31 m. ago A gentle giant: the shy wētāpunga is adept at living in the shadows

New Zealand’s docile, solitary and elusive ‘god of ugly things’ does wonders for the forest-floor ecosystemAre you sick of throwing yourself on the altar of unrealistic beauty standards? Do you long to celebrate the delightfully monstrous, to give the spiny stuff of shadows their day in the sun? Then consider the mighty wētāpunga – an endemic New Zealand insect so revered for its unconventional beauty its name means “god of ugly things”.This forest behemoth is thought to be the heaviest adult insect in the world, with a female weighing as much as a mouse or a sparrow. Its body can grow up to 10cm long (nearly 4in) and its leg span can be as wide as 20cm. Once found across parts of the North Island, the vulnerable wētāpunga – the largest of 70 wētā species – now resides entirely on a smattering of predator-free islands near Auckland.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from mor...

Politics

33 m. ago Stop pigeons from landing in your garden with flower colour they see as 'danger'

It turns out you can deter pigeons from your garden by planting a certain colour of flower - pigeons view white as a 'danger' colour because of their bird vision

Politics

2 h. ago What’s the difference between all the various paprikas? | Kitchen aide

This versatile spice has long outgrown its Spanish and Hungarian roots to bring richness, warmth, colour and flavour to a host of dishesSweet, smoked, hot What’s the difference between the various paprikas? And are there any substitutes? “Paprika brings warmth, it brings colour and it brings another layer of flavour,” says Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa. “Even just a sprinkling over goat’s cheese on toast, hummus or any kind of dip, along with a bit of olive oil, will bring it to life.” Crucial to both Spanish and Hungarian cuisines, paprika is made by drying peppers (generally speaking, Hungarian varieties are air-dried whereas the Spanish stuff is smoke-dried) and grinding them to a fine powder. The taste, meanwhile, depends on the variety of pepper used, although, as Linton points out, not all tins of paprika specify that.“Paprika brings a certain richness,” says Jeremy Salamon, author of Second Generation and chef/owner of Hungarian restaurant Agi’s Counter in New York. “It ...

Politics

6 h. ago 'Dangerous' predator raped sleeping man and attacked three others

Mantas Vanagas, a predatory abuser from Milton Keynes, has been jailed for 10 years at Edinburgh High Court.

Events

6 h. ago Travelodge customers say 'lives have been a lie' after learning logo meaning

Have you ever noticed a clever detail in the Travelodge logo? Many customers are gobsmacked to learn that the calming graphic isn't just a plain picture of some hills

Economics

6 h. ago Travelodge customers say 'lives have been a lie' after learning what logo means

Have you ever noticed a clever detail in the Travelodge logo? Many customers are gobsmacked to learn that the calming graphic isn't just a plain picture of some hills

Economics

9 h. ago A lot of mums are angry at Chappell Roan. I just want her to come over and listen to me whinge | Molly Glassey

Whether you’re a parent or not, you should be able to talk candidly about how tough it is having kidsA few weeks ago I told my friend – a good friend – that I was considering having a third kid. The colour washed from her face, and before her filter could kick in she said: “Please don’t.” She corrected herself. “You don’t really want to, do you?” I realised she thought I was unhappy. She thought I regretted it all. She was wrong on both accounts, but I didn’t blame her for coming to such a stark conclusion.That friend was not Chappell Roan. But the pop star is being pelted with the internet equivalent of soiled nappies for saying “all [her] friends who have kids are in hell” and “she doesn’t know anyone who’s happy with children at her age”. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago ‘The ultimate circular economy’: how coral holobionts conjure magnificence from nothing

These creatures evolved over millenia to create nature’s finest circular economy, but are now struggling to surviveThere’s no preparing for a first encounter with a thriving coral reef: your attention ricochets between dramas of colour, form and movement. A blaze of fire coral, darting clown fish, crimson sponge, electric blue ray a turtle! Your heart soars, your head spins. Nowhere else will you encounter such density and diversity of life.Corals are the architects of all this splendour. Their immobile forms suggest plants, but they’re animals – solar-powered ones. Each is a colony of thousands, sometimes millions, of tiny coral polyps, each resembling a slimmed-down sea anemone, just millimetres tall.Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday 2 April until midday on...

