The Guardian
Satellite images show extent of damage to major Saudi pipeline, amid global oil supply fears
Saudis yet to provide details about damage from drone attack to key east-west pipeline to Red Sea that could affect 4% of global oil supply
Saudi Arabia will run out of oil stocks for export if it doesn’t restart a drone-damaged major pipeline to the Red Sea within days, leading to the loss of up to 4% of global supply, Saudi oil buyers and traders said.
Satellite photos released on Sunday night appeared to show a pumping station on the key 1,200km (745-mile) Saudi east-west pipeline charred and badly damaged, after drone attacks on Friday.
Continue reading... 14th September 2026 02:44
The Guardian
Love of Your Life review – Margaret Qualley eats, grieves and loves in Amazon’s transporting saga
Toronto film festival: the actor gives one of her best performances to date in a smoothly made globe-trotting drama of a woman’s life after the loss of her husband
There’s a jump scare about 30 minutes into the glossy romantic drama Love of Your Life that’s about as effective as anything you’ll see in a horror movie this year.
The film is focused on the life and loves of Maya (Margaret Qualley), a twentysomething Boston nurse who meet-cutes with the nerdy and idiosyncratic Felix (Gabriel Basso) during the purchase of a nightstand. We follow the initial giddy rush of their courting as they progress all the way to an impromptu wedding over the course of a few years, marked by Maya’s change in age announced in text. But just as we’re about to process the unsettling introduction of Felix using Chekhov’s inhaler, a news report interrupts the sunny tone. Spoiler: it’s March 2020.
Continue reading... 14th September 2026 02:30
The Guardian
Onwards and Sideways review – Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney lift solid Parkinson’s drama
Toronto film festival: Shakespeare in Love director John Madden’s feelgood – and bad – comedy-drama is powered by excellent performances and authenticity
So far at this year’s Toronto film festival, I have seen three films involving someone with dementia and two featuring someone who has Aids. It’s not just a sign that the lineup could perhaps benefit from some more light relief but also that certain conditions and illnesses still tend to be covered more often than others on screen.
Last year’s festival saw Scottish hit I Swear bring an unprecedented level of awareness to people who live with Tourette’s and while there’s perhaps less of an obvious edge to John Madden’s more politely framed comedy-drama Onwards and Sideways, it too acts as both narrative movie and potential educational tool. Our knowledge of Parkinson’s is usually restricted to the celebrities who have it, from Muhammad Ali to Michael J Fox to, most recently, Carly Simon, but for many of us, it’s still seen in an abstract way, a handful of symptoms we know about, but so many more that we don’t.
Continue reading... 14th September 2026 01:41Police departments work to "change the culture" by building relationships with underprivileged kids
A nonprofit charity, in partnership with police departments, called Do the Right Thing honors the good works of students across the U.S. The Palm Springs chapter awarded 95 scholarships, helping underprivileged students achieve their dreams. Barry Petersen has the story.
14th September 2026 01:30Lithuania prepares for war, reinforcing its border against Russian tanks
On the edge of NATO territory in the Baltics, there is growing concern about the threat Russia poses. Aaron MacLean visited the capital of Lithuania to see how they're preparing.
14th September 2026 01:23El Niño weather pattern threatening West Coast beaches, homes
Communities across the West Coast braced for big, El Niño-powered storms this weekend. Andrew Kozak has the forecast and Jonathan Vigliotti reports from Dana Point, California, where there's a race to save beaches and homes.
14th September 2026 01:20U.S. military on high alert as Iran, allies target energy supply
Tom Hanson reports from the USS George Washington, deployed in the Middle East. All 50,000 U.S. personnel in the region are prepped for battle at any moment.
14th September 2026 01:16Trump visits Ireland amid skyrocketing energy prices
Americans are feeling the squeeze from skyrocketing fuel prices, with gas rising 16 cents from a week ago to a nationwide average of $4.31 per gallon. Concerns about oil prices followed President Trump during his trip to Ireland this weekend. Nancy Cordes has more details.
14th September 2026 01:13Trump brushes off AI fears: "Whoever wins AI wins"
President Trump brushed off the risks of artificial intelligence and warnings that the technology has gone rogue. The calls for caution were amplified by tech CEOs who say AI is advancing too fast. Ramy Inocencio has more.
14th September 2026 01:09GM plans U.S. battery development as Trump's DOT attacks Ford for China ties
Most battery cells currently rely on raw materials from China. GM is seeking to establish domestic supply chains both for EVs and energy storage.
14th September 2026 01:05
The Guardian
Israeli minister threatens to strip Israeli film-makers of citizenship over Gaza documentary NAZA
Miki Zohar accuses Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor of ‘treason against the state’
Israel’s culture minister has called for the Oscar-winning Israeli directors of NAZA, a documentary about the country’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza, to be stripped of their citizenship, accusing them of “treason against the state”.
NAZA, which was produced by the Guardian, is named for an acronym used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike on Gaza.
Continue reading... 14th September 2026 00:54
The Guardian
Mary Gaudron, first female judge of Australia’s high court, dies aged 83
Legal pioneer remembered as an advocate for equality and champion of women in the workplace
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Mary Gaudron, the first woman appointed to the high court of Australia, has been honoured for her contributions to the legal landscape after her death at the age of 83.
Gaudron was appointed to the high court in 1987, aged 44, and served until 2003.
Continue reading... 14th September 2026 00:44
NPR Topics: News
Pennsylvania says an unvaccinated woman has died from measles-related complications
Pennsylvania has announced its third measles-related death in less than three weeks. A local coroner says the 40-year-old woman was unvaccinated.
13th September 2026 23:23Alexander Zverev wins U.S. Open, beating American Ben Shelton
Germany's Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam after finally taking home his first major title earlier this year at the French Open.
13th September 2026 23:13
The Guardian
Missing US hiker, 70, found injured on remote island after week-long search
Craig Berg was hypothermic but alert when located on Isle Royale by Michigan police and officials during solo hike
A 70-year-old hiker who had been missing for a week on a Michigan island was rescued on Saturday, according to the US Coast Guard.
