It will be aimpossiblea to sell tours, said one tourism official

Helen Coffey checks in

Contending with a swollen ankle, unmarked terrain and a hostile landscape, Ria Xi faced a remarkable challenge crossing the vast desert a she tells Tamara Davison how local knowledge and support were invaluable to completing the ultramarathon safely

The thorny issue of popular cities and beauty spots being inundated with visitors is something that frequently raises its head. Helen Coffey picks out some just-as-worthwhile alternatives to the traditional hotspots

aYou paid for your seat, that"s how the system works,a one commenter on Reddit wrote

Ahead of the next above-inflation price rise: all you need to know about getting the best deal for rail travel in Britain

Exclusive: Dozens of daily flights link Moscow with Turkey, Dubai and Indian Ocean islands

Mastering the art of going on holiday with the family in cities, especially popular ones like Amsterdam, can seem challenging a but thereas a hotel for everyone to enjoy

From foodie feasts to reggae fests and the best live entertainment, consider this your Bajan travel to-do list

From atmospheric cricket matches to all-day polo and thrilling road tennis, Barbados is the perfect spot to get sporty

Deepdive into Bajan history, nature and culture with these must-see sights and experiences

Another rise in train ticket prices is impending.

Despite the bottle going unnoticed on the way out, the passenger had to pay extra on her return as part of the baggage rules

Unsupervised workers left a section of aredundant raila on the line, an accident report found

Sun-soaked, beachy and beautifully untouched, Croatia is the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature

From 80s themed museums to bustling markets and artsy festivals, take a seriously cool culture trip in Croatia

While Sloveniaas enchanting lakes and mountains never fail to amaze, Robin McKelvie reveals the magic to be found in the countryas urban spaces

From golden sands to pink shorelines, these are the best beaches in the world ranked by Tripadvisor reviewers

The members of cabin crew are currently under investigation

Appalled social media users called the outdated list a call out for aeye candya

The best cruise deals as awave seasona is in full swing

Give your body and mind a break on a holiday at sea dedicated to your wellbeing

Among the passengers was the Archbishop of New York, who took Mass in a local Canadian parish

An influx of volcano visitors is becoming a safety risk in Sicily

Pick your ultimate sunshine break from our Caribbean edit

Discover Europeas best-kept secrets with Jet2holidays this summer, from secret Greek islands to rugged Portuguese coastal escapes

The Australian mining magnate shared the news just months out from the countryas federal election

Thereas more to Turkey than sun, sand and cosmopolitan cities a Maryann Wright takes to the mountains of SarA+-kamA+-A-Kars to discover the country"s snowy secret

Experts have weighed in as long waiting lists for care are sending more people overseas for help

This yearas cast of singletons is 70 percent white

The aSpider-Mana star launched his alcohol-free beer brand in October 2024

The Duchess of Sussex announced she was changing the name of her lifestyle brand on Tuesday

The socialite welcomed her two-year-old son Phoenix and one-year-old daughter London with her husband Carter Reum via surrogacy

The reality star is in the second season of a90 Day FiancA(c)asa spinoff, aThe Last Resort,a with her husband

aYou paid for your seat, that"s how the system works,a one commenter on Reddit wrote

Anyone who enjoys wild swimming, paddleboarding and surfing are more at risk of hearing loss. Hereas why. Dan Baumgardt reports

Kaling was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television

aI love to see women get their happily ever after - especially after going through abuse and trauma,a wrote fans

The fried chicken chain will be relocating from the Bluegrass State to Plano, Texas

aItas part of my life now,a actor said

Hereas what makes this infection so grave, write Brian Oliver and Min Feng

The Mowgli Street Food founder and former Great British Menu judge is back, this time inviting viewers into her Wirral home for a masterclass in low-effort, high-reward cooking. She talks to Ella Walker about dahl, difficult decisions and why sheas never eating her chickensa eggs

The Mowgli Street Food founder shares a super-simple, punchy pork recipe where ginger beer brings the sweetness, mustard adds the bite and dinner is ready in minutes

The Mowgli Street Food founder shares a fiery, flavour-packed recipe inspired by the late-night markets of the East a and insists the best way to serve it is to let your guests get stuck in

As the new season of Mike Whiteas hit HBO drama releases its first episode, Olivia Petter unpacks one of the most interesting relationship dynamics at its core

The Mowgli Street Food founder shares a childhood classic with an Indian twist a crispy battered fish goujons, punchy gherkin raita and the kind of flavour upgrade only a mother would dare attempt

500 to 600 Wendyas restaurants will have AI order takers at drive-thrus by the end of 2025

aHe will not let this go, and I feel he will veto any other name I want to give my child,a said the mother

Experts have weighed in as long waiting lists for care are sending more people overseas for help

The 28-year-old artist can be heard saying, aYouare going to see some terrible things tonighta

Will Denise rekindle with her ex-husband or stay faithful to her secret lover?

Comedian and actor appeared to reference the rapper in his aSNLa performance

Music mogulas lawyers are seeking to have some charges dismissed by claiming the law has been used to atarget Black mena

This yearas film and TV categories are led by aWickeda and aShAguna

Hollywood A-lister, who was raised a Democrat, supported Kamala Harris after urging Joe Biden to drop out of the race

The rapper was found not guilty of felony assault following a high-profile trial in Los Angeles

The aGossip Girla star shares four young children with her husband Ryan Reynolds

Carvey was an SNL cast member from 1986 to 1993

New batch of names join previously announced presenters such as Halle Berry, PenA(c)lope Cruz, and Elle Fanning

Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott co-star in a true-life tale that canat help but feel stagey and stilted despite game performances

Vampires donat age, but actors do. Could AI solve this issue for the incoming Buffy reboot? Valentina Signorelli reports.

