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Falcon 9 rocket takes off on journey to replace duo who have been at International Space Station since June The replacements for two Nasa astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station for nine months launched on Friday evening, paving the way for the pair’s long-awaited return. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7.03pm ET (11.03pm GMT) in Florida carrying the four astronauts who will take over from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the orbital lab since June. Continue reading...
Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where ‘slaughter of wombats’ is permitted Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A US hunting influencer who caused outrage in Australia after grabbing a baby wombat from its mother says she is sorry for the incident but was only trying to ensure its safety by removing it from a road. Sam Jones left the country on Friday morning after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said immigration authorities were checking if she had breached the conditions of her visa. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Gunners up to second in the WSL table following 3-1 win over Everton after Liverpool stun Manchester United Arsenal put the travails of their FA Cup defeat to Liverpool behind them with a vital 3-1 victory over Everton in the Women’s Super League. A brace from Alessia Russo and own goal from Maren Mjelde gave the Gunners an important three points in the fight for a Champions League spot. Renée Slegers’ side are the quintessential puzzle of a football team. One minute, they can be one of the most eye-catching in the league; the next, utterly frustrating in their inability to break down their opposition. Continue reading...
Birdwatchers’ thrill of seeing birds up close that usually spend their lives at sea is tempered by sadness and pity at the extent of injuries Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Most people in Brisbane were battening down the hatches ahead of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. For a few, though, it was one of the most exciting natural events of their lives. Over the course of the weekend and into Monday, throngs of birdwatchers lined the shores of Bramble Bay in the bayside suburbs of Shorncliffe, Sandgate and Redcliffe, telescopes and cameras at the ready. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
UK PM to host virtual meeting of ‘coalition of the willing’ nations who have agreed to help enforce peace Keir Starmer has warned that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to “play games” with the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine, as he prepared to present proposals for a peace deal to a coalition of about 25 world leaders. The UK prime minister will host a meeting on Saturday of the “coalition of the willing”, a group of nations that have agreed to help keep the peace in Ukraine. He will seek to pile pressure on the Russian president to “finally come to the table” and “stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine” after Kyiv agreed this week to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. Continue reading...
St Helens 22-14 Leeds Sailor, Whitley and Robertson also scored for hosts There was a time not too long ago when meetings between St Helens and Leeds Rhinos were played out on the sport’s biggest stages. At various points over the last two decades, it was not uncommon to find these two sides playing one another in a major final. They were Super League’s market leaders. However, if one game summed up how the times have emphatically shifted for at least one of these sides, perhaps this was it. It was a familiar tale in the end, with the Saints edging out the Rhinos to book their spot in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals – the 18th time in the last 19 meetings between the teams that St Helens have been victorious. Continue reading...
Sprawling storm system to affect vast swath of territory from Canada to Texas with tornadoes threatening in south The National Weather Service has predicted extreme weather across a vast swath of the US encompassing more than 100 million people, with powerful winds gusts up to 80mph (130km/h) being forecast from the border with Canada to Texas. A sprawling storm system crossing the US on Friday overturned semitrucks on highways and fanned wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma, where officials called for evacuations in at least one town. Tornado threats loomed for the Mississippi valley into the night and the deep south on Saturday. Continue reading...
Family of Monica Cameroni De Adams, 65, files $50m damages claim as lawyer accuses city of ‘burying her alive’ An unhoused woman living out of her van in San Diego was towed away by authorities, who did not realize she was inside the car until she was discovered dead in the vehicle a month later, according to a legal claim and autopsy records made public this week. Monica Cameroni De Adams, 65, was inside her parked Honda minivan at about 1am on 5 November 2023 when a driver crashed into her vehicle and another parked car, lawyers for her children outlined in a wrongful death claim against the southern California city. Continue reading...
