When it comes to scandal, seeing is believing – which is why these images caused such a stir Words can tell a story, but it’s pictures that will make you believe in it. Such is the power of a photograph; the ability to strip away illusions, to illuminate something hidden, and sometimes force us to accept unpalatable truths. When it comes to scandal, seeing is believing – occasionally even to the p...
When it comes to scandal, seeing is believing – which is why these images caused such a stir Words can tell a story, but it’s pictures that will make you believe in it. Such is the power of a photograph; the ability to strip away illusions, to illuminate something hidden, and sometimes force us to accept unpalatable truths. When it comes to scandal, seeing is believing – occasionally even to the point that a picture changes the course of history. How might life have been different for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had he not been photographed clutching the midriff of the 17-year-old girl he would later claim he had never met? Without this haunting triptych of the former prince, the late Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein’s fixer, Ghislaine Maxwell, hovering in the background, there would have been nothing physical to connect the then prince with a trafficking victim. Though for years Andrew’s friends insisted that the photograph must have been doctored, buried within the Epstein files recently released by the US Department of Justice is a note from Maxwell that appears to confirm it is real. Continue reading...
Rachel, 32, a consultant, meets Josh, 34, an accountant What were you hoping for? A lovely meal on a misty Saturday, hopefully with someone I’d like to see again. Continue reading...
Rachel, 32, a consultant, meets Josh, 34, an accountant What were you hoping for? A lovely meal on a misty Saturday, hopefully with someone I’d like to see again. Continue reading...
The brutalisation of global norms by figures like Pete Hegseth must be seen as an ethical issue. It’s a fight against chaos, and all major religions must play a role That combative old hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, is not much heard these days, though it was once a favourite with church congregations and school assemblies. Written in 1865 by Sabine Baring-Gould, an English clergyman and religio...
The brutalisation of global norms by figures like Pete Hegseth must be seen as an ethical issue. It’s a fight against chaos, and all major religions must play a role That combative old hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, is not much heard these days, though it was once a favourite with church congregations and school assemblies. Written in 1865 by Sabine Baring-Gould, an English clergyman and religious scholar, its belligerent refrain urges the faithful on to battle, victory and conquest: “Onward, Christian soldiers / Marching as to war / With the cross of Jesus / Going on before!” Its martial tone suited the Victorian zeitgeist but it made succeeding generations uneasy (though it was still sung in my primary school in the early 1960s). Nowadays, this sort of triumphalism gives religion a bad name. Pete Hegseth, US defence secretary, and a leading Christian soldier, would certainly disagree. He probably hums it on his way to work. At a recent Christian worship service in the Pentagon – an irregular event, given the constitution’s dislike of anything smacking of state religion – Hegseth, referencing Iran, prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”. Hegseth’s creed is killing . He describes Iranians as “religious fanatics”. And he should know. His intolerant brand of evangelical Christian nationalism is extreme even by US standards – yet has Donald Trump’s backing. Trump was a Presbyterian until 2020, when he abruptly declared he wasn’t. God knows what he is now. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Citizen science data reveals early flowering, nesting and insect activity as global heating accelerate seasonal change Bluebells are flowering, swallows are returning and orange-tip butterflies are flying in what could become Britain’s earliest recorded spring. Records for early spring occurrences are being smashed as 2026 looks to be the earliest this century for frogspawn laying, blackbirds nest...
Citizen science data reveals early flowering, nesting and insect activity as global heating accelerate seasonal change Bluebells are flowering, swallows are returning and orange-tip butterflies are flying in what could become Britain’s earliest recorded spring. Records for early spring occurrences are being smashed as 2026 looks to be the earliest this century for frogspawn laying, blackbirds nesting, brimstone butterflies emerging and hazel flowering, according to Nature’s Calendar , which has logged citizen science records of seasonal change since 2000. Continue reading...
Royal visitors have long been popular in the US, and Charles has decades of diplomacy under his belt. But can soft power save the special relationship? What’s the worst that could happen when King Charles visits Donald Trump in Washington at the end of this month? And what will be the best outcome from Keir Starmer’s point of view, since it is the prime minister who directed the visit to go ahead ...
Royal visitors have long been popular in the US, and Charles has decades of diplomacy under his belt. But can soft power save the special relationship? What’s the worst that could happen when King Charles visits Donald Trump in Washington at the end of this month? And what will be the best outcome from Keir Starmer’s point of view, since it is the prime minister who directed the visit to go ahead in the hope of improving our battered, supposedly special relationship? While the relationship is still apparently meaningful to Britain, to the US it appears to not mean so much – especially now. The king goes where he is told, whether he would prefer to stay at home or not. This time to a land whose president denounces our aircraft carriers as toys and accuses us of cowardice , and whose defence secretary talks derisively of our Royal Navy. Perhaps Charles ought to wear his naval admiral’s uniform when he goes to the White House, medals and all. Continue reading...