The singer initially announced his retirement in 2018

Majority of the complaints were about Elma Pazaras behaviour on the show

Bitter feud is alleged to have begun while filming the box office hit aIt Ends With Usa

Kaling was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television

aTheyare trying to trivialise the whole show to get away with karaoke,a former band member said

Oscar winner recalled an infamous scene from the movie involving a notorious aspecial ingredienta

Actor was areally bummeda to miss out on the role, despite his later success

aIt f***s me up,a he said

Cavill played Superman from 2013 until 2022

aIf he likes it so much, then let him go,a says author

Brian Molko made the remarks at a 2023 music festival in Turin

JioHotstar, the official streaming partner for HBOas The White Lotus in India, seems to have censored the first episode of the showas third season

aThe industry creates monsters,a Sykes, who worked with TV chef for four years, said

The highly anticipated film is expected to start shooting this summer

Exclusive: Dame Helen opened up about the passage of time in a new interview with aThe Independenta

In 1943, English actor Greer Garson won the Academy Award for Best Actress and spoke for an undefeated four minutes. ClA(c)mence Michallon revisits this page in Oscars history

New York federal judge informed both parties to prepare for a trial in March 2026

As aEastEndersa celebrates 40 years since its characters first arrived on Albert Square, Roisin O"Connor remembers her grandmother Anna Wing, who became a household name as the formidable Lou Beale

aIf youare going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay mea

The crime proceduralas universe is about to grow

TV star appeared in 81 episodes of the murder mystery drama

Libertines singer previously said he felt adeath was lurkinga

The rapper was facing two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm

The primetime soap may not have its peak 30-million audience, but its humour, warmth and the certainty that someone on the square is having a worse day than you have helped it to reach an extraordinary milestone, writes Fiona Sturges

Christopher Nolanas new epic has released a first look at Matt Damonas Odysseus character

A trip down memory lane as the soap turns 40

James McGovern and Damien Tuit of the Dublin-formed group speak to Louis Chilton about their shapeshifting third album, Irish solidarity with Palestine, and the argument in LA that nearly broke up the band

The couple were not home at the time of the burglary

aLove is Blinda aired the first six episodes of its eighth season on February 14

Viewers werenat happy with the omission but there was a good reason

A new Netflix series dramatises the real-life story of Belle Gibson, the Australian wellness influencer who built an empire off the back of a non-existent brain tumour. Helen Coffey sorts reality from fantasy by digging into the bizarre true events that inspired the show

aThought I was following George Clooney for a moment,a another presenter quipped

aLove Islanda star named Oscar-nominated horror as her favourite but previously gave it a aliteral two out of 10a

The aDeadpoola star sat in the celebrity audience of aSNL 50a alongside his wife

Cheryl Cole afreaked outa forcing Holden to replace her

aSex Educationa actor will appear in his second season as the Time Lord later this year

aNot even worth staying fora said one fan

A jury returned the verdict on Tuesday afternoon after deliberating for just three hours

Remark follows Ukrainian leaderas claim US president living in a Russian adisinformation bubblea

• Europe live a latest updates

The US and Ukraine appear to be heading towards an irreconcilable rift after Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling the Ukrainian president aa dictatora and warning that he abetter move fasta or he awonat have a country lefta.

The US leaderas comments on Wednesday, which were rife with falsehoods, came after Zelenskyy said Trump was atrappeda in a Russian adisinformation bubble,a following Trumpas claims that Ukraine was to blame for Russiaas 2022 invasion, remarks that echoed the Kremlinas narrative.

Decades-long research shows worldas glaciers collectively lost 6.542tn tonnes of ice between 2000 and 2023

Melting glaciers have caused almost 2cm of sea level rise this century alone, a decades-long study has revealed.

The research shows the worldas glaciers collectively lost 6.542tn tonnes of ice between 2000 and 2023, causing an 18mm (0.7in) rise in global sea levels.

Pep Guardiola had asked his team to at least give the Santiago BernabA(c)u a fright; instead, they were the ones exposed to a terrifying truth, wearing a haunted hollow look. It is not just that Manchester Cityas Champions League campaign is over, a Kylian MbappA(c) hat-trick sending Real Madrid through here; it is them. The team that Guardiola said was a machine for eight years is no more. Cityas manager had said he was lying when he gave his team a 1% chance of going through, and so it proved: it was not even that high.

There was no comeback, not even a glimpse, of one. No epic, just the end. When they scored in the last minute, it was greeted with ironic cheers, this stadium continuing to laugh at them as they had done for some time now. The goal did not matter: the only bad news on a perfect night was the yellow card that means Jude Bellingham will miss the first leg against Bayer Leverkusen or AtlA(c)tico Madrid. Real Madrid were superb, confirming that they are candidates for the competition they consider their own.

Black bear weighing 500lb found in crawlspace in Pasadena, two weeks after Altadena man discovered unfamiliar tenant

Two 500-plus pound black bears have laid claim to homes evacuated during the destructive Eaton fire in southern California.

Last month, when Samy Arbid returned to his Altadena home, he found aBarrya a a 525lb black bear a living under the house. This week, another Californian reported a different unexpected visitor living in his houseas crawlspace in neighboring Pasadena: another 500 to 600lb bear.

