8 h. ago Tainted love: how Ukrainians are ridding themselves of Russian

Putin’s invasion has seen Ukrainian book lovers recoil from Russian literary dominance, by a range of meansOne day this summer, the Ukrainian artist Stanislav Turina took two of his books to his garden near Kyiv. One was a volume of poems by Alexander Pushkin.But Turina – a voracious reader, never without a couple of books in his backpack – had no plans to pick it up again. Continue reading...

Politics

61 h. ago My favourite childhood outfit: ‘I loved my homemade hat – the strong papal vibes were unintentional’

If there were any justice in the world, the hats I made at four would be in the Costume Institute at the Met. Sadly, after this, I abandoned my DIY approach to fashionI would love to have picked something super cute: a sparkly tutu; an adorable pair of Mary Janes. Or something cool: an oversized denim jacket with the collar popped, perhaps.But no. Here is an entirely unhinged photograph of me aged four wearing a homemade (obviously) hat – strong papal vibes unintentional – embellished with drawings of my teddy (name: Ted) and with actual Ted himself affixed to the hat. I am also wearing two anchoring hair slides because of the weight of this magnificent creation. This is a look that speaks to the boundless creativity of childhood, of making your own fun as the rest of the family snoozes in the late afternoon sun, in a time before the attention economy was monopolised by algorithms. Continue reading...

Society

2 d. ago Ruben Amorim ‘loves’ his players again after their effort in Burnley win

‘When they put the effort in, I always love them’Scott Parker unhappy with VAR decision for penaltyRuben Amorim has said he loves his Manchester United squad after their hard-fought victory over Burnley thanks to a late Bruno Fernandes penalty. The head coach had admitted on Friday he “sometimes hates” his players but their hard work on Saturday was rewarded with affection, having recovered from Wednesday’s Carabao Cup embarrassment at Grimsby.United should have won more easily, instead being reliant on a controversial intervention from the video assistant referee in second-half injury time when the referee, Sam Barrott, wandered over to the pitchside monitor and decided Jaidon Anthony pulling back Amad Diallo’s shirt, which started outside the area, was worthy of a penalty. United had led twice through a Josh Cullen own goal and Bryan Mbeumo’s first Old Trafford strike but Lyle Foster and Anthony equalised as Burnley looked set for a point until Fernandes intervened. Continue readi...

Sport

3 d. ago Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert on leaving her marriage for a dying friend: ‘She said, Let’s just live balls to the wall until I die!’

One was a happily married and internationally famous writer, the other a cool, funny hairdresser and ex-drug addict. Then a shock diagnosis pitched them into an intense love affair ...Sometime in the summer of 2017 I wrote in my journal, “Jesus fucking Christ, please save me.” I was trapped in hell, and I could see no way out. Our beautiful, sunny, two-bedroom penthouse apartment in the East Village – which I had rented for Rayya to make her happy in the last months of her life – had become a dungeon of misery, danger, degradation, drugs. Rayya kept the shades drawn at all hours of the day, not only because the light hurt her eyes but also because she had become intensely paranoid that she was being watched by the police, and that they were coming for her.And, to be honest, the police might very well have come for her (for both of us, actually), because our apartment now contained thousands and thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine – some of which Rayya was cooking down and shootin...

Events

3 d. ago Love Island winner Cach shares major move with Toni just weeks after 2025 final

Love Island 2025 winner Cach Mercer has shared an update on his relationship with Toni Laites

Politics

4 d. ago Love Island stars announce split just weeks after confirming romance

Two Love Island 2025 Islanders have gone their separate ways

Politics

4 d. ago Love Con Revenge to Wednesday: the seven best shows to stream this week

Cecilie Fjellhøy turns scumbag-sleuth as she investigates romance scammers, and Jenna Ortega is back as the lovable, deadpan, death-obsessed teen Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Love Island 2025 winner Cach Mercer issues 'living situation' update in major move

Cach Mercer admitted that Toni Laites will be moving in with him once she returns to the UK

Politics

6 d. ago Love Island's Harry Cooksley and Shakira Khan share kiss in adorable snaps at wedding

Love Island 2025 runners-up Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley have been inseparable since leaving the villa and the couple looked more loved up than ever in new snaps

Society

6 d. ago Why does the Maga elite love conspicuous cosmetic surgery? | Arwa Mahdawi

Mar-a-Lago face is suddenly everywhere – and there is a version for both men and womenA group of chimpanzees in Zambia have been very busy putting grass in their ears and sticks up their bum for fashion purposes. Scientists studying the behaviour think that one influential chimp started the trend and, instead of the rest of the gang going, “mate, you look like an idiot”, they all just followed suit.Clearly we haven’t evolved from apes that much because a similar phenomenon is at play with the billionaire and Make America Great Again (Maga) set, who are spending enormous sums of money acquiring identical plastic faces. The trend is so widespread that it’s even got a name: Mar-a-Lago face. Among women the look is characterised by huge lips that look as if they could suck up a small child whole, frozen facial expressions, and cheeks so bulbous you could hide a gerbil underneath them. Men also have the slick frozen faces, but instead of bigger lips they’re pairing them with bigger jaws....

