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The 90s were a decade of carefree optimism and comically low stakes. Matthew Perry’s death brings us crashing back into the now In 2004, the author Damian Barr published Get It Together: Surviving Your Quartlerlife Crisis. Barr would go on to write poignant and beautiful books (including the memoir Maggie and Me) but this wasn’t either of those things. It was more of a fun, generational howl: how’s this stuff supposed to work? How are you supposed to become an adult in these conditions? The dream of life in your 20s – flailing around not sure what to do, mooching from one dead-end job to another but still managing to afford a gigantic, lovely flat in the centre of everything, failing romantically, hilariously, while it all turns out for the best, never feeling anxious for no reason or as if you’re slipping through the sieve of polite society, too small and weightless to remain in the in-crowd – well, that dream was cracking a little. As Barr put it in a radio interview, the question,

As the light levels fall and the temperature drops, is it OK to just hunker down and take it easy till spring? Or will that bring on the blues? Ah, winter. Season of hot toddies, roast dinners, heated blankets and mulled … everything. Much less of an idyllic time for getting up early to hit the gym, going for a run in the evening darkness or even going for a bracing walk at lunchtime. And the evidence confirms what you probably suspect: in the winter, we tend to make our training sessions a bit shorter and spend more time sedentary . So are we casual exercisers doomed to backsliding in the icy months, or are there ways to tackle it? And does anything about the colder, darker months actually make maintaining your fitness easier? First of all: yes, it’s helpful to make the effort during winter, even if you’re not concerned about your six-pack or 10k time. Seasonal affective disorder, which seems to affect women more than men , may affect not just mood but health more generally , thoug

Communications blackout cuts off stream of Snapchat updates from residents about life in the conflict • Israel and Hamas at war – live updates Communications went dark in Gaza on Friday, but the few voices that emerged described a night of intense airstrikes and panic among a population fearing that the outage signified a new stage in the violence. The social media platform Snapchat has been used since the war began by some Gazans to post images from their lives, with videos showing people in long queues at bakeries or for water, or gathered in crowds at hospitals and schools. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cBZHfXF

The former vice-president to Donald Trump says that after prayer and deliberation he concludes ‘it is not my time’ Mike Pence, the former vice-president under Donald Trump, has suspended his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president in the 2024 election. Pence announced at an event held by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday that he was dropping out of the race, in which he has been lagging, along with others, far behind frontrunner Trump. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2IVrwsv

Argentina 23-26 England Steve Borthwick’s team hold off Pumas to take third place The last thing this sometimes bonkers, always scrappy contest for third place needed was extra time but when Argentina’s Nicolás Sánchez lined up a shot at goal with the clock running down, another 20 minutes in a match that ostensibly does not matter loomed large. As it was, Sánchez missed the kick, England survived a couple of scrums eerily close on the field to that which cost them dearly against South Africa last week and ultimately finish their World Cup as they started it – with a hard-fought win against Argentina. These exhausted players who began preparing for the competition in June were spared the extra mile and though it was a victory that exposed England’s limitations, it was a victory nonetheless. And one that comes at the end of a difficult week given the furore surrounding Tom Curry, who enjoyed a fine 50 minutes before making way, visibly drained but head held high. Continue reading

Lawyers for former president’s daughter had claimed New York attorney general’s office had no jurisdiction over her A New York judge has rejected Ivanka Trump’s argument that she should not have to testify at her father Donald Trump’s fraud trial. Ivanka Trump’s lawyers – she has hired a separate legal team from her father – showed up to court on Friday to argue against a subpoena to testify from the New York attorney general Letitia James’s office, which brought the $250m fraud case against the former president, his eldest sons and other Trump executives. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kweG6iR

The shadow chancellor’s new book has come under scrutiny for lifting passages of text from other sources without acknowledgment. Academic writers explore how this can happen Rachel Reeves admits mistakes after being accused of plagiarism in new book Rachel Reeves’s mea culpa over her failure to properly reference some sentences in her new book has thrown the spotlight on the thorny issue of plagiarism and the pitfalls of tedious factchecking. Publishers and authors agree that if your name is on the book cover, the responsibility to properly reference any borrowed phrases or facts in the bibliography lies squarely with you. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2pIoYBD

Former BBC Radio 1 DJ has been interviewed under police caution over accusations four times this year, but has not been arrested Tim Westwood has been interviewed for a fourth time under police caution after sexual misconduct allegations. The former BBC Radio 1 DJ, 66, who stepped down from his show on Capital Xtra in April last year, has previously “strongly” denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/d9UPpvg

Police say five men have been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving Six children are in hospital in Oxford after a BMW collided with the people carrier in which they were travelling. Thames Valley police said officers tried to stop a car driving “erratically” at high speed on the city’s eastern bypass at 11.10pm on Tuesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OQMCi8V

Pre-filled injection devices claimed to hold Ozempic or Saxenda may contain other substances, regulator says The UK medicines regulator has issued a public warning about fake and potentially harmful weight loss pens after seizing hundreds of devices sold by illegal traders. The pens, with which the traders’ drugs are injected, are claimed to contain the medications Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide), which are used for weight loss. However, these pens are thought to contain other substances. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qiRl8MX