Swedish company’s valuation jumped 24% in 2024 as ‘buy now, pay later’ market is projected to top $160bn by 2032 The Swedish fintech firm Klarna disclosed on Friday that its revenue jumped 24% in 2024 as the “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) pioneer made public its filing for a much-anticipated US stock market listing. The company, which reshaped online shopping through its short-term financing model, drew investor attention as its valuation soared from $5.5bn to $46.5bn in just two years, fueled by three funding rounds between mid-2020 and 2021. Continue reading...
Arizona senator had also clashed with billionaire over the latter’s ‘traitor’ jibe after Kelly posted about his Ukraine visit The Arizona Democratic senator Mark Kelly announced he was ditching his Tesla car, because of brand owner Elon Musk’s role in slashing federal budgets and staffing and attendant threats to social benefits programs. “Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,” Kelly said, in video posted to X, the social media platform owned by Musk. Continue reading...
Vladimir Motin was in charge of the Solong when it hit a tanker off East Yorkshire coast, leaving one man dead The master of the container ship the Solong, which crashed into another vessel in the North Sea, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. Vladimir Motin, 59, a Russian national, was in charge of the ship when it collided with a tanker carrying jet fuel on Monday about 12 miles (19km) off the East Yorkshire coast, leaving one man dead. Continue reading...
A tournament that has produced tries galore reaches its glorious climax on Super Saturday with England and Ireland hot on the heels of favourites France The best Six Nations campaigns tick two crucial boxes. The first is a consistent sense of jeopardy from start to finish and the second is a level of entertainment that elevates the tournament into the mainstream consciousness. When both occur simultaneously, as they have done this year, the championship’s final round ranks among the most gripping days in modern team sport. This particular “Super Saturday” certainly has all the necessary spicy ingredients, starting with the prospect of France’s second title since 2010 if they can beat Scotland in Paris. A bonus-point win for England over Wales in Cardiff, though, could yet be enough to sneak the trophy in the event of a breathless Scotland win. Which, from a Scottish perspective, looms as the ultimate catch-22 scenario. Continue reading...
Syed, convicted of 1999 murder and jailed for life, maintains innocence in long-running case of legal twists and turns A Maryland judge has formally sentenced Adnan Syed to the time he has already served in prison, appearing to finally bring to a close a long-running case with numerous legal twists and turns that received worldwide attention from the true-crime podcast Serial. Judge Jennifer Schiffer had already decided that Syed would remain free in a recent written ruling, even though his conviction in the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1999 when they were in high school still stands. Continue reading...
Shaken by rail protests, Kyriakos Mitsotakis brings in new transport minister while tacking right on migration The Greek prime minister has appointed a former far-right student activist to the helm of the migration ministry as part of a broad reshuffle aimed at “resetting” his government amid public outrage over its handling of a deadly 2023 train crash. In an attempt to stem declining approval ratings, Kyriakos Mitsotakis placed the self-described nationalist, Makis Voridis, in the sensitive post while selecting a number of younger officials to key portfolios including the transport ministry. Continue reading...
Ex-music mogul accused of forcing long hours on workers and threats to those not compliant in sex-trafficking scheme Never miss global breaking news. Download our free app to keep up with key stories in real time. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs pleaded not guilty on Friday to a new indictment, which added accusations that the hip-hop mogul forced employees to work long hours and threatened to punish those who did not assist in his two-decade sex trafficking scheme. Combs, 55, entered his plea to the new indictment before the US district judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. A trial remains scheduled for 5 May. Continue reading...
PM has been urged to ‘get a grip’ on messaging after railing against the ‘flabby’ state and the civil service’s ‘tepid bath’ Keir Starmer has been warned against adopting the language of Elon Musk after railing against “blockers and checkers” and the “flabby” civil service this week. Gus O’Donnell, the former cabinet secretary, was one of those urging the prime minister to “get a grip” on his messaging, telling the Institute for Government podcast: “My God, he has mishandled the communications on this terribly.” Continue reading...