Craig Berg was located on Isle Royale with the help of backpackers, Michigan state police troopers and local officials. Even though Berg was found injured and hypothermic, he is “alive and alert”, according to a statement posted to the Isle Royale national park’s Facebook page.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 23:12
The Guardian
Queensland woman falls to her death at Bali cliff popular with tourists
Twenty-nine-year-old Queenslander was visiting Kelingking beach on a holiday, Nusa Penida police say
The death of an Australian woman in a cliff fall at a popular Bali tourist destination has been described as “incredibly sad”.
Police say the 29-year-old Queenslander was found stuck on the side of Kelingking beach cliff on Saturday morning, local time. Emergency services rushed to the scene but she fell further before they could reach her.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 23:02
The Guardian
World’s top tennis players call truce in prize-money battle with grand slams
18-month campaign comes to an end after US Open
Sinner and Sabalenka most vocal of leading players
The world’s leading tennis players have agreed a truce in their long-running battle with the grand slam tournaments over prize money, welfare and player consultation.
In a statement released after the men’s US Open final on Sunday the players announced they would stop their 18-month campaign of agitating against the grand slam tournaments, which culminated in a media boycott at the French Open this year, a plan first revealed in May.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 23:01
The Guardian
Researchers hope powerful new microscope will reveal ‘root cause’ of incurable bowel disease
No run-of-the-mill tech, ‘Curie’ operates at 10 times the resolution of conventional microscopy and could spur discoveries leading to new treatment
The number of young people living with debilitating and incurable bowel conditions worldwide is growing, but researchers now hope a one-of-a-kind microscope will help them understand such diseases and find new treatments.
According to the British Society of Gastroenterology, more than half a million people in the UK are living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis the two main forms.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 23:01
The Guardian
Swedish election: centre-left parties lead by just a single seat with most votes counted
Race too close to call and may take days to become clear despite early exit polls suggesting left bloc win
With most of the votes counted, Sweden’s national election remained too close to call on Sunday night, with left-wing parties holding a lead of just a single seat according to a partial tally by the election authority.
Earlier in the night, exit polls suggested that the country was on course for a brand new left-leaning government. But as the votes were counted, it was apparent it could take days for the outcome to become clear.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 22:52Ross Fire still burning, with over 90,000 acres scorched
The wildfire, which has torn through Palo Pinto and Jack counties, forced evacuations, closed roads and disrupted schools.
13th September 2026 22:45Celine Dion returns to the stage in Paris for the first time in 6 years
Canadian superstar Celine Dion returned to the stage in Paris this weekend, for her first full concert in six years, and the first of 26 shows.
13th September 2026 22:38
NPR Topics: News
Trump downplays calls for AI slowdown
President Trump said there were "negative forces" predicting things that he says won't happen.
13th September 2026 22:32
The Guardian
Alexander Zverev claims first US Open after four-set battle with Ben Shelton
No 1 seed wins 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2
American’s hopes dashed in tense final
For a passing moment at the end of a rugged third set, hope sprung anew for Ben Shelton. He had been outserved and outplayed for nearly three hours, but at 6-5 in the third set, one game from defeat, the American finally broke through. He burst into the return game finally pounding his forehand freely and he willed himself into an unexpected fourth set.
After he had finished pumping his fist, cupping his ear to the crowd and admirably trying to initiate a drastic momentum shift, the next sequence was most revealing. Shelton opened the fourth set with a shaky game, immediately losing his serve at the start of the set. He worked hard until the end, but he was beaten by Zverev, the top seed, who closed out a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 victory to lift his second grand slam title of the year.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 22:30
The Guardian
Babies review – Anna Kendrick and Seth Rogen embrace childlessness in breezy comedy
Toronto film festival: To be a parent or not to be a parent is the question propelling this often insightful yet largely run-of-the-mill riff on a Judd Apatow movie
It’s a question still casually and routinely asked to couples everywhere regardless of familiarity, one that many fear and some feel actively offended by: are you guys gonna have kids?
Despite living in an age where we’re supposedly more accepting of people who make choices that don’t conform to whatever dusty old standards our parents and their parents had to live by, there’s still an odd regressive judgment attached to those who dare to say no or even maybe. There’s the sad tilt of the head and maybe a “but you’d make such great parents” on top, as if either would make a difference to one of life’s biggest decisions. It’s a question that writer-director Lauren Miller Rogen knows all too well and as the wife of Seth Rogen, it’s one that has an answer that immediately becomes a headline.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 22:27
The Guardian
‘An error of judgement’: Pro Ref admits mistake in awarding Haaland’s derby winner
Officiating body announces it will review the incident
Unhappy Carrick says error was ‘as obvious as it gets’
Pro Ref admitted Erling Haaland’s winner in Sunday’s Manchester derby should not have been allowed after the video assistant referee ruled Enzo Fernández was not interfering with play in the build-up. The elite officiating body will review the decision and has contacted Manchester United.
Haaland’s 60th minute goal for Manchester City at Old Trafford was initially ruled offside before the VAR’s intervention. It came after Josko Gvardiol’s cross hit Patrick Dorgu’s boot, passed Fernández and the United defender Lisandro Martínez, and was finished by the City No 9. VAR decided Fernández was not interfering despite Martínez marking the midfielder.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 21:31Wisconsin Congressman suffers minor injury after lake emergency landing
The congressman thanked the pilot and first responders for coming to their aid, and expressed his gratitude at only having sustained minor injuries.
13th September 2026 21:27
The Guardian
Apocalypse review – the stupidity of these people will make you scream yourself hoarse
This ‘radical social experiment’, in which 14 strangers have to see if they could survive the end times, will make you fear for the future of both TV and humanity
I have always assumed that my main use in the event of an apocalypse would be as protein. Ideally, I’d have a few weeks of peace first, eating whatever was in my now defunct fridge and reading a few last books, before tough, athletic, practically skilled survivors found me and chopped me up for parts. I’ve always been aware that I am built for mod cons, not dystopia.
But the new Channel 4 reality show – sorry, “radical social experiment” (give it UP, Channel 4, you’re racing as fast to the bottom as every other broadcaster) – Apocalypse has made me rethink my chances. All I need to do, I now realise, is find an Australian cattle farmer and I’m golden.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 21:15
The Guardian
Donald Trump doubles down on support for united Ireland
US president brushes off Andy Burnham’s opposition to referendum and says he will remove Irish whiskey tariff
Donald Trump has reiterated his support for Irish unification and brushed off Andy Burnham’s opposition to a referendum.
