14 h. ago How wedding guests are coping with rising costs: ‘the total will come to £3,000 this year’

As celebrations become more lavish, those invited face higher costs. Here’s how some people juggle spending and expectationsBy the time Layla had paid for flights, booked a hotel, bought a dress and contributed to the honeymoon fund, her friend’s wedding had cost her more than £1,600 – and it is just one of three she is attending this summer.With more couples planning bigger celebrations – often with multiple events, and with some away from home, guests are left footing ever bigger bills. Continue reading...

Economics

14 h. ago 6 million hours of A&E time taken up by people with minor ailments such as colds

See NHS list of conditions you can now get a quick consultation for at your local pharmacy amid warnings A&Es are being overwhelmed

Politics

20 h. ago From outlaw bushrangers who fell in love to a famous horseman born a woman, Australia’s history is full of queer stories

At the time LGBTQ+ people had to hide away. But researchers are now working to discover and celebrate themGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn 1841, Anne Drysdale invited Caroline Newcomb to live with her on her farm outside Geelong. It was a bold move for the time: the full decriminalisation of homosexuality was 156 years away;the legalisation of same-sex marriage, 176 years.In colonial Australia, women did not own property,let alone share one, and the same bed. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago I spent 12 years performing the ultimate Gary Barlow lookalike tribute act on cruises – people mistake me for him all the time

A Gary Barlow lookalike who has spent more than a decade performing as a cruise tribute act to the star says he is frequently mistaken for the singer in public.

Politics

3 d. ago People who spend too much time on phones could suffer 'brain rot', say boffins

New findings have shown that people who look at their phones all day long have less grey matter - causing memory problems and difficulties making decisions

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Ellis Genge? You go from despising people to having coffee’: Dan Sheehan on Lions magic

Irish hooker on forging alliances with sworn enemies and the challenge of getting ‘four different nations connected’The best way to sum up the unique dynamic of a British & Irish Lions tour is to consult a player experiencing it for the first time. “It’s mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around to go for a coffee with them,” says Ireland’s straight-talking hooker Dan Sheehan, admitting he had not been expecting to bond instantly with his new English mate Ellis Genge. “He’s definitely someone that surprises you that he’s not a dickhead.”Welcome to the psychological maze that is the first week of a Lions tour on the other side of the world. Dealing with jet lag is the easy part. Even for top players like the 26-year-old Sheehan, a probable Test starter, the need to rub shoulders – often literally – with previously sworn enemies and forging unlikely alliances is a challenge in itself. “Genge would be a good one. He’s obviously a passionate, animated player fo...

Politics

4 d. ago 'Curse' which killed explorers entering Egyptian tombs could fight cancer

When people died after entering the ancient pyramids for the first time it was blamed on a Pharaoh's Curse or Mummy's Revenge

Events

5 d. ago Exact amount of time to stay in sun to boost your vitamin D levels

After Brits soaked up the sun in the recent hot weather, one health professional has suggested the ideal amount of time needed for people to reap major health benefits

Politics

6 d. ago Several injured after yacht carrying 400 people for party cruise hits dock in Hudson River

The incident occurred just after 4pm, according to reports, when the yacht reportedly hit a dock in the Hudson River. It was believed to be carrying 400 people at the time of the collision

Events

7 d. ago Salvagers fully raise Mike Lynch’s superyacht Bayesian from sea off Sicily

Vessel to be transported to port where investigators will try to find cause of fatal sinking during stormSalvage teams in Sicily say they have lifted Mike Lynch’s superyacht “fully and finally out of the water” for the first time since it sank last year during a storm, killing seven people including the tech tycoon and his teenage daughter.The rusting hulk of the Bayesian, which ran into trouble off the coast of the Italian island in August last year, has been slowly raised from the seabed over the last three days. Covered with algae and mud, it was visible clear of the sea in the holding area of a yellow floating crane barge, a witness told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Salvagers raise Mike Lynch’s superyacht Bayesian from sea off Sicily