Drill conducted after upper house voted to rescind ratification of a global nuclear test ban Russia’s military has conducted a simulated nuclear strike in a drill overseen by President Vladimir Putin, hours after the upper house of parliament voted to rescind the country’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban. The bill to end ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, approved in the lower house last week, will now be sent to Putin for final approval. Putin has said that revoking Russia’s 2000 ratification would “mirror” the stance of the US, which signed but did not ratify the nuclear test ban. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Cownz9W

Lesbian couples will also no longer have to pay extra for tests before IVF in the two law changes Ministers are to scrap “outdated” IVF laws that deny access to people with HIV and force lesbians to pay extra for tests. Campaigners said the move would transform lives across the UK. Hundreds of couples hoping to become parents but going through the distress of fertility issues will have their chances improved, the government announced on Wednesday, as it outlined two law changes to IVF provision in the UK. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VjtTYp7

Louisiana congressman is solid part of party’s right wing and played role assisting Trump’s efforts to overturn 2020 election House speaker race – live updates The rightwing Louisiana congressman Mike Johnson won a floor vote to be speaker of the House on Wednesday, elevating him to a top position in US politics and capping an unlikely and sudden rise to power. Johnson was elected to Congress in 2016 and has kept a relatively low profile since then, though he is socially conservative and a solid part of the Trumpist right wing of the party. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/li50eDn

Scholars of genocide are criticizing the dangerous use of the Holocaust to justify Israeli mass violence against Palestinians President Joe Biden began his remarks in Israel with this : “Hamas committed atrocities that recall the worst ravages of Isis, unleashing pure unadulterated evil upon the world. There is no rationalizing it, no excusing it. Period. The brutality we saw would have cut deep anywhere in the world, but it cuts deeper here in Israel. October 7, which was a … sacred Jewish holiday, became the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. “It has brought to the surface painful memories and scars left by millennia of antisemitism and the genocide of the Jewish people. The world watched then, it knew, and the world did nothing. Raz Segal is an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University and the endowed professor in the study of modern genocide Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HCPAyQz

Award for short story about a young man reflecting on a small-town childhood includes publication on the Guardian website Read Tian Yi’s The Good Son Tian Yi has won the 2023 4thWrite prize for The Good Son, a short story about a young man reflecting on a small-town childhood interrupted by strange occurrences, and a friendship he never fully understood. The competition, run by the Guardian and publisher 4th Estate and now in its seventh year, is open to unpublished writers of colour living in the UK or Ireland. Yi has won £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop at 4th Estate, and the publication of her story on the Guardian’s website. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MRp0vQg

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Do animals have accents? Dan Gardner, Rutland Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XEOYxuC

Fourteen overexcited hopefuls head to Greece to compete for West End roles in the Abba musical. It’s a wildly rushed, tension-free series that is never less than shrill Maybe my mind periodically wipes itself of as many wearying memories as it can, but I don’t remember there being this much screaming the first time around. It is possible that there has never been this much screaming in any reality show. Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream comprises 14 young would-be musical theatre stars competing for the chance to make their debuts as Sophie or Sky in the long-running Abba-stuffed West End show, so brace yourselves. Zoe Ball is presenting, and it is like watching her herd cats. The first time this kind of caper was attempted was way back, before Andrew Lloyd Webber became the sort of Tory peer who would fly in on his private plane to vote in favour of cutting tax credits, and John Barrowman was unproblematically everywhere. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? hit our screens in 2006, with

On social media women post pictures of potential dates, seeking information from others who have met them. It’s a defence mechanism, but also a privacy and legal minefield Sarah* met Max* for their first date at a cocktail bar on a cool spring evening. They had matched online, talked about TV shows and movies, and he picked the place and time. He was tall, smart, good looking in an understated way. Sarah thought a second date might be on the cards. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cSEJq05

Prison letters sent by ‘public enemy No 1’ Jacques Mesrine to his girlfriend Jeanne Schneider to be sold at auction Bankrobber and serial prison escapee Jacques Mesrine had many names during his two-decade criminal career in the 1960s and 70s. In disguise and on the run from police, he made headlines as “ the man of a thousand faces ” and “public enemy number one”. In Canada and the US with his girlfriend, Jeanne Schneider, the couple were nicknamed France’s Bonnie and Clyde. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OQjI5lZ

Andy Burnham says news is a ‘kick in the teeth’ when rail operator has just won nine-year contract Avanti West Coast is to cut the number of services it operates in December because of staff shortages, reducing weekend train frequency on one of Britain’s main intercity lines before Christmas. The Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, described the news as a “kick in the teeth”, with the operator confirming the decision only weeks after it was awarded a nine-year contract by the government, after having been put on notice to improve its performance. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/K3MROai

Sixth formers said tests displayed incorrect questions, repeatedly crashed or failed to record answers Oxford University says it will not use results from its botched online admissions tests to award places on next year’s English courses, after students and schools across the UK described multiple crashes, freezes and other frustrations using the new system. Sixth formers applying to Oxford said the online tests being used for the first time were plagued with difficulties, displaying incorrect questions and repeatedly crashing or failing to record answers, raising concerns it would damage their chances of admission as undergraduates. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1drk9cx

