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The host was on to me and my friends as fast as a security guard trying to get a chaotic drunk out of McDonald’sSo the scene was a set of railway arches, and there was a different party in each one. In retrospect, it was really easy to tell them apart: it went Weird People, Old People (40+), Young People (-30). But when you first arrive at a venue, it’s a bit discombobulating: too much sensory stimulation, very little signposting. It’s a reasonable human imperative, I think, to move towards the visible bar, rather than stop to notice that every arch has a bar.This is how I and a group of friends and family ended up fleetingly in the Young People party on our way to the Old People one. My brother-in-law has form; only last week he was refused entry at a rave because he had no ID, and was last seen taking his bike helmet off, yelling: “My bald head is my ID!” I only know that because I was there, inside the rave, and we can deal with what the hell I was doing at a rave another time.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Burmese pythons, which can grow up to 20ft, have surged in south Florida due to snake owners releasing them when they get too bigTo better find, capture and remove invasive Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades, a team of researchers is attaching location-tracking collars on animals such as raccoons and opossums that the predatory snakes feed on.Burmese pythons have surged in south Florida in recent years, because many snake owners release them into the wild after they become too large to take care of. Continue reading...

Ford Pinto found in Alabama belonged to Kyle Clinkscales, 22, who disappeared nearly 50 years agoSkeletal remains inside a car discovered in a creek a little more than a year ago belonged to an Auburn University student who had disappeared in 1976, authorities have confirmed, closing the book on a missing person case that had puzzled investigators for nearly five decades.Kyle Clinkscales, 22, was last seen alive at a bar where he worked in his home town of LaGrange, Georgia, on the night of 27 January 1976. He was planning to drive back to school in Alabama about 35 miles away in his white 1974 Ford Pinto, but he never arrived. Continue reading...

We must make humanitarianism a global agenda, just like climate change, press freedom and gender equalityAfter the dreadful earthquakes in Syria and Turkey – the latter of which is now grappling with two more powerful shocks – the global humanitarian ecosystem seems to have once again failed to serve its purpose.Under domestic pressures and international politics, there is a stark disparity in the way international rescue, relief and rehabilitation aid has been delivered to thousands of Syrians in comparison with their peers deserving equal care and attention in Turkey. Continue reading...

Details emerge of how White House planned ‘unprecedented’ visit and meeting with Volodymyr ZelenskiyThe White House notified the Kremlin of Joe Biden’s intention to visit Kyiv hours before he departed for Ukraine, it has been revealed, as the details began to emerge of how the US president pulled off his high-profile diplomatic coup.Meticulously planned over several months by a tight circle of key advisers, Biden’s visit was described as “unprecedented in modern times” by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on the grounds that it was the first time a US president had visited “the capital of the country at war where the United States military does not control the critical infrastructure”. Continue reading...

Officials drop firearm enhancement charge that carries mandatory five-year term to focus on involuntary manslaughter chargeNew Mexico prosecutors have walked away from their efforts to seek a five-year prison sentence for actor Alec Baldwin in the film-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, opting instead to pursue an essentially reduced charge against him.Baldwin, who still faces a count of involuntary manslaughter, now is looking at a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted. This decision came after Baldwin’s attorneys argued that the firearms enhancement they had tried to attach to the case against the actor was not in effect in state law when the deadly on-set shooting occurred in October 2021. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson and co just could not let the PM put the final piece of his Northern Ireland Brexit jigsaw into placeBrexit plays havoc with people’s memories. There are those of us who could have sworn that most leavers promised the country that a deal to exit the EU would be the easiest thing in the world. It would be the most amicable separation in history. The EU would be as pleased to see us go as we would be to see the back of them. We Brits would get everything of which we had always dreamed. Or maybe not. It now turns out that nobody ever said anything like that. It was all a figment of our imaginations.Even so. This Monday was meant to be the day. The day when the final piece of the Northern Ireland Brexit jigsaw fell into place. Rishi Sunak had had a cunning plan. There could be a green lane for goods coming from Great Britain whose final destination was Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Visit to Ukraine is a defining moment for the US president but foreign policy does not necessarily win elections

Man, 21, arrested on count of murder, weapons charge after deadly shootingA shooting on a carnival parade route in New Orleans on Sunday night killed one man and wounded four other people, including a four-year-old girl, according to officials.Authorities said they had arrested one suspect in the deadly quintuple shooting on a count of murder as well as a weapons charge. Continue reading...

