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Volcanoes that made history
The article explores how history’s largest volcanic eruptions have shaped Earth’s climate and, in turn, human societies, using the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatau as its starting point. That explosion, which destroyed most of three islands in the strait between Java and Sumatra and killed more than 36,000 people, was the first such disaster documented…
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‘I was scared I was going mad’: Meg Mason speaks to fellow authors about the parasocial relationships that begin on the page
Author Meg Mason explores the “parasocial relationship” that readers can form with favourite writers, prompted by her own teenage bond with novelist Nancy Mitford’s books during a lonely period after moving countries. She examines why this phenomenon, recently named the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year, appears especially strong between readers and authors, drawing on…
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Jumpy bond markets make it clear: Trump risks driving US into debt crisis | Heather Stewart
Bond markets are growing increasingly nervous about the trajectory of US government debt, with Treasury secretary Scott Bessent forced into interventions that critics say betray weakness rather than confidence. Bessent recently pledged to double the rate at which the US Treasury buys up long-dated bonds in an effort to push down yields, following an earlier…
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London bus drivers to strike NEXT WEEK over ‘hot’ working conditions – after last-minute talks to clinch deal break down
More than 1,500 London bus drivers employed by Arriva North London will resume strike action next week after last-minute negotiations with the company collapsed. The Unite union’s members rejected Arriva’s latest offer in a dispute over “hot” working conditions, meaning the previously paused walkouts will restart and continue through until late October, causing significant disruption…
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‘The line’s running half-empty’: Llanwern steelworks feels the heat from cheap steel imports
Tata Steel’s Llanwern factory in south Wales is running at roughly half capacity, with production lines sitting idle for parts of the day, as cheap imported steel undercuts UK producers despite new government tariffs meant to protect the domestic industry. The 50% import tariffs introduced in July were designed to shield British steelmakers, but the…
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DAN HODGES: I’m one of the many journalists to be lambasted by Reform figures in recent days. Now, the freedom of the British Press faces a pincer movement from the Right AND Left… No one is safe
Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges argues that press freedom in Britain is under attack from both the Right and Left, citing a recent surge of hostility from senior Reform UK figures towards journalists alongside earlier intimidation of reporters from the liberal Left. He warns that criticism of unfavourable coverage, once dismissed as normal political friction,…
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Pauline Hanson in damage control as One Nation MP goes rogue with migration plan responsible for the conservative party’s popularity surge
Pauline Hanson has moved to contain confusion within One Nation after MP David Farley gave a conflicting account of the party’s migration policy, suggesting it would actually permit around 230,000 arrivals a year rather than the hardline cap the party has publicly championed. The episode matters because immigration has become a defining issue for One…
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‘We are hitting a different chapter’: OpenAI leader warns of threat of ‘persistent’ AI cyber-attacks
Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, has warned that people should prepare to defend against “ongoing, persistent” cyber-attacks as AI models gain increasingly advanced offensive capabilities. His comments to the Guardian came after OpenAI announced a pause in training its most advanced internal models this week to implement new safeguards, and follow an incident…
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‘Dancing with Rylan made me feel arthritic’: Jeremy Vine’s honest playlist
In a Guardian “honest playlist” interview, broadcaster Jeremy Vine shares the songs that have shaped his life, from teenage heartbreak to a memorable dance with Rylan Clark. The piece offers a personal, often self-deprecating tour through his musical memories ahead of his appearance at BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling this September. Vine…