Northern Irishman two off lead after improved driving Tommy Fleetwood in contention with second-round 66 It looks as if the world’s best golfers should have enjoyed this while it lasted. If forecasted gusts of up to 30mph land at Sawgrass on Saturday, this Players Championship will descend into a war of attrition. Day four carries a 70% chance of storms. The PGA Tour’s marquee event could be about to get grisly. There was a time in the dim and distant past when Rory McIlroy shied away from playing in poor conditions. How things have changed. The Northern Irishman now relishes the battle. McIlroy’s second round of 68 placed him just two off the lead, held by Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia. Continue reading...
Russian airstrikes in Donetsk, protests in Buenos Aires, floods in Brisbane and International Women’s Day: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Continue reading...
Loss of staff will be at least twice as big as thought, as new NHS England chief tells regional boards to cut costs by 50% The jobs cull from the government’s radical restructuring of the NHS will be at least twice as big as previously thought, with other parts of the health service now being downsized too. The staff shakeout caused by NHS England’s abolition and unprecedented cost-cutting elsewhere will mean the number of lost posts will soar from the 10,000 expected to between 20,000 and 30,000. Continue reading...
Media organisations including the Guardian and the BBC fail to gain entry to proceedings What could Apple’s legal challenge mean for data protection? A hearing in Apple’s legal battle with the UK government over access to customer data was held behind closed doors on Friday after the press failed to gain entry to proceedings. The US tech firm has launched an appeal with the investigatory powers tribunal after the Home Office demanded access to encrypted data stored remotely in Apple’s cloud servers. Continue reading...
New manager is a supremely bright anglophile and logical choice in the win-things-now world of international football Well, it didn’t feel like a birthright sale or a betrayal of Albion. Maybe if you squinted a bit, or just heard the vowel sounds. Perhaps if you’ve already performed some kind of ad hoc self-lobotomy using a chisel made from cheddar cheese, pork pie meat and fear. Maybe then, maybe then. But also perhaps not, because Thomas Tuchel’s first squad conference was in the event a highly convincing production, expertly phrased, and hitting just the right note of hope versus realism. So yeah. Good luck with that. How far can we go with this? Because as ever the dynamic remains the same, an appointment to this strange semi-sporting role that will tell us a great deal more about England than the latest smiling man in front of the boards covered in adverts. Continue reading...
The 2025 book trade jamboree featured a bonanza of heart-shaped fiction, celebrity memoirs, and some vexed discussion about festival finances and children’s reading Contentious classics, book-to-screen adaptations and the future of festival funding were some of the hottest topics at this week’s London book fair, which saw around 30,000 agents, authors, translators, publishers and other industry professionals meet in Olympia, London, across three days to hammer out rights deals and discuss the future of publishing. Here is our roundup of some of the takeaways from this year’s fair, and a taste of the books we can expect to see in shops in the near future. Continue reading...
