7 h. ago Poison in the water: the town with the world’s worst case of forever chemicals contamination

When a small Swedish town discovered their drinking water contained extremely high levels of Pfas, they had no idea what it would mean for their health and their children’s futureIf Agneta Bruno closes her eyes, the soapy smell takes her back to childhood. Cycling home to the barracks where she lived with her father, an air force major, she would whiz through patches of snowy-white foam near the entrance of the base. The foam resembled the bubbles you get in the bathtub, just thicker. “I had to lift my feet up to avoid getting wet,” Bruno told me.Aqueous film-forming foam (Afff) is a miracle of firefighting: it’s highly effective in putting out flammable liquid fires, such as those caused by jet fuel spills. Chemicals in the foam create a stable blanket over liquid fuel, trapping the flammable vapours and extinguishing the fire. At the air force base in Bruno’s home town of Kallinge in Sweden, firefighters were trained to douse flames using the foam. New recruits came every few week...

Politics

6 d. ago The grand tour: one playwright’s quest to set foot in every African country before turning 60

Worried that he didn’t understand the continent of his heritage, Femi Elufowoju Jr challenged himself to visit all 54 of its nations. His trip took him from bustling Ghana to the tranquility of Tanzania – and sparked the idea for a playAt 53, I made myself a promise. Having built a reputation as the go-to authority on African culture in UK theatre, I realised with uncomfortable clarity that my knowledge barely scratched the surface of the continent’s vast complexity. What followed was an extraordinary seven-year quest to visit all 54 African nations before my 60th birthday – a journey that would ultimately transform into my ambitious new theatrical project, 54.60 Africa.The catalyst came during a 2015 world tour with theatre company Complicité that took me to Cape Town. Standing in the shadow of Table Mountain, I confronted a paradox that had long troubled me: despite my Nigerian ancestry and theatrical expertise, my understanding of Africa remained frustratingly...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘We’ll have done it first’: what it takes to set a new Guinness World Record

As an Australian town prepares to perform the world’s largest happy dance, previous titleholders share what it feels like to lose the crown after months of preparationGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailEver since she was a little girl, Sruthy Saseendran wanted to “achieve something remarkable” – something that would earn her a place in the record books. But growing up in what she describes as a traditional Indian family, that dream had to take a backseat to more conventional markers of success: university, marriage, career.Decades later – after she had married, become a mother and taken a job as a business analyst in Melbourne – she felt the itch return. It was time to do something for herself. So she embarked on a personal challenge: to set a Guinness World Record.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago UK seaside town with world's shortest street that only has room for one address

Measuring in at just 6ft and nine inches in length (2.06m), the world's shortest street is actually located in a UK seaside town known for its beautiful scenery, rich wildlife, and ubiquitous history

Politics

1 week ago ‘Every parent’s nightmare’: after 18 years, was this the final search for Madeleine McCann?

As visitors pose for selfies in the Portuguese resort where the British child disappeared, a breakthrough seems further away than everThe police have packed up, the diggers and radar scanners gone from the Algarve scrubland. The latest search for Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment 2007, has ended quietly without any apparent breakthrough.After 18 years of intermittent searches, this one, led by German police, may well be the last. In Praia da Luz, a seaside town etched into the world’s memory by the tragedy, that realisation lands with a mix of relief and weariness. Locals barely speak about the case now, if at all. The McCann investigation brought an unrelenting glare of media attention that many here would prefer to forget. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago UK seaside town among top 5 most complained about beaches worldwide

Beachgoers far and wide can plan accordingly before visiting a picture-postcard destination this summer, as the world's most complained about beaches have been revealed.

Society

2 w. ago Al Qaida terrorists tried to poison UK water supply, says ex

Details of the foiled 2008 extremist plot emerged as the Government was pressed over steps to protect reservoirs against attack.

Events

2 w. ago Joni Ernst doubles down on bleak ‘We are all going to die’ comments in sarcastic non

‘I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth,’ Iowa senator says

Events

2 w. ago Is your underwear giving you CANCER? How new 'breathable' versions can contain a host of deadly chemicals... and the worst offender is this item EVERY woman uses...

These days shapewear can smooth and sculpt, but its benefits come at a cost: it may contain hidden toxic chemicals, as Lucy Siegle discovers.

Events

3 w. ago Britain's most callous crooks: Iron thieves hunted by police after stealing two metal military memorial plaques from churchyard

Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway.

Events

3 w. ago Restored memorial to be unveiled in Stirling this weekend to mark 250th anniversary of American War of Independence

The city's connection with the major world conflict is marked with a memorial in the Old Town.

Events

3 w. ago ‘Every day there is shelling’: Ukrainian border town torn between hope and despair

Mayor of Bilopillya, where nine people were killed in strike on bus, says Russia has shown it does not care about talksEven before the Russian strike on a shuttle bus travelling from his frontline town at the weekend, the mayor of Bilopillya, Yuri Zarko, was very sceptical that Vladimir Putin’s agreement to direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul would lead to peace.The strike, which killed nine people including five over 60, only confirmed his conviction that talks to end the war were going nowhere and Ukraine had a challenging time ahead. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Worst sex offenders could face mandatory chemical castration as blueprint to ease jails crisis unveiled

Voluntary chemical castration to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders will be rolled out to prisons across England

Events