The Guardian

They were bold, badass – and brief. But Batman’s short-lived female sidekicks give us hope that women in comics are good for more than just sticking in a fridge.

Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary, has rejected criticism the government is being too slow to introduce measures limiting the spread of coronavirus, saying ministers are rigorously following scientific advice rather than “doing things that just sound good”. Speaking on a broadcast round, Shapps indicated that further restrictions could be announced following a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee on Monday, perhaps connected to large gatherings. And following a wave of

Bringing skateboards to children in Madhya Pradesh gives them enthusiasm to go to school.

Greek health authorities have announced further preventative measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, saying all bars, restaurants, take-aways and beauty parlours have been ordered closed as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 190. Supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies and other private health stores can remain open. Earlier Friday, the Greek ministry of culture said all archaeological sites and state-run museums would stay shut until at least March 30

As awareness of the climate crisis grows and urban pollution levels creep ever higher, we’re all starting to think more about our carbon footprints. For those who are considering buying a car, which one to go with requires careful thought and research. Should we stick with petrol or diesel, take the plunge to buy an electric vehicle or maybe opt for a hybrid? Of these options, there tends to be the most confusion around hybrids. There are a lot of myths about these vehicles, many of them based

On a Tuesday morning in October, Los Angeles deputy probation officer Booker Waugh made his way down a nearly sheer hillside, just a few feet from the entrance to the 10 freeway heading east. Waugh, 48, was conducting a field visit to one of his probationers, a man named Joshua Bey. Bey lives in the affluent neighborhood of Cheviot Hills – not in a stately colonial house but in an orange tent, pitched between the freeway and a retaining wall, buffeted by old window blinds and a blanket decorate

Meet the young sex educators who want lessons to go beyond the mechanics of condoms on cucumbers to take fuller account of contentious issues such as consent, LGBTQ+, sex abuse and forced marriage

With a voice adored by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and millions across the Arab world, Umm Kulthum rejected gender norms with her powerful, political music.

“I was thinking it wasn’t abuse because he never hit me.” These are words that will stay with Suzanne Clarke. Her daughter, Hannah Clarke, who was burned to death in Brisbane last week with her three children, told her mother that she had questioned herself “for years” about whether she was in a domestic violence situation. With Hannah’s father, Lloyd, and her brother, Nathaniel, the devastated mother told A Current Affair her daughter’s story, of the control and manipulation that preceded her

The Queen of Tampons, one of several nicknames, is a jubilant woman called Melissa Suk. Four years on the throne as the associate brand director of Tampax, Suk holds court at the head office of the multinational consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) in Cincinnati, Ohio. From there, she oversees an empire spanning 70 countries, filling bathroom cupboards in cities, towns and villages across the globe.

An article I wrote the working for The Observer New Review and The Guardian in my final year of university.

It’s early January and freezing cold in New York when I meet Jenny Offill to talk about her new novel, Weather – an innocuous title for something that feels less innocuous every day. A couple of weeks earlier, the temperature was warm and spring-like. These fluctuations in the weather, and the warming trends they reveal, are increasingly unsettling reminders of the climate crisis, and they form the backbone of Offill’s latest novel, the follow-up to 2014’s bestselling Dept. of Speculation.

As growing numbers of people choose to continue their education beyond undergraduate studies, two postgraduates reveal how their latest degrees have helped them get ahead.

When you think of the northern rivers, you probably think of Byron Bay. Yes, the town has surfing, whale watching and even now a Hemsworth among its attractions. But the others towns in the region, even the small ones, have all of Byron’s charm – with less traffic. From spirits (the drinking kind) and spirituality, crystals and candles to wilderness areas, beautiful beaches and one of the country’s favourite museums, there’s something for all, whether you’re day-trippers from Queensland, weeken

It’s a scientific fact: the words “Have you ever? Ever felt like this?” will send Australians of a certain age into paroxysms of nostalgia.

Campaigners have argued for open access to scientific research since the dawn of the internet – so why is it taking so long? In December 2002, a Belfast teenager made world headlines after his father, Don Simms, won him the legal right to access an experimental drug. Jonathan Simms had been diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a cruel and fatal neurodegenerative condition that gives sufferers an average of one year to live. After receiving the drug pentosan polysulfate, Jonathan lived for another 10 years, defying all medical expectations...

Author Jacqueline Woodson lives in a quintessential Brooklyn brownstone with her partner, two children, a cat and two huge, friendly dogs. A similar house is at the centre of her new novel, Red at the Bone, representing the struggle of a multigenerational black family to honour its past and stand firm against change.

“Try walking in my shoes” is the familiar call to the power of shared experience in creating empathy and understanding. Now artist Lindsay Seers has given the principle a 21st-century spin, turning to virtual reality to create a unique insight into how we look after older people.

The Guardian

While graduates might once have eagerly entered the job market on completion of their bachelor’s degree, many are now embracing the opportunities that postgraduate study can offer.

Running has long been linked with health benefits, from strengthening your bones (yes, even the knees) to improving mental health. Now, in another boon for us smug pavement-pounders, scientists have found it can turn back time. Researchers at University College London and Barts health NHS trust tracked a group of 138 marathoners and, using MRI and ultrasound, calculated the “biological age” of their aortas (the largest artery in the body) before and after their training. As we age, the aorta ca

At the top of a wind-scoured hill outside Edinburgh, Jasmin Paris’s dog, Moss, patiently waits for his owner. He is, I think, wondering what on earth is taking her so long. The answer, I’m afraid, is me. We are in the Pentland Hills near her home – easy terrain for a skilled fell runner. For me, it’s a painful reminder that road marathons and track races do not help in the hills. I spend my clumsy descents looking at my feet, and each time I look up, Paris is defying gravity – not so much dropp

The massive popularity of films like Joker and It have been a real downer for happy, family clowns. Mark Wilding hears how the entertainers are fighting back

Whatever Nigel Farage does next, his decision to stand aside against 317 Tories and target Labour leavers was monumental

Fires were three times more common in beef-producing zones than in the rest of the Amazon this summer, according to a new analysis.

There is growing support in the UK and Europe for laws that would make due diligence on issues such as deforestation and human rights abuses mandatory for large businesses.

The World Bank should reconsider its investment in one of Brazil’s biggest beef producers because of the industry’s links to deforestation and the climate crisis, according to two UN-appointed experts.