“Everybody says that. Then things happen,” the US president said on Sunday of the British prime minister’s response.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 21:09
The Guardian
NFL roundup: Bears and Panthers set scoring record; Bills beat Texans in thriller
Carolina and Chicago combine for 96 points
Buffalo beat Houston thanks to late rally
Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. Chicago and Carolina scored eight more points than the previous record of 88 set in Tampa Bay’s 48-40 win over New Orleans in 2018. Coach Ben Johnson’s prolific Bears also broke a franchise record for points in an opener, a mark that had stood since 1948, when Chicago hung 45 points on Green Bay at Wrigley Field. The 59 points were the most allowed by the Panthers in team history. D’Andre Swift, who received a $33.75m contract extension earlier this week, ran for 124 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai had 100 yards rushing, including a 61-yard touchdown burst.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 21:05
NPR Topics: News
Can Gulf states and Iran negotiate the Strait of Hormuz without the U.S.?
Dania Thafer of the Gulf International Forum weighs in on previously scheduled talks between Iran and Gulf states. Shortly before this interview aired, Oman announced that the talks were postponed.
13th September 2026 21:03U.S. wins fifth straight women's FIBA World Cup, beating France 97-79
Despite the final score, this one wasn't easy; the Americans faced their biggest deficit in the tournament in a long time.
13th September 2026 20:36
The Guardian
USA defend Fiba Women’s World Cup title after early scare against France
USA overcame a 14-point France lead in first half
Breanna Stewart scores 22 points; Caitlin Clark gets 12
Defending champions USA fell behind early but stormed back past France 97-79 on Sunday to win the Women’s World Cup.
In a rematch of the 2024 Olympic final, the American women came out on top once more, earning their fifth consecutive World Cup title and stretching their impressive unbeaten run at Olympics or World Cups to 20 years.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 20:35Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sept. 6, 2026
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox join Weijia Jiang.
13th September 2026 19:31
The Guardian
Enric Mas reigns supreme at last in Vuelta a España to delight Spanish fans
Mas wins title after three second-place finishes
Tobias Johannessen takes final stage in Granada
Spain’s Enric Mas secured his first Vuelta a España title on Sunday as Tobias Johannessen won the 21st and final stage in Granada, bringing the three-week Grand Tour to a close.
The 31-year-old, who took the red jersey after Tadej Pogacar abandoned the race after a crash on stage eight, held off the four-time champion Primoz Roglic to become the first Spaniard to win the Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 19:30Clancy trial holdout juror faced domestic violence allegation, records show
The juror, who has not been identified, was charged with one count of domestic violence in 2021. The charge was dismissed.
13th September 2026 19:20
The Guardian
‘No stopping him’: Hamilton admits defeat as Antonelli charges towards F1 world title
Retirement in Madrid leaves Hamilton 101 points back
Antonelli leads way by 81 points after Spanish GP win
Lewis Hamilton has conceded his Formula One world title hopes are over as he praised the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, saying there was no stopping the Italian after his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton, in third place in the championship, had to retire from the race at the Madring with a brake problem on lap six. After Antonelli’s victory it leaves the seven-time world champion 101 points behind the 20-year-old Italian, who took over his seat at Mercedes when Hamilton joined Ferrari.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 19:17
The Guardian
Trade unions, MPs and donors urge Burnham to revisit party funding rules
PM has so far declined to insert curbs on UK-based donors, despite £72m donations from billionaires to Reform UK
Trade unions, MPs and donors have urged the government to look again at party funding rules, after Reform UK insisted £72m in donations from two crypto billionaires was within the law.
Andy Burnham, a previous backer of caps on domestic donations, has so far declined to insert any curbs in the elections bill that would apply to UK-based donors.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 17:50Washington scrambles to meet calls for AI guardrails while the window to act closes
The House is scheduled to be sent home in the coming days until after November's midterm elections, leaving a narrow window to pass any form of AI regulation.
13th September 2026 17:48
The Guardian
Pennsylvania reports apparent third measles-related death amid outbreak
Jefferson county coroner says 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, while two infants died with disease in August
A coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak.
Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 17:46
NPR Topics: News
Wisconsin congressman survives emergency plane landing, swims to safety
Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany escaped a sinking plane and swam to shallow water after an emergency landing in a lake. Tiffany and the pilot called 911 from on top of the plane.
13th September 2026 17:45
The Guardian
Train carrying Boris Johnson and ex-CIA chief may have been targeted in Russian strike, officials say
Ukrainian Railways says former British PM and David Petraeus crossed into Poland shortly before drone attack near border
A train carrying Boris Johnson and the former CIA chief David Petraeus may have been the target of a Russian drone strike that hit a train engine near the Poland-Ukraine border, according to Ukrainian Railways.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, described the attack as “Putin’s terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato”.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 17:43
The Guardian
‘Just making a joke’: Usain Bolt retracts claim stairs got him out of breath
Jamaican says athletes ‘loving’ Ultimate Championship
Former sprinter proposed to Kasi Bennett last month
A year ago, Usain Bolt revealed he had stopped running and got out of breath whenever he went up the stairs. But now the greatest sprinter in history has insisted he has made a lightning return to fitness after proposing last month to his long-term partner Kasi Bennett.
Bolt, who is an ambassador for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, laughed as he told reporters that his claims about his lack of fitness in Tokyo last year had been overegged for effect. “I made a joke and you guys took it out of context,” Bolt said, with a grin.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 17:24El-Sayed says public oversight needed on AI
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said that there are "a lot of real risks" in artificial intelligence.
13th September 2026 16:59
The Guardian
Leaders at Celtic summit to affirm right to seek independence from UK
Call for constitutional change in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales likely to challenge Burnham’s devolution agenda
The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are to affirm their countries’ right to seek independence from the UK at a summit that is likely to challenge Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.
The Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Scottish National party leader, John Swinney, and the Sinn Féin vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at a landmark conference in Cardiff on Monday that will call on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:41
The Guardian
The Guardian view on the government’s corporate reforms: entrenching neoliberalism, not ending it | Editorial
A recent consultation on corporate reporting prizes the interests of shareholders over society. It’s a step in the wrong direction
The question of what corporations are for is deeply political. In a 1970 article for the New York Times, Milton Friedman argued that the “social responsibility of business is to increase its profits”. The idea that CEOs should worry about providing good jobs was “pure and unadulterated socialism”, he wrote. Friedman and his fellow neoliberals saw companies as vehicles for enforcing their politics. Their ideas endured: UK bosses are now paid 130 times more than average workers.
Despite Andy Burnham’s pledge to end neoliberalism, a 12-week consultation recently launched by his government risks entrenching it. The consultation was first announced as part of the Starmer government’s crusade against “red tape”. The average annual report for some businesses now runs to 98,000 words, and no doubt there are areas that could be simplified. But the consultation proposes removing vital information and presumes that company reports primarily serve shareholders, rather than other stakeholders. Both are steps in the wrong direction.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:30
The Guardian
I Play Rocky review – crowd-pleasing Stallone biopic is heavy on fan service, light on real emotion
Toronto film festival: There’s a knockout central performance from Anthony Ippolito in this otherwise rather lightweight making-of comedy drama
We first see Anthony Ippolito sauntering into a harsh spotlight in I Play Rocky’s opening frames. He’s squirrelling around an audition space, physicalizing the battle between his nerves and the stubborn self-confidence that gets him into those rooms, knowing casting agents typically count him out. He collects his wits, puts his chest out to perform as “Thug #2”, and bellows out the lines, in that deep slow growl as though he’s speaking while chewing through a New York striploin. We don’t find out if his character got the “Thug #2” gig, but in those opening moments, Ippolito nails his part as Sylvester Stallone.
Ippolito is a casting coup for I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly’s lightweight comedy about the making of Rocky, which leans hard on easy nostalgia for the 50-year-old Oscar-winning crowd-pleaser. His looks, physicality and performance are so on point and uncanny that I never broke away from seeing Stallone, not even when he’s recreating scenes so firmly lodged in mine and pop culture’s memory. The movie’s title says more than it lets on, because Ippolito doesn’t just play Sylvester Stallone playing Rocky Balboa. His performance, perhaps intentionally, blurs the line between Stallone and Rocky. When Ippolito’s Stallone is flirting with his soon to be wife Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb, soulful) or sitting in an office sparring with producers Irwin Winkler (PJ Byrne) and Robert Chartoff (Toby Kebbell), trying to convince them he’s worthy of a shot, I saw Rocky.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:29
The Guardian
The Guardian view on Russian parliamentary elections: glimpses of weakness behind the facade | Editorial
The Kremlin’s clumsy efforts to engineer the outcome reveal growing anxiety about the public mood and a war that is failing
Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian powers are not constrained by elections, but he is alert to the danger that his rule would look illegitimate without them. That creates a tension, which is resolved through “managed democracy” – a euphemism for fraud and repression camouflaged with ritual ballots, held under a constitution that notionally guarantees political freedoms but in reality serves only the president.
Russians are invited to elect a new Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, later this week, but they know in advance that United Russia, the official party of Putinism, will win a majority.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:25
The Guardian
Europe win Solheim Cup against USA to give captain Anna Nordqvist last laugh
Europe beat USA 15-13 after 7-5 win in singles matches
Lottie Woad seals victory with putt against Auston Kim
Eyebrows were raised when Anna Nordqvist somewhat abruptly announced her retirement from competitive golf last month at the age of just 39. Heads were turned when Nordqvist kept Solheim Cup faith with the pairing of Charley Hull and Lottie Woad despite a miserable points return in the Netherlands. Nordqvist sounded unsure about elements of the Solheim Cup’s captains’ agreement before a ball was whacked in anger. The last laugh belongs to the Swede herself, who can sail off into the sunset having added a triumphant Solheim Cup captaincy to a career that had already returned three major wins.
What a rousing afternoon this soon became for women’s golf in Europe. The understated Nordqvist was on the podium once more.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:06
The Guardian
Closing Night review – fiery women face off in Almodóvar-lite melodrama
Toronto film festival: Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts and Dianne Wiest are all impressive in actor-turned-director Cody Fern’s debut but they’re left stranded
There are three relatively substantive roles for female actors over the age of 50 in actor-turned-film-maker Cody Fern’s talky drama Closing Night. It’s a sadly impressive feat even at a time when the industry has slowly become more aware that women don’t get sent to a farm upstate after their 40th birthday.
Instead they usually get sent to work with Ryan Murphy on television and his shadow looms over Australian actor Cody Fern’s debut as writer-director. Fern worked with him on three seasons of American Horror Story and one of American Crime Story and while there are many legitimate criticisms to be levelled at Murphy and his specific brand of sensationalist television (reaching a new low with last year’s criminally awful legal drama All’s Fair), he has continued to provide sustained work for many women who had otherwise been put out to pasture by the industry. For Closing Night, Fern has recruited Sarah Paulson, who once said she owes Murphy “everything” after super-sizing her career, Naomi Watts, who has now starred in four Murphy shows, and Dianne Wiest, who despite winning two Oscars has admitted she has struggled to financially sustain herself with the amount of work she has been offered.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:02
The Guardian
Not glamorous, but common: how to manage dandruff at home and when to get help
Experts don’t know exactly what causes dandruff, but if you’re seeing light flakes on your scalp, over-the-counter products can help
You spy a scatter of white flakes on your collar. Or you’ve got an itch that won’t quit, no matter how much you wash your hair. Dandruff isn’t glamorous, but it’s common: about half the world’s population has it.
An itchy, flaking scalp is rarely dangerous, but it can be annoying. Here’s what you need to know about what might be causing your flakes, what you can do about it, and when it’s time to get help.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 16:00This week on "Sunday Morning" (Sept. 13)
A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.
13th September 2026 15:30
The Guardian
Chatbots can exploit our most basic human drive for attachment. Here’s how to have healthier relationship with AI | Gaynor Parkin and Dave Winsborough
This intimacy economy is tapping into the deepest parts of our intimate psychological infrastructure
The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work
Michael* is an engineer whose company embraced the AI wave. He enjoys testing ideas with chatbots. But his manager has become worried about his judgment and reliance on the tech.