Move follows president’s prime-time address to nation but faces uncertain future with House of Representatives still paralysed The Biden administration on Friday submitted a $106bn request to Congress for military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian assistance for Gaza, insisting lawmakers had an obligation to support US allies standing up to tyranny and aggression worldwide. White House officials spelled out the urgency of the request at a morning press briefing, reinforcing Joe Biden’s assertion in a televised address to the nation on Thursday night from the Oval Office that there were links between the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the deadly attacks on Israel by Hamas on 7 October. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YW8tlNq

Series title will be decided this weekend with hopes that the platform will help female racers to set their sights higher With the Formula One championship done and dusted , the tension and urgency of a title fight will be sorely lacking at this Sunday’s US Grand Prix. However, another championship will be decided in Austin where F1’s attempt to return a woman to the grid reaches the climax of its first season at the Circuit of the Americas. For the all-female F1 Academy this is both a finale and also a precursor for grander ambitions. The series’ managing director, Susie Wolff, is fired up by bringing her drivers to the F1 undercard and encouraged by the positive results from the Academy’s inaugural season. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kBQYSD1

The BBC is under scrutiny over reports of the Gaza hospital blast. But there is a lesson for all who want clarity when there is none Death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses. Throughout these days of unbearable stories, from the slaughter of small children in their kibbutz bedrooms to the fireball at a Gaza hospital where families were seeking sanctuary from bombs, those words have echoed around my mind. Taken from the biblical book of Jeremiah, they entered my thoroughly godless ears via a comforting-sounding rabbi on the BBC and stayed. It is no criticism of its competitors to say that in this house at least, in times of trouble, it’s always the BBC. Though nobody knows better than a journalist that journalists aren’t infallible, there are times when only the Pavlovian effect of the pips or of Lyse Doucet’s voice will do. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rn0C6vY

As he stages Gary McNair’s twist on the tale of Pip, the director reflects on 16 years of spotting and developing raw talent while running the Tron Andy Arnold is a director with staying power. Nae Expectations, which has just opened at Glasgow’s Tron theatre, is his swansong production after nearly 16 years with the company. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at the Arches, the multi-arts venue he founded in the catacombs beneath the city’s Central station, creating a seedbed for a generation of theatremakers, artists and DJs. If in neither case did he overstay his welcome, it is because of the quality that defines him: his relentless championing of young artists. He has remained a vital part of Glasgow’s cultural life because of the company he keeps. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DqoZWPf

Government ‘fast running out of time’ to pass bill reforming rental market, a cross-party open letter argues Michael Gove has won a battle with No 10 to push ahead with a ban on no-fault evictions and other reforms, but renters will not get protection until next year. An overhaul of private renting, first promised in the 2019 Conservative election manifesto, was feared to be in jeopardy amid the threat of a mass rebellion by Tory landlord MPs. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PkDCq19

Proposed law of nature says systems such as stars and hurricanes are made up in varying ways, with some succeeding and others failing Darwin’s theory of evolution, with natural selection at its core, conjures up images of flourishing life. But now researchers have suggested a similar mechanism may apply to the realm of the nonliving too, underpinning what they have called nature’s “missing law”. A team of scientists and philosophers say many systems – including minerals, changes within stars and even hurricanes – are made up of multiple components that can come together in myriad ways, some of which persist while others fall by the wayside. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ECQe245

It wasn’t a debate, more a coming together in the Commons, after measured statements from party leaders Words can feel futile at a time like this. If they could make a difference, they would probably have done so by now. Decades of violence and hatred have largely proved immune to the power of the spoken word to find a peaceful solution in the Middle East. But words are all that British politicians have in the present circumstances. And you have to keep on believing even when it looks like we’re heading towards another war. At the very least, though, words can acknowledge the horror. To recognise its existence, even when powerless to influence the outcome. So that no one’s pain, no one’s loss, no existential threat is covered up or minimised. To stand up and be counted. A message of support at a time of grief. A fury contained. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LHBPJqQ

Connor Cato says he was first told by court to either pay up or appear in court after driving 90 mph in a 55 mph zone A Georgia man was left reeling after receiving a $1.4m speeding ticket, but city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato tells WSAV-TV in Savannah that he received the citation after getting pulled over in September for driving 90 mph (145 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aP3Tuy2

With Fiji breathing down their necks in Marseille, Steve Borthwick’s players took the game by the scruff of the neck Ten minutes left to play in Marseille, and the game is slipping away from England, taking with it their improbable shot at winning this World Cup. They had been 14 points up just moments ago and the Stade Vélodrome was so quiet, in those moments, that the crowd were throwing Mexican waves. It would have been stretching the point to say you could hear a pin drop, but if you strained your ears you could hear the bones pop and the bodies flop. And then Fiji finally started to play the way only they can. In six minutes they broke the line twice and scored tries both times, 24-10 became 24-22. The English didn’t stop to watch the conversion. They were in the one place no team want to be when there’s 10 minutes left to play, when you’re just two points up and the semi-finals are on the line. In a huddle under their own posts. Maro Itoje was first, and already calling his exh

