37 h. ago SATs tests have started, see if you can answer these questions for 10 year olds

Primary school pupils are sitting the tests this week

Politics

52 h. ago Stained, warped and terroir rich: the global and shockingly sustainable lives of wine barrels

Wood barrels circle the world and can be used for more than a century. They tell a story, but they’re imperiled by tariffsNo one at Tucson’s Hamilton Distillers knows exactly what wood the cognac barrels holding whiskey are made of.“Probably Spanish oak?” one employee ventures a guess. The age of the barrels is also a question mark. No one working here is old enough to vouch for that; the distillery believes they are anywhere from 100 to 125 years old, which is old in the grand scheme of barrels’ lifespans, but not unusual. But it can say with certainty, using records of its vintages, that these barrels are on their fifth use – at least. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago What links butterfly, air, French and Glasgow? The Saturday quiz

From Barbarian invasions and lead poisoning to Saturday Night Fever and the shipping forecast, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 What did Thomas Austin notoriously introduce to Australia in 1859?2 Which social media site’s founder is married to Serena Williams?3 What shipping forecast area is named after a UK city?4 What is the chemical formula for diamond?5 Which literary character loved “life; London; this moment of June”?6 Where did Eoka fight against British rule?7 What contains 42 vowels and 56 consonants?8 Which monarch commissioned and was depicted in the Wilton Diptych?What links: 9 Do the Right Thing; Goodfellas; Moonstruck; Radio Days; Saturday Night Fever?10 Lena; Mackenzie; Ob; Yenisey; Yukon?11 Encyclopedia Britannica (2010); New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001); Oxford English Dictionary (1989)?12 Air; butterfly; chef’s; French, Glasgow?13 Barbarian invasions; Christianity; homosexuality; lead poisoning; plague?14 Sarazen; Hogan; Player; Nicklau...

Politics

9 d. ago GMB viewers praise new 'presenter' as he makes 'amazing' debut at remarkable age

Good Morning Britain host Ranvir Singh thanked veteran Colin Bell for stepping up as a presenter after the oldest surviving RAF veteran began questioning the Veterans Minister

Politics

1 week ago Police expert testifies that officers who fatally beat Tyre Nichols used excessive force

Expert testifying for the defense acknowledged that Memphis officers’ blows were unnecessaryA police training expert testifying on Saturday as a defense witness in the trial of three former Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols acknowledged that kicks and punches to Nichols’ head were unnecessary and excessive.Don Cameron took the stand on the sixth day of the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges including second-degree murder. They already face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago I always wondered what had happened to my missing brother. Could I ever forgive my father for driving him away?

Growing up, I had so many questions about Marshall, my hippy older sibling who left home and got embroiled with the Manson Family cult. Years later, I embarked on a quest to find out his true storyOne morning in March 1995, my father and I were having coffee at the kitchen table when somehow the conversation deviated to my brother Marshall. As always, I had questions.“He was tall for his age,” my father said, gazing at the memory of his estranged son, as if he was standing beside us in the kitchen. “At school they always wanted him for the football team. His hair was red, deep red like your grandmother’s, and his eyes ” my father paused, searching for the right comparison. “Copper. His eyes were copper-coloured and he’d tan so well in the summer he looked as if he’d been dipped in wood stain.” Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago What links Esperanza Spalding and Kim Deal? The Saturday quiz

From Proxima Centauri b and Trappist-1 system to ophidiophobia, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 The longest direct flight from London goes to which city?2 Until 1752, when did the new year officially begin in England?3 Which action film hero suffers from ophidiophobia?4 AE Stallings succeeded Alice Oswald in what role?5 Which country’s president was shot by his intelligence chief in 1979?6 Which marsupial is native to North America?7 Vanwall, in 1958, was the first winner of what title?8 Who wrote Natural History, the longest surviving single Roman text?What links: 9 Lumbini; Bodh Gaya; Sarnath; Kushinagar?10 51 Pegasi b; Kepler-22b; Proxima Centauri b; Trappist-1 system?11 Miller; Marshall; O’Hanlon; Little; Gilet?12 Gun; orlop; poop; quarter; upper; well?13 Chateau de Châlus-Chabrol; Pontefract Castle; Bosworth Field?14 Birmingham (1); Liverpool (6); London (2); Manchester (4); Nottingham (2)?15 Kim Deal; Kim Gordon; Carol Kaye; Esperanza Spalding; Tina Weymouth? Conti...