“He literally cannot make any decision without running it past AI,” the manager said. “He’s developed a very off-script interpretation of our business goals, and he’s losing his team. If we can’t get him back on track I think we’ll end up parting company”.
Contingent responsiveness – replying instantly and tuning to your emotional state.
Unconditional positive regard – always validating, never distracted.
Memory and continuity – remembering your stories, preferences, anxieties.
Linguistic identification – producing verbal caring without any lived caring.
Narcissistic empathy – validating your self-image without question.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 15:00
The Guardian
The kindness of strangers: On a busy motorway, my child vomited in the car. I was overwhelmed – then a man came with a bucket of water
My son was inconsolable and the back seat was an absolute mess. After a few minutes of trying to clean up, a stranger emerged from a nearby house
Read more in the kindness of strangers series
Kids always get sick at the worst possible time. For instance: in the middle of a busy motorway, one hour into a three-hour trip.
My husband was away for work and I was driving our two small children to see him, when one vomited in the back seat. I pulled into a slipway just off the motorway to try to clean up as best I could. The kids were too young to be trusted to sit there safely right next to a busy road, so I had to leave them strapped into the car seats while I tried to mop up the vomit with wet wipes. My son was inconsolable and the car was an absolute mess.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 15:00
The Guardian
At this ambitious circus, everyone does everything – from aerial acrobatics to building the stage itself
The Fijian Flying Circus is a lo-fi, high-energy mix that teaches its performers a valuable grab-bag of theatre and life skills even as they charm the crowds
I’m watching a young man dressed like a bird flying through the air under a big top when I look past him, outside the tent door opposite me, and see a line of people holding on to a rope, muscles straining and shining with sweat in Brisbane’s muggy heat. My eyes trace the cable back inside and I realise that this rope and this group of people are what is holding the performer up in the air.
Moments earlier, the rope wranglers were on stage themselves, dancing and performing acrobatic tricks. I don’t know if this is how other circuses work but it’s how things go with the Fijian Flying Circus, whose performers are responsible for every bit of magic you see on stage – including the stage itself.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Cristiano Ronaldo calls for lifetime bans in Saudi Pro League after Diogo Jota chants
Al-Hilal’s Rúben Neves subjected to chants at Al-Taawoun
Neves was close friend of Jota and pallbearer at funeral
Cristiano Ronaldo said that fans who appeared to make chants referencing his former teammate Diogo Jota at Rúben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match should be banned for life from football stadiums.
The chants occurred on Saturday during a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves’s side, Al-Hilal, in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 14:52Loopholes and shady practices taint U.S. surrogacy industry
Lured by promises of payment and a desire to help other families, surrogates discover they have few protections from practices that cast a "dark shadow" over the industry.
13th September 2026 14:31Nature: Monarch caterpillars in New York
We leave you this Sunday morning with hungry monarch caterpillars, munching away in New York's Hudson Valley. Videographer: Lorraine Mullins.
13th September 2026 14:309/13: Face The Nation
This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," with the midterm elections less than two months away, CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto returns with the Battleground Tracker. Plus, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox join.
13th September 2026 14:30Good gourd! A visit to the pumpkin capital of the world
In Morton, Illinois, home to the annual Pumpkin Festival, and site of the Libby's factory responsible for 85 percent of the world's canned pumpkin, correspondent Nancy Giles gets a taste of the local produce and finds out why, in Morton, orange is always in season.
13th September 2026 14:27Testing the ethical boundaries of surrogacy
In the United States, commercial surrogacy — paying a woman to have fertilized eggs implanted in her uterus so she can carry a pregnancy to term — is widely assumed to be closely regulated. But a yearlong CBS News investigation found that few, if any, meaningful protections exist for surrogates. Correspondent Katrina Kaufman examines the extraordinary cases of surrogates who say they experienced troubling practices in the booming U.S. industry.
13th September 2026 14:21Missile crisis: The hard truths about America's military arsenal
In the early days of the war against Iran, the U.S. fired off thousands of long-range, precision-guided missiles. Now, with a depleted arsenal, the Pentagon seeks to replenish its stockpiles, an effort that will cost billions and take years.
13th September 2026 14:11
The Guardian
Mohamed Al Fayed abuse compensation claims could reach £150m, says law firm
Combined value of 275 women’s claims is far greater than amount Harrods has set aside for payouts
Compensation claims by 275 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the former owner of Harrods Mohamed Al Fayed could reach between £100m and £150m, according to a law firm representing the women.
The combined value of their claims, calculated by KP Law (KPL), which represents more than half of known survivors, is around two to three times greater than the amount the luxury department store has set aside for all abuse payouts.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 14:03
The Guardian
OpenAI boss and Elon Musk back calls to put brakes on ‘reckless’ AI development
Rare show of unity from rival developers after safety warnings from Anthropic boss and AI researchers
Sam Altman and Elon Musk have backed a call from the head of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, to “slow the pace” of AI development after he warned that an AI swarm could otherwise become capable of “taking over the entire internet” within a year.
In a rare show of unity, the rival technology leaders threw their weight behind the appeal from the founder and chief executive of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, which came after a series of warnings from AI researchers last week. Amodei also called for safety coordination with China.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 14:02
NPR Topics: News
Actor Tatyana Ali is advocating for Black and Indigenous maternal health
Actor Tatyana Ali says her healing journey after a traumatic childbirth has inspired her advocacy for Black maternal health, including support for midwives, doulas and other birth workers.
13th September 2026 14:00A former football star's backpack becomes a lifeline
In Austin, Texas, recent Indiana University graduate Jasper Steinmetz approached a man sporting something familiar: an IU backpack. The man turned out to be Sampson James, a former Indiana University football star who had fallen on hard times, following a knee injury and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Steve Hartman reports on what happened when the connection made by these two Hoosiers fostered a fresh start.
13th September 2026 13:58Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: "For too long the industry lied" about AI risks
The head of the artificial intelligence company calls the exponential rate of AI developments a "warning sign," with risks for humanity, and says, "We need to slow down." He talks with "Sunday Morning" about possible steps forward.
