Taking the women of the 1950s as her role models, Jo Ann Chaus shoots compelling self-portraits that exhibit both strength and vulnerability Continue reading...
The Guardian•Mee-Lai Stone15 Sept
Capacity has been overwhelmed by heatwaves that have pushed white goods to breaking point “In Oxfordshire, recycling centres are filling almost three articulated lorries with discarded fridges every week,” says Simon Perry of W&S Waste Management, which runs a recycling centre in Ardley. Together, those fridges would cover an area just under half the size of a football pitch. But the space to store them – in Oxfordshire and beyond – has become a growing problem after the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that a mountain of broken fridges was rising in waste centres across England and Wales, as this year’s heatwaves push more white goods to breaking point, and a trend for second/backup refrigeration products keeps growing. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent15 Sept
Health service faces exodus as almost four-fifths of BAME managers surveyed reported racism, exclusion and barriers to career progression The NHS in England is facing an exodus of minority ethnic managers who have suffered racism, exclusion and discrimination during their working lives, a report has found. Almost four-fifths of managers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds have experienced racism, exclusion and obstacles to progressing in their careers, according to a survey carried out by the NHS Alliance. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Denis Campbell, Health policy editor15 Sept
Hiking alone in the countryside can be joyous, but for women it can sometimes feel unnerving. Here’s how to enjoy it safely, plus four stunning routes to walk solo I did my first solo hike during a sunny September, seven years ago. After a summer of feeding and ferrying four noisy teenagers (and their friends) around, I was exhausted. But despite being bone tired, I had barely moved. I yearned, above all, for time on my own, for the chance to walk without interruption (and at the pace I chose), and for the silence of some empty wilderness. But I was nervous. Not of being on my own, but of what might happen to me with no one around to help (breaking a bone, encountering a psychopath, being chased by a bull, getting fatally lost). I could have found a companion or joined a group, but my need for silence and solitude outweighed my fears. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Annabel Abbs15 Sept
In today’s newsletter: Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin have signed an agreement for greater powers, as pressure grows on Westminster over the UK’s future Good morning. Back in May, the shape of British politics shifted dramatically. I’ll forgive you if you were too preoccupied refreshing Andrew Sparrow’s live blog for the latest speculation about Keir Starmer to notice, but since 7 May, centre-left nationalist parties that ultimately aspire to leave the UK have been in government for the first time simultaneously in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This week sees the initial codification of that shift. In Cardiff yesterday, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scottish National party leader John Swinney and Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill (who shares power with the Democratic Unionist party) affirmed their countries’ right to seek independence from the UK. Along with the leader of the opposition in Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald, they signed a memorandum of understanding that called on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. And they posed for a fair number of group photos too. Reform UK | Andy Burnham’s government could thwart Reform’s unprecedented £72m donations with retrospective restrictions on political donors that will include tough new residency requirements, ministers have announced. AI | Donald Trump has dismissed calls to increase controls on AI as a “sick conspiracy”, as stocks linked to the technology slumped after appeals from Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX leaders on the weekend for the industry to slow down. Nato | Nato fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania after an alert was issued in the capital and surrounding region, while Poland scrambled fighter jets less than a day after retrieving a suspected Russian drone adrift in its waters. Middle East | Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, reinforcing the Iran-backed group’s ability to control a key shipping route, as concerns mount that the world is facing a new oil supply crisis. Lucy Letby | Two leading experts have quit Lucy Letby’s defence team over concerns about the “scientific credibility” of some of its evidence. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Libby Brooks15 Sept
One Nation leader had been condemned by figures from across the political spectrum over the newly resurfaced podcast comments Pauline Hanson has made a qualified apology after describing Indigenous Australians as the “most primitive race on Earth”, saying she did not intend to upset people and said she was sorry “if I offended people”. The One Nation leader has been under fire from all sides of the political spectrum after the comments from a podcast in September 2025 resurfaced. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Sarah Basford Canales15 Sept
Stefanovic agrees to purchase shares from joint owner of 123 Podcast with fledgling show on hiatus since August after Tommy Robinson interview Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Former Today host Karl Stefanovic has cited an “irreconcilable breakdown” in dealings with his business partner as the New South Wales supreme court weighs how best to divvy up their holdings in a fledgling podcast. The relationship between the long-time face of Nine’s flagship Today program and the joint owner of podcast company 123 Podcast, Keshnee Ibrahim, has irretrievably broken down, the court heard on Tuesday. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Nick Visser with AAP15 Sept
Oscar-winner Asif Kapadia takes the reins for a last catchup with the 70-year-olds. Plus: a year in the life of Gemma Collins. Here’s what to watch this evening 9pm, ITV1 Asif Kapadia directs the final instalment of the long-running documentary (it first aired in 1964) and it does all its subjects – and their loyal viewers – proud. Meeting the now 70-year-olds again tugs at the existential heartstrings and some, such as cheeky dreamer Tony, have stayed close to their childhood selves, whereas the more mellow John worries about how he has been portrayed. Hannah Verdier Continue reading...
