36 m. ago As a generation of gay and lesbian people ages, memories of worse — and better — times swirl

As World Pride wraps up this weekend in Washington D

Politics

51 m. ago Male friendship isn’t easy. Just ask Trump and Musk | Dave Schilling

The older I get, the harder it is to maintain ties – and a series of unhinged social media posts probably wouldn’t helpI have a hard time maintaining male friendships these days. The older I get, the less time I have for the sorts of activities stereotypical American males enjoy: sporting events, competitive binge drinking and collecting rare coins in a dark basement. OK, maybe that last thing isn’t nearly as common anymore, but what is common (if you believe various trend pieces in newspapers and magazines) is the increasing rarity of long-lasting male friendships. Most of my guy friends keep in touch with me through group chats or the occasional solo check-in text. I have, by my count, at least 10 group chats with different circles of friends. All of them are organized around a unifying theme – Star Trek, movie industry gossip, the Los Angeles Dodgers, hating that one guy who wore flip-flops to my wedding. My whole social life revolves around screens now. I watch a show or a baseb...

Politics

51 m. ago My best friend of 50 years knew me better than anyone. But when she died, no one seemed to take my grief seriously

Friends know you differently from family, but where do you sit in the pecking order after they die? Below immediate relatives, ahead of a cousin, behind a workmate?I don’t remember a time in my life when Chrissy wasn’t in it. We were born 11 days apart and were both one when our families moved on to the same street in Geelong, a port city an hour south-west of Melbourne. We had a very Australian childhood; summers spent in our bathers, running through sprinklers; swimming in back yard pools; eating sausages in bread on New Year’s Eve, when we were allowed to stay up late while our parents drank cask riesling with the neighbours, and we’d lie on the cool evening grass listening to crickets.During those blisteringly hot summer days of our childhood, we lived at the beach, where shark alarms were constant and the waves dangerous. Occasionally, Chrissy would paddle out on her inflatable red and blue raft to the big waves out the back where the serious surfers were. Sometimes, I’d panic ...

Events

80 m. ago 'Big mistake': Australian press react to Ange Postecoglou's 'cold

Spurs’ decision to dismiss Postecoglou has caused uproar down under

Politics

2 h. ago Sailor charged after 'revenge' killing of shark posted in gory Snapchat video

After admitting he knew stabbing sharks in the head didn't deter the animals from hunting fish, Zane Garrett from Florida admitted he knifed the beast because 'it had stolen his fish'

Events

2 h. ago Ryan Coogler confirms Denzel Washington will star in Black Panther 3

Director hailed Washington as ‘the greatest living actor’

Politics

2 h. ago Jack Reacher author Lee Child: ‘More sex is medically implausible and I’m as rich and famous as I need to be’

The thriller writer on being a fearless Brummie, how he came to own a Renoir and his six-decade love affair with smokingBorn in the West Midlands, Lee Child, 70, studied law before working in television. After losing his job following a corporate restructuring, he published Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series, in 1997. His novels have been adapted into two films, starring Tom Cruise, and an Amazon Prime series. He now writes with his brother Andrew and they headline Theakston Old Peculier crime writing festival in Harrogate next month. The 30th Reacher thriller, Exit Strategy, is out in November. He is married with a daughter, and lives in the north of England.When were you happiest? In 1993, making love on the beach of a deserted island in the Bahamas. Continue reading...

Culture

3 h. ago Britain 'is at war with Russia' and 'in big trouble' thanks to Donald Trump

The UK needs to adapt to the new world of warfare and prepare for its once steadfast ally in Washington to no longer come to its defence, a top defence analyst has warned

Events

4 h. ago Barcelona’s rebirth and one last job for Szczesny: La Liga season review

It’s the Sids! Barça reclaimed the title as Madrid’s giants faltered while Athletic, Celta and Rayo shook up the European placesThe day La Liga 2024-25 began, Wojciech Szczesny was sitting on the beach in Marbella lighting up a cigarette, enjoying his retirement. The night it ended, he sat in the dressing room in Cornellà, 1,000km round the coast, and lit up a cigar instead. He had walked away in August, at 35 years old, unwanted and his heart no longer in it, or so he thought. Nine months on, here he was surrounded by kids half his age, a footballer again and winner of every trophy his new home country had to offer. He had not lost a single league match en route to becoming a champion.“I’ve arrived where even my imagination wouldn’t even dare to take me,” Szczesny had said when he retired. And if he hadn’t dared imagine that, there was no way he could imagine this: a Copa del Rey, a Super Cup and a Champions League semi-final to go with the title. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago What links jellyfish, golden tortoise beetle and sea angel? The Saturday quiz

