditional danceHenry Pollock’s starring role in England’s response to the haka was designed by Jamie George, who revealed he took inspiration from the 2019 World Cup semi-final win and admitted they risked poking the bear before clinching a first home win over the All Blacks in 13 years.George admitted he was the brains behind England’s decision to initially line up as usual while the All Blacks performed their traditional war dance before breaking out into a V-shape. As the eldest player in the squad, George was intentionally on one end with Pollock, the youngest, on the other. The captain Maro Itoje stood at the point of the V, which, in truth, looked more like a C-shaped formation. Continue reading...

Politics

76 m. ago I’m a Celeb 2025: who is Alex Scott on I’m a Celebrity? Relationship with Jess Glyne and MBE explained

Alex Scott is sliding into the jungle for I’m a Celeb 2025 🌴📺

Politics

76 m. ago Inside Trump’s scramble to reduce US dependence on Chinese rare

The White House has made it a top priority to return the rare-earth industry to US shores. But is it really feasible?Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, returned from South Carolina last week brandishing a small piece of metal, proclaiming that it was the first rare-earth magnet made in the US in a quarter of a century.It was, he indicated to Fox Business, proof that the US is ending “China’s chokehold on our supply chain”. Thanks to the South Carolina company eVAC’s new rare-earth mineral processing center, Bessent added: “We’re finally becoming independent again.” Continue reading...

Politics

76 m. ago His research on autism was compassionate – how could Hans Asperger have collaborated with the Nazis?

The Vienna-based ‘father of neurodiversity’ was ahead of his time in his work but was also implicated in the Third Reich’s crimes. My novel set out to explore these contradictionsIn 2015, I decided to write a novel about Dr Hans Asperger, who worked at the University Children’s Hospital in Vienna during the second world war. My interest was sparked by two nonfiction books: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by Steve Silberman and In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan and Caren Zucker.Reading these stories told about Asperger, you would have thought they were talking about two different people. To Silberman, Asperger was a compassionate and original thinker, whereas Donvan and Zucker depict him as an enthusiastic supporter of Hitler. For a historical novelist, widely differing accounts of the same person are gold dust, and I began to dig deeper. Continue reading...

Politics

76 m. ago How repression is born – and how to resist it | Javier Corrales and Daniel Altschuler

In a clear pattern, a machine designed to generate law and order morphs into an organization operating under lawlessnessWe have entered the openly repressive phase of the Trump presidency. The administration has moved beyond verbal attacks on civil society. It is now deploying coercive force against civic organizations and their leaders. While the attacks may seem contained for now, they are likely to grow. Research on other cases of democratic backsliding suggests that once coercion begins, regardless of how limited at first, escalation follows.In the months ahead, we should thus expect more, not less, government repression. To meet it, pro-democracy organizations, universities and law firms must bravely speak up against abuses of power while building the broadest possible coalition to stand up for fundamental rights. Community, labor and advocacy groups must also train their ranks in strategic nonviolence to resist provocations from the state and make repression backfire.Javier Co...

Politics

76 m. ago Everything I wish I’d known before I decided to freeze my eggs at 36

More and more people are turning to egg freezing to increase their chances of becoming a parent. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering it – from the hidden costs to the chances of successWhen I first told my mother I was freezing my eggs, she asked: “So my grandchildren are going to be stored next to some Häagen-Dazs?” (Very funny, Mum.) I’m one of an increasing number of women in the UK who have chosen to put their eggs on ice in order to preserve their fertility, although this does – as discussed later – have clear limitations.According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK’s regulator for the fertility industry, there was a 170% increase in the number of egg freezing cycles between 2019 and 2023. The technology has been around since the 80s, but became more accessible in the 00s with vitrification, a flash-freezing technique. Now, celebrities such as Florence Pugh and Michaela Coel openly discuss their experiences of it, an...

Politics

76 m. ago Dining across the divide: ‘We both came out thinking Zack Polanski is a breath of fresh air’

They both liked the Greens’ Zack Polanski and disliked the tech oligarchs. But could they find common cause over the power of the unions?Andrew, 70, near NottinghamOccupation Retired acupuncturist and herbalist Continue reading...

Politics

81 m. ago Chile votes for next president in contest dominated by crime and migration fears

Voters face seemingly extreme choice between communist and rightwing frontrunners, who both promise to fight foreign gangsChileans began voting for a new president and parliament on Sunday, in a contest expected to favour the hard right as candidates play on popular fears over organised crime and immigration.It is the first of an expected two rounds of presidential elections, as polls show none of the candidates clearing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff scheduled for 14 December. Continue reading...

Politics

81 m. ago Flooded and forgotten: the UK’s waters are rising and we’re being kept in the dark | John Harris

Rescue operations in Wales, submerged railway lines in Cornwall – these events are ever more common. So why have we utterly failed to prepare?As autumn blurs into winter, the news is once again filling up with a familiar story: overflowing rivers, inundated streets and overwhelmed infrastructure. Since Friday, England, Wales and Ireland have been hit by the storm the Spanish meteorological agency has elegantly named Claudia, with grim results. One place in particular massively bore the brunt of it all: the Welsh border town of Monmouth, where the raging River Monnow spilled into the streets, people had to be rescued from their homes and drones captured aerial views of the scene, showing fragile-looking buildings suddenly surrounded by a huge clay-brown swamp.Claudia and her effects made it into the national headlines – but mostly, local and regional floods now seem too mundane to attract that kind of attention. Eleven days ago, Cumbria saw submerged roads, blocked drains and over 25...

