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The Guardian — page 127

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The best office chairs in the UK for all-day comfort and support, tested

After months of testing and countless hours seated, our endurance sitter picked the best office chairs for every budget • The best gaming chairs – tested What’s the most important thing when you’re spending hours in front of a computer? Is it having the fastest internet? The sharpest screen? The perfect keyboard? No. When you’re spending most of your day on your bottom, the most crucial element is what’s directly underneath. With a good office chair, you can handle a long working day without any feelings of discomfort. With a bad one, you can expect backache, neck ache, tender glutes and assorted nagging pains. Who wants to return to work when the last day left you feeling achy and decrepit? Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Stuart Andrews10 Sept

Two forehands, no backhands: meet the US Open’s fascinating ambidextrous experiment

Teo Davidov doesn’t hit backhands. He serves from both sides. The 16-year-old from Denver is treating the tennis world to a wildly unorthodox style – and proving it’s more than a parlor trick Teo Davidov always has the upper hands. An amiable junior prodigy from Denver, the 16-year-old was the oddest sight at this year’s US Open, the only player in the tournament – man, woman or junior – who hits only forehands. To be clear: it’s not that he doesn’t have a backhand or can’t hit a backhand. He’s ambidextrous and so he doesn’t bother with them. It’s nothing personal. “To be honest, I like the traditional backhand-forehand,” he says. “I like the classiness of it. I like hitting backhands myself just to play around, just for fun.” He hits those from both wings, too. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Andrew Lawrence at Flushing Meadows10 Sept

Two forehands, no backhands: meet the US Open’s fascinating ambidextrous experiment

Teo Davidov doesn’t hit backhands. He serves from both sides. The 16-year-old from Denver is treating the tennis world to a wildly unorthodox style – and proving it’s more than a parlor trick Teo Davidov always has the upper hands. An amiable junior prodigy from Denver, the 16-year-old was the oddest sight at this year’s US Open, the only player in the tournament – man, woman or junior – who hits only forehands. To be clear: it’s not that he doesn’t have a backhand or can’t hit a backhand. He’s ambidextrous and so he doesn’t bother with them. It’s nothing personal. “To be honest, I like the traditional backhand-forehand,” he says. “I like the classiness of it. I like hitting backhands myself just to play around, just for fun.” He hits those from both wings, too. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Andrew Lawrence at Flushing Meadows10 Sept

My plea to MPs: this is the final chance to save the assisted dying bill. Make your mark on history | Polly Toynbee

Any MP not voting for it on Friday will condemn thousands of us to die in agony. The public is hugely in favour too, so do the right thing Once in a while, footsoldiers of the House of Commons, you are able to make history by leaving your own indelible footprints on the social fabric. Eras with a Labour majority always leave a legacy of progressive freedoms – whether on abortion, capital punishment, divorce, gay rights, racial discrimination, gender equality or, last time, civil partnerships. But tomorrow is your final chance to bequeath one of the last freedoms over our bodies: the freedom of the dying to choose when to depart them. The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which goes for a second reading vote in the Commons tomorrow, gives anyone who is dying the right to request and be provided assistance with ending their lives. If it fails to pass, that’s the end of it for the rest of this parliament: future parliaments may be less progressive. So please, MPs: turn up and vote on Lauren Edwards’s bill , to ensure this Labour era leaves its own great social-reforming milestone. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Polly Toynbee10 Sept

My plea to MPs: this is the final chance to save the assisted dying bill. Make your mark on history | Polly Toynbee

Any MP not voting for it on Friday will condemn thousands of us to die in agony. The public is hugely in favour too, so do the right thing Once in a while, footsoldiers of the House of Commons, you are able to make history by leaving your own indelible footprints on the social fabric. Eras with a Labour majority always leave a legacy of progressive freedoms – whether on abortion, capital punishment, divorce, gay rights, racial discrimination, gender equality or, last time, civil partnerships. But tomorrow is your final chance to bequeath one of the last freedoms over our bodies: the freedom of the dying to choose when to depart them. The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which goes for a second reading vote in the Commons tomorrow, gives anyone who is dying the right to request and be provided assistance with ending their lives. If it fails to pass, that’s the end of it for the rest of this parliament: future parliaments may be less progressive. So please, MPs: turn up and vote on Lauren Edwards’s bill , to ensure this Labour era leaves its own great social-reforming milestone. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Polly Toynbee10 Sept

