48 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

49 m. ago The Tree of Authenticity review – talking tree explains Congo’s struggle to overcome colonial past

Sammy Baloji’s experimental documentary juxtaposes observations from both sides of the divide in its exploration of European exploitation of the country’s natural resourcesIn his first solo directorial feature, photographer and visual artist Sammy Baloji excavates the colonial legacies in the Congo basin, the second largest tropical forest in the world. Building on a decades-spanning archive from the Yangambi National Institute of Agronomic Studies and Research, the film is loosely divided into three sections, each guided by a different voice that speaks to the complicated environmental history of the area. The first segment is informed by the journal entries of Congolese agronomist Paul Panda Farnana. Working both within and outside Belgium’s colonial control during the 1910s and 1920s, Farnana wrote of his frustration with the extractive regime, as well as meteorological statistics related to rainfall and temperature, which are narrated in voiceover. This is combined with largely ...

Politics

83 m. ago 'I found myself in Downing Street on 7/7, a day none of us would forget'

For those reporting on the unimaginable horrors of July 5 2005 - multiple attacks on packed rush-hour transport - it was several hours before a true picture began to emerge

Politics

1 hour ago Tension and tedium: welcome to the Wimbledon press conference room | Jonathan Liew

Anyone can ask any question of the players, leading to absurd inquiries, but it can sometimes serve a useful purposeTo spend even a little time at Wimbledon is to drown in the sheer scale of things. This is a place of mind-boggling numbers: the 40 miles of racket string, the 55,000 balls, the 300,000 glasses of Pimm’s, the 2.5m strawberries. But Wimbledon’s true staple good is none of these. The most abundant product every Wimbledon fortnight is the word. And even on a rain-affected, slow news day, the words must keep coming.As with everything else, Wimbledon procures its words with a suitable reverence. Post-match interviews, in contrast to the more informal on-court setup at Melbourne and New York, are conducted at a respectful distance in front of a microphone stand, as if Jannik Sinner were actually a high-school student about to spell a very difficult word. But of course the majority of Wimbledon’s bluff and bluster takes place in a small windowless upstairs chamber that most t...

Events

2 h. ago Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell promises 'oh my God' moment as iconic boyband to make history

EXCLUSIVE: The Backstreet Boys are ready to show everyone they are still larger than life as they take over Las Vegas' epic new concert space The Sphere to coincide with new album release

Culture

4 h. ago BlackRock tried private credit once before. Will this time be better?

The public markets giant now owns HPS. Its previous deal for Tennenbaum Capital Management has a troubled history

Politics

4 h. ago Man Utd transfer news: 'Useful' free agent eyed by Ruben Amorim after failing to land target

Manchester United will still hope to make a bigger splash in the transfer window after seeing their efforts slow down following the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves

Events

5 h. ago History Today: When London was rocked by its worst terror attack since World War II

History Today: When London was rocked by its worst terror attack since World War II  Firstpost

Events

8 h. ago Slow learner... Kendall forgets her own history: ANDREW PIERCE

One particular minister should have known better than to underestimate hostility to the proposed benefits cuts last week, writes ANDREW PIERCE.

Politics

12 h. ago Texas floods miracle as two missing girls 'found alive clinging to 30ft tree'

The two girls were reportedly rescued between Comfort and Homillus Road in Center Point, Kendall County, during search operations following the floods that have devastated Texas

Events

15 h. ago Andrew Garfield 'confirms' romance with American actress Monica Barbaro as they pack on the PDA alongside Lily Collins and new mum Poppy Delevingne at day seven of Wimbledon

The Spiderman star, 41, and American actress, 35, matched in tennis whites and arrived at the tournament hand-in-hand before packing on the PDA in the stands.

Politics

18 h. ago Andrew Garfield attends seventh day of Wimbledon Championships

The film star was seen watching the match between Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Centre Court on Sunday.

Politics

18 h. ago Search for 27 missing girls plows forward after flash flood kills at least 51 people in Texas

Disastrous flash floods from a raging central Texas river have killed at least 51 people, a total that may increase

Events

19 h. ago New mum Poppy Delevingne is seen for the first time since giving birth as she leads the Wimbledon arrivals along with loved

New mum Poppy Delevingne was seen for the first time since giving birth on Sunday as she headed to Wimbledon day seven with her father Charles.

Politics

20 h. ago So what HAVE they had done? All the plastic surgeries the Kardashians have admitted to

Over the years, the famous family has gradually opened up-some more than others-about the procedures they've had in pursuit of picture-perfect looks.

Politics

20 h. ago Lionesses will be going home if they do not shape up but history offers hope | Tom Garry

Much better display is needed against the Netherlands from a team with a habit of bouncing back under WiegmanThe England fans in Zurich have a new favourite song, replacing the word “Tequila!” with “Sarina!” It is a fun twist on a 1950s number from The Champs, written by the American saxophonist Chuck Rio. If the band’s name is fitting, for a few more days at least, for England’s status as defending champions, by full-time at Stadion Letzigrund against France the artist’s name was more in keeping with the mood among supporters, because Sarina Wiegman’s side are in genuine danger of being chucked out of Euro 2025.England will point to Alessia Russo’s goal at 0-0 being ruled out for an offside that did not seem conclusive even from zoomed-in VAR images, yet the simple truth is this: if England do not improve markedly when they face the Netherlands on Wednesday, they will probably be out before they face Wales in their final group match. Defeat would spell the end unless France lose to...

Politics

20 h. ago Crystal Palace in dark over European place and stuck in Textor’s tangled web | Ed Aarons

The American could next move for Sheffield Wednesday or Watford while Palace wait to see if dealings fall favourablyA champion skateboarder in his youth, John Textor has never been averse to risk. The American businessman even warrants a mention in Craig Snyder’s book A Secret History of the Ollie as “one of the few who beat eight-time world champion Rodney Mullen in freestyle competitions during the turn of the 70s”, but a serious head injury put an end to his competitive career.Textor surprisingly turned his attention to football club ownership in 2021 when he bought a stake in Crystal Palace after making his fortune in digital technology and the next week could prove decisive for his latest venture. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago The Texas floods are not an isolated tragedy. A look at history’s deadliest storms

More than 125 deaths per year in the US are caused by flooding

Events

24 h. ago What your favourite celebrities' TATTOOS say about them, according to science

A-listers who have secretly hit the tattoo studio include Tom Holland and Kendall Jenner, who has 'meow' tattooed onto her inner lip. So, do these inkings change your perception of these stars?

Politics

24 h. ago ‘Wake up curious about the world!’ Readers’ tips for regaining your sense of adventure

From slow travel and sea swims to backpacking and axe-throwing, here’s how to get bolder as well as olderAs we get older, many of us feel like we lose our sense of adventure. Busy lives can leave us feeling exhausted, while increasing responsibilities leave little room for more intrepid pursuits.But maintaining an adventurous perspective is one of the best ways to keep life exciting. With this in mind, we asked readers to share their tips for reigniting a sense of adventure. Here are 10 of the best suggestions: Continue reading...

Economics