Gaza: How to Survive a Warzoneas 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, has been revealed to be the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas-run government

The BBC has been asked to remove a documentary about children living in Gaza from BBC iPlayer after it emerged the filmas 13-year-old narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a deputy agriculture minister in the territoryas Hamas-run government.

The corporation said that it had discovered the family connections of the filmas English-speaking narrator, a child called Abdullah, after the documentary was aired on BBC Two on Monday evening.

Man was trekking with another Briton in Dhauladhar range on trail from Dharamkot to Triund in northern India

A British tourist has died after seriously injuring himself while trekking in the Himalayas.

The man, who had gone on a short hike to the foot of the Dhauladhar mountain range in northern India with another British tourist, fell during his descent on Sunday evening and was taken down the mountain on a stretcher.

Police arrested prolific criminal after homeowners showed CCTV footage of him tripping on string tied to pail of water

A bungling burglar has been jailed after he was caught out by a Home Alone-style bucket trap.

The homeowners in Northumberland had set the snare after several recent reports of attempted break-ins in the local area.

• Individual ejected during match against Muchova
• LTA plan aextensive security arrangementsa at Queenas

Emma Raducanu has insisted aIall be OKa after the behaviour of a male spectator caused the British tennis star to pause a match in tears and raised again the issue of security for female athletes.

The 22-year-old spoke of the adifficult experiencea she endured during her Dubai Tennis Championships match against Karolina Muchova on Tuesday night, when she was forced to alert officials mid-match to the presence of an individual in the stands who had accosted her earlier in the tournament.

Exclusive: rights group says use of algorithms and data is unfair, dangerous and reinforces discrimination in policing

British policingas use of algorithms and data to predict where crime will happen is racist and picks on the poor, a report from Amnesty International says.

The human rights group says predictive policing tools, used by most police forces in the UK, are so unfair, dangerous and discriminatory that they should be banned.

Prosecutors seize 71 canvases and say evidence suggests an art restorer was behind frauds

A clandestine workshop has been discovered in Rome where fakes of paintings by some of the worldas most famous artists, including Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt, were produced before being sold online.

The discovery was made in a house in a district in the north of the city by a team from Romeas public prosecutorsa office and the forgeries unit of Italyas art squad, which they said has gathered aimportant evidencea to suggest an art restorer was at the centre of the racket.

The ex-president faces charges of a murderous conspiracy while his US counterpart has surged back to power

At the height of Jair Bolsonaroas haywire presidency, Brazilian activists projected their deepest desire on to the Tower of London, where Guy Fawkes once languished after plotting to blow up parliament and assassinate the king.

aJail Bolsonaro,a their wordplay read.

Sitting side by side like a couple announcing their engagement, the worldas most powerful man and Donald Trump gushed about their relationship to Sean Hannity

The British dancer Debbie McGee was once asked in an interview: aWhat first ever attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?a Hopefully some day Donald Trump will be asked in an interview: aWhat first ever attracted you to the billionaire far-right sympathizer Elon Musk?a

Alas, the question was not put by the Fox News host Sean Hannity when he conducted a joint interview with the worldas most powerful man and Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

Eli Sharabi learned his wife and daughters had been killed after his release from captivity in Gaza but is amentally stronga, says British brother-in-law

aDonat worry, I will be back. Whatever they do to me, I will be back,a was one of the last things Eli Sharabi told his wife and daughters before he was abducted by Hamas. And when the 52-year-old was freed after 16 months in captivity in Gaza, he was desperate to know if his family were waiting for him.

It was only then that he was told that his British wife, Lianne Sharabi, 48, and daughters Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, had been murdered at their home in the Beaeri kibbutz in Israel on 7 October 2023.

Portrayals of animal as melancholic and unintelligent are incorrect, say leads of University of Exeter module

From Eeyore to Shrek, donkeys on the big screen have traditionally been characterised as stubborn or comedic. But a new university film course run in partnership with a donkey sanctuary is hoping to rehabilitate the animalas reputation.

The film studies module at the University of Exeter, which began this term, explores how the portrayal of donkeys in films has affected public attitudes towards them.

A bailiff has an identity crisis after a tragedy in Radu Judeas new film, a scornful polemic on 21st-century Europe set between hope and despair

Once again, Romanian film-maker Radu Jude has given us a garrulous, querulous movie of ideas a a scattershot fusillade of scorn. It is satirical, polemical, infuriated at the greedy and reactionary mediocrities in charge in his native land and wobbling on an unstable cusp between hope and despair. Like his previous film Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (whose lead actor Ilinca Manolache appears briefly in cameo here), Jude takes aim at bad faith and bad taste and takes us on what is almost a kind of architectural tour of Romanian malaise a this time in Cluj a in which he shows us the racism, nationalism, and a pointless obsession in the countryas governing classes with real estate and property development as a kind of universal aspiration. The movie closes with an acid montage of seedy public housing juxtaposed with gated private estates. And like the previous film, there is a repeated visual trope of a woman driving in a car, shown in profile, driving, driving, driving, looking for something a anything.

Kontinental a25 is loosely inspired by Roberto Rossellinias Europa a51, in which Ingrid Bergmanas character is radicalised by a tragedy in her own life a a poster for this is shown in one scene in which our heroine is getting drunk in a cinema bar. Eszter Tompa plays Orsolya, a former law professor who has apparently lost her job and now humiliatingly works as a bailiff. She is now tasked with evicting a homeless, depressed man holed up in the squalid basement of an apartment building bought by a German property firm who intend to raze it to the ground and replace it with a luxury boutique hotel called the Kontinental (a building much bigger than the original and clearly conceived with minimal interest in the existing architectural forms).