The patched-up, veteran fly-half poured his heart and soul into an ultimately futile attempt to delay international retirement Night time, Saturday 18 March, and Wales are gathered in the away changing room at the Stade de France. They have just lost to France 41-28 , and are tired and hurting. It’s their fourth defeat in five games. Warren Gatland is talking. Privately, Gatland has been wondering if it was a mistake to take this job on again. But it is too late now. They only have five months and 21 days before the World Cup. “It is going to be tough,” Gatland tells them. “Probably the toughest thing you have ever done. If you’re not willing to work, if you’re not willing to give everything, let me know, and I won’t pick you.” Silence, of course, no one talks. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/biLJG5O

Jaco Peyper replaced by Karl Dickson in defeat by Argentina Wales coach suggests Guido Petti lucky to escape sanction Warren Gatland has highlighted his side’s failure to deal with the “disruptive” change of referee in his side’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina and suggested the wrong decision was made when Guido Petti escaped any sanction for a shoulder charge on Nick Tompkins. Wales scored the opening try through Dan Biggar after an impressive start to the match but on 15 minutes the South African referee, Jaco Peyper, pulled up with a calf injury and was replaced by Karl Dickson of England, who was acting as an assistant referee. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/65VcpUk

In an exclusive interview, Akinwumi Adesina, head of the African Development Bank, says the outlook is good for a continent with the workers of the future and the best investment opportunities Africa holds the future workforce for the ageing economies of the west, according to one of the continent’s leading financial figures, who also said it was time to ditch the myths around corruption and risk. In an exclusive interview before this weekend’s World Bank meetings in Morocco, Akinwumi Adesina said there was a resurgence of belief in Africa’s economic prospects and attacked negative stereotyping, adding that there was “every reason to be optimistic”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/alzdy0I

Co-owner says it’s the ‘most exciting news ever to happen to Frazier Park’ – but winner has not come forward A liquor store in a tiny California mountain town reverberated with excitement on Thursday after word that the winning ticket for a $1.765bn Powerball jackpot was sold there. The drawing on Wednesday night ended a long stretch without a winner of the top prize and brought news media to Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, a community of 2,600 residents about 75 miles north of Los Angeles. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PBKRUqI

Savoy theatre, London Lloyd brings hipster edginess, style and unpredictability to this revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical – though it’s more surface-level than penetrating closeup We have come to expect the unexpected from Jamie Lloyd . The director’s 2019 revival of Evita gave Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical a hipster-ish edginess, and it is the same for this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1993 musical, to which he brings ferocious unpredictability. Based on Billy Wilder’s film about struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis and his relationship of convenience with faded Hollywood starlet Norma Desmond, it speaks to that original medium. A black and white film is being made on stage and projected on to a gigantic back-screen. Credits roll at the beginning and end. Cameras follow characters, capturing their faces in magnified proportions so it’s clear that all here are ever-ready for their closeups, not just Norma. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/T1cBXf

Curriculum resources also to include more diverse English literature texts and history topics such as ‘imperial decline’ Any teacher who likes to sing along to Nirvana will soon be encouraged to get their pupils rocking to the Seattle grunge sound of the 1990s in lessons. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and other 90s bands could be included in the new lesson aids for teachers being issued by the Oak National Academy, the government-backed creator of curriculum resources for England’s schools. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Fc2qgRy

Now that most of the Hamas attackers are reported dead, troops and festival goers are retrieving belongings scattered in the atrocity Half-poured bottles of Johnnie Walker Red whisky, vodka and arak sat on the bar. In the camping area, some chairs were still beside pitched tents, as if their owners would be back soon from dancing. But in the eucalyptus groves beyond, dozens of abandoned cars were testament to the brutal attack that turned the Supernova festival from an all-night party to a byword for horror. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jTGtpsE

Study finds more than 40% of ice shelves have shrunk, with millions of tonnes of freshwater entering ocean More than 40% of Antarctica’s ice shelves have shrunk since 1997 with almost half showing “no sign of recovery”, a study has found, linking the change to the climate breakdown. Scientists at the University of Leeds have calculated that 67tn tonnes of ice was lost in the west while 59tn tonnes was added to the east between 1997 and 2021, resulting in a net loss of 7.5tn tonnes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CwAD3NV

Financial watchdog provisionally concludes Jes Staley misled it over his friendship with billionaire sex offender Ex-Barclays boss Jes Staley banned from City over Jeffrey Epstein scandal The UK’s financial watchdog has released a series of messages between former Barclays boss Jes Staley and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “referring to the strength of their friendship”. The messages form part of its 79-page report , which says Staley and the late billionaire exchanged more than 1,100 emails between July 2008 and December 2012, and continued communicating “between January 2013 and October 2015, exchanging almost 600 emails during that period”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HngALc9

This sitcom about disabled young people at a residential college is spot on with its depiction of disabled dating and friendships. Unfortunately, it forgets one thing – making people laugh There are some really nice moments in BBC Three ’s new one-off comedy, Kirkmoore , about three disabled young people living at a residential college. Chloe, a smart, wheelchair-using queer woman, is trying to explore the dating scene with the usual assortment of apps (and an ill-advised fling with a care worker) but is almost thwarted by a care manager who pointedly comments that Chloe has arranged her “third date this week,” before warning her: “if you don’t knuckle down I’m going to have to involve your parents.”. Chloe, it should be noted, is an adult – she is still at college, aged 21, because she wasn’t given the right support by her previous sixth form. For many disabled people with care needs, it’s a day-to-day reality that a stranger with a checklist can control their choices. To see this