From Doc, Mirabel and Geppetto to Gaynor, Garland and Gaga, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 What 1883 event is said to be the loudest sound in human history?2 Rikishi take part in which sport?3 What film links Gaynor, Garland and Gaga?4 Who made the “I am prepared to die” speech at the Rivonia trial?5 What term for quiz facts derives from a place where three roads meet?6 Comprising 121 countries, what is the NAM?7 What type of tropical bird is an aracari?8 Which singer’s stage name is based on her old MSN Messenger username?What links: 9 Village opposite Padstow; town between Stoke and Stafford; Colorado college town?10 1964; 1970; 1974; 1979; 1997; 2010; 2024?11 Robert Prevost (14); Gioacchino Pecci (13); Annibale della Genga (12)?12 MLK assassin; 39th president; voice of Vader?13 Thorburn; Doherty; Robertson; Brecel; Zhao?14 Barreleye fish; ghost shrimp; glass frog; golden tortoise beetle; jellyfish; sea angel?15 Mirabel, Encanto; Sadness, Inside Out; Doc, Snow White; ...

Politics

6 h. ago UK's 'most beautiful seaside town' is unsung spot with 'overlooked' beach

Weymouth in Dorset has been named as an "unsung beach town" despite its stunning beach and range of activities on offer, making it a great place to visit this summer

Politics

11 h. ago Campgrounds closed along Pacific Crest Trail in search for man wanted in daughters' deaths

Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters

Events

11 h. ago Beautiful UK seaside village named 'the best in England' with endless charm

This village in Cornwall has been named in Conde Nast Traveller's list of the best seaside places in England in 2025, known for its stunning harbour and sandy beach

Politics

11 h. ago Judge says administration can dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services

A federal judge in Washington, D

Events

11 h. ago The Golden Spurtle review – a cosy celebration of porridge and its champions

This Australian documentary about the world porridge championships, held each year in a Scottish village, is as wholesome and nourishing as its oat-stirring subjectsThe word “porridge” to me evokes something modest and satisfying: mouthfuls of reliable pleasantness in a terribly volatile world. How lovely that The Golden Spurtle – Constantine Costi’s charming documentary about the world’s annual porridge-making championship in the Scottish village of Carrbridge – has assumed some of the qualities of the dish. It isn’t flashy (and certainly doesn’t scream “must-watch”) but, like a good ol’ fashioned bowl of well-cooked oats, it’s got it where it counts.This film is a pleasure to watch – with endearing salt-of-the-earth subjects, a lovely ebb and flow, and a tone that feels just right: neither overly serious nor tongue in cheek. Its appeal is not dissimilar to the Australian comedy series Rosehaven: sometimes it’s just nice to escape into a fresh air-filled world with refreshingly low...

Politics

12 h. ago Chris Kamara shares encouraging update amid health battle as Sky Sports legend declares: 'There is no downside to being me at the moment'

Kamara, whose charisma earned him plenty of fans during his 24 years with Sky Sports, was diagnosed with the rare neurological condition that affects your ability to speak in 2022.

Events

12 h. ago Supreme Court will hear Alabama appeal in bid to execute man found to be intellectually disabled

The Supreme Court will consider making it harder for convicted murderers to show their lives should be spared because they are intellectually disabled

Events

13 h. ago Trump Says Xi to Restart Rare Earth Flows, Sets Date for Talks

Trump Says Xi to Restart Rare Earth Flows, Sets Date for Talks  Bloomberg.com

Politics

13 h. ago Yoga classes resume at San Diego beach as court says they are ‘protected speech’

Instructors Steven Hubbard and Amy Baack had sued after a city ordinance restricted such activities on the beachYoga classes are back on at San Diego beaches this week after a federal appeals court ruled that a city ordinance restricting such activities was unconstitutional and that teaching yoga was “protected speech”.The three-judge panel of the US ninth circuit court of appeals on Wednesday overruled a San Diego judge and decided in favor of two instructors who had sued over a law that San Diego passed in 2024 banning yoga classes of four or more people at shoreline parks and beaches. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Former DC police officer sentenced to 18 months for lying about leaking info to Proud Boys leader

A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group’s former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation’s capital

Events