The Guardian•Hannah Verdier, Graeme Virtue, Hollie Richardson and Phil Harrison15 Sept
Tory and Whig MPs were central to funding trafficking of enslaved people and many opposed abolition of the slave trade There is a British culture of celebrating the abolition of slavery without acknowledging that the country enslaved and trafficked millions of African people for centuries. The newly published Register of British Slave Traders , which documents the thousands of investors in Britain’s near 250-year trafficking of more than 3 million enslaved African people, shows that it was a state-backed operation, fully supported by both major political parties at the time, the Tories and Whigs – the forerunners of today’s Conservatives and Liberal Democrats respectively. Continue reading...
The Guardian•David Conn Investigations correspondent; Illustration by Palesa Monareng15 Sept
Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair , Sid Lowe , Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon to discuss the weekend’s action around Europe Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair , Sid Lowe , Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon to discuss the weekend’s action around Europe. On the podcast today: Harry Kane scored his 150th goal for Bayern Munich against Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg, while Ballon d’Or rivals Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé both scored doubles in La Liga. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Presented by Max Rushden with Nicky Bandini, Philippe Auclair, Sid Lowe and Mark Langdon. Produced by Rory Symonand the executive producer is Tayo Popoola15 Sept
The university is one of the big success stories in higher education, with soaring student satisfaction levels and exam results. What’s the secret of its success? The Covid pandemic upended almost every corner of British life, and universities were no exception. But for the University of Birmingham, the turmoil became a turning point. The pandemic made the university think long and hard about the type of education it was delivering for its students, says Deborah Longworth, Birmingham’s pro-vice-chancellor for education. This sparked an overhaul of its teaching and curriculum – which has been rewarded with impressive results. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Richard Adams15 Sept
One of the biggest upheavals in a millennium is on its way, strengthened by the climate crisis. We need leaders who make things better not worse If you think you have heard enough about the growing “super” El Niño, trust me, you are going to hear a lot more. What is happening in the equatorial Pacific is jaw-dropping and could well mark one of the biggest global weather upheavals in a millennium. It will spawn a string of weather catastrophes around our world in what remains of this year and in 2027, and there is no reason to think the UK will be immune. To recap briefly, El Niño involves a heating of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific ocean. It happens every few years and is part of a natural cycle termed the El Niño southern oscillation, which switches between warm (El Niño) and cool (La Niña) phases. El Niños that see heating reach or exceed 2C are defined as “super” but this one, which is forecast to top-out at an astonishing 4C later this year, is so much bigger, the term “hyper” might be more appropriate. Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL. His latest book is The Fate of the World: A History and Future of the Climate Crisis Continue reading...