US president loses grip on reality, while delegates at a rightwing conference in London remain cocooned from real world

Even by his recent standards, Tuesday nightas stream of unconsciousness from Donald Trump took some beating. Hot on the tail of excluding Ukraine from the first round of peace talks with Russia and in effect threatening to withdraw the US from Nato, the Donald has now suggested it was Kyiv who started the war with Moscow.

More than that, he declared President Zelenskyyas popularity ratings had slid to just 4% in his own country and that he had assumed the role of dictator by not holding elections. He ended by claiming that the US had given more than three times as much aid to Ukraine than the rest of Europe combined. You could almost hear Vladimir Putin cheering from the sidelines. He couldnat have written the script any better. It was perfection.

Stage and screen actor who appeared in eight of the saucy Carry On films of the 1960s and 70s

Julian Holloway, who has died aged 80, was a prolific television actor and voice artist, and had a stage career that took him to Broadway, but he was best known for appearing in eight Carry On movies.

In later years he freely disowned them. aI am not remotely proud of my involvement in the films,a he said in a 2018 interview with Callum J Phoenix for the Retroboy website, adding that Kenneth Williams a who appeared in more of the productions, known for their saucy seaside postcard humour, than any other actor a once advised him: aDonat let the stigma of the Carry Ons attach itself to you.a

The check-shirted Googlewhacker is back with another series of Modern Life Is Goodish. The comic talks about finding lifeas joyful side, setting fiendish crosswords a and his low-key calamity with the MasterChef host

Dave Gormanas comic dissection of 21st-century coincidence and absurdity is back after a seven-year hiatus, for a sixth season that was meant to run for four episodes. But check the schedules and youall notice there are only three episodes of Modern Life Is Goodish. What happened? The answer lies in the sort of low-key calamity that feels very Dave Gorman.

aWe made four,a the comedian explains. aBut one of them is 75% about Gregg Wallace. Itas in the bin.a This lost, cursed Goodish episode was filmed and finished just as news broke that Wallace, a presenter on BBC1as hit cookery show MasterChef, was the subject of multiple accusations of inappropriate behaviour a which he has denied a instantly cancelling the cult hero status Goodish was drawing on. aItas sort of taking the piss out of him but in a very loving way, tongue in cheek,a says Gorman. aThereas a routine that sets up the idea that Iave invented a product. I need to get a celebrity endorsement for it. The punchline tying all the routines together is that heas filmed an advert for it.a

Writer-director Osgood Perkins follows up horror hit Longlegs with a tiresome, juvenile adaptation of a Stephen King short story about an evil toy monkey

aEverybody dies and thatas fucked upa is the tagline and emo ethos of snarky Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, a film about the inescapable inevitability yet goofy silliness of death. The writer-director Osgood Perkins, who scored a hit with last yearas Longlegs, knows more about it than most. His father, the actor Anthony Perkins, died of Aids when Osgood was 18 and then his mother, the actor and model Berry Berenson, died in the September 11 attacks as a passenger on Flight 11. Perkins has found a way to work through something so unimaginably awful with a career as a horror film-maker, and his latest, focused on twins cursed by generational trauma is his most obviously personal film yet.

To his credit, Perkins has chosen not to wallow in the grim dirge associated with trauma and the horror genre. The original script for The Monkey had apparently delivered its central conceit a a toy monkey that brings death to those around it a with a straight face, something he found to be discordant, insisting a lighter, comedy-over-horror makeover. But the humour here is far too smug and nihilistic, similar to the grating can-you-believe-weare-doing-this swagger of the Deadpool series, so happy with itself that it doesnat really care if anyone else is smiling too. The film has a juvenile middle-finger-up attitude that confuses broad fuck-the-world misanthropy for actual edginess, annoying enough for a scene but close to insufferable for an entire movie. Itas also a tone that doesnat really work for a King adaptation and when a flash of his earnestness does shine through, itas uncomfortably out of place, providing more of a jolt than any of the ineffective death scenes which rely on brash and empty Looney Tunes violence. If the aim is numbing us to the shock of a violent death then perhaps the film succeeds but surely we shouldnat be quite so bored by it too.

From fancy olive oil to jazzy tea towels, skip the obvious and surprise your host with one of these creative dinner party gifts

Iam convinced that the same bottle of Whispering Angel and box of Lindor chocolates have been doing the rounds among my friends for two or three years now. Itas not that we donat like them (whatas not to like?); itas that they are such easy gifts. Every host saves them for when theyare next a guest, in an unspoken game of Pass the ProvenASSal Rose.

Yet the reason wine and chocolates are such popular dinner party gifts is the same reason they get passed around: theyare often generic. Theyare not thoughtless per se, but they rarely suggest a huge amount of thought for the personality or taste of the host.

Why would anyone apply for a role, go to an interview, sign a contract, but never turn up to work? The answer probably lies in the punishing jobs market ...

Name: Career catfishing.

Age: Itas very 2025.

What we are fighting for is not autopiana or unachievable. Trumpism can and must be defeated

I will be doing town meetings in Omaha, Nebraska, this Friday night and Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday morning. Further, in the coming weeks and months, I and other progressives will be holding grassroots events from coast to coast.