Bulley’s family faced a cruel sleuthing free-for-all on social media. But it is a breakdown of trust between public and police that got us hereNicola Bulley’s family now has a fresh agony to endure, now that the body found a mile from where she was last seen has been identified, seemingly confirming Lancashire police force’s original hypothesis: that Bulley was likely to have fallen into the river.For Lancashire constabulary, however, being proven right will inspire no retrospective confidence in them – this entire sad period has spoken of a complete breakdown in trust between the public and the authorities, in this case the police. Continue reading...

Reptile rescued from lake on Sunday is most likely an unwanted pet and has been taken to Bronx Zoo for rehabilitationIn an unusual scene for this part of the country, a 4ft-long alligator was rescued from the famed Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn on Sunday.The itinerant crocodilian – most likely an unwanted pet – was in poor condition and described as sluggish by park officials, the local news station PIX11 reported. Authorities said the lethargic alligator might have been shocked by the cold. Continue reading...

The industry is simply updating classics to appeal to millennial parents. The main problem seems to be the quality of the proseHanding down beloved books to your children is one of the best things about being a parent. And so like countless others raised on Willy Wonka’s golden ticket and the BFG’s jars of dreams, of course I was thrilled to relive the Roald Dahl books with my son all over again.On bored, rainy afternoons we copied George’s Marvellous Medicine by mixing potions from the contents of the kitchen cupboards. We made the pilgrimage to the Dahl museum in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, with its magical recreation of his writer’s hut and its collection of homesick letters the author wrote back from boarding school as a boy, which shed a sad kind of light on the cruel adults who stalk his fiction. Continue reading...

The former leader had no regard for truthfulness, and now we see others happy to follow his example, knowing the system rarely holds them to accountHere comes the Boris Johnson Brexit wrecking ball. How could he resist a chance to ride back in to sabotage any agreement Rishi Sunak reaches with the EU? The walrus breaks the surface to warn that abandoning his treaty-breaking protocol deal is “a great mistake”, summoning old supporters – who brag that they number 100 – to his battle flag.Out comes Sir James Duddridge, ex-Brexit minister, to declare that any role for the European court of justice would be a “wedge”, knowing the issue is a deal-breaker. The European Research Group’s David Jones absurdly claims the protocol means “a foreign government governing part of our country”. In case Johnson returns, fence-sitters keep their options open, so Penny Mordaunt calls his intervention “not entirely unhelpful”.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Any dream of competing properly, let alone adding to his 15 majors, appear unattainable for wounded greatIt would be quite the story if Tiger Woods turned up at a tournament and announced he was there only to make up numbers. Eyebrows were raised when Woods used pre-tournament media duties at the Genesis Invitational last week to assert he was in California to win, seven months after his last competitive round, but this was Woods in natural form. When the 47-year-old senses he cannot trade blows with the best in the world he will quietly exit stage left.Woods must realise that time is fast approaching. He surely comprehends the competitive dilemma he finds himself stuck within. Making the cut at the Genesis was a fine achievement – Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns did not – but Woods wants to be judged by loftier standards. The victor, Jon Rahm, finished 16 shots better off than the 15-times major champion, who tied for 45th. Rahm, the world No 1 once more, recorded four sub‑70 rounds. Continue reading...

Frappuccino not sold in stores but distributed in supermarkets by PepsiCo recalled after glass detected in 13.7oz bottlesAmerican food and beverage regulators have recalled hundreds of thousands of Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccinos after their distributor warned the drinks could have glass in them.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said 25,200 cases of the caffeinated drink, carrying 12 bottles per case, were recalled starting 28 January after glass was detected inside the 13.7oz bottles. That means officials requested more than 300,000 bottles to be returned. Continue reading...

The US’s most successful Paralympian, born in the shadow of Chornobyl, on her traumatic childhood, Ukrainian resilience and her plans for two more Games“I was the smallest one there and you learned not to show any emotion, whether you were sad or happy,” says Oksana Masters as she describes the Ukrainian orphanage where she suffered terrible abuse before being rescued and taken to America.Masters, who was born in the shadow of Chornobyl’s nuclear plant in 1989 and suffered multiple birth defects caused by radiation, is the most decorated US Paralympic athlete after excelling in four summer and winter sports, winning 17 medals. Continue reading...