Emergency meeting of Arab League calls for ‘serious negotiations between the PLO and Israel’ Arab foreign ministers have urged Israel to meet its international obligations as an occupying power and return to negotiations on a two-state solution that provides a viable state for Palestine. At an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Wednesday, ministers underlined “the importance of resuming the peace process and starting serious negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/kpOmJr1

MPs stayed on-message, fringe events were packed and businesses wanted to get involved at a conference that passed by with barely a hitch In the hotel bar on the last night of Labour conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, one senior aide of Keir Starmer was taking soundings from journalists about how they felt the annual gathering had gone. The adviser nodded along when they said that it had been a competent and professional affair but it was only when one reporter replied that it had also been “a bit boring” that he broke out into a big grin. “That’s the right answer,” he said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ivRNLml

Country was suspended from body last year after Ukraine invasion but scale of support for readmittance will worry Kyiv and allies Russia has been defeated in its bid to regain a seat in the UN’s top human rights body by a significant majority at the general assembly, which voted last year to suspend Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. Russia was competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats on the Geneva-based human rights council representing the East European regional group. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4yHcAjR

It’s Paul Hollywood’s favourite challenge – bread week. As he ramps up the intensity of his scowl, will the 10 remaining bakers rise to the occasion? Dana’s cottage loaf contains chipotle chilli paste, smoked paprika, smoked cheddar … and now smashed glass as her kitchen bowl just exploded. Still, better than garlic right? She’s also called her cottage loaf “Bread-ley Cooper.’ Thought you should know. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/osnWQhi

Coogan captures the charm and creepy depravity of the notorious abuser. But this is a horrific tale most of us already know – and the BBC’s depressing drama adds little of value If you are among the vanishingly few people left in the country who do not know that Jimmy Savile was an absolutely evil man, then I recommend watching The Reckoning, a dramatisation of his story written by Neil McKay and starring Steve Coogan as the necro-paedophile, OBE. If you do know who he is – well, I wonder. Stripped of context, The Reckoning is a rigorously well-made and polished thing. It takes us from 1962, as Savile’s career as a DJ on the northern club circuit began to gain traction, through his years as an increasingly beloved and powerful figure on radio and then television, and on until his much-mourned death in 2011 at the age of 84, untouched and then untouchable by any revelations about his awful secrets. For some reason, it is interspersed with a lot of archive footage of the real Savile th

Space agency Roscosmos says there has been a coolant leak from its portion of ISS Liquid has leaked from the Russian portion of the International Space Station but the crew are not in any danger, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said. “The Nauka module of the Russian segment of the ISS has suffered a coolant leak from the external (backup) radiator circuit, which was delivered to the station in 2012,” Roscosmos said on Telegram, suggesting there was no danger to the orbiting laboratory. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iBt4N86

Party is alive to risk of controversial statements and prepared to take action against any hint of antisemitism Israel-Hamas war – latest updates Keir Starmer was immediate in his condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel. He has been praised by the Jewish community for working to tackle antisemitism within Labour. And he has spoken of his personal commitment to turning around Labour’s reputation with British Jews, having a Jewish wife and observing some Jewish traditions as a family. But the assault on Israel by Hamas and the counter-bombardment of Gaza has already been seized on by some Conservatives as part of an attempt to associate the party with the era of the former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was accused by some of failing to deal adequately with antisemitism in Labour . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UCiM0of

Pool C: Fiji 23-24 Portugal Portugal win for first time at Rugby World Cup A historic first World Cup win for Portugal, a place in the quarter-finals for Fiji and elimination for Eddie Jones’s Australia. But that barely tells the half of it. The final match of the World Cup pool stages proved to be the most entertaining with Rodrigo Marta’s try in the final minute giving Portugal the victory their approach to the tournament fully deserved. Fiji’s losing bonus point ensures they go through in second place in their pool and will face England on Sunday in Marseille. For the second match running, however, they were outclassed for large spells and this time Portugal made them pay. Os Lobos have won hearts and minds throughout this tournament and now they have a victory to boot with Samuel Marques’ late conversion making sure of the one-point victory. Fiji can take solace from the fact that they are into the knockout stages for only the third time but they must make considerable improv

Director recalls enjoyment of making highest-grossing film of the year and says she was ‘so moved’ by response Greta Gerwig has spoken of her “thrill” at the “incredible reaction” to Barbie, her existential comedy and the runaway hit film of the year. Talking to Succession and Peep Show co-creator Jesse Armstrong at an audience during the London film festival at the BFI Southbank, Gerwig, 40, recalled standing covertly at the back of cinemas in New York during the film’s opening weekend, asking the projectors to “turn up the volume” and being “so moved” by the warmth of audience response. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2isDW4r