Why, at this moment, are we doing town meetings around the country a especially in conservative areas? The answer is obvious.

Healthcare is a human right and must be available to all regardless of income.

Every worker in America is entitled to earn a decent income. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage and make it easier for workers to join unions.

We must have the best public educational system in the world, from childcare to vocational training, to graduate school a available to all.

We must address the housing crisis and build the millions of units of low-income and affordable housing that we desperately need.

We must create millions of good paying jobs as we lead the world in combating the existential threat of climate change.

We must abolish all forms of bigotry.

Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and chair of the health education labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont and is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress

A friend sent me the image by surprise and I felt a lot of things very strongly: love, upset, amusement, pleasure and anger

An old friend sent me a photo that caused me to stop whatever I was doing. I stared at it for a long time, possibly without drawing breath. Martin and I grew up living next door to each other. He now lives in Australia. It was from there that he sent me a screenshot of Google Mapsa Street View, showing what had been our homes. Side by side, just bricks and mortar obviously, but teeming with meaning for both of us. That wasnat the thing though. The thing was that in a corner of the photo stood a familiar figure in a red jumper. My dad.

He died this time last year. And yet here he was, standing under the tree next to his car. I felt a lot of things very strongly all at the same time: love, surprise, upset, amusement, anger, pleasure and other things. This was a month ago, but itas on my mind again this week as it would have been his 87th birthday. And Iam still no nearer computing what I feel about the image being there, available to all, on what my dad always referred to as athe neta.

What does aAs Evera mean? And does it involve jam? Do not fear: the Duchess of Sussex is on hand to explain all

In these days of darkness we must take delight where we can find it, and one reliable source is the Duchess of Sussex. In her latest venture, Meghan, who occupies the tricky position of having a large platform and not enough to fill it (see also: Brooklyn Beckham), launched a new lifestyle brand that, she promised in a short video, would be abeautifully weaving together everything I cherish a food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living and finding joy in the everydaya. The brand American Riviera Orchard is dead. Long live the new brand, As Ever.

The duchess and her husband, Prince Harry, have to do something and good luck to them, but itas hard not to study the rollout of As Ever for signs of the widening gap between Meghanas self-image and how the rest of the world sees her. aaAs evera,a writes the duchess on Instagram, ameans aas itas always beena or some even say ain the same way as alwaysa,a the asomea in this sentence apparently referring to the dictionary definition of a two-word phrase that no one has ever had trouble understanding.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

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.

The CDU is a big player in the European parliament, but its predicted win this Sunday wonat change Germanyas inward focus

What a difference four years makes. In 2021, the world watched the German elections to see who would succeed the EUas uncrowned aqueena. Angela Merkel had become a symbol of liberal democracy in the era marked by the first Trump administration. In Germany, two colourless figures explicitly vied to replace her. Deep down everyone knew that German leadership in Europe was coming to an end. But no one could have foreseen how steep the fall would be.

Today, Germany is a country struggling with itself, increasingly sidelined in Europe and the world. The second Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 largely destroyed Merkelas rosy legacy, exposing her opportunistically soft approach to authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin and the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor OrbA!n. Under Merkelas Social Democratic party (SPD) successor, Olaf Scholz, the country has become as pale and uninspiring as the chancellor himself.

Cas Mudde is the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, and author of The Far Right Today

From the psychological torture to the inexorable rightward drift of the family business, itas not much fun being a Murdoch

It is a life-defining moment, for James Murdoch, to describe his father and wider family in an interview with the Atlantic. Much of the rough and tumble and backstabbing a Rupert essentially pitting James against the older Lachlan, in a fight that continually vexed him because his favourite (Lachlan) never won a has existed in the public domain for years as rumour. Much of it has been proved or demonstrated within reason, either by biographers a Michael Wolff in particular a or by events, culminating in Rupert and Lachlanas legal case to secure Lachlanas hold on the Murdoch family trust, against the other siblings, James, Liz and Prue, at the end of last year, which Rupert lost.

Yet none of those machinations, spanning decades, could really encompass the sheer unbridled nastiness of this family. James describes a meeting with Rupertas lawyer, Rupert himself sitting at the table, feigning a lack of interest. A series of questions directed to James a aHave you ever done anything successful on your own?a; aWhy were you too busy to say aHappy Birthdaya to your father when he turned 90?a a are so loaded and needling itas hard to imagine them emitting from any kind of professional. James recounts thinking his father was distracted, playing on his phone, only to realise that he was actually texting these questions to the lawyer.

The slogan aEveryone must go!a is being rubbished, but is it really that bad? Hong Kong and Vilnius have much stronger claims to this shameful title ...

Having worked in the advertising industry for a while, I can tell you that creating a great ad is a lot more difficult than skewering a bad ad. Thatas partly why I left a full-time gig in adland to focus on writing. Although the bigger reason, if Iam honest, is that I wrote a column saying I was going to quit my stupid advertising job before actually quitting, and my boss saw it and reacted as you might expect.

But my poor life choices are not the point; the point here is other peopleas poor choices, namely those of some marketers in New Zealand. You see, the people at Tourism New Zealand are facing international ridicule for a new advertising campaign a with the tagline aEveryone must go!a a designed to entice Australians to visit.

With Spanish GDP growth leading Europe last year, diversity is making us richer a not only financially but culturally, too

The worldas fastest growing major advanced economy last year was most likely Spain. According to preliminary official data for 2024, Spainas GDP grew by 3.2%, almost five times the eurozone average and more than the US, which did pretty well too. In December, the Economist ranked Spain first among 37 mostly wealthy countries based on five indicators: GDP, stock market performance, core inflation, unemployment and government deficits. Forecasts for 2025 look good.