The US president has visited the Ukrainian capital, defying threats of Russian missile attacks, to announce an additional package of US weapons supplies worth $500m (£415m), including artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars.Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded by saying: 'Such an important package is an unmistakable signal that Russian revenge attempts will have no chance'

Joe Biden has made a surprise visit to Kyiv before his planned trip to Poland, days before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Rumours were swirling in the lead-up to the US president’s Europe trip that he could meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, either in Warsaw or at Poland’s border with Ukraine.Biden's visit to the Ukrainian capital, almost a year since it was almost surrounded by Russian troops in the early days of the war, sends a strong signal of US support for Ukraine to Moscow and the international community

US president meets Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of anniversary of invasion. Plus, the disruptors who want to make death greenerGood morning.Joe Biden has arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Biden’s public itinerary had suggested he would be visiting Poland, but the US president arrived in Ukraine’s capital this morning and has been spotted on a walkabout in the country’s capital.What else is happening? The EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, backed a call from Estonia for the bloc’s members to buy arms jointly to help Ukraine – an approach officials have said would be more efficient than EU members placing individual orders. EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the plan in Brussels today. He said the war was over unless the EU boosted its military support.How would it work? Borrell said he would table plans at the meeting to use the existing €3.6bn (£3.2bn) European peace facility for the EU to procure ammunition jointly on the model of the procurement of vaccines during the Covid crisis.What else is going on at the social media company? Meta cut 11,000 staff in November – the equivalent of 13% of its workforce – amid falling ad revenue and economic downturn. The company’s share price fell by more than 70% in 2022 before a rebound and in July it reported its first ever fall in revenue.What has Elon Musk said? Twitter’s chief executive, Elon Musk, responded to the news in a tweet saying it was “inevitable” Meta would follow Twitter. Continue reading...

Conservatives are blocking a more inclusive version of history – even as our Capitol contains statues of white supremacistsWelcome to White History Month! While February – the shortest of months – is typically associated with a 28-day acknowledgement of the historical contributions of African Americans, the truth of the matter is that this month, and every month, is actually a celebration of white history.This particular February is noteworthy because of the controversy surrounding revisions to the first-ever advanced placement (AP) course in African American history. (It is worth noting that the College Board, which administers AP courses, has been in existence since 1900 and is only now getting around to offering a class on African Americans.) The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, has seized on the occasion to fan the flames of white racial fear and resentment by having the Florida department of education very publicly reject the course because they claimed it “significantly lacks educational value”. Continue reading...

The Bafta-winning film has helped increase visibility of women in conducting, but I long for the day when my presence on the podium won’t be remarked onI’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been asked my thoughts on the film Tár these last few weeks. It seems as if everyone wants to know what it’s really like to be a woman in conducting, and how I feel about the abusive fictional character causing a stir on cinema screens across the globe.Lydia Tár lives in a world that closely resembles present-day reality, complete with references to a recent pandemic. But one notable difference is apparent: in Tár’s world, female conductors have well and truly smashed the glass ceiling, and conducting seems to be a gender-balanced profession. In the film’s opening scenes, Tár talks about how the challenges once faced by women are in the past, and suggests that her fellowship programme for female conductors should be opened up to men as it no longer feels necessary to distinguish between genders. Continue reading...

Teams from America’s largest cities have won the last two editions of MLS Cup. But their victories struggled to break through to the mainstreamMLS is entering its 28th season and soccer’s popularity in the US is evident from the thousands who play the game, as well as the popularity of the Premier League, Liga MX … and even a team from north Wales. But many US soccer teams, including those in MLS, can sometimes fail to breach the wall of sporting consciousness in their own back yards.That stumbling block is evident in America’s two biggest cities. While LA and New York City have a huge number of soccer fans, it is arguable whether their MLS teams are part of the identity of the cities. Continue reading...

