14 h. ago US sees surge in bills seeking criminal punishments for protected speech

Forty-one anti-protest bills in 22 states have been introduced since start of 2024, according to law trackerAnti-protest bills that seek to expand criminal punishments for constitutionally protected peaceful protests – especially targeting those speaking out on the US-backed war in Gaza and the climate crisis – have spiked since Trump’s inauguration.Forty-one new anti-protest bills across 22 states have been introduced since the start of the year – compared with a full-year total of 52 in 2024 and 26 in 2023, according to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) tracker. Continue reading...

Events

18 h. ago Delhi at 41C, Rajasthan at 46C: Record heatwave engulfs northern India as scorching summer arrives early

Barmer in western Rajasthan state records highest temperature ever in first week of April of 45.6C

Politics

40 h. ago Europe records hottest March as global heat stays above 1.5C

New data shows global temperatures in March averaged 1.6C above pre-industrial levels

Politics

43 h. ago Melting ice in the Arctic could unleash deadly 'zombie' viruses and trigger a new pandemic, climate scientists warn

Melting ice in the Arctic could unleash deadly 'zombie' viruses, an international panel of scientists has warned.

Events

43 h. ago Europe records hottest ever March as global heat stays above 1.5C

New data shows global temperatures in March averaged 1.6C above preindustrial levels

Politics

50 h. ago Beautiful city that's 21C in May and is the 'happiest place to live in Spain'

Almeria, in Andalusia, has been named the happiest city in Spain in a new report thanks to its warm climate and lack of rainfall - and it's easy to see why it's so happy

Politics

4 d. ago Decline of nightclubs feeding demand for festivals – event organiser

James Ralls, founder of the Victorious Festival, says regional events are booming.

Politics

6 d. ago The real cost of climate change: Global warming could make the average person 40% poorer by 2100, scientists warn

Scientists warn that 4°C (7.2°F) of warming will make the average person 40 per cent poorer by 2100, while the average Briton will be 46.5 per cent poorer.

Events

6 d. ago Michael Sheen says 'I'm not getting paid for this' as he launches most ambitious project yet

Welsh National Theatre is a new creative force for Welsh culture and Michael Sheen is one of the people behind it

Politics

6 d. ago Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer

Action urgently needed to save the conditions under which markets – and civilisation itself – can operate, says senior Allianz figureThe climate crisis is on track to destroy capitalism, a top insurer has warned, with the vast cost of extreme weather impacts leaving the financial sector unable to operate.The world is fast approaching temperature levels where insurers will no longer be able to offer cover for many climate risks, said Günther Thallinger, on the board of Allianz SE, one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. He said that without insurance, which is already being pulled in some places, many other financial services become unviable, from mortgages to investments. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘How did this ever get made?’ Gen Z is falling in love (and hate) with Glee

A decade after the finale, new fans are flocking to Glee, causing its songs to shoot up the charts. The internet’s ablaze with TikTok dance homages, Reddit threads – and tonnes of hate watchersThe year is 2009, and Glee has hit like a cultural earthquake. Every week, millions of people around the world tune in to watch a group of American high school misfits belt out musical theatre and pop hits, turning show choir into mainstream entertainment. The cast’s cover of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ becomes an anthem, spending 37 weeks in the UK charts, catapulting its young stars to overnight fame. Glee clubs start in schools across the US and beyond, and Ryan Murphy’s show develops a devoted fanbase – myself included – who proudly call ourselves Gleeks. Online, we dissect every episode on Tumblr, trade theories and wear our fandom, plus the merch we bought to prove it, as a badge of honour.But by the time Glee came to a close in 2015, all its magic had faded. The Guardian reported tha...

Politics

7 d. ago Irish city has been named among 'best in the world' for its stunning food

Food is more than just a necessity - it's a cultural language that can bring people together. These are the best capital cities in the world for foodies

Politics

7 d. ago Balomania review – those magnificent Brazilians and their flying balloons

Documentary follows the baloeiros, who illegally build and release huge decorated balloons in cities, from where they can travel hundreds of milesAn intriguing film set in Brazil, first shown last year at the CPH:DOX documentary festival in Copenhagen, in which expatriate Danish film-maker Sissel Morell Dargis takes a look at a unique grassroots cultural phenomenon: the baloeiros, the ballooners. These are groups of young men, as secretive and loyal to each other as Freemasons, who (illegally) build and release huge decorated balloons in cities, from where they can travel hundreds of miles. Why? As kind of graffiti, or a community self-expression, or situationist artform, or just a subversive gesture of pure joie de vivre that does not need or admit of any explanation.The baloeiros are harassed by the police, on the ostensible grounds that they are part of gang culture, and the authorities encourage local people to inform on those they suspect of building and transporting a balloon....

Politics

7 d. ago Global economy could shrink 40% if planet warms by 4C, new study says

New modelling finds global economic losses could be four times higher than previously thought under 4C warming scenario

Events

8 d. ago The world is experiencing record heat – this is why it’s about to get worse

The climate crisis is already displacing millions of people from their homes as they seek to escape extreme weather events, desertification and drought, writes Alicja Hagopian. With Donald Trump ordering billions of dollars of cuts to climate aid projects, the poorest and most vulnerable countries face even greater risks

Politics

8 d. ago ‘We feel the pain but there is also joy’: the healing power of diasporic connection

The Legacies of Enslavement programme aims to atone for the Guardian’s past while highlighting the lasting impact of transatlantic slaveryIllustrations by Ngadi SmartSalvador, Bahia, Brazil. In capoeira – an art form whose origins were carried across the Black Atlantic by enslaved people, but which developed and grew into a cultural form of resistance in Brazil – we sometimes wish each other axé (pronounced “ah-shay”). In doing so, we would be bestowing on our interlocutor life force, vitality or just positive energy in the capoeira roda (circle where capoeira is played) or in life.The term is also used in Candomblé and Umbanda, syncretic afro-Brazilian religions with African roots. For me it also symbolises the ability to harness ancestral knowledge and energy to enrich the jogo (game of capoeira), embodying and paying tribute to those who kept the art form alive. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds

Class, education and gender found to influence difference in views but anxiety about finances was a common themeYoung people are more worried about their finances, work pressures and job insecurity than social media, the climate crisis and culture war debates, research shows.The polling also challenges the simplistic characterisation of generational conflict, revealing that differences within gen Z, whether around class, education or gender, are often more pronounced than the differences between generations. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago ‘What the hell is this stuff?’: French people on the culture shock of flossing

While preventative care has not traditionally been a priority in France, US dentistry is ‘very focused’ on itThere are many established, regularly parodied cultural differences between France and the US: style, portion sizes, attitudes towards picking up after your dog.But there’s another – possibly bloodier – contrast: flossing. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Careless People review: Facebook whistleblower’s book serves up one bombshell after another

Sarah Wynn-Williams’ tell-all memoir is a nightmare for Mark Zuckerberg – and a joy for the rest of us

Events

2 w. ago The European Union urges citizens to stockpile supplies to last 3 days in case of crisis

The European Union is urging citizens across the continent to stockpile food, water and other essentials to last at least 72 hours as war, cyberattacks, climate change and disease increase the chances of a crisis

Events