Why is Spain doing so well? One key reason is immigration. Recent population flows, particularly but not only from Colombia, Venezuela and other Latin American countries, as well as Morocco, have boosted domestic demand and rejuvenated the workforce. According to the main labour national survey, nearly 90% of new jobs were filled by workers of foreign origin or dual nationality. Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2007.

MarAa RamArez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain

As Europe innovates to boost defence without public service cuts, Britain clings to fiscal restraint a an unaffordable risk in an unstable world

When settling wars rewards lawlessness, displaces populations and fuels lasting grievances, the result is more war. That was the former foreign secretary William�Hagueas verdict on Donald Trumpas approach to peacemaking, drawing lessons from the Balkans, the second world war and the Middle East. A more insecure world will require Britain to increase defence spending. The UK currently could not sustain major troop deployments in Ukraine, undermining the idea it�could provide Kyiv with asecurity guaranteesa.

This is a dilemma faced across Europe, leading the EU to see deficit-financed defence spending as the answer. In contrast, Britain remains seemingly bound by economic orthodoxy, prioritising fiscal discipline over borrowing. The UK Treasury has apparently asked unprotected public services a excluding health, education and defence a to prepare for real-terms cuts of up to 11% ahead of Juneas spending review, as funds are diverted to the military. This would be a mistake.

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.

The rule of law is under threat around the world, making it all the more vital to defend it at home

Separation of the judiciary from other branches of power is a recent innovation in Britainas constitution. The supreme court was established in 2009 and a culture of respect for the independence of the courts is�not deeply entrenched.

Earlier this week, Lady Carr reminded Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch of that duty. The lady chief justice rebuked the prime minister and the Conservative leader for exchanges in the Commons last week regarding a court decision in the case of a family of refugees from Gaza. Earlier this year an immigration tribunal recognised the validity of their entitlement to settle in the UK under the European convention on human rights, overturning a previous refusal. Mrs Badenoch said this was the wrong decision�and challenged Sir Keir to agree. He did, adding that the decision should not stand and that the relevant alegal�loopholea would be closed.

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.

Readers respond to Aditya Chakraborttyas article on the council housing selloff initiated by Margaret Thatcher

It shows a contemptible want of courage that Keir Starmeras government fails to follow the examples of Scotland and Wales by simply ending the right-to-buy scam (Call it Thatcheras timebomb: the great council housing selloff, a crisis hidden in plain sight, 13 February).

There are 700,000 long-term empty homes in England, which is almost double the number of homeless people. The temporary accommodation of these families is a needless drain on local governmentsa stretched budgets. Some of these homes are in areas of high demand, such as London, and some are owned by councils, which are either are too cash-strapped or so depleted of in-house skills that they cannot get around to putting them into habitable condition.

Readers respond to our editorial about the potential pitfalls in Labouras plans for new homes and new towns

Your editorial (16 February) correctly identifies the business model of private housing developers as the large hole at the centre of Labouras ambitious plan to build 1.5m new homes by the end of this parliament. In recent years, most large developers have been doing very well in terms of profit margins and shareholder returns without having to increase their output at all. Why should they bother to do more?

The only way the government will get close to its target is by stumping up the money for investment in new social homes, exerting stronger control over increasing land values along the way. It was a lesson learned nearly 80 years ago by Aneurin Bevan. In his stint as housing minister, the postwar Labour government built more than 160,000 council homes a year a in the teeth of acute austerity.

Arne Slot may find it tough to decipher and digest a draw that ultimately tightens Liverpoolas grip at the top. Given how close the Aston Villa substitute Donyell Malen came to snatching a 95th-minute winner, though, perhaps it will be easy enough. Trent Alexander-Arnold rattled in a second-half equaliser to maintain Liverpoolas unbeaten away run in the Premier League but a point was frustrating given the substitute Darwin NAoA+-ez earlier missed a glaring chance to earn victory.

How much encouragement will this result give Arsenal, eight points behind the leaders with a game in hand? Diogo Jota also missed a brilliant first-half chance for Liverpool, who seized the lead through Mohamed Salah before goals by Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins put Villa a for whom Marcus Rashford made his first start since joining on loan from Manchester United a in front at the interval.

• England footballer says sportswomen aare not itemsa
• aFixateda spectator left Raducanu in tears in Dubai

Millie Bright has delivered an impassioned message to fans that anobody ownsa female sportspeople after Emma Raducanu was left in tears when she spotted a afixateda spectator in the stands at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Raducanu alerted officials during her match on Tuesday to the presence in the stands of an individual who had accosted her earlier in the tournament. The man was removed by security and had exhibited afixated behavioura towards Raducanu, in the words of the Womenas Tennis Association.

Hosts must unlock solutions to the deadly duo when the teams contest the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham on Saturday

No one can say England have not been forewarned. Their recent record against Scotland a one win in their past seven Calcutta Cup encounters a has involved a range of painful indignities but two familiar themes stand out. Their names are Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe and, fitness permitting, the deadly duo will be back in harness in London on Saturday.

If Russell has been the deft-fingered architect of many of Scotlandas best moments, Van der Merwe has been the breeze-block destroyer of English reputations in�each of the last two years. Who�can possibly forget his brace�of�tries at Twickenham two years ago or, indeed, his hat-trick in�the same fixture at Murrayfield 12�months ago?