Economics

1 week ago People baffled over teacher's response to simple maths question for 10

A student was left confused when her teacher marked her correct answers on her maths worksheet wrong - and then gave a bizarre explanation.

Politics

2 w. ago Who opened her first classroom in Rome back in 1907? The Saturday quiz

From the Albert Square pub and Bombay Sapphire bottle to the Pest Control Office, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 Which father and son footballers both have more than 100 international caps?2 In 1907, who opened her first classroom in Rome?3 Which mythical beast had a human face, lion’s body and scorpion’s tail?4 What becomes the Padma within Bangladesh?5 Used in the 14th century, the pot-de-fer was an early type of what?6 Whose work is sold and authenticated by the Pest Control Office?7 Which African country is named from the Shona for “houses of stone”?8 What list currently ends with oganesson?What links: 9 Buckthorn bark; brazilwood; cochineal; madder; safflower?10 Platypus (0); human (1); dolphin (2); ostrich (3); cattle (4)?11 Brownie; Frankenstrat; Lucille; Red Special; Trigger?12 Aktau; Baku; Makhachkala; Rasht; Türkmenbaşy?13 Albert Square pub; Bombay Sapphire bottle; first postage stamp?14 Big Bounce; Big Crunch; Big Freeze; Big Rip?15 Asparagus; Burgh; Burrow; ...

Politics

3 w. ago Boxing fans know which question Conor Benn was NOT asked in lie

'The Destroyer' faces one of the toughest tests of his career against Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday, but the Brit was put on the spot in an interview just days before the clash

Sport

3 w. ago Chris Eubank Jr caught out in lie just days before Conor Benn fight

The British boxing star faces one of his toughest test on Saturday night, but was recently caught telling a staggering lie ahead of his showdown with Benn

Events

3 w. ago What links dachshund, bad actor and African kigelia tree? The Saturday quiz

From grunge anthems and deodorant to weasel and woodpecker, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 Which trend started on a bridge in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia?2 Which grunge anthem was inspired by a deodorant?3 Where is the Roodee, the world’s oldest working racecourse?4 Who was the legendary ninth-century female pope?5 What Chinese book of divination contains 64 hexagrams?6 Which two countries are named after the line of zero degrees latitude?7 What fabric is made with the help of bombyx larvae?8 Who is the only writer to win the Booker and Baillie Gifford prizes?What links: 9 Pudong; Lantau Island; Urayasu; Marne-la-Vallée; Lake Buena Vista; Anaheim?10 Dachshund; African kigelia tree; bad actor; angry Brexiteer?11 Atomic; Bullet; Crazyhouse; Dunsany’s; Entangled?12 Vaalbara; Ur; Kenorland; Columbia; Rodinia; Pannotia; Pangea?13 Évariste Galois; Alexander Hamilton; Mikhail Lermontov; Alexander Pushkin?14 Colossae; Corinth; Ephesus; Galatia; Philippi; Rome; Thessaloniki?15 Cane t...

Politics

4 w. ago Man arrested on suspicion of murder after house explosion kills 53

A 43-year-old man has been questioned on suspicion of murder and released on bail as police probe fatal Worksop blast

Events

4 w. ago Man arrested on suspicion of murder after father, 53, killed in horror 'gas explosion' that demolished house in Worksop

Nottinghamshire Police said a 43-year-old man was arrested and questioned on suspicion of murder before being bailed.

Events

4 w. ago Man Utd news: Ruben Amorim breaks more unwanted records amid Bruno Fernandes taunt

Manchester United are entering a season-defining weak off the back of another defeat and Ruben Amorim is facing fresh questions about his work so far as head coach at Old Trafford

Politics