Though many would rather forget the pandemic, we are living with its consequences. Are we any better prepared for the next one? “When asked what was the biggest disaster of the twentieth century, almost nobody answers the Spanish flu,” notes Laura Spinney in her book Pale Rider, of an event that killed as many as one in 20 of the global population. “There is no cenotaph, no monument in London, Moscow or Washington DC.” Most of us will better understand that absence after Covid-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization five years ago this week. Some cannot put those events behind them: most obviously, many of those bereaved by the 7 million deaths worldwide (not including those indirectly caused by the pandemic), and the significant numbers still living with long Covid. Others want to forget the loss of loved ones, the months of isolation and the costs to businesses, families and mental health. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
With The Queen’s Gambit, Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo and a new BBC TV show, the game is winning it right now Once ignored and marginalised as a niche pursuit for nerds, chess is now primetime TV – on BBC Two, naturally. This week saw the launch of Chess Masters: The End Game in which 12 amateur “rising stars” – six men and six women – will compete. Not since American Bobby Fischer beat the Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky (who died last month) at the height of the cold war has there been so much interest in the game. Chess is booming around the world, becoming one of the fastest growing internet games. Rachel Reeves is well known for having been British girls’ chess champion, aged 14. The chancellor’s favoured opening is the Sicilian Defence, apparently: “It’s quite aggressive,” she has said. A new film Checkmate, produced by Emma Stone, about 2022’s alleged cheating scandal involving grandmaster Hans Niemann – he denied all wrongdoing – is in the pipeline. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Readers respond to the news that the actor has paid off £1m of his neighbours’ debts and called for fairer banking practices Michael Sheen’s “heist” of buying and cancelling people’s debts is an inspiring act of solidarity, but it also exposes a fundamental injustice in our financial system (‘It’s not because I want people to think I’m great’: Michael Sheen on paying off £1m of his neighbours’ debts, 10 March). Debts of people who are struggling are bought and sold for pennies on the pound, while they remain liable for the full amount – and may face distressing visits from debt collectors and bailiffs. Our research, with the Centre for Responsible Credit, found that debt purchasers expect to collect back between two and three times what they paid for the debt. Personal debt has spiralled because of low wages, insecure work and a broken lending system that punishes communities who can least afford it. Sheen is right – people are working hard, often juggling multiple jobs, yet are stuck in cycles of high-cost credit simply to cover essentials. More than 10 million people across the UK are “over-indebted”, either behind on bills or finding debts a heavy financial burden – up 70% on pre-pandemic levels. Council tax arrears in England alone have reached £6bn. Continue reading...
Hot favourite suffers shock defeat to late entry Winner could be put forward for Grand National As one tilt at racing immortality came up short here on Friday, another, even more elusive achievement suddenly came into sharp focus as Inothewayurthinkin, in the famous green and gold colours of JP McManus, powered away from Galopin Des Champs, the defending two-times champion, to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup by six lengths. There are still just four horses with three Gold Cup victories to their name, and there is still just one – Golden Miller, who features on both lists – who has won both the Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season, 91 years ago in 1934. Within a month, though, there could be two if McManus and Gavin Cromwell, Inothewayurthinkin’s trainer, decide that the seven-year-old has come out of Friday’s race well enough to take his place in the 34-strong field at Aintree on 5 April. Continue reading...
Follow every minute of Friday evening’s WSL action Feel free to get in touch with Michael here Of course, it’s the Women’s League Cup final tomorrow between Chelsea and Manchester City. Here are two preview pieces for you to read before the showpiece at Pride Park. Here’s what Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers had to say before the trip to Everton: They are a challenging team. They’re one of the most unpredictable tactically. So we’ll have to be prepared. It was 0-0 at home. I think we did a lot of things quite well in that game. We just didn’t score. They’ve recruited new players. I think they’re strong at the moment. They’re strong at their home ground. So we know it’s a big challenge. But obviously we also believe in what we’re doing. Continue reading...
Deal for 17-year-old winger worth about £42m Chelsea also want Dario Essugo from Sporting Chelsea have flown under the radar to agree a shock deal worth about €50m (£42.1m) for the Sporting winger Geovany Quenda, who was a target for Manchester United. The 17-year-old attacker played for Ruben Amorim at Sporting and was widely expected to link up with his former manager at Old Trafford. But Chelsea have swooped in, with sources saying Quenda will move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2026. Continue reading...
A spokesperson offered no evidence for the claim after 26 people were killed on a train that was hijacked in Balochistan province on Tuesday Pakistan’s military has accused neighbouring India of sponsoring militant groups in the south-west of the country as survivors recounted their ordeal from an unprecedented attack that killed 26 passengers on a hijacked train. The scope of the attack in Balochistan province underscores the struggles that Pakistan faces to rein in militant groups. Continue reading...
Tiny lightning streaks in fine spray can power chemical reactions that generate molecules for life, scientists say Charles Darwin thought it started in a warm pond. Others point to comets that ploughed into Earth. And some suspect a bolt from the blue, a lightning strike into the ocean. How life started on Earth may forever be a mystery, but new research proposes a radical idea: that crashing waves and waterfalls may have kicked off the process by throwing up mists of water. Continue reading...