Stefan Golaszewski’s compassionate series focuses on life after baby loss, while Kristoffer Borgli’s controversial psychological movie hits another raw nerve. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews Continue reading...
Stefan Golaszewski’s compassionate series focuses on life after baby loss, while Kristoffer Borgli’s controversial psychological movie hits another raw nerve. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews Continue reading...
R-Patz and Zandaya star in a romcom with bite, and the lovably dysfunctional family is back in a revival of the turn-of-the-millennium comedy hit The Drama Out now It is hard to imagine a more zeitgeist-flavoured proposition than Zendaya and Robert Pattinson starring in a dark romantic comedy from A24 – and frankly we are here for it. The pair play a couple whose relationship is tested by the reve...
R-Patz and Zandaya star in a romcom with bite, and the lovably dysfunctional family is back in a revival of the turn-of-the-millennium comedy hit The Drama Out now It is hard to imagine a more zeitgeist-flavoured proposition than Zendaya and Robert Pattinson starring in a dark romantic comedy from A24 – and frankly we are here for it. The pair play a couple whose relationship is tested by the revelation of brand new information during their engagement. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario). Continue reading...
A cheerful rice bowl fragrant with ginger, garlic and spring onion, and laced with a sprightly chilli bean sauce With spring in the air, I want a dish that’s the equivalent of turning the key in the ignition, firing up the engine and riding off into the sun. In short: something with a bit of va-va-voom. That dish, for me, is these Sichuan aubergines, a take on the classic “fish fragrant aubergines...
A cheerful rice bowl fragrant with ginger, garlic and spring onion, and laced with a sprightly chilli bean sauce With spring in the air, I want a dish that’s the equivalent of turning the key in the ignition, firing up the engine and riding off into the sun. In short: something with a bit of va-va-voom. That dish, for me, is these Sichuan aubergines, a take on the classic “fish fragrant aubergines” (so called because the same aromatics are often used to cook fish). Creamy to begin with, they’re layered with flavour by way of ginger, garlic, spring onion and, finally, laced with delight and good times owing to the bright chilli bean sauce and vinegar. Continue reading...
I’m on the sofa with a beer, watching a show where people always end up not buying property in Mediterranean resorts I’m sitting in my office shed looking through the open door into the garden. It’s warm and sunny – the first spring-like day of spring. Across the lawn I see my wife open the kitchen door and place the tortoise on the back step. Later it will be cold and he will have to come in, and...
I’m on the sofa with a beer, watching a show where people always end up not buying property in Mediterranean resorts I’m sitting in my office shed looking through the open door into the garden. It’s warm and sunny – the first spring-like day of spring. Across the lawn I see my wife open the kitchen door and place the tortoise on the back step. Later it will be cold and he will have to come in, and I will not be able to find him. I make a mental note to start the search before dark. On my way to the kitchen an hour later, I notice he’s already disappeared. Continue reading...
“You don’t even have to look for it,” nine-year-old Anaqi said of the short videos he watches online. “It just shows up automatically, and it’s super interesting.” That instinctive pull is familiar to his father, Firdaus Omar. The 39-year-old Malaysian civil servant said his two children – Anaqi and his six-year-old brother – could spend hours watching the kind of short, noisy, endlessly recommend...
“You don’t even have to look for it,” nine-year-old Anaqi said of the short videos he watches online. “It just shows up automatically, and it’s super interesting.” That instinctive pull is familiar to his father, Firdaus Omar. The 39-year-old Malaysian civil servant said his two children – Anaqi and his six-year-old brother – could spend hours watching the kind of short, noisy, endlessly recommended clips now commonly dismissed online as “brain rot”. He is worried about the effect of such...
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog and police are investigating a large-scale data leak involving over 56,000 patients served by the Hospital Authority, which reported the unauthorised retrieval of a variety of information. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Saturday that it received a report from the authority on Friday, noting that patients’ names, identity card numbers, ...
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog and police are investigating a large-scale data leak involving over 56,000 patients served by the Hospital Authority, which reported the unauthorised retrieval of a variety of information. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Saturday that it received a report from the authority on Friday, noting that patients’ names, identity card numbers, genders, dates of birth, dates of hospital visits and health information had been leaked. The health...
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog and police are investigating a large-scale data leak involving over 56,000 patients served by the Hospital Authority, which reported the unauthorised retrieval of a variety of information. The authority on Saturday apologised to affected victims – patients of hospitals in Kowloon East – for the breach that compromised their names, identity card numbers, genders, dates ...
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog and police are investigating a large-scale data leak involving over 56,000 patients served by the Hospital Authority, which reported the unauthorised retrieval of a variety of information. The authority on Saturday apologised to affected victims – patients of hospitals in Kowloon East – for the breach that compromised their names, identity card numbers, genders, dates of birth, dates of hospital visits and details of surgical procedures, among other information. The...