Fiji need one point to reach last eight; 8pm BST kick-off Get in touch! Email Lee with your thoughts on the game 9 mins. Tadjer is caught up to some unlawful mischief at the breakdown, so Lomani tees it up and hits it horribly but somehow manages to banana it through the sticks. 7 mins. Fiji are having a horrible time at the lineout so far, and the latest Matavesi throw is smacked to the Os Lobos side by Cerqueira. The ball is worked quickly to Cardoso Pinto but he’s rattled to a halt by Tuisova before Marques overcooks a kick to touch. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1I8wDYA

Seilala Mapusua speaks out after defeat by England ‘I’ve asked the question in the past about referees’ Samoa’s head coach and captain have accused international referees of holding an “unconscious bias” against the Pacific island and other tier two teams in the World Cup. Samoa were penalised 14 times in their 18-17 defeat, five more than England, and were shown the only yellow card. Coach Seilala Mapusua rejected the idea that his players needed more exposure to Test match referees, and argued that the problem was his players were treated being differently. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BPVzynM

Over dinner in the 1980s, Trenna told Greg Mahney about her genetic condition which meant she only had years to live. He decided he wanted to spend whatever time she had left together I’d seen Trenna a couple of times through mutual friends. At first we showed little interest in each other. She was a smoker and I had a beard, traits that were mutually offputting. But in early January 1988, not long after we’d first been introduced, we found ourselves at the same party. She’d given up smoking as a New Year’s resolution and I’d shaved my beard off in exchange for a keg of beer from a mate. We got chatting; it was just small talk. But when Trenna’s friend arrived to give her a lift home, she took it upon herself to write down Trenna’s number on a bus ticket and give it to me. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JZwfSGr

England 18-17 Samoa Steve Borthwick’s side fight back but fail to impress A fourth win from four matches for England but this was undoubtedly a significant step backwards for Steve Borthwick’s side, who needed Danny Care to produce a late sniping try and a last-ditch tackle to see off an inspired Samoa side. The Pacific Islanders’ head coach, Seilala Mapusua, had promised an “unapologetic Samoan” performance and that is precisely what his side produced. For England, this was a sorry showing. Samoa deserved their half-time lead after two fine tries from the veteran wing Nigel Ah Wong and were agonisingly close to sealing victory at the death when Neria Fomai just ran out of gas after yet another flowing move. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8gywHkY

Italy look to put pressure on France, Wales aim to avoid another Georgia shock, and a maths test for Ireland and Scotland Much has been made of the fact Antoine Dupont could be back next week if given the all clear by the surgeon on Monday to resume contact training days after having surgery on a fractured cheekbone. Less attention has been paid to the fact that for that to be at all relevant, France still need to qualify and the easiest way to ensure that is to beat Italy on Friday evening. They can still go through if they lose, but the hosts will not want to be relying on bonus points. France v Italy, OL Stadium, Friday 8pm (all times BST) England v Samoa, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Saturday 4.45pm Ireland v Scotland, Stade de France, Saturday 8pm Wales v Georgia, Stade de la Beaujoire, Saturday 2pm Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wRHtfx3

Ghosts is one of TV’s best comedies, and this funny and clever final season doesn’t disappoint. It is touching and comforting without being cheesy. Let’s hope they haunt us again one day… Ghosts has been one of the warmest and most consistent comedies of the last few years. One of the many feathers in its extremely feathered cap is that its Christmas specials have proved to be the only truly essential festive viewing left. Still, all good hauntings must come to an end, and this fifth series is the last. In many ways, its end point is arbitrary. The formula is so good, and so well-oiled, that you get the sense it could have gone on for ever. There is a Simpsons-esque longevity built into its bones that would have been hampered only by its actors getting older, since the ghosts are supposed to remain as they were when they died. The only upside to the creators calling time on Button House now is that there is no danger of it outstaying its welcome. Ghosts aired on BBC One and is avail

Director says it is both ‘bizarre’ and ‘nice’ that the film, recorded 20 years ago using a handy-cam and a karaoke microphone, has remained so popular Twenty years ago, a group of New Zealand martial arts students pooled their dollars, bought a pricey leather jacket and created a 16-minute Matrix-inspired fanfiction short in the backroom of an Auckland punk bar and the city’s low-lit alleyways. Over nine nights, the amateur film-makers and wannabe stunt actors shot the film, The Fanimatrix: Run Program, on a handy-cam, recording sound on a karaoke microphone attached to a broomstick and lighting their scenes with a couple of lamps borrowed from the local film school. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ufys3Y9

Tournaments of climate death and state-sanctioned death are the inevitable result of unrestrained money and power What do a Saudi Arabian World Cup, inexplicable VAR mistakes, David Beckham pretending Qatar was the best gay World Cup ever because, like, his gay mate told him it was, and the cancellation of the HS2 northern section have in common? For the first time I can reveal that all these things are indeed connected. Just because you’ve been cajoled into a state of paranoid alienation by algorithm-driven conspiracy theories, it doesn’t mean they’re not actually out to get you. Just not, perhaps, in the most obvious way. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/z8BZ2Vs