We’d like to hear from people in a relationship how they handle personal finances with their partner, and how their approach is working For many couples, shared finances are no longer the default model – even when living together or combining other assets. Coming to a mutual agreement about finances both parties are happy with is however important in a relationship, and with the cost of living rising, many couples report that financial pressures have put a strain on their relationship. Continue reading...
BBC commentator back in place for Gold Cup ‘I am thinking of those who illuminate this sport’ There was no braver sight at the Cheltenham Festival than the return of John Hunt to the BBC commentary box on Friday, just days after the man who murdered his wife and two daughters was given three whole-life sentences. In his powerful and heartbreaking 1,900-word victim statement delivered at Cambridge crown court on Tuesday, Hunt had told the crossbow killer Kyle Clifford that despite his horrific and cowardly act, he was determined to carry on. Continue reading...
Manchester Art Gallery exhibition features dress inspired by outfit worn by abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond For nearly 160 years, the blue plaque has marked sites of historic importance. Now one English institution has found its own way of signifying a flagship moment while interrogating its past – a blue dress. The new artwork, at Manchester Art Gallery, commemorates the occasion when the African American abolitionist Sarah Parker Remond made a speech on the site in 1859. Continue reading...
Louise Dylan speaks at Clarke’s libel case against Guardian about wrap party for 2012 film The Knot An actor who was said to have been groped by Noel Clarke has told the high court that the incident never happened. In a witness statement for Guardian News and Media (GNM), which is being sued for libel by Clarke, his former creative partner Davie Fairbanks said he saw the former Doctor Who star inappropriately touch Louise Dylan at the wrap party for the 2012 film, The Knot. Continue reading...
Ex-Barclays CEO’s admission that he had sex with Jeffrey Epstein employee is among details to emerge in high court Nearly a year and a half after Jes Staley was banned from the City for allegedly lying about the depth of his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the former Barclays CEO arrived in court ready for a fight. His attempt to overturn the City watchdog’s ruling in a two-week hearing covered in detail a lot of ground that was already in the public domain; but the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) dropped a bombshell on day eight. Continue reading...
From carbonators to shampoo bars, loose-leaf tea to period pants, here’s what helped readers use less plastic • Refillable beauty is the future. Here are my favourite products We all want to use less plastic, but it’s not always easy. So we asked you – readers of the Filter, along with friends, family and colleagues – how you cut down on plastic in your lives. From making your own sparkling water to ditching teabags, here are all the ways you’re helping save the planet, one unnecessary piece of clingfilm at a time. Continue reading...
Responding to an article by Jonathan Freedland, Michael Bowers says we are all paying the price for US delusions, Peter Riddle calls for the UK to align with its European neighbours and Francis Bown sees Donald Trump’s Gnostic tendencies Jonathan Freedland is clearly correct when he says that Donald Trump is turning the US into a mafia state (Journal, 7 March), but perhaps we should consider that the potential to do so was always present. The concept of “America First” indicated that the US intended the world to understand not just that it would put its interests ahead of others, but that there was, and should be, a global acceptance that it was the only real superpower – and that it held a moral right to that position. Trump’s ravings can be seen as a response to discovering that this was never true. The truth is that other western countries have foolishly, and needlessly, supported the US in this delusion. Now we all have to pay the price. Continue reading...
Dr Matthew Henry and Prof Stuart Haszeldine respond to an article about the UK’s ‘gamble’ on solar geoengineering As a climate scientist working on solar geoengineering, I was struck by Raymond Pierrehumbert and Michael Mann’s call to defund the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) research programme (The UK’s gamble on solar geoengineering is like using aspirin for cancer, 12 March). Given current emission projections, it is likely that the world will reach 2C of warming. The only potential tool we have to reduce temperatures on a short timescale is solar geoengineering. It is necessary to reduce emissions, but once we reach net zero, global temperatures only stabilise, and the melting of glaciers and sea level rise will continue. While it is possible to remove carbon from the atmosphere, it remains slow and expensive for now. Continue reading...
Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Thomas Tuchel was unveiled as England manager in mid-October. Since then, he spent two-and-a-half months unofficially collecting his thoughts (and sizeable wage) during a pre-job gardening leave before officially starting on 1 January. Since then, Tuchel has spent the last two-and-a-half months making “an absolutely brilliant impact” and “building connections”, according to chief FA suit Mark Bullingham, despite Tuchel spending large stints working remotely in Germany. Fear not, though, Tuchel has spent some time in England, mainly in chauffeured vehicles and Premier League hospitality lounges. Sitting in heated seats a couple of times a week is rough work, but someone has to do it. It is sometimes said that the England manager’s job is the hardest in football. Just don’t tell that to the person cleaning the post-match bogs at your local Sunday League side. You can only sit around the house and cry for so long. I’m a fighter. I didn’t have a playing career, so I’ve had to scrap to get where I am. I’ve been through a huge amount, so it’s made me quite tough. And it was two-way, right? What the fans did was incredible. It was important for me to show them my appreciation and the way I can do that is being on the touchline driving their club. It was my way of giving back a little bit. I know there were a few reservations from a few people: ‘Is it too early?’ But it just felt right” – the Bristol City manager, Liam Manning, talks to Ben Fisher about returning to football after the death of his baby son, Theo, last year. I’m sorry for disagreeing with an octogenarian (Guy Robert, yesterday’s letters) whose knowledge I would otherwise bow [to], but a penalty miss is a miss whether saved or not. By the way, I’m only 50 and reading the Football Daily is a highlight of my day. Is this (arguing with my elders and betters) as good as it’s going to get for the next 30 years? Probably” – Andy Morrison. Since pedantry is suddenly in fashion again: Thursday’s Football Daily referred to ‘an agonising afternoon’ for Villa as they lost at home to Ipswich in 1981. Not so: it was actually an evening game” – Glyn Berrington (and others). I like Thomas Tuchel primarily because he was involved in that wonderful handshake spat with Antonio Conte while he was the manager of Chelsea. But I can’t look at him without thinking how much he resembles the figure in Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’. And judging by the response to his appointment from the unhinged wings of the British press, I have a feeling Munch’s masterpiece is a premonition of the pressure he’s signed up for” – Colin Reed. This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading...
Sources indicate deal worth around £63m a year ITV to show all five of England men’s matches The Six Nations will remain on free-to-air TV until 2029 after striking a new deal in which ITV will broadcast all England matches. Despite fears that the championship would disappear behind a paywall, ITV and the BBC have brokered an arrangement to keep the annual tournament on terrestrial TV for the next four years. As part of the new arrangement, ITV will have the rights to all five of England men’s matches and will show 10 fixtures a year. Under the current deal which ends after this year’s championship, the BBC shows all Wales and Scotland home fixtures, meaning they will screen Saturday’s clash between Wales and England. Continue reading...
England will drive back to an empty stadium if France slip up, but their performance in Cardiff will define campaign If all goes well for England somewhere around half past nine on Saturday they will be preparing to clamber on to the team bus and head back to the stadium. They will have decamped back to their hotel a couple of miles away in Cardiff Bay but if they have held up their end of the bargain against Wales and it appears that Scotland could do them a favour, England are due back at the Principality Stadium just after 10pm for a possible trophy presentation. It will be a replica trophy in Cardiff – the real thing is in Paris given France remain hot favourites – but broadcasters and sponsors want their champagne moment, come what may, and as a result England must oblige, even in an empty stadium. It means that England could be left a touch red-faced if France leave it late to put Scotland to the sword. All dressed up at the Principality with nowhere to go. Continue reading...
Newcastle face Liverpool in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, while in-form Brighton visit Manchester City on Saturday Saturday 3pm Venue Goodison Park Continue reading...