13th September 2026 13:35
The Guardian
A three-mile picnic table and a kite festival: photos of the weekend
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 13:33Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: "For too long the industry lied" about AI risks
Dario Amodei, head of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, calls the exponential rate of AI developments a "warning sign," with risks for humanity, and says, "We need to slow down." He talks with correspondent Jo Ling Kent about possible steps forward.
13th September 2026 13:332026 midterm election races to watch
CBS News has identified nine key Senate and 42 House races that will likely decide the majority — all of which can change during the midterm campaign.
13th September 2026 13:18Missile crisis: The hard truths about America's military arsenal
The war with Iran was launched more than six months ago, and shows no signs of ending. In the early days of the conflict, the United States fired off thousands of long-range, precision-guided missiles. Now, with its arsenal depleted, the Pentagon is faced with the stark prospect of not having enough high-tech weapons to sustain a conflict against a true military power like China, and has ordered the defense industry onto a "wartime footing" to replenish its stockpiles. That will cost billions of dollars and require years of manufacturing. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin visited some of the plants now ramping up production to rebuild America's military arsenal.
13th September 2026 13:17
The Guardian
The end times fascists are plotting their escape from our world. Our mission is clear | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
An unholy alliance is working toward an apocalyptic future from which only a chosen few will emerge unscathed. It’s becoming clear how we stop them
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 13:00
The Guardian
Burning Man at 40: the once anarchic desert festival faces a midlife crisis
The subversive bacchanal for San Francisco’s eccentric underground is ageing out amid an influx of the super-rich
Burning Man, the infamous arts festival in the Nevada desert, turned 40 this year, and it’s showing some distinct signs of middle age.
It’s not just the tech billionaires who show up to party, the chartered flights straight to the desert or the HBO documentary about behind-the-scenes power struggles. The tens of thousands of people who assemble each year to create a tent city in the wilderness appear to be growing older, and it doesn’t seem that they’re being replaced by as many younger “burners”, as festival participants are called.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 13:00
The Guardian
Plan your parking, don’t rush at night and never panic – 15 expert tips to become a better driver
No matter how long you’ve had your licence, there’s always scope to improve your skills behind the wheel. Driving instructors share their tips on how to be a better motorist
Whether you have just passed your test or been behind the wheel for decades, driving skills can always be sharpened up. From dealing with road rage to traffic jams, tight parking spaces to hire cars, driving instructors share their tips on how to be a better motorist in the most challenging scenarios.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 13:009/13: Sunday Morning
Hosted by Jane Pauley. Featured: America's missile arsenal; Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on the development of AI; fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg; testing the ethical boundaries of surrogacy; uncovering a Holocaust survival story; the allure of shipwrecks; and the annual Pumpkin Festival in Morton, Ill.
13th September 2026 13:00
The Guardian
Spiritbox review – Canadian metal ranges from gothic and guttural to Auto-Tune pop
SEC, Glasgow
Singer Courtney LaPlante’s delivery typifies the tension between hard and soft in a confident show that could do with more grit
At tonight’s Spiritbox show, vocalist Courtney LaPlante addresses the anxiety and isolation of the Canadian band’s origins: “We grew up on Vancouver Island, far away from our dreams.” Now touring Europe in support of their acclaimed 2025 album Tsunami Sea, Spiritbox show no trace of these early struggles, delivering a confident, polished performance of anthemic metal.
This UK tour follows a US run opening for nu-metal icons Evanescence, with whom they share a fascination with the musical tension between hard and soft – and in LaPlante, a compelling gothic frontperson. They share a flexible approach to genre with much contemporary metalcore, deftly incorporating elements of drum’n’bass, R&B and industrial music. Circle With Me has Running Up That Hill-esque drums and reverb-laden guitar. The EDM-inflected Crystal Roses doesn’t completely gel, but LaPlante’s Auto-Tuned vocals add an interesting new texture to the mix.
Spiritbox are touring the UK until 19 September.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 12:39
The Guardian
Surging inflation puts interest rates back in focus as policymakers meet in Japan, US and UK
Iran war and turbulent global bond markets add to pressure as rate decisions loom this week in major western economies
Central bankers in economies including the US, Japan and the UK will face a moment of truth this week, as surging inflation raises the prospect of higher interest rates.
Policymakers in all three countries will set rates in the next seven days against the backdrop of turbulent global bond markets.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 12:33
NPR Topics: News
Politics chat: Trump's $5,000 promise to voters, Vance invokes Charlie Kirk
Following the midterm convention in Dallas, President Trump's $5,000 campaign promise has generated attention, but not belief. And, Vice President JD Vance characterizes Democrats as extremists.
13th September 2026 12:04
NPR Topics: News
From fracking to data centers: Hearing from people on both sides of the opposition
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with environmentalist, Bill McKibben, and public relations specialist, Frank Maisano, about opposition to industrial development projects like fracking and data centers.
13th September 2026 12:04
The Guardian
How to make chocolate mousse – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
The little black dress of desserts, this French staple is quick and easy to make, and almost always delivers. Experiment with flavours and toppings to put your own spin on a classic
Years ago, a group of us cycled from Brittany to the Mediterranean, and along the way we ate a lot of chocolate mousse. Popular, easy to make and happy to sit in the fridge until required, it’s a mainstay of the modest French provincial restaurant and, as we discovered, it’s almost always good. Here’s my favourite version of the little black dress of the dessert trolley.
Prep 5 min
Cook 20 min
Chill 2 hr+
Makes 2
The Guardian
Pressure builds in Spain to deny US extradition request for leftwing donor
Key government meeting this month will consider US bid to try James ‘Fergie’ Chambers over alleged support for Hamas
Attorneys for James “Fergie” Chambers, the US citizen and wealthy donor to leftwing and humanitarian projects worldwide who is currently imprisoned in Madrid and sought in extradition, have submitted a brief ahead of a decisive government meeting on the case.