The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie audiobook review – stories with levity and laughter

The author explores themes of legacy, mortality and loneliness in the first work of fiction since his near-fatal attack Five short stories and five readers make up Salman Rushdie’s collection, The Eleventh Hour, his first work of fiction since the near-fatal attack in 2022 where he sustained life-changing injuries. These tales find the author exploring legacy, mortality, loneliness and the ageing process. In these potentially bleak themes, Rushdie finds levity and laughter, as well as profundity. Late, read by the actor Naveen Andrews, is a ghost story set in King’s College, Cambridge, where an honorary fellow, SM Arthur, wakes up dead in his college room and wonders if he will be trapped there for eternity. He meets a lonely but very much alive Indian student, Rosa, who is stuck at college for the holidays. Sid Sagar reads The Old Man in the Piazza, an allegory about free speech and how “we have become bar room moralists. Does the thumb point upward. Does it turn down? … We are all now gladiators in the Colosseum of the Thumb.” Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Fiona Sturges10 Sept

The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie audiobook review – stories with levity and laughter

The author explores themes of legacy, mortality and loneliness in the first work of fiction since his near-fatal attack Five short stories and five readers make up Salman Rushdie’s collection, The Eleventh Hour, his first work of fiction since the near-fatal attack in 2022 where he sustained life-changing injuries. These tales find the author exploring legacy, mortality, loneliness and the ageing process. In these potentially bleak themes, Rushdie finds levity and laughter, as well as profundity. Late, read by the actor Naveen Andrews, is a ghost story set in King’s College, Cambridge, where an honorary fellow, SM Arthur, wakes up dead in his college room and wonders if he will be trapped there for eternity. He meets a lonely but very much alive Indian student, Rosa, who is stuck at college for the holidays. Sid Sagar reads The Old Man in the Piazza, an allegory about free speech and how “we have become bar room moralists. Does the thumb point upward. Does it turn down? … We are all now gladiators in the Colosseum of the Thumb.” Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Fiona Sturges10 Sept

English winemakers expect ‘vintage year’ after record-breaking summer heat

Hot weather means sweeter grapes, but outlook gloomier for beermakers, as drought diminishes barley harvest English sparkling winemakers expect their earliest grape harvest and a “vintage year” after a scorching summer quickly ripened grapes. However, beer sellers have warned of a potential shortage after record-breaking temperatures and a drought hitting much of England has caused poor yields of barley. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Helena Horton10 Sept

Alex Winter: ‘Michael Winner was the most erudite sociopath I’ve ever met’

The Bill & Ted actor answers your questions about working with Keanu Reeves, whether there will be a fourth instalment and nights out in Brixton with the Death Wish director You were born in London but grew up in America . When do you feel most British? DonarudoToranpu The UK is still my second home. I’ve worked there a lot as an adult. When I’m back in London, I like walking on Hampstead Heath, so I would say that’s where I feel most at home. Having played Marko in The Lost Boys and then John Polidori in Haunted Summer , have you been tempted to take on another vampire-related role? And was getting staked to death while you were sleeping a bit of a disappointing end for Marko – what would have been your preferred way of going out in style? Death by stereo, perhaps? Finbarre and MoreorLesPaul I’d love to do another vampire movie. I love those characters. They’re interesting and great fun to play. There are some really good vampire movies – I’m grateful I was in one that has, for some reason that none of us can figure out, really stood the test of time. And I love Marko’s death. As an actor, the first time you get staked is the most memorable. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•As told to Rich Pelley10 Sept

Hawaii has often dodged the path of hurricanes. Why did it see so many storms this summer?

Despite its location, the island chain has avoided the worst effects, but Hurricanes Lowell and Lala left a trail of damage this year Hurricane Lowell surged near the Hawaiian Islands this week, leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines, crumbled roads, sunken boats and destroyed piers on the island of Kauai. Residents were left to grapple not only with the damage, but the rising risks to the tropical archipelago as sea surface temperatures climb. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Gabrielle Canon10 Sept

English winemakers expect ‘vintage year’ after record-breaking summer heat

Hot weather means sweeter grapes, but outlook gloomier for beermakers, as drought diminishes barley harvest English sparkling winemakers expect their earliest grape harvest and a “vintage year” after a scorching summer quickly ripened grapes. However, beer sellers have warned of a potential shortage after record-breaking temperatures and a drought hitting much of England has caused poor yields of barley. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Helena Horton10 Sept