Final stage of operation will allow investigators to try to find cause of fatal sinking during stormSalvage teams in Sicily are working to bring Mike Lynch’s superyacht “fully and finally out of the water” on Saturday for the first time since it sank last year during a storm, killing seven people including the tech tycoon and his teenage daughter.The white top and blue hull of the Bayesian, which ran into trouble off the coast of the Italian island in August last year, emerged from the sea on Friday to sit the holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Brits pinpoint the exact temperature where the heat becomes unbearable

A new study has found the exact temperature where British people feel most comfortable, with the research also revealing the average time it takes for the effects to wear off

Politics

8 d. ago Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

Democrats have an opportunity to protect transgender people’s health care. It also comes at a time when Republicans see anti-trans policies as a winning issue, Eric Garcia writes

Politics

8 d. ago British superyacht Bayesian resurfaces for 1st time since August sinking ahead of recovery

The British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August killing seven people has resurfaced for the first time

Politics

9 d. ago Constipation warning as woman develops gut problem linked to colon cancer due to not going enough

A 35-year-old woman was diagnosed with a nasty digestive issue that can cause painful bloating, excess gas and even bone diseases after a 15-year-long stint of constipation.

Events

1 week ago Wild CCTV footage captures brazen 'gangland' shooting at kebab shop

At the time of the shooting the street was bustling with people on their lunch breaks and heading to the nearby train station

Events

1 week ago Right back at ya! Trump’s crude but effective rhetorical standby | Chris Taylor

The president has spent the past decade employing a familiar tactic. Accusing protesters of ‘insurrection’ is just the latest exampleDonald Trump and his allies wasted little time in branding the people protesting against immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles as “insurrectionists”. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy – particularly the vindictive kind – spoke darkly of a “violent insurrection”. JD Vance, the vice-president, inveighed against “insurrectionists carrying foreign flags” on the streets of the nation’s second-biggest city.It didn’t escape notice that an insurrection was exactly what the president was accused of instigating on 6 January 2021, when the flag being paraded through the Capitol was that of the Confederate secessionists. And that Trump hadn’t shown quite the same enthusiasm for sending in the troops then.Chris Taylor is a subeditor at the Guardian US and author of The Black Carib Wars: Freedom, Survival, and the Making of the ...

Politics

2 w. ago American tourist who'd never left the US comes to UK and is instantly let down

Sean Miller, a comedian from New York, is one of the participants of the new Travel Virgin Show, which takes people abroad for the first time. He touched down in London this week

Politics

2 w. ago Skinsuits, superspikes and a sticky headband: how Faith Kipyegon hopes to run sub

Kenya’s Olympic champion, backed by Nike’s sports scientists, is striving for the perfect formula to set a new world recordEight seconds. It’s barely enough time for most people to tie their shoelaces. But when you are Faith Kipyegon, and you’re trying to become the first woman to shatter the four-minute mile barrier, those eight seconds constitute a chasm.But now we know how the 31-year-old Kenyan, who set the mile world record of 4 mins 7.64 secs in 2023, intends to close the gap and emulate Sir Roger Bannister’s historic feat. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago My unexpected Pride icon: The Green Roasting Tin, a cookbook no lesbian vegetarian can be without

Sure, Rukmini Iyer’s recipes are not specifically aimed at queer people, but the first time I cooked one, it was with my girlfriend – and she is now my wifeWalk into a queer woman’s kitchen and the chances are that the lime-green spine of Rukmini Iyer’s The Green Roasting Tin will be poking out from a surface or a shelf – if it is not already on the counter and splattered with food. You are likely to find it in the homes of allies, too – this is the holy grail of what-to-feed-my-queer–vegetarian-offspring cookbooks.Not only does The Green Roasting Tin play into stereotypes about gay and bisexual women – all vegetarian recipes, half vegan and supremely practical (the USP of The Roasting Tin series is that all the recipes are oven-cooked in one dish) – but it is also full of indulgence. The tarts, gratins, salads and bakes are dotted with pomegranate seeds or fresh herbs and drizzled with truffle oil or honey. One recipe even has an entire camembert plonked in a tray of potatoes. And ...

Politics