• Former sporting director lasted five months at United
• Club made APS27.7m loss over three months to end of 2024

Manchester United have revealed that hiring Dan Ashworth and Aparting ways five months later cost them APS4.1m. That figure covers the Acompensation paid to Newcastle and the payoff the sporting director received when he departed in early December but not his wages.

Ashworthas exit came after the sacking of Erik ten Hag and his staff in October, which cost United APS10.4m. United made great effort to prise AAshworth from Newcastle but a decision was made for him to depart after a summer of Aunderwhelming recruitment and amid a difficult Arelationship with the minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

• Filippo Gannaas win for Ineos Grenadiers cancelled
• Lead car went awry at roundabout to cause chaos

The opening stage of the Tour of Algarve ended in chaos on Wednesday when most of the peloton took the wrong road just before the finish, and race organisers later cancelled the results.

When the riders came through a roundabout just before the home straight, the lead car went the wrong side of the barriers and the majority of the bunch followed suit, leaving the crowd bewildered as they watched two races unfurl.

• Hamilton sets sights on record eighth world title
• aThe passion here is like nothing you have ever seena

Lewis Hamilton is convinced AFerrari will give him the chance to win his eighth world championship, descriAbing his amagica new team as having everything in place to compete.

Hamilton has been reinvigorated by his switch from Mercedes and he and his teammate Charles Leclerc drove their new challenger, the SFa25, for the first time in a shakedown run at the teamas test track at Fiorano on Wednesday. Afterwards the British driver gave an unequivocal ayesa when asked if he believed he could secure a record eighth title with the Scuderia.

• Duckett, Archer and Smith all likely to be fit for Australia
• Young and Latham hit tons in 60-run win for Black Caps

England begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Australia in bustling Lahore on Saturday and, while recent results have set alarm bells ringing, there is growing optimism that a previously lengthy injury list is at least beginning to ease.

So much so, in fact, that Jos Buttler, the captain, and Brendon McCullum, the head coach, may even be able to select from a fully fit squad for their Group B opener, with all 15 players taking part in their first training session at Pakistanas National Academy on Wednesday.

As Riyadh becomes the de facto home of big-time boxing, concerns grow over the dwindling presence of major womenas bouts

On Saturday night in Riyadh, an evening of boxing dubbed as the aFight Card of the Centurya will take centre stage inside the 15-month-old Kingdom Arena. Headlining is the undisputed championship light-heavyweight rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, supported chiefly by the IBF heavyweight title contest involving Great Britainas Daniel Dubois and the New Zealander Joseph Parker.

There are five other bouts a including an all-British lightaheavyweight fight between Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith a but all of them will be contested by men, raising concern among a number of prominent voices in womenas boxing.

Poorer countries want rapid emission cuts and more financial help in face of US leaderas stance on global heating

Developing countries are calling on the rich world to defy the US president, Donald Trump, and bridge the global chasm over climate action, before the goal of limiting global temperatures to safe levels is irretrievably lost.

Diplomats from the developing world are rallying to support Brazil, which will host a crucial climate summit in November, after last yearas talks in Azerbaijan ended in disappointment and acrimony.

Activists warn new designation for projects such as pipelines threatens US wetlands and waters

Environmentalists were outraged on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to fast-track fossil fuel projects through the permitting process, with activists describing it as an attempt to sidestep environmental laws that could harm waterways and wetlands.

In recent days, the US Army Corps of Engineers created a new designation of aemergencya permits for infrastructure projects, citing a day one executive order signed by Donald Trump which claims the US is facing an aenergy emergencya and must aunleasha already booming energy production.

Study found electric vehicles and batteries added largest amount to countryas clean-energy economy

Clean energy contributed a record 10% of Chinaas gross domestic product in 2024, an analysis has found.

With sales and investments worth 13.6tn yuan (APS1.5tn; $1.9tn), the sector has now overtaken real estate sales in value.

Seeds from the last toromiro, unique to remote Easter Island, were taken away in the 1960s. Now, after a crucial discovery gave hope for its survival, it is making a return

In the Mataveri Otai nursery on the island of Rapa Nui, Estefany PatA(c) cradles a bag of soil with a 10cm sprout like it is a baby. She caresses its leaves. aItas been so emotional to have it here,a says PatA(c), who works for Chileas National Forest Corporation (CONAF).

aIt was here before us; it was here before the moai,a she says, referring to the megalithic statues that dot the island. aIt has a sentimental value.a

Site in Cumbria can now return to routine inspections but concerns remain over cybersecurity

The UK nuclear industry regulator has taken Sellafield, the worldas largest store of plutonium, out of special measures for its physical security a but said concerns remained over its cybersecurity.

Guarding arrangements at the vast nuclear waste dump in Cumbria have improved enough to allow for routine inspections from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), rather than requiring aenhanced regulatory oversighta.

Anti-abortion protesters gathered at clinic days after JD Vance made inaccurate claims about Scotlandas rules

Police in Scotland have made the first arrest of a protester who allegedly breached an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic, days after the US vice-president, JD Vance, spread inaccurate claims about Scotlandas rules.

The arrest of the 74-year-old woman took place as anti-abortion campaigners funded by the Texas-based group 40 Days for Life announced a fresh wave of protests outside the clinic in Glasgow next month, in defiance of the ban.