London film festival Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy are magnetic in this power struggle-cum-love triangle inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1968 photographic study of Chicago bikers Jeff Nichols’s motorcycle movie is about a love triangle and a succession crisis – inspired by the immersive 1968 study of Chicago bikers by photojournalist Danny Lyon, whose black-and-white pictures flash up with the closing credits. This film opens up the storytelling throttle with a throaty growl, delivering the doomy romance of an old-fashioned western and the thrills of a mob drama. The Bikeriders is set in a world in which the increasingly careworn gang leader competes for the affection of his toughest follower with this man’s girlfriend, while at the same time grooming him as his heir. Yet this is a group where the biker king – whatever his plans for a dauphin – can be challenged for the crown by any subordinate according to the rules of his own violence-democracy, the incumbent gruffly asking:

Rob Behrens writes to head of Norfolk and Suffolk trust over claim to committee that questioned him about patient deaths report The NHS ombudsman has told a health trust chief to withdraw “not accurate” remarks about him amid an alleged attempt to play down up to 1,000 avoidable patient deaths. Rob Behrens wrote to Stuart Richardson, the head of the Norfolk and Suffolk mental health NHS trust, over remarks he made about him to Norfolk county council’s health scrutiny committee. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/f5Ls8vl

Ben Wilson told most of his art on discarded gum to be removed during engineering and cleaning work An artist who paints tiny pictures on discarded chewing gum has pleaded for his works to be saved after being told most of them will be removed from the Millennium Bridge in London as part of engineering work. Ben Wilson, nicknamed “the chewing gum man”, has been painting on pieces of chewing gum trodden into the bridge since 2013. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/uC39tfn

40-year-old law is in jeopardy after weeks of debate about city’s obligation to protect 100,000 migrants sent from the US border In a late Tuesday night email, the administration of New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, asked a New York supreme court justice to allow it to ignore the state’s longstanding “right to shelter” law in certain circumstances. Dating back to the Depression, a provision of the New York state constitution stated that “aid, care and support of the needy are public concerns”. A consent decree resolving the 1981 case Callahan v Carey and various lawsuits built on that foundation. Now anyone in New York City can access guaranteed shelter with required minimum standards like 3ft between beds, access to lockers and showers, and basic toiletries. But that 40-year-old law is in jeopardy, amid a push from the city’s executive. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FPXmrji

Actor, known for Legends of the Fall and Sabrina, accuses disgraced producer of sexual assault and companies of negligence Julia Ormond, the English actor best known for films such as Legends of the Fall, First Night and Sabrina, has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual battery in a lawsuit that also names Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the Walt Disney Company and Miramax. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the New York supreme court, first reported by Variety , Ormond claims that the disgraced movie producer sexually assaulted her after a business dinner in December 1995, when he lured her into giving him a massage, climbed on top of her, masturbated and forced her to give him oral sex. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lqIYcRB

Despite efforts to mitigate biodiversity loss, planning has destroyed parts of ancient woodlands and damage will continue despite reprieve The scrapping of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester may save 32 ancient woodlands from destruction and reprieve miles of waterways and hedgerows – but the railway’s negative environmental impact may actually intensify with Rishi Sunak’s decision. The carbon emissions reduction case for HS2 was never favourable – it will be a net contributor to emissions over its 120-year lifespan, according to its own data – but cancelling the new line north of Birmingham weakens the hope that a national high-speed rail network will cut flights between major cities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HgX3AiB

The Barbican’s new exhibition looks at the way ecofeminism has evolved – from anti-nuclear protests at Greenham Common to ‘multiple clitoris’ art There are photographs of women with their arms wrapped around the trunks of trees in the Himalayas to prevent them from being felled. There are aerial, yet intimate, pictures of open-pit mines and dams that have been blasted across the landscape in western Australia. There are films shot underwater, in warming seas, of melting ice and damaged coral reefs. But “this isn’t a show about climate change”, insists curator Alona Pardo. The Barbican’s new exhibition, Re/Sisters: A Lens on Gender and Ecology , brings together 250 works of photography, film, performance art and installation, created since the late 1960s by nearly 50 women and gender non-conforming artists from across the world. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1oR5Fir

Six books are up for the award celebrating innovative fiction, including Benjamin Myers’ account of St Cuthbert and a ‘great trans novel’ set in a small northern town A bildungsroman, a story within a story and two novels set across a single day feature in the six-book shortlist for this year’s Goldsmiths prize. The award, which celebrates “fiction that breaks the mould”, carries a prize of £10,000. This year’s shortlist, selected from 107 books, “shows the novel – that most slippery and vital of forms – continuing to morph and reinvent itself in ways that surprise and delight us,” said Dr Tom Lee, judging chair and lecturer in creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xCgZsoH

Top executives are terrible at reading the room and unions are stronger when workers stick together. Now let’s sign that contract This year was supposed to have been a showbiz love fest. Disney, Warner Brothers and the boosters of the world-famous Hollywood sign had planned to celebrate their centennials, with a special thanks to the “ storytellers who have sparked the joy ” of movies. There were so many actors, writers and other workers buzzing around the soundstages in Burbank, Studio City and Culver City that you could practically hear the hum of a $134bn TV-and-film hive. Kathleen Sharp is the author of Mr & Mrs Hollywood: Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire which has been optioned Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zCUsoNA