Trust in high-performance sport systems is at an all-time low, it is long overdue that we chart a healthier path for elite athletesLike waves, culture crises roll in and out of our sporting shores. Rugby and cricket have been in the headlines recently. A string of reviews have investigated Olympic and Paralympic sports including cycling, archery, bobsleigh, para-swimming, judo and gymnastics. The problem with this regularity of cultural emergencies is that it’s fast becoming the norm, part of what we expect in high-performance sport, rather than a warning sign that something is going badly wrong in these environments and that the fixes to date are not working.Normalising these cultures reinforces the narrative that underpins them: sport is tough and athletes need to be prepared to do whatever it takes, no questions asked. Carrying on like this would be wilful blindness. Rather we should be asking what is going wrong in high-performance sport? What could we do differently to chart a better, healthier path for elite sport? And is this a peculiarly British phenomenon, or are there lessons to learn from abroad? Continue reading...

I loathe jingles and DJ banter while he listens to BBC Radio 1 and doesn’t get Radio 4. So who will win: the tinnitus sufferer or the controlling monster?There’s an ominous thumping downstairs as I write this, but it’s not the builders who moved in when our sons moved out in September and who have been here ever since. Finally, work is staggering to a long-overdue end, meaning days of drilling and banging are only occasional.Everything should be quiet, and recently – for whole, wonderful hours at a time – it has been. I have sat near-delirious with happiness, hearing nothing other than the occasional sparrow chirrup. Not right now, though, because my husband has replaced drilling with BBC Radio 1. Continue reading...

As the 20th anniversary looms, there is much to reflect upon, but still we must defend the values threatened by Russia and PutinIn 2013, MPs voted narrowly to reject a motion that would have allowed David Cameron to authorise military action in Syria. A year earlier, President Obama warned that the deployment of chemical weapons would be a “red line”. They were used; he did nothing. Half a million people have died; terrible crimes have been committed. The war continues, but the dictator Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia, has largely prevailed.In 2014, a few months after the US, UK and their allies washed their hands of that country, Vladimir Putin launched his first invasion of Ukraine (via proxies) and annexed Crimea. One direct line can be traced back to these events, and forward to present bloodshed: the invasion of Iraq. That war, 20 years ago next month, is a standard text on diplomatic and military failure.John Kampfner is the author of Blair’s Wars and Why the Germans Do It BetterDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 300 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at guardian.letters@theguardian.com Continue reading...

• Spaniard leapfrogs Scottie Scheffler after two-shot victory• Tiger Woods cards 73 to finish tied-45th in comeback from injuryJon Rahm has returned to the top of the world rankings with his third victory of the year in the Genesis Invitational. The Spaniard carded a closing 69 at Riviera to finish 17 under par, two shots ahead of the American Max Homa, with Patrick Cantlay another stroke back in third.The victory is Rahm’s fifth in his last nine worldwide starts and his 10th PGA Tour title, one more than his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros. “That was a tough week and a tough Sunday,” Rahm told CBS. “Max battled out there and Patrick kind of gave us a scare and I’m just glad I could come through at the end. Continue reading...

Killing in Hacienda Heights being investigated as homicide, LA county sheriff’s department saysA Catholic bishop in southern California who was hailed as a “peacemaker” was shot and killed on Saturday blocks away from a church, stunning the Los Angeles religious community.Detectives were investigating the death of Bishop David O’Connell as a homicide, the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department said. Continue reading...

Oldest living US president opted to spend his ‘remaining time’ at home, statement by the Carter Center saysTributes continue to be made to the former US president Jimmy Carter, after the announcement that the 98-year-old has entered hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, instead of receiving “additional” medical treatment.Raphael Warnock, the Democratic Georgia senator, said: “Across life’s seasons, President Jimmy Carter, a man of great faith, has walked with God. In this tender time of transitioning, God is surely walking with him.” Continue reading...

The newspaper’s haughty response to two open letters forgets that there is no clear line between advocacy and journalismHere’s a little thought experiment: imagine if an alien managed to avoid getting shot down by the Biden administration and landed its UFO safely in the US. Imagine if it picked up a year’s worth of copies of the New York Times, the paper of record, in order to do some due diligence on how us earthlings live. What would it come away thinking about life in America?I obviously can’t speak for extraterrestrial life, but I’ve got a feeling the poor alien might get the impression that every third person in the US is trans – rather than 0.5% of the population. They (I assume aliens are nonbinary) might get the impression that nobody is allowed to say the word “woman” any more and we are all being forced at gunpoint to say “uterus-havers”. They might get the impression that women’s sports have been completely taken over by trans women. They might believe that millions of children are being mutilated by doctors in the name of gender-affirming care because of the all-powerful trans lobby. They might come away thinking that JK Rowling is not a multi-multi-multi-millionaire with endless resources at her disposal but a marginalized victim who needs brave Times columnists to come to her defense. Continue reading...

