73 m. ago Face With Tears of Joy: A natural History of Emoji by Keith Houston review

An deep dive into the surprising uses and linguistic shortfalls of the ubiquitous symbolsIn 2016, Apple announced that its gun emoji, previously a realistic grey-and-black revolver, would henceforth be a green water pistol. Gradually the other big tech companies followed suit, and now what is technically defined as the “pistol” emoji, supposed to represent a “handgun or revolver”, does not show either: instead you’ll get a water pistol or sci-fi raygun and be happy with it. No doubt this change contributed significantly to a suppression of gun crime around the world, and it remains only to ban the bomb, knife and sword emoji to wipe out violence altogether.As Keith Houston’s fascinatingly geeky and witty history shows, emoji have always been political. Over the years, people have successfully lobbied the Unicode Consortium – the cabal of corporations that controls the character set, including Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple – to include different skin colours and same-se...

Politics

80 m. ago New DWP workplace pension plans to help people boost retirement pots by £29,000

The new Pensions Schemes Bill will also make it easier for savers to access and manage their pensions.

Economics

2 h. ago Philadelphia shooting: Three killed after hundreds of shots fired at street party

Terrified witnesses said they heard hundreds of shots fired at a street party, with at least three people confirmed killed and other victims being treated in nearby hospitals

Events

2 h. ago People are turning city's ugly street boxes into something completely different

From astronauts to mermaids and swans, graffiti hotspots are getting a facelift

Politics

2 h. ago 'I've found God and ditched racy career after Love Island – people think I'm lying'

Katie Salmon shot to fame on Love Island back in 2016 but has now revealed how she has transformed her life after finding God - and made the decision to leave her job as an adult star

Politics

2 h. ago Fatalities reported after 'more than 10 people injured' in mass shooting horror

This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated by our reporters as the breaking news story develops

Events

3 h. ago ‘We need real change, not fiddling at the edges’: voters on Labour’s first year

People from across the UK discuss why the government is struggling to win the approval of a deeply divided publicFor Aiden Robertson, a 35-year-old consultant from Burnley, Labour’s first year back in government can only be summed up as “incredibly disappointing”.The year had been marked, he felt, by “dreadful communication, a lack of clear purpose, zero vision”, while Labour had been “pandering to Reform voters who will never back them”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago People to be entitled to time off work if they lose baby before 24 weeks

New rules will guarantee time off work to grieve if a pregnant woman loses a baby - no matter how early

Politics

4 h. ago Texas flooding death toll reaches 82 and officials say there will be more

Governor Greg Abbott said 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing

Events

4 h. ago Dance routines and ‘tenniscore’: how Wimbledon is seeking new fans online

All England Club’s official TikTok account hit 200m views by Wednesday as it aims to connect with young peopleWhether it is a clip of Novak Djokovic hitting a winning backhand volley before taking a tumble or an American influencer presenting fashion tips, Wimbledon’s social media posts are vying for the same thing: a new generation of tennis fans.“Demographic wise, I think it’s no secret that Wimbledon is an event that’s trying to attract younger audiences. I want to find a way to engage people who might not be on tennis pages,” said Will Giles, the managing editor of digital content for the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). Continue reading...

Sport

5 h. ago ‘This is art, too’: the Madrid drama space bringing contemporary theatre to older citizens

Participants in the Matadero’s inaugural Senior Audience School discover that theatre ‘takes the sting out of the nonsense in life’The 25 people who have gathered in a small Madrid theatre over the past few months to consider identity, relationships, gender-based violence and inclusion aren’t exactly the crowd you’ d normally expect to haunt a cutting-edge drama space housed in a former slaughterhouse. And that is precisely the point.The men and women, aged between 65 and 84, are the first cohort of an initiative that aims to introduce those who live around the Matadero arts centre in the south of the Spanish capital to the joys and challenges of contemporary theatre. Last year, mindful of the fact that many of the older residents of the barrios of Usera and Arganzuela rarely attended contemporary theatre and would be unlikely to darken the doors of the new Nave 10 space, the Matadero and the city council came up with a plan. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Starmer, Cooper and King Charles mark 20th anniversary of 7/7 attacks

PM says ‘those who tried to divide us failed’ while monarch says victims and stories of courage should be rememberedKeir Starmer, King Charles and the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, have marked the 20th anniversary of the 7 July attacks in London in which Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured more than 770.The prime minister said: “Today the whole country will unite to remember the lives lost in the 7/7 attacks, and all those whose lives were changed for ever. We honour the courage shown that day – the bravery of the emergency services, the strength of survivors and the unity of Londoners in the face of terror. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Young people in England’s coastal towns three times more likely to have a mental health condition

They are suffering disproportionately and without help, say researchers, and unless they are given a voice, problems will continue to mount upRead more: ‘We’re told we won’t amount to anything’: is it possible to change the fortunes of young people living in England’s coastal towns? Young people living in the most deprived stretches of England’s coastline are three times more likely to be living with an undiagnosed mental health condition than their peers inland, according to new research.This “coastal mental health gap” means that young people in these towns, which include areas of Tendring on the east coast and Blackpool and Liverpool to the west, are suffering disproportionately, often alone and with no help, said the researchers who conducted the study. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Across Europe, the financial sector has pushed up house prices. It's a political timebomb | Tim White

We’ve been living in a great experiment: can finance provide basic human rights such as housing? The answer is increasingly no“The housing crisis is now as big a threat to the EU as Russia,” Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, recently declared. “We’re running the risk of having the working and middle classes conclude that their democracies are incapable of solving their biggest problem.”It is not hard to see where Collboni is coming from. From Dublin to Milan, residents routinely find half of their incomes swallowed up by rent, and home ownership is unthinkable for most. Major cities are witnessing spiralling house prices and some have jaw-dropping year-on-year median rent increases of more than 10%. People are being pushed into ever more precarious and cramped conditions and homelessness is rapidly rising. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Texas floods live: 82 people dead, officials say, as Trump declares major disaster

Rescuers still searching for missing people, including 10 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian youth campTexas continues grim flood recoveryOfficials have said waters in some parts of Texas are starting to recede to where they were before the storm.The Guadalupe River near Kerrville – which surged by more than 20 feet within 90 minutes during the downpour — is, according to CNN, back down to just a foot or two higher than its level before the flood. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Revealed: The VERY strange ailments that are netting sufferers a free, brand

Motability was set up to provide free cars for those with serious physical disabilities, but now people with VERY surprising conditions are using it to get around courtesy of taxpayers

Politics

9 h. ago 'Wall of water' threat hangs over Texas as evacuees are told to get to higher ground: Live updates

Nim Kidd, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, advised Kerr County to brace for more of the deadly rains which have already claimed the lives of at least 80 people.

Events

9 h. ago Sniffer dog once honoured for finding nine missing people dies after eating nail

Seven-year-old bloodhound Bruno was found lying in a pool of his own blood yesterday morning at an animal training centre after the deadly treats were thrown into his kennel.

Events

9 h. ago Texas floods live: at least 78 people dead, officials say, as Trump declares major disaster

Rescuers still searching for missing people, including 10 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian youth campTexas continues grim flood recoveryOfficials have said waters in some parts of Texas are starting to recede to where they were before the storm.The Guadalupe River near Kerrville – which surged by more than 20 feet within 90 minutes during the downpour — is, according to CNN, back down to just a foot or two higher than its level before the flood. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Trump blasted for 'hiding on golf course' as Texas flood death toll hits 70, 11 girls missing

Donald Trump has been accused of hiding on the golf course after 70 people, including 28 children, perished in flash floods in Texas while his wife was seen trying to leave his speech

Events