53 m. ago The diplomacy of art: Bayeux tapestry loan shows cultural gifts still matter

History is full of examples of artworks being used to express things diplomats would be forbidden to sayThis week’s masterclass in the renewal of the entente cordiale was based on a genuine desire by two countries to reconnect. But in addition it served as a reminder that diplomacy is not only an art, but art itself has always been an essential tool of diplomacy. So the extended loan of the Bayeux tapestry, exchanged with treasures from Sutton Hoo, is not just a gesture of trust but marks a return to the roots of diplomacy, and its cultural lure.Doubtless security experts will remember the summit’s declarations of new nuclear co-operation while pollsters will eye “the one in, one out” migrant deal to see if it actually turns the political tide in the Channel. But the popular legacy will be the queues forming at the British Museum from September 2026 when the tapestry goes on display, and in Rouen and Caen when the treasures from Sutton Hoo are viewed by the French in what is already...

Culture

70 m. ago Elderly Palestinian man forced to live in scrapped minibus after Israel rips up major refugee camps

An elderly Palestinian man is living in a scrapped minibus after Israeli military operations emptied and tore through two major refugee camps in Tulkarem.

Politics

2 h. ago Palestinian grandmother detained after Australia cancels visa on security grounds

Family calls her arrest traumatic and unjust

Events

3 h. ago ‘Lions is best thing I’ve ever done,’ says Ben Earl as Test wannabes search for elusive spark

Players are fired up as Wallabies loom but there are kinks to be ironed out in final warm-up against invitational XVThis time next week things will finally be getting real. The streets of Brisbane will be awash with red jerseys and, as Andy Farrell has been stressing from day one, the intensity of this Lions tour will soar to a whole new level. At which point it will all boil down to one essential question: are the Lions ready for what is coming over the horizon?As the players stretched and flexed in front of Adelaide Oval’s famous old scoreboard for their last fixture before the first Test, the answer is that no one can yet be entirely certain. The squad have spent the past fortnight frantically crisscrossing this great southern land like time-poor captains of industry and, deliberately or not, have revealed the best of themselves only fleetingly. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago The BDS movement turns 20. It’s an essential pillar of Palestinian freedom | Omar Barghouti

The BDS movement is today a pillar in the struggle for Palestinian freedom, justice and equalityDo no harm, a principle that many associate with the medical practice, has become a fundamental ethical principle of global solidarity the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has mainstreamed since its inception 20 years ago this week.In the midst of the most depraved phase of Israel’s livestreamed genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip, our unbearable grief makes it impossible to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BDS movement. The Israeli state, enabled and emboldened by the shameless and seemingly boundless military, financial, political and discourse complicity of the US, the European Union and the UK, is trying to normalize the fundamentally abnormal and to numb our consciences with its relentless savagery. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago I tried the walking method that offers ‘10 times the benefits’ of walking 10,000 steps per day

Movement in any form can benefit your health, says senior fitness writer Harry Bullmore. But can this latest walking trend help time-poor people step up their exercise plans?

Politics

7 h. ago Phase Space: Degrees of Freedom review | Safi Bugel's experimental album of the month

(Phase Space)Switching wonky techno for spacious abstraction, Gwenan Spearing debuts a new alias on an EP of uncanny generative electronicsAfter establishing herself as a techno DJ in some of the wonkiest corners of underground dance music, Gwenan Spearing has spent the last few years settling into slower, more abstract territory. Alongside her club sets, she co-organises an ambient deep listening series in Berlin and spends her spare time experimenting with modular synthesis. Phase Space is the latest expression of this interest, a project rooted in generative electronics and real-time responses.Degrees of Freedom is Spearing’s first outing under this new alias: an EP of meandering ambient tracks that blur the lines between electronic and acoustic as instruments are sampled, warped and overdubbed through her synthesiser. On the subaquatic opening track Sync, cowbells are stretched and delayed beyond recognition against a pulsing analogue rhythm. Towards the end of Some Pluck, a den...