Democrat Sherrod Brown says derailment, which released toxic chemicals, was caused by Norfolk SouthernThe Ohio senator Sherrod Brown had harsh criticism on Sunday for corporate lobbyists and Norfolk Southern, the Atlanta-based operator of the train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks ago while carrying toxic chemicals.Speaking on Sunday to CNN’s State of the Union, the Democrat said the derailment, which released toxic chemicals including the carcinogenic vinyl chloride, was an episode of “the same old story”, and that Norfolk Southern “caused it”. Continue reading...

Secretary of state says he condemned surveillance in first high-level contact between countries since incidentAntony Blinken, the US secretary of state, met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday in Munich in the first senior-level contact between the two countries since the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February.In a tweet on Saturday, Blinken said, “Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again.” Continue reading...

Ex-Maryland governor tells Meet the Press: ‘I care about making sure we have a future for the Republican party’The danger of splitting anti-Trump Republicans and helping the former president win the nomination again “would be a pretty good reason to consider not running” for the White House in 2024, the former Maryland governor Larry Hogan said.“I don’t care that much about my future in the Republican party,” Hogan told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “I care about making sure we have a future for the Republican party. Continue reading...

Karamo lost secretary of state race in 2022 after mounting a campaign in support of Trump’s lie about electoral fraudThe election conspiracist Kristina Karamo, overwhelmingly defeated last year in her bid to become Michigan secretary of state, was chosen on Saturday to lead the state Republican party for the next two years.Karamo defeated a 10-candidate field dominated by far-right candidates to win the position after a party convention that lasted nearly 11 hours. Continue reading...

Senator makes remark to CBS’s Face the Nation after Republican presidential candidate calls for tests for politicians over 75The Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s demand for mental competency tests for politicians older than 75 is “absurd” and ageist, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said.“We are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism,” Sanders, 81, told CBS’s Face the Nation. Continue reading...

Dennis Parada sued to force FBI to turn over records of excavation in Pennsylvania, where an 1863 shipment of gold vanishedA court-ordered release of photos, videos, maps and other documents involving a secretive FBI search for civil war-era gold has a treasure hunter convinced of a cover-up.Dennis Parada sued to force the FBI to turn over records of its excavation in Dents Run, Pennsylvania, where local lore says an 1863 shipment of gold disappeared on its way to the US Mint in Philadelphia. The FBI went to Dents Run after sophisticated testing suggested tons of gold might be buried there but says none was found. Continue reading...

The most stressful time of day is apparently 7.23am – but, for many, life is a constant roiling churn. Here are a few small changes that would helpI’ve been trying to work out what the most stressful moment of my day is and I think I’ve got it: 5.38am, or thereabouts. That’s when I realise that, having been woken by the dog (erratic, ancient) sometime between 3am and 4am, none of my getting-back-to-sleep strategies are going to work and instead turn to catastrophising about the day ahead, reminding myself insomnia is probably worse than smoking, sitting down and snorting asbestos combined.The question arose because according to what I suppose we could call research (a survey commissioned by Rescue Remedy, the flower-based potion for modern malaises), 7.23am is the “most stressful” time of the day. I get it. Bad things tend to happen around then: verticality, showering and dressing for starters. If you are a parent, you may also be upbraided for human rights violations in the fields of “breakfast”, “teeth” or “shoes”. Possibly a child will pull a dog-eared letter out of a book bag with the triumphant air of a conjurer with a rabbit, informing you they need to come in this morning dressed as Pope Pius VII and bring a scale model of the Sistine Chapel made of “widely recyclable materials only, please”. If you’re commuting, any number of exciting developments are likely to be poised to ruin your day and, if you’re Mark Wahlberg, you’re an hour and 23 minutes into your shower and have to start playing golf in seven minutes. Continue reading...

Ex-president tests new nickname for Florida governor, chief rival in 2024 polls, by saying he would not use itDonald Trump road-tested a new nickname for his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination by claiming he would not use it, saying he would “never call” Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, “Meatball Ron”.No less an authority than the New York Times has reported that Trump has been floating the nickname for the only Republican who challenges him in polling regarding the forming field for 2024. Continue reading...