Meanwhile, Chambers’ partner, the actor and activist Stella Schnabel, met last week with multiple members of the Spanish parliament to assert his innocence.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 12:00
The Guardian
‘He would have been the center of everything’: the art exhibition imagining if Emmett Till lived
Dedicated to the boy whose lynching partially ignited the US civil rights movement, the new exhibition celebrates Black creativity and invites audiences to reckon with racism in America
Seventy-one years after the brutal murder of Emmett Till, the way that the US as a country honors his memory is still being contested. Markers commemorating his life have been shot at, stolen and become the site of white supremacist group recruiting events. A new exhibit opening in Chicago asks the country to memorialize his life not only by remembering his death, but by asking America to consider the question: What if Emmett Till Lived?
Open now and running until December, the exhibition If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago is an imagined photo library depicting the life Till never got to live. Through the images on display, co-curators of the show, Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, a Harvard professor and founder of the Vision & Justice initiative, and Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr, Emmett Till’s cousin, best friend and last surviving witness to his kidnapping, ask the nation to consider who gets to be remembered on American soil and how the country chooses to see its history.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 12:00Pennsylvania woman dies of measles complications, Jefferson County Coroner reports
A 40-year-old woman died on Saturday from complications associated with measles, the coroner reported.
13th September 2026 11:50
The Guardian
Houthis claim attack on Saudi base as fighting flares with Yemeni forces
Iran-allied Houthis say drones and missiles used in attack that targeted ‘weapons depots and command and control centres’ in southern Saudi Arabia
Houthi fighters have said they used drones and missiles to attack a military base in southern Saudi Arabia, as Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government described the rebels’ swift advance along the Red Sea coast as a “painful” development in a new front in the Iran war.
The UN said on Sunday that nearly 86,000 people had fled Yemen, most of them since early September when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a large-scale offensive that last week resulted in the capture of a key port city and an island on the Bab al-Mandab strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the strait of Hormuz.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:26
The Guardian
Why is the Trump administration calling bike lanes ‘DEI’? | Dave Schilling
The government apparently has an issue with paths for cyclists. Take it from someone who can’t ride a bike: this makes no sense
I’m out of gas. Not metaphorically. Literally, my car has the barest minimum amount of fuel in it. This is not because I like to live dangerously, a la the great literary hero Austin Powers, but because gas is more expensive than ever. I have nowhere to be today, so I’m allowing my car to sit idle, empty and alone, lest my bank account disappear into the Phantom Zone of negative balance. If things get sticky, I can take public transit or, God forbid, ride a bike.
Except I can’t ride a bike, thanks to my parents, who were too busy doing more important tasks than teaching me, like arguing or falling asleep. But for many Americans, riding a bike is a perfectly normal thing to do. Am I humiliated that one of the many basic skills for life that I don’t know is considered so simple that it became a common idiom for something that’s easy? Yes, of course. I don’t live dangerously, I live humiliatingly. Humiliation is my middle name. Dave Humiliation Schilling. Go on, point and laugh at the photo of me in this article. Get it out of your system so we can move along.
Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Emily St John Mandel: ‘When half the electorate disagrees on basic reality, how do you come back from that?’
Her hit novel Station Eleven seemed to predict the pandemic, now the novelist is tackling the future of the US. She talks about chance, world-building and experiencing a ‘tiny bit’ of clairvoyance
When Emily St John Mandel was a child she had a dream that would stay with her for decades. It was a nightmare in which “I was trying to find my dad in a crowd, and there were other people who looked like him but weren’t him”, she says. “It just kind of struck my imagination.”
Forty-ish years later, Mandel’s seventh novel, Exit Party, opens with a gathering in Los Angeles, 2031, where bizarre things happen. Doubles of some guests appear. Someone else disappears altogether. The novel then alternates between two potential future Americas, one riven by the chaos of civil war, the other a surveillance state.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom review – Aardman’s spooky-season caper sparkles with fun
There’s trouble afoot when Shaun’s pumpkin-supersizing serum ends up in a balding farmer’s hair growth bottle in this third cinematic adventure
Summer is over and Halloween is on the way … not for a fair bit, of course, but if all the UK’s Halloween merch and continuing pop culture content is up to the standard of this film, then no one is going to be complaining. This is the third in Aardman’s thoroughly enjoyable and cleverly written Shaun the Sheep stop-motion franchise of what are effectively silent movies, with a few intelligible words. It is the story of gutsy and heroic sheep involved in amazing adventures in the sleepy village of Mossy Bottom, starring characters who first appeared in the Wallace and Gromit short film A Close Shave.
This one is another excellent family film, crammed as ever with top visual gags, great throwaway references and, of course, a homemade Heath Robinson contraption, so often to be found in Aardman films. We get nods to The Archers, The Wombles and The Simpsons; there’s a wacky chase worthy of What’s Up, Doc?; a homage to the notorious waxing scene from Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin; and even what appears to be a brief visual walk-on for George Bernard Shaw as Bigfoot. As ever with Shaun the Sheep and Aardman Animations generally, the standard of writing is extremely high and the script here, from Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, sparkles with good-natured fun. One high-street hairdressing salon in the wool-producing district where it’s set is called Barber Black Sheep – and if no real-life shop has stolen this joke yet, they ought to.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
AI will transform capitalism – but how?
Technology is going to drastically reshape the economy, and it’s within our power to decide what that looks like
The idea that autonomous, thinking machines may one day destroy property, hierarchy and inequality is as old as western political thought. In Aristotle’s Politics, the philosopher cites a fantasy from the Iliad, in which machines begin to act independently of human direction, concluding: “If every tool could perform its own work when ordered, or by seeing what to do in advance … if thus shuttles wove and quills played harps of themselves, master-craftsmen would have no need of assistants and masters no need of slaves.”
The dream that automation could inaugurate a classless society is also present in the writings of Karl Marx. In 1858 he imagined the replacement of intellectual property with “socialised knowledge”, which would merge into a “general intellect”, blowing the foundations of capitalism sky high.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
‘Spraying should be the last option’: how farmers are exploring alternatives to pesticides
When pesticide proved no match for the insect, desperate Phyllis Nvuda tried a new way to save her infested orchard
For two decades, Phyllis Nduva, 72, has grown mangoes and citrus in Wote, a town in Kenya’s eastern Makueni County. In the beginning, she only had to worry about ordinary fruit flies. She handled them simply, buying chemical pesticides and spraying her trees whenever they appeared.