Events

85 m. ago Refugees established in UK may have to return if home countries become safe

Approach modelled on Denmark’s controversial system forms part of home secretary’s changes to asylum systemRefugees who have established lives with homes and families in the UK – including Ukrainians – will still face having to return if their home countries become safe, the home secretary has said.Shabana Mahmood said the asylum system was “out of control and putting huge pressure on communities” as she announced plans to end the permanent status of refugees, who will need to reapply to remain in Britain every two and a half years. Continue reading...

Events

89 m. ago Strictly fans say they’re 'sick of it' as they spot couple's 'real' reaction

The BBC One dance contest continued on Saturday, with the 2025 run of the competition reaching week eight

Politics

93 m. ago Ollie Pope believes pressure on England place will push him to deliver in Ashes

Batter scored 100 and 90 against Lions in warmupWas dropped after averaging 11.16 in 2021-22 tourOllie Pope believes the pressure of defending his spot in the England team amid constant speculation about his future and the rising challenge presented by Jacob Bethell has given him greater clarity and quality, leaving him well placed to improve a poor record against Australia when the Ashes start on Friday.In 10 Test innings against the Australians Pope has never scored more than 42, averaging 11.16 in the three games he played last time England toured here in 2021-22, and 22.50 in two matches when the Ashes were last contested in 2023. The 27-year-old looked in fine form when scoring 100 and 90 in the warmup fixture against the Lions at Lilac Hill and will head to the Optus Stadium for the first Test with confidence high. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago I’m a Celeb 2025: who is AngryGinge on I’m a Celebrity? Real name and what he is famous

AngryGinge is heading into the jungle for I’m a Celeb 2025! 🌴📺

Politics

2 h. ago ‘A sick spectacle’: counting down the final minutes on Oklahoma’s death row

Tremane Wood was prepared to die by lethal injection. A minute before he was to be put to death, a call came inAfter a controversial trial, an Oklahoma man makes a final plea to avoid executionThe signature at the bottom of the email about witnessing an execution said cheerfully: “Oklahoma Corrections. We Change Lives!”I had received the email three weeks earlier. It explained that I was being invited to participate in a lottery, from which five media representatives would be selected to witness the execution of Tremane Wood in the Oklahoma state penitentiary on 13 November. I had never heard of Wood, who had been convicted of the murder of Ronnie Wipf, 19, in 2002. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago ‘I was just going to school’: legacy of New Orleans’ other desegregation pioneers

Gail Etienne has built a center at the former school she and her two six-year-old friends braved angry crowds to attend – the same day as Ruby Bridges’ better-known experienceGail Etienne still remembers her first day at McDonogh 19 elementary school in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. As her family pulled up to the school in the car with the federal marshals, they saw crowds of angry people screaming. Some carried garbage cans and sticks. Others were holding picket signs against school integration.“I’ll never forget it,” Etienne said. “I saw this one lady was pregnant and had a garbage can top in her hand. I’m wondering, at six years old, what could I have done at six years old to these people to make them act the way they were acting? I really thought that if they could get to me, they’d want to kill me. I didn’t know why. What had I done? I was just going to school.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago This is how we do it: ‘I do get jealous and question whether I’m cut out for non

Maya worried about entering into an open relationship with Ollie, but being honest with each other has deepened their relationship• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymouslyIf I know that Ollie’s on a date, I find it difficult sitting around, not knowing what to do with myself Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago I’m a Celeb 2025: who is Aitch on I’m a Celebrity? Rapper’s real name and most famous songs

Aitch is heading to the jungle for I’m a Celebrity 2025! 🌴📺

Politics

3 h. ago I'm A Celeb star makes heartbreaking admission after IVF struggles

Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley is one of the stars who will be taking part in the 2025 series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Events

3 h. ago If holding a grudge is wrong, why does it feel so right? Just ask Margaret Atwood | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

In a culture of therapy-approved ‘forgiveness’, the author’s new memoir shows how hilarious long-delayed vengeance can be“A lot of people have died, so I can actually say these things without destroying somebody’s life. Except for the people whose lives I wish to destroy.” Thus spake Margaret Atwood in a recent interview about Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, in a clip that has gone viral. “They deserve it,” she says, of the people she hasn’t said such nice things about. Asked if she likes holding a grudge, she replied: “I don’t have a choice. I’m a Scorpio.”Part of the clip’s appeal is Atwood’s icily sardonic delivery: you can understand why a recent review of her autobiography describes her as “a literary mafia don”, reminding those who have crossed her that she knows who they are, even if they remain unnamed, or pointing out that they may well be dead by now anyway. It reminds me a bit of the writer who once said to me: “If you wait by the bend in the river long enough, the bodi...

Politics

3 h. ago When reality bites: the rapid rise and chaotic fall of Reform UK in Cornwall

Resignations, suspensions and infighting lead to party losing crown of highest number of seats in the county“I know whenever I come back here next,” Nigel Farage told a jubilant crowd of hundreds in a leisure centre in Redruth, “Reform UK will become a dominant force, not just in Cornwall politics, but in British politics.”That was in February and when the local elections arrived three months later it appeared Farage’s prophecy was in part coming true – Reform took 28 seats on Cornwall council, the highest number of any party. Continue reading...

Politics