The veteran senator is now part of Joe Biden’s inner circle, and is still fighting his country’s vast inequalities

Many entrepreneurs often overlook programs and tax incentives designed to lend them a helping hand – to their own detrimentAccording to a new report, the US government “isn’t doing enough” for small businesses. I’m calling baloney.“Business owners don’t feel like the programs are all that effective and they also don’t even feel like they have a sense of what’s available, some of which maybe is effective,” said Joe Wall, national director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices, of the survey of more than 1,800 small businesses in 48 states. Continue reading...

No confession, no murder weapon, no witnesses – and yet the case against Alex Murdaugh, 54, has been convincingly arguedFour weeks of prosecution testimony in the Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial has finished as the twisting case which has gripped America with its bloody story of southern gothic horror winds towards an ending.After calling more than 60 prosecution witnesses, and with the defense due to present its case next week, the case remains circumstantial, but Murdaugh’s cause has suffered brutally over a month of gripping courtroom drama. Continue reading...

Dynasties distort open societies and should be resisted - yet succession has become an obsession for political familiesFor a top Ugandan general trained by the British army at Sandhurst, Muhoozi Kainerugaba is an unorthodox kind of guy. Last October he offered 100 cows as a bride price for Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. In another reportedly well-lubricated Twitter escapade, Muhoozi threatened to invade Kenya and conquer Nairobi, which led to his removal as commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Force. Bizarrely, he was simultaneously promoted to four-star rank.In other late-night online interventions, Muhoozi has backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and praised Donald Trump as “the only white man I have ever respected”. He also has a much darker side. While leading the Special Forces Command, he was implicated in the abduction and torture of political opponents. In 2021, in a chilly echo of Idi Amin, he defended his right to take decisions after having “woken up from a drunken stupor”. Continue reading...

Joe Biden and members of Congress are increasingly long in the tooth – and more and more out of step with a much younger US publicIt is the year of the octogenarian. American TV viewers can find Patrick Stewart, 82, boldly going in a new series of Star Trek: Picard and 80-year-old Harrison Ford starring in two shows plus a trailer for the fifth installment of Indiana Jones.And a switch to the news is likely to serve up Joe Biden, at 80 the oldest president in US history, or Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, who turns 81 on Monday. But while action heroes are evergreen, the political class is facing demands for generational change. Continue reading...

Karan Rai prepares for international tour after victory on TV singing competitionCapping off a remarkable journey that began with his birth in a refugee camp in Nepal, a man from Louisville, Kentucky, recently emerged as champion of the Nepali version of the singing competition The Voice.Karan Rai’s dramatic rise as the south Asian nation’s latest singing sensation was chronicled Friday in the Louisville Eccentric Observer alternative weekly newspaper, which declared his story “a classic humble-beginnings epic”. Continue reading...

Former president plans ‘to spend his remaining time at home with his family’ and has their support, statement saysJimmy Carter has “decided to spend his remaining time at home” in hospice care after a series of short hospital stays, the 98-year-old former president’s family said in a statement on Saturday.The statement, issued by the Carter Center, said the ex-president’s choice had “the full of support of his family and his medical team”. It also said the family “asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his admirers”. Continue reading...

We reserve a special kind of contempt for women who are simply trying to organise their wedding

Lamar Johnson’s long fight to prove his innocence paid off and helped change state law: ‘I can’t say I knew it would happen’As he languished in a Missouri prison for nearly three decades, Lamar Johnson never stopped fighting to prove his innocence, even when it meant doing much of the legal work himself.This week, a St Louis judge overturned Johnson’s murder conviction and ordered him freed. Johnson closed his eyes and shook his head, overcome with emotion. Shouts of joy rang out from the packed courtroom, and several people – relatives, civil rights activists and others – stood to cheer. Johnson’s lawyers hugged each other and him. Continue reading...

The letter – also signed by thousands of subscribers – says the paper’s reporting has been used in support of anti-trans legislationNearly 1,000 New York Times contributors, in addition to tens of thousands of subscribers and readers of the Times, signed an open letter on Wednesday to the paper’s standards editor condemning the publication’s coverage of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.A second letter organized by the nonprofit Glaad (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) on Wednesday spoke against what it called “irresponsible, biased coverage of transgender people” in the Times. Continue reading...