Politics

8 h. ago Matalan has launched a massive up to 50% off sale and my £12.50 buy is turning heads

The retailer is selling off summer essentials and big brands

Economics

8 h. ago Amazon Prime Day Deals: Keep your dog cool during the heatwave with these gadgets

Essential Prime Day gadgets to keep your dog cool all summer long.

Politics

9 h. ago Who is Francesca Albanese – Italian human rights lawyer sanctioned by US?

An independent investigator is being sanctioned by United States over her work scrutinising human rights abuses in Palestinian territory

Politics

9 h. ago Man City might need new Omar Marmoush plan after £34million signing

Manchester City signed Omar Marmoush in January and the Egyptian has looked good but a lot of his minutes last season came with Erling Haaland out injured.

Economics

14 h. ago UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese says US sanctions against her a sign of ‘guilt’

United Nations’ special rapporteur for Palestinian territories stresses all eyes must remain on Gaza as she urges ‘let’s stand tall, together’Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, has responded to news that she will be sanctioned by the Trump administration with a post on X saying “the powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt”.On Wednesday, as part of its effort to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza, the state department sanctioned Albanese, an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories. Continue reading...

Economics

19 h. ago Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20 million from Trump over ‘political retaliation and abuse of power’

Palestinian student activist accuses administration of carrying out targeted arrests designed to ‘terrorize’ him and his family

Politics

19 h. ago Pope will make sure injured Stokes ‘doesn’t push himself to a ridiculous place’

Captain picked up groin injury in stand with Joe RootEngland ‘want to kick on to a score towards 500’Ollie Pope said it was his role as vice-captain to ensure Ben Stokes “doesn’t push himself to a ridiculous place” as the captain battles a groin injury that forced him to seek treatment towards the end of the first day of the third Test against India.After receiving attention from the physio with just under an hour to play, the captain’s movement was noticeably impaired for the remainder of the final session, but he played on as England reached stumps on 251 for four. There are no plans to send him for scans, the hope being that he will recover overnight and, alongside Joe Root – who is unbeaten on 99 – “really kick on and make it a score north of 400, towards 500”. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago Mahmoud Khalil files $20m claim against Trump administration for false imprisonment

Precursor to a lawsuit also claims the Palestinian activist was maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemiteLawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration for months, have filed a claim for $20m in damages against the administration, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.The filing – a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act – names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the state department. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago Drivers warned of temporary road closure at M74 Motherwell junction

Essential repairs at Clyde Bridge, Motherwell will require a temporary closure of the southbound off slip at Junction 6 of the M74 and lane one of the A723 for four weeks from July 20 to August 17.

Events

21 h. ago Joe Root unbeaten on 99 as England dig in against India but Stokes injury a concern

Third Test, day one: England 251-4Root unbeaten on 99 while captain picks up knockEngland opted not to train on Tuesday but Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum still made a beeline for Lord’s. Two days out from the third Test – a pivotal match with the series locked at one-apiece – they were keen to speak to the groundstaff to express their hopes for a pitch with pace, bounce and a bit of sideways movement.It was too late to be making demands and, like the disappointed customers of Mr Tourette, signwriter extraordinaire from the Modern Toss cartoons, England’s captain and head coach had to settle for a slow, occasionally two-paced surface. Throw in a sluggish outfield — plus an Indian attack buoyed by their win at Edgbaston and now augmented by Jasprit Bumrah — and run-scoring was anything but straightforward. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Details emerge of the PARTY Erin Patterson threw the night before her arrest

It was a killer's final party the night before Erin Patterson 's arrest as the then so-called 'mushroom cook' tasted her last moments of freedom for what now may prove to be forever.

Events

25 h. ago Things to know about the UN special rapporteur sanctioned by the US

An independent investigator is being sanctioned by the United States over her work scrutinizing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territory

Politics

25 h. ago Voices: ‘No one outside the NHS will understand’: Doctors and their families defend strike action

Doctors, NHS staff and families defended the strike as essential, calling the ‘greedy’ label ‘truly heartbreaking’ and insisting today’s brutal working conditions are worse than ever

Society