Tory leader’s attempt to portray himself as change candidate at party conference overshadowed by fierce criticism of U-turn Rishi Sunak unleashed a Tory civil war on Wednesday by announcing the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2 as the former prime minister David Cameron said the decision showed the country was heading in the wrong direction. After days of frenzied speculation over the future of the flagship levelling-up project, Sunak confirmed he was axing the Birmingham to Manchester line and would use the £36bn of savings to fund a number of other transport schemes, described as “Network North”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Nlz0tkP

He’s $300m shy of the cutoff, according to the magazine, though with an estimated $2.6bn he’s got plenty of pocket change Donald Trump has dropped off the Forbes 400 ranking of the wealthiest people in the US for the second time in three years, the magazine announced on Wednesday as the former president’s business fraud trial continued in New York. “Donald Trump is no longer rich enough for the country’s most exclusive club,” Forbes said . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3Kgo20S

The Guardian gets a name check and a London Assembly member is kicked out for hecking Suella Braverman I’ve mentioned the F word, family, and now to ensure I get coverage in the Guardian I’m going to mention the M word, marriage. This Home Secretary was basically vilifying gay people and trans people by this attack on LGBT ideology, or gender ideology. It is fictitious, it is ridiculous. “It is a signal to people who don’t like people who are LGBT+ people.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Neaz5Om

Maria Rooney’s action against Leicester city council is first tribunal case to consider the symptoms as a disability A former children’s social worker has told an employment tribunal that she felt “colluded against” by the council she worked for due to suffering symptoms of menopause. Maria Rooney initiated legal action against Leicester city council in the first tribunal case to consider the symptoms as a disability. She has alleged she was constructively dismissed after discrimination over suffering menopause symptoms. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EPtQ9Dr

Paramount’s release of the popular film in small clips reflects a rising trend of people watching movies on the platform As the oldest and baldest person to have access to a TikTok account, I usually have a pretty good idea of what sort of content I’ll be served, in that it’s usually equal parts animal attack videos and jet-washing tutorials. Recently, however, the algorithm threw me a curveball: a 90-second clip of the 23-year-old Nancy Meyers film What Women Want. It was a good scene, one where Mel Gibson listens in on Judy Greer’s self-hating inner monologue and starts to see her as a true contemporary. I watched the whole thing. And, as a reward, TikTok then gave me another scene from What Women Want. And then another. And another. And over the course of a couple of days, albeit in a disjointed and non-linear manner, I had basically watched all of What Women Want. It’s a good film! Sarah Paulson is in it! Who knew? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JF4Actm

Rapid attribution study finds storm 10-20% wetter after city experienced a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours on Friday The unmistakable influence of the climate crisis helped cause New York City to be inundated by a month’s worth of rain within just a few hours on Friday, scientists have warned, amid concerns over how well the city is prepared for severe climate shocks. A new rapid attribution study, released by scientists in Europe , has found that the type of storm seen on Friday is now 10-20% wetter than it would have been in the previous century, because of climate change. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mrY4tyf

Cost of living crisis, rising unemployment and extended NHS waiting times will determine government’s chances in general election The economy is doing well and anybody who says differently subscribes to declinism. That was Jeremy Hunt’s message to the Conservative party conference on Monday as he attempted to chart a course between persistent calls by Liz Truss and her supporters for tax cuts and warnings against another round of austerity measures. In a spirited speech that portrayed the economy in rude health, Hunt said: “It’s time to roll up our sleeves, take on the declinists and watch the British economy prove the doubters wrong.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/eLJzagq

It is not a crisis yet – there are plenty of World Cup hangover caveats to Arsenal’s sluggish defeat – but it is edging towards becoming one. A crowd of 54,115 – breaking their own WSL record set last season to ensure they have the top three Women’s Super League attendances – is all well and good but Arsenal need to perform to maintain that momentum. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mG5ujnW

What happened at Spurs on Saturday only further erodes trust in referees in this country, which could badly damage the game Pitchforks were brandished, torches were lit and tinfoil was licked late into a Saturday night, when the air hung heavy with conspiracy. The Premier League was having its latest – perhaps greatest – crisis of confidence in officialdom. It turns out that “video evidence”, as it was quaintly called before the launch of VAR as a fated initialism, is no cure-all solution for refereeing elite football matches. “We need the VAR, now. I think we need the VAR,” was Rafael Benítez’s reaction to Mike Dean sending off DeAndre Yedlin after his Newcastle team lost against Wolves in December 2018. Five years on, Dean is a television personality and Stockley Park, VAR headquarters, has gained the notoriety that might be attached to a house of ill repute. It is difficult to imagine any manager – including Benítez himself – being so evangelical about a system that, in England a

Updates from this 8pm BST kick-off in Pool B Email Dominic or tweet him with your thoughts Ireland and Scotland look on with interest. We’re under way under the watchful eye of English referee Luke Pearce. Some real emotion in that Tongan outfit during their anthem . This is their third successive match against a top tier nation at the 2023 World Cup … South Africa observe the Sipi Tau before kick-off. You get the sense that Tonga want to spoil the party tonight. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VNUPtn4