Politics

6 d. ago New Zealand launches campaign to find love for rare and lonely left

Nearly all common garden snails have shells that coil to the right but Ned the snail’s left-spiralling shell results in reversed reproductive organs – a barrier to matingIf you thought your dating pool was limited, spare a thought for Ned, a very rare snail unearthed in New Zealand. Due to a left-spiralling shell, Ned has a vanishingly small chance of finding a mate – a predicament that has sparked a nationwide campaign.Nearly all common garden snails have shells that coil to the right but Ned’s left-spiralling shell is like a mirror image, resulting in a flipped shell and reversed reproductive organs – a configuration that affects roughly 1 in 40,000 snails. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘He loved his work deeply’: the five Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza airstrike

Israel has been widely condemned for ‘double-tap’ strike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza on MondayIsrael’s attack on hospital in Gaza may constitute a war crime on many frontsFive Palestinian journalists were killed in an Israeli double-tap strike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza on Monday.Israel struck a building at the hospital, killing Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri and others. Then, after journalists and rescue workers ran to the scene to help their colleagues, a second bomb hit the same spot 15 minutes later. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago With Love, Meghan season two review – so painfully contrived that it’s genuinely fascinating

The Duchess of Sussex returns with more effortfully whimsical celebrity get-togethers and she’s still sprinkling flowers over everything“I like recipes that take, like, four hours. I don’t do fast recipes at all. I like to braise.”“Wow, that is so fascinating.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Love’s Labour by Stephen Grosz review – the truth about relationships

In a series of revelatory case studies, a psychoanalyst lays bare the messy reality of romantic loveA maths lecturer, convinced his wife is cheating, will not check the CCTV footage that might confirm his fears but instead keeps a private tally of the number of pubic hairs she sheds in her underwear. One hair is “OK, acceptable”, more is evidence that she has been “having it off”, he says, unaware that he uses these delusions of her infidelity to protect himself from the dangers of intimacy. A high-flying Fulbright scholar becomes a sex worker to avenge the father she hates. An ex-nun discovers that her decades of religious seclusion were driven by an unconscious fear of pregnancy. A troubled young woman, seeking redress for her psychological losses, steals large sums of money that she will never spend.In Love’s Labour, the London-based, American-born psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz offers an antidote to the pat, sanitised love stories we absorb through rom...

Politics

8 d. ago Dog dies from heatstroke after 'common mistake' by doggy day care staff

French Bulldog, Benny, sadly didn't make it after a doggy day care worker brought him home 'barely alive'.

Events

8 d. ago Helen Flanagan declares love as she attends Manchester Pride 2025

The former Coronation Street actress showed off her sparkly outfit ready for the Manchester festival

Politics

9 d. ago Dog owner left devastated after pet died of heatstroke after common fatal mistake by doggy daycare

The French bulldog was taken to the vets but had to be put to sleep

Events

1 week ago 55 photos that capture the spirit and love of the Manchester Pride 2025 parade

It was a joyful celebration of community and love

Culture

1 week ago Strictly Come Dancing’s Katya Jones says 'I’m so proud' as she celebrates personal moment

Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has shared some lovely personal news ahead of the 2025 series

Culture

1 week ago Earl Sweatshirt: Live Laugh Love review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(Tan Cressida/Warner Records)With a sunlit disposition and paeans to his daughter, the mood turns lighter on the US MC’s sixth album – but the glitching, crashing beats are as esoteric as everThe launch party for Earl Sweatshirt’s sixth album was, by all accounts, a confounding affair. Some attenders came away convinced that Live Laugh Love contained guest appearances not merely by Vince Staples, but actor/rapper Donald Glover and comedian Dave Chappelle (it doesn’t, although all three contributed to a fanzine produced for the event). At one juncture, the DJ announced the arrival of “my brother, Earl Sweatshirt” before the appearance of someone who was visibly not Earl Sweatshirt – he was Asian, and apparently goes under the winning stage name Gary Underpants – performing a succession of Earl Sweatshirt songs. In the aftermath, at least one online music title didn’t seem sure whether it actually was a launch party for a new album or “an elaborate prank”: would a man whose grim world...

Politics