Much of Europe already levies a tourist tax – a nice little earner for Italian hotspots

While England makes its first foray into unfamiliar territory, it’s proved a boon for Italy’s cash-strapped municipalities A nightly tourist tax may be unfamiliar territory in the UK , but countries in continental Europe have been cashing in on these kinds of levies for decades. Tourists usually need to pay the tax on the day they check out of a hotel or holiday let, and are often surprised by an extra fee on top of their accommodation costs. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Angela Giuffrida in Rome10 Sept

Much of Europe already levies a tourist tax – a nice little earner for Italian hotspots

While England makes its first foray into unfamiliar territory, it’s proved a boon for Italy’s cash-strapped municipalities A nightly tourist tax may be unfamiliar territory in the UK , but countries in continental Europe have been cashing in on these kinds of levies for decades. Tourists usually need to pay the tax on the day they check out of a hotel or holiday let, and are often surprised by an extra fee on top of their accommodation costs. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Angela Giuffrida in Rome10 Sept

The Odyssey and Spider-Man propel record-breaking summer box office worldwide

The biggest May to September of all time was recorded in US cinemas, with the UK enjoying a 56% rise in audiences, outstripped by an 88% lift in the Middle East and Africa As well as celebrating their wedding, the actors Tom Holland and Zendaya have something else to toast: their two summer blockbusters – The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day – have officially made box office history. The films were credited as the driving force behind the US’s biggest summer season of all time, taking $4.761bn (£3.51bn) from 1 May-7 September, beating 2013’s $4.756bn. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Catherine Shoard10 Sept

Tell us: has your medical cannabis prescription come from a private health provider?

We’d like to hear from people in the UK who have accessed medical cannabis from a private health provider and find out about their experience In 2018 Theresa May’s government changed the law to allow the NHS and private providers to prescribe cannabis-based medical products. The NHS prescribes medical cannabis for a few conditions such as children and adults with rare, severe forms of epilepsy and people with muscle stiffness and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the vast majority of prescriptions for medical cannabis are being issued through private healthcare . Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Guardian community team10 Sept

Lise Davidsen: Verdi album review

(Decca) Focusing on five Verdian heroines (and anti-heroines), the soprano has chosen roles that fit her formidable vocal talents perfectly. Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra provide detailed accompaniment for these striking portraits At some point, any star soprano worth her salt will try her hand at a Verdi album. Lise Davidsen avoids the fate of those who attempt to encompass the composer’s entire cast of leading ladies, focusing instead on five who fit her vocal talents like a glove. She opens with a commanding Lady Macbeth, her coloratura clean as a whistle and with gleaming, seemingly effortless top notes. Edward Gardner’s buoyant yet spacious way with the orchestral accompaniment affords Davidsen sufficient elbow room to create a more thoughtful schemer than is sometimes the case, culminating in a seamless sleepwalking scene where her breath control alone deserves a Grammy. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Clive Paget10 Sept

Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film

Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the Guardian Testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders ​on the secret ​systems used in ​the war on Gaza​ has been revealed in a new documentary film about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians. NAZA, a film from the Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was shown at the Venice international film festival on Thursday as the only documentary competing for its prestigious Golden Lion award. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem and Xan Brooks in Venice10 Sept

Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film

Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the Guardian Testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders ​on the secret ​systems used in ​the war on Gaza​ has been revealed in a new documentary film about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians. NAZA, a film from the Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was shown at the Venice international film festival on Thursday as the only documentary competing for its prestigious Golden Lion award. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem and Xan Brooks in Venice10 Sept

Lindy Cameron appointed first female head of UK Foreign Office

High commissioner to India replaces Olly Robbins, who was sacked over Peter Mandelson scandal The Foreign Office has its first female head after the appointment of Lindy Cameron, the high commissioner to India. Cameron’s new role as permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office means she will replace Olly Robbins, who was sacked over the Peter Mandelson scandal. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Rowena Mason Whitehall editor10 Sept

Lindy Cameron appointed first female head of UK Foreign Office

High commissioner to India replaces Olly Robbins, who was sacked over Peter Mandelson scandal The Foreign Office has its first female head after the appointment of Lindy Cameron, the high commissioner to India. Cameron’s new role as permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office means she will replace Olly Robbins, who was sacked over the Peter Mandelson scandal. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Rowena Mason Whitehall editor10 Sept