Author: The Guardian

Our choice of ornaments has come under fierce scrutiny ever since Instagram, TikTok and lockdown Zoom meetings put our knick-knacks and trinkets on public show. Houseplants, candles, vases and books have all had their turn as the accessory of choice. But for 2024 the interiors must-have, artfully spaced on a living-room shelf, is the side light or table lamp.And if it’s a one-off, all the better. Secondhand homeware platform Narchie reports a boom in lamp sales “Lighting is one of our most popular categories on the app, with sales increasing 47% compared with last year,” says Harriet Pringle, Narchie’s chief…

Ben Stokes expressed disdain after England’s tour of India ended with a three-day hammering in the foothills of the Himalayas, insisting his players will learn from the pain of the 4-1 defeat and stressing that he and None of his teams should be written off for doing this.Stokes accepted his shortcomings after the tourists conceded 195 in just 48.1 overs to complete a grim innings and a 64-run defeat – a duck in the fifth Test And two games later, the Tour averaged 19.9 points — and indicated the path forward was one of two options. “It’s a tough game,…

After the actor Sydney Sweeney’s appearance last weekend on Saturday Night Live, some conservatives online launched a senseless and downright misogynistic conversation about femininity.Following the SNL episode, social media users have declared that “Wokeness is dead”, while one of Canada’s biggest daily national newspapers asked: “Are Sydney Sweeney’s breasts double-D harbingers of the death of woke?”Jesus.Sure, Sweeney herself leaned into stereotypes about her appearance both during the night and in the lead-up to the show, including in a lackluster Hooters-themed sketch. But the absolutely demented conversation that followed is a sure sign of how ridiculous the socially conservative discourse around…

AI was surprised by Steve Borthwick’s honesty when he said he felt the pressure of the England shirt was heavy on his players, and based on the evidence of Scotland’s failure, I agree with him. Sometimes it looks like players get into trouble after making mistakes, which is usually a sign of what’s going on mentally when you start making more mistakes.It’s not easy to figure out why, because when good players come into training camp in good shape and after impressive seasons, like so many on this team, you’d expect that. A jersey would elevate them because they’re surrounded…

Born in Sussex, Snow, 76, began his career at LBC. In 1976, he joined ITN, where he became Washington correspondent and diplomatic editor. From 1989 to 2021, he was the main presenter of Channel 4 News. In 2005, he won the Richard Dimbleby Bafta award for best factual presenter, and he has many Royal Television Society awards. In 2015, he received a Bafta fellowship, and in 2017 he gave the MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh international television festival. Snowcast is his weekly podcast, and his new book is The State of Us. He is married, has three children, and lives in London.What is…

On a day when Jimmy Anderson celebrated his GOAT status, England’s campaign ended in complete failure as India’s mighty spinners suffered a second wicket avalanche, turning a missed opportunity tour into a comprehensive 4- 1 heavy hit.Just 13 minutes into the third day, the carabiner slipped off and has since been untied, a moment that visitors will cherish. As Kuldeep Yadav powered in from behind, Anderson became the first seamer in the history of Test cricket (given the direction the format is going) to reach 700 wickets , and most likely the last seamer.The 41-year-old finds himself in truly rarefied…

Dark matter is supposed to account for 85% of the mass in the universe, according to conventional scientific wisdom. But proponents of a radical new theory of gravity, in which space-time is “wobbly”, say their approach could render the elusive substance obsolete.The proposition, outlined in a new paper, raises the controversial possibility that dark matter, which has never been directly observed, is a mirage that a substantial portion of the physics community has been chasing for several decades. The theory is viewed as quite left-field and is yet to be thoroughly tested, but the latest claims are creating a stir…

The questions1 What did Rosalind Franklin’s Photo 51 depict?2 Which religious site is overlooked by a 600m clock tower?3 If the 60s are shrieking and the 50s are furious, what are the 40s?4 Which Dr Seuss book is a graduation season bestseller in the US?5 Suella Braverman is named after which TV character?6 Which UK national park has the highest population?7 Tenochtitlan was the capital of which empire?8 Which research organisation developed ChatGPT?What links:9 Child; Coutts; Gosling; Hoare?10 Melbourne; Sydney; Rio de Janeiro?11 Hambletonian; Mambrino; Otho; Pumpkin; Whistlejacket?12 YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson; actor Laurence Tureaud; fitness coach Derrick Evans?13 Denmark (1864);…

Australia captain Pat Cummins bowled Kane Williamson in the final hour of play on day two of the second Test in Christchurch on Saturday and the batting maestro threatened to upset New Zealand A game ahead.With 14 wickets knocked down on day one and a further seven wickets before tea, Williamson and Tom Latham hit the pause button on a frantic game and their The partnership scored 105, erasing Australia’s first-innings lead and giving the home team a 17-run lead.Cummins returned to bowling in the early evening gloom and bowled his first delivery, and Williamson dragged the ball to the…

The machine Alfie the plumber has hired looks like a Zimmer frame with a big pump bolted to it – a pump designed to blast water through our heating system at many times the pressure of the one in the boiler.This is the latest intervention in our ongoing heating crisis, which has been going on since early January. The pump has already been replaced. The pipes have been injected with two different scouring chemicals. The whole system has been drained and refilled several times.It would be easy to say that none of this has worked, but in truth it’s worse than…