Arcola theatre, London This firecracker adaptation of the 1990 Johnny Depp film pokes fun at American conservative values in rockabilly songs bursting with biting ironies This musical adaptation of John Waters’ comedy of teen rebellion in 1950s America was not a big hit when it opened on Broadway in 2008. Why not? It is a deliciously satirical creation: dark, silly and utterly delightful. It sends up not only a genre of musicals that feature teen love across the divide, from West Side Story to Grease, but acerbically pokes fun at Wasp-y values and America itself – from its constitution to its sense of exceptionalism. This first professional UK production was long overdue, and in director Mehmet Ergen’s hands it is a firecracker of a show – faster, funnier and more intelligent than so much other retro teen musical fare in the West End. Continue reading...
In this week’s newsletter: Despite its huge budget, Apple’s series has all the hallmarks of an offbeat, slow-burn cult show – not the cultural juggernaut it’s become We haven’t really discussed season two of Severance here at The Guide, at least not compared with all the hyperventilating we did over season one. While I’d like to argue that there’s been a lot to cover so far in 2024 – The Oscars, The Traitors, dead-eyed celebs trying to convince us of the merits of AI – it does feel like a bit of an oversight. Because in this second season, Severance seems to have become a stealth cultural juggernaut. Such terms are nebulous of course, particularly when it’s harder than ever to determine how popular anything is. Apple have claimed that Severance is its most-watched show ever, overtaking Ted Lasso, which is no mean feat - although, as ever with the streamers, actual tangible numerical data for these claims is hardly forthcoming. But Severance has also performed strongly in Nielsen’s (again somewhat contested) ratings for original shows on streaming, routinely appearing in the Top 10 – a rare speck of the gunmetal grey of Apple’s logo in a sea of Netflix red. Continue reading...
Our photographer Tom Jenkins captures highlights of this year’s Cheltenham festival Continue reading...
US president also repeats refuted Putin claim that Ukrainian troops in Kursk are surrounded by Russian army Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Donald Trump has said the US had “very good and productive discussions” with Vladimir Putin and that “thousands of Ukrainian troops” were surrounded by the Russian army, a claim refuted by the Ukrainian military and independent analysts. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said there was a “very good chance” the war between Russia and Ukraine could “finally come to an end”. Continue reading...
Labour MPs suggest backlash means Starmer cannot push ahead with freeze on some personal independence payments UK politics live – latest updates No 10 has been warned it could face frontbench resignations if it follows through with plans to freeze some disability benefits – a move that would require a vote in parliament. Labour MPs have been particularly alarmed by a refusal, both in private and in public, by the prime minister and others in cabinet to commit to not cutting help for the most vulnerable disabled people who cannot work. Continue reading...
School leaders says current special educational needs system in England is on brink of collapse UK politics live – latest updates Parents will need to “think very differently” about government funding for children with special educational needs, the education secretary has said, as school leaders say the current system is on the brink of collapse. Speaking to the Association of School and College Leaders annual conference in Liverpool, Bridget Phillipson said the 2014 Children and Families Act needed to be changed to reform the current system in England that was driving local authorities towards insolvency. Continue reading...
Four women reach resolution with corporation after claims they were victims of ‘rigged’ recruitment process Four female news presenters have reached a settlement with the BBC over claims they were the victims of a “rigged” recruitment process. Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera claimed they lost their positions on the BBC News channel as a result of the recruitment exercise, with their claims involving sex and age discrimination. Continue reading...
Losing the territory strips Ukraine of one of its few solid bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Under constant attack from drones attached to fibre optic cables, the soldiers scrambled in groups of two or three along hidden tracks or through fields, often walking miles to reach Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian retreat from the Kursk region, carried out in stages over the past two weeks, appears to mark the end of one of the most audacious and surprising operations of the conflict, and strips Ukraine of one of its few solid bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations with Russia. Continue reading...
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