Annual CPI inflation rate hit 10-month high in January in blow to ministers amid rise in food bills and fuel costs

• Analysis: Bank of England faces bumpier road after inflation accelerates
• Business live a latest updates

UK inflation accelerated faster than expected at the start of this year, eating into workersa wages and reducing the chance of an interest rate cut next month.

The consumer prices index (CPI) measure rose to 3% in January, the Office for National Statistics reported, up from 2.5% in December.

Experts raise fears for Englandas largest colony at Blakeney Point as they conduct tests to identify source of infection

Experts have raised fears for the seals at Englandas largest colony after four were found to have died after having been infected with bird flu.

Government scientists are investigating to find out whether the seals died after scavenging from the corpses of infected birds.

Analysis of UK BioBank data shows importance of factors including living conditions and smoking, say experts

The environment is about 10 times more important than genes in explaining why some people have a higher risk of an early death than others, research has suggested.

The study is based on an analysis of information from almost 500,000 participants in the UK BioBank database, including answers to questionnaires as well as data on deaths and diseases that occurred after people enrolled.

Tickets to hear former prime minister speak in Edinburghas Usher Hall cost up to APS160 on top of meet-and-greet

Boris Johnson is charging APS121 for a handshake and a photograph before a live event in Edinburgh.

The former Conservative prime minister will appear at the Usher Hall on 2 September for an event titled An Evening with Boris Johnson, which will also allow guests to take part in a question and answer session.

Young Afghan refugee brings case after move to prevent those who arrived on adangerous journeya from citizenship

Plans to prevent refugees who arrive in the UK on a small boat, lorry or via other airregulara means from becoming a British citizen are facing their first legal challenge.

The challenge is being brought by a 21-year-old Afghan refugee who arrived in the UK aged 14, after fleeing the Taliban and being smuggled to Britain in the back of a lorry. He was granted refugee status and after five years was granted indefinite leave to remain. He was due to apply for British citizenship on 1 March.

Foreign correspondentsa association urges authorities to step up search for Charlotte Alice Peet, 32

A British journalist has been missing in Brazil for 11 days, a foreign correspondentsa association in the country said on Tuesday, urging authorities to step up their search efforts.

Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, last communicated with a friend on 8 February, according to a statement from the Rio de Janeiro-based Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACIE).

Michael Stewart abused his position to target women and subject them to atraumatic ordealsa, said police

A postal worker described as a acalculating and dangerous predatora has been jailed for six and a half years for sexually assaulting women when he was making deliveries on his rounds.

Police said that Michael Stewart abused his position to target his victims and subject them to atraumatic ordealsa. The family of one of his victims have blamed Stewart for her suicide.

Exclusive: Lack of understanding by aprogressive activistsa of other voting blocs has led to rise of far right, authors argue

Leftwing activists in Britain are less likely to work with their political opponents than other groups and more likely to think those holding different views have been misled, a study has found.

The study by the polling group More in Common finds that 8-10% of the population, whom they classify under the heading aprogressive activistsa, hold strikingly different views on a range of issues than the rest of Britain.

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Shhh. Come here and sit with the self-heating foot masks and the adjustable memory foam pillow. It"ll all be okay.

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"I found out about the existence of my half-brother through reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace. This is a real thing that actually happened to me, and if it sounds insane, it is."

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Oh, this season of "The White Lotus" is going to be messy and I am so here for it.

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Your home will be unrecognizable a in the best way a after this dreamy makeover.

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Finally, a place for everything, and everything is in its place:")

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Nothing says "turnt" like Hailee Steinfeld getting engaged to Josh Allen.

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Step to it and grab these shoes before they sell out.

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Feeling old yet?

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"The culture here is obsessed with babies in the best way possible. People are naturally drawn to little ones and will go out of their way to entertain them."

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We won"t be hearing about any Nobody Wants This drama anytime soon.

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"I asked the medical staff to let me die."

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You"re in luck because the hottest carpet cleaner on the market just went on major sale.

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Drop your wildest results in the comments!

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Tell me about it in the comments below!

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It"s a touchy subject for a lot of couples.

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Can"t say I"ve seen a dress shoe like that before.

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Tell us how his first month back has got you feeling.

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"I stopped, and I just looked at the audience, and said, "No.""

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The digital frame, which offers a great storage capacity and a sleek look, instantly allows you to display thousands of remarkable photos and videos.

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OK then.

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I wanted something a bit more dramatic.

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aSituationship final boss.a

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This is your regular reminder that Roman Roy, London Tipton, and Kevin McCallister are all in the same family. Kind of.

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Loretta starred on "The Client List" with Jennifer for two seasons before the show was canceled amid alleged behind-the-scenes drama between Jennifer and the network.

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Every family has secrets.

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aUnless there is some major drama behind the scenes, Simone has done nothing to deserve this treatment.a

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Some things for them, some things for you a all things that"ll help you get through the day as easily as possible.

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"I am so sorry I voted for Trump."

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You haven"t truly experienced comfort until you"ve put on this wearable blanket.

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The CBB house is reopening its doors later this year.

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At the end of the day, a blanket hoodie is necessary for working from home.

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Truth hurts, doesn"t it?

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I realize that seems impossible, but you haven"t met the internet"s favorite kitty litter yet.

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I bet you"ll hardly recognize yourself this time next year considering all the improvements you"re about to make.

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Top-rated star-shaped acne patches, a cowboy hat straw topper, and cherry-shaped toilet brush... just to name a few.

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"A rich blend of a fantasy world, steamy romance, and political thriller."

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