The Guardian•Bill McGuire15 Sept
As human development and roads increasingly fragment their habitats, a study suggests traffic noise could be altering the animals’ wake-up call Dawn has broken, and the air is cool and still. It’s at about this time that gibbons usually erupt into song, wa-oo-ing and wa-ing from the highest branches and filling the tree tops with rich melodies. But in this corner of Malaysian forest, bordered by housing and roads, the resident white-handed gibbons are quiet. All that can be heard is the hum of traffic from a nearby highway. This isn’t a rare occurrence for this group of gibbons, according to research, which found these particular gibbons, named Mambang and Walinong, appeared to be producing far fewer morning songs than others that are not exposed to the same level of traffic noise. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Rebecca Ratcliffe15 Sept
The love child of a cheese toastie and eggy bread, this fried sandwich makes for an elevated snack or kids’ tea – and the leftover crusts give you ‘bread rosti’ the next day For an exceptionally luxe snack or kids’ tea, mozzarella in carrozza is your girl. It’s the love child of a cheese toastie and eggy bread – instead of toasting it, you dip the cheese sandwich in egg and fry it. In other words, it’s mozzarella in a fancy carriage. I like to use a combination of mozzarella and mature cheddar for flavour, and while it’s best eaten piping hot from the pan, it’s a good (and filling) lunchbox option for children, too. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Rukmini Iyer15 Sept
NT police say the person ‘unlawfully gained access’ to the base in the suburb of Winnellie Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An intruder remains on the run after allegedly forcing their way on to a Royal Australian Air Force base in Darwin, assaulting a member of the defence forces and fleeing in a stolen car. Defence confirmed in a statement that on Monday afternoon a person “unlawfully gained access” to the base in the suburb of Winnellie. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Nino Bucci15 Sept
Priestcliffe Lees, Derbyshire: What a sight – and sound – it was, this huge flock of juveniles, feeding as the wind thrashed the vegetation Stands of tufted hair-grass, some over a metre tall, burned beige by the summer heat, were churned by strong autumn westerlies. Over and through the vegetation’s swaying lather roved a flock of about 200 goldfinches, most of them this year’s young. They were intent on the hanks of thistle and knapweed seed which lay below the hair-grass “canopy”. These immature finches lack any of the red and black bands of the adult’s head. Instead of the smooth mocha buff on their parents’ underparts, the youngsters were dull and streaky. What they had to perfection were the semi-circular disks of yellow across each black wing, while every feather through that full fan was tipped with white. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Mark Cocker15 Sept
The militant group in Yemen captured the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, near the chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandab strait Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, reinforcing the Iran-backed group’s ability to control a key shipping route, as concerns mount that the world is facing a new oil supply crisis. The seizure of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the militant group’s swift advance across Yemen’s Red Sea coast, after the capture of the port of Mokha and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Jonathan Yerushalmy15 Sept
Drive to save thousands of Afrikaners from false claims of ‘white genocide’ appears to show signs of slowing When Donald Trump announced in February 2025 that the US would accept Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees, many white South Africans who believed that they were victims of racism in their country thought that their prayers had been answered. However, in the past few months, dozens of applicants to the refugee programme have been rejected, with many left dismayed and confused as to why they would be left to face what Trump has falsely claimed is a “white genocide” in South Africa. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Rachel Savage in Johannesburg15 Sept
Collagen powders, gummies and pills have boomed in popularity in recent years boosted by claims that they smooth wrinkles, promote glossy hair and help with joint pain. Amid the noise it can be hard to figure out whether there’s any actual science behind the promise of looking younger for longer. Luckily Dr Xand van Tulleken has spent the past three years writing Make Me Well: a quest to understand the confusing world of wellness, and his chapter on collagen dives deep into the evidence. He tells Madeleine Finlay what collagen does in the body, how we can get it without splashing out on expensive supplements, and why getting to the truth behind wellness claims can be so hard Order Make Me Well from the Guardian Bookshop Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
The Guardian•Presented by Madeleine Finlay, produced by Madeleine Finlay and Ellie Sans, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer was Ellie Bury15 Sept
Chirag Bahri was working on board a tanker when six men seized it. For almost eight months, he and his colleagues were held captive, an experience that would change his life for ever It was at noon on 8 May 2010 when the pirates came. Chirag Bahri remembers the exact time and date because it marked the start of the seven months and 20 days he was held hostage by a gang of Somali pirates. Bahri was 28 at the time, and working as second engineer on a chemical tanker, Marida Marguerite. It was his 12th journey through the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean. It had been a good job for a young man from landlocked Uttar Pradesh in India, and Bahri was about to be promoted. “But then, piracy,” he says. The ship had been 120 miles off the coast of Oman, partway through a run taking benzene – a raw material used in petrochemicals – from Kandla Port in India to Antwerp in Belgium. The piracy problem in the Indian Ocean was well known; Somalis armed with AK-47s were setting out in fast skiffs and taking ships hostage. Yet commercial vessels, including the Marida Marguerite, remained undefended. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Rose George15 Sept