But then, in 2014, the false codling moth turned up on her farm. The small brown creature had been causing havoc in South Africa for years, and in 2007 it was spotted in Kenya.
This article is published in collaboration with Egab
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 11:00
NPR Topics: News
Can you imagine a universe without a new 'Star Trek' on the horizon?
As Star Trek celebrates its 60th birthday, the long-running franchise is also grappling with the challenges of timing and technology. "Its audience is aging," says Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount.
13th September 2026 11:00
The Guardian
George Osborne calls for UK to rejoin EU customs union and boost trade
Ex-Tory chancellor says economy has ‘fallen off a cliff’ since Brexit but rejoining union could be ‘quite simple’
The former chancellor George Osborne said Britain’s economy had “fallen off a cliff” since Brexit and that rejoining the European Union’s customs union would be the fastest route to recovery.
Osborne, who was sacked as chancellor by Theresa May after being part of David Cameron’s cabinet at the time of the referendum, said it was important to rebuild links with the EU.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 10:48
NPR Topics: News
Indonesian passenger ship overturns, sparking search for at least 129 missing
Indonesian rescuers said about 130 passengers and crew are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people sank in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday.
13th September 2026 10:31
The Guardian
This is how we do it: ‘Being in an open relationship means we’re constantly choosing each other’
Michael and Selena have three young kids and practise ethical non-monogamy which helps energise their relationship
• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously
When you come back to your partner, you see the person you fell in love with
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 10:00
The Guardian
‘I’ve lost everything – my child, my house, my money’: how Israel’s war on Gaza has changed men
The impact of the conflict on Palestinian men is a largely undiscussed topic. Four civilians talk about their lives and relationships
Before the war, Ahmed, 39, had a busy life. He was pursuing a PhD in factchecking and had three jobs: as a radio presenter, editor of a local factchecking website and researcher at an academic centre. He says he felt “happy” to be able to provide for his family while being intellectually stimulated.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Sour times: pickled onions enjoy revival as Britons think outside the jar
With sales up 12%, pickles are moving beyond traditional role as a side to become an ingredient in their own right
The humble pickled onion, long associated with classic pub culture, the ploughman’s lunch and cold festive buffets, is enjoying a revival as Britain’s appetite for pickles grows.
About 8.5m UK households bought pickled onions over the past year, according to the consumer data firm Worldpanel by Numerator, with particularly strong momentum in recent months.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Warning: our democracy won’t survive the death of reading. Read on if you still can | John Harris
While fascists protest in UK ports and purvey nonsense and poison online, ever fewer people have the perspective or analytical tools to challenge them
Imagine this. Quite by chance, your TikTok feed presents you with footage of the fascists who recently took part in highly organised shows of strength in Dover and Portsmouth (and, on Wednesday, outside the London offices of the Daily Mail, demanding a new house for the mother of their leader, Daniel “Tommo” Thomas). For as long as the images hold your attention, you see and hear flashes of explanation, but then, as usual, you scroll away to someone leaping off a tall building, a fight on the London Underground, or a trick-performing dog.
Hypothetically, TikTok users are able to skip through 260 videos in under 35 minutes. And it’s this distracted, quick-fire way that so many people receive information that may be responsible for a worrying statistic from YouGov last week. Its poll on the Dover and Portsmouth events showed that 53% of people aged 18-24 years old simply didn’t have a point of view on whether the masked demonstrations were “a legitimate way of protesting”. Further, 43% of those of all ages were either unaware of the story, or not following it at all.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 09:00
The Guardian
‘You start to worry you’ll never listen to anything else’: 25 years of Can’t Get You Out of My Head, the song that saw the future of pop
Rejected by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the minimalist dance-pop opus would become the defining song of Kylie’s career. And, a quarter of a century later, it hasn’t lost its capacity to burrow its way into your brain. La la la …
Around the release of Pet Shop Boys’ 1988 album Introspective, Neil Tennant coined the term “imperial phase” to describe an era when he felt the duo “understood the essence of pop music and so we felt we could do what we liked”. For his less flowery partner in pop excellence, Chris Lowe, this was typically followed “by disappearing up your backside!”.
In 2010, critic Tom Ewing fleshed out Tennant’s term by imposing three criteria: “command, permission, and self-definition”. Command related to an artist’s willingness and ability to push boundaries in a way that would reverberate through what followed. Permission, meanwhile, connected to the public and their goodwill towards an artist as they pushed things forward. Finally, self-definition, Ewing said, is the way the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist’s career. All future work will be compared with, or mentioned alongside, the output from the imperial phase.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
How a young woman was recruited to ISIS — and how she eventually escaped
A young Canadian mother shares her memories of being an ISIS bride, and her harrowing escape from the extremist group.
13th September 2026 09:00
The Guardian
‘I grew my hair and dropped out of society after hearing Black Sabbath’: J Mascis’s honest playlist
The Dinosaur Jr axe man stole from his mum to buy a Beach Boys record and squeaks to Tom Petty – but which punk banger made him cry?
What’s the first song you fell in love with?
Monster Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett. Monsters appealed to me as a kid. I found it funny, not spooky. Since I had a kid, Halloween has become the biggest holiday of the year.
What was the first single you bought?
I bought Darlin’ by the Beach Boys with the money I would steal from my mom. I always liked the Beach Boys. I remember they were quite unhip for a while: I played them at a gig around 1989 before we came on and people hated it. Now they’ve become more hip again.
The Guardian
Think of the parable of a frog in boiling water. That’s us dithering as the ‘unprecedented‘ weather becomes more extreme | Helen Pilcher
The complacency is staggering: just another hot summer, a flooded street, a crop failure. We are accepting this extraordinary deterioration as normal
Recently, I overheard a conversation in a cafe where someone described their toast as “awesome”. I felt myself bristle. Not because the toast wasn’t good – I didn’t taste it – but because I remember a time when “awesome” meant something that inspired awe: towering mountains, the vastness of the night sky, the haunting song of a humpback whale. Now it’s being used to describe breakfast.
“Fantastic” has met the same fate, shedding its fantastical origins to become a synonym for “great”. Meanwhile “literally” has been so thoroughly abused that it can now mean something that is, quite literally, not literal.
Continue reading... 13th September 2026 07:00