Politics

16 h. ago ‘Woke’ criticism of Doctor Who proves show on right track, says its newest star

Varada Sethu joining series as Doctor’s latest companion, marking first time Tardis team is wholly people of colourCriticisms that Doctor Who has become too “woke” prove the series is doing the right thing by being inclusive, its new star Varada Sethu has said.Sethu plays the Doctor’s latest travelling companion, Belinda Chandra, in new episodes airing next month. With Ncuti Gatwa returning as the Doctor, the pairing marks the first time a Tardis team will comprise solely people of colour. Continue reading...

Culture

22 h. ago ‘Depraved’ sexual predator who raped woman and secretly filmed others is jailed

Police said Craig France targeted young women at nightclubs and took them to his home where he had set up hidden cameras.

Events

22 h. ago Moment disgusting paedophile is snared by police after he kidnapped an 11

Depraved predator Adam Baillie abducted the youngster, who he didn't know, and dragged her to his grotty home in Harrow, north west London, where he molested her.

Events

24 h. ago Gardener's clever hack means you can get 'unlimited' garlic from just one bulb

The ingredient is a staple in many households and one gardener has shared his ultimate hack to make sure you never run out of garlic for your kitchen again

Politics

26 h. ago Halle Berry says Oscars not designed for black female actors ‘so we have to stop coveting them’

The only black female actor to have won the leading actress award was speaking on documentary Number One on the Call Sheet along with Taraji P Henson and Whoopi GoldbergHalle Berry has said she now believes her historic Oscars in 2002, for Monster’s Ball, was an anomaly, and that fellow black female actors should therefore stop “coveting” Academy Awards.Berry, now 58, is the only black woman to have won the leading actress Oscar in the awards’ nearly 100 year history. Cynthia Erivo’s nomination for Wicked earlier this year marks the first time a woman of colour has been nominated for the leading actress Oscar more than once (she was previously nominated for Harriet). Only 15 black women have ever been in contention for the prize. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago March design news: Maurzio Cattelan goes Greek, art teapots and house paint that changes colour

Exhibitions at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, a guide to green wood carving and funeral urns by AlessiThis is the final monthly design news round-up, so we’ve made it a bumper edition. As well as previewing some shows that will be this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, there’s pyjamas from Grayson Perry and Greek mythology reinterpreted by conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan. Enjoy. Continue reading...

Politics

31 h. ago White Stuff' shoppers left delighted with £26 dress that's 'comfortable' to wear from office to evening

"Excellent all round. Great fit, great material which washes well and great colour. The Megan dress is easy and comfortable to wear from office to evening"

Economics

32 h. ago Women's spring 2025 fashion guide: trench coats, lace blouses, and studded sandals

The six trends to know, and where to get them

Politics

50 h. ago Vote for the beast that may be as ruthlessly predatory as us – the fen raft spider

With a leg-span the size of your hand, the UK’s biggest spider, ultra-rare and known for its extraordinary hunting skills, has many admirersMore amazing nominations here!Meet an Olympian among Britain’s 660 spider species: a palm-of-the-hand-sized arachnid that hunts in three dimensions and can even devour fish.The fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is a magnificent ambush predator: harmless to humans but lethal if you’re a pond skater, tadpole or even adult dragonfly.Araneae have been feared and discriminated against throughout historyBetween 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday, 2 April until midday on Friday, 4 April, and the winner will be announced on Monday, 7 April. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago DAN HODGES: Labour is set to suffer a tornado of rage from the voters it has betrayed... so why is Kemi Badenoch doing NOTHING to win them round?

Oh, how the clever boys in Tory HQ must have laughed. What a jolly jape. Mocking up a series of tweets to mimic US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's messages on bombing the Houthis.

Politics

55 h. ago After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989

Stills, Edinburgh; Photographers’ Gallery, LondonFrom loneliness in Norfolk to vibrant Indian culture in Leicester, a touring show captures a riot of contradictions. Elsewhere, Leeds is lent an otherworldly air by a colour photography pioneerGiven that we live in a time defined by the rise of far-right populism and a widespread indifference to traditional party politics, the idea of a unified “working class” seems almost romantic, a throwback to an age when Labour was synonymous with socialism rather than centrism. In this context, the Hayward Gallery’s touring exhibition After the End of History is a defiant statement, though it’s less a celebration of shared values and traditions than a series of revealing glimpses of what curator Johny Pitts describes as the “complex and counterintuitive expressions of working-class life”.The show’s high-flown title refers to the political scientist Francis Fukuyama’s controversial assertion that history of a kind ended with the collapse of the S...

Culture

65 h. ago Pensioners left 'nervous wrecks' after 'dirty old aged predator' Facebook post

'This is an unfortunate case where heaven in Turkey has turned into a social media hellhole'

Politics