The cold, hard truth: what you should actually store in the fridge – from red wine to nuts

Is chocolate better served chilled? Do bananas go mushy? And won’t someone think of the avocados? Here is the final word on the fridge or cupboard conflictIf every summer has a trending drink, then 2026 promises to be the season of the chilled red. In news that our European neighbours, who have long been doing … Continue reading “The cold, hard truth: what you should actually store in the fridge – from red wine to nuts”

They were forced into marriage and abused. Now women facing exploitation in China have a glimmer of hope

Female activists are working in the shadows to find and support vulnerable women they fear are being failed by authoritiesLast summer, Xiaocao, a softly spoken woman in her 40s, received a tip-off that in Lüliang, a small city in China’s Shanxi province, vulnerable women were being forced into marriages. Along with another volunteer, she wanted … Continue reading “They were forced into marriage and abused. Now women facing exploitation in China have a glimmer of hope”

The Belfast riots, Palestine Action protests. What is terrorism now – and why the hypocrisy? | George Monbiot

The right is obsessed with ‘two-tier policing’. This is indeed a two-tier government – but the real victims are progressives“If you are targeting people on the basis of the colour of their skin,” the Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, asked last week, “how else can you describe them? That is racist thuggery.” It is. But … Continue reading “The Belfast riots, Palestine Action protests. What is terrorism now – and why the hypocrisy? | George Monbiot”

Lives and incomes lost as Ebola takes toll on Bunia’s public-facing workers

A headteacher, a motorcycle taxi driver and a travel agent are among those who are counting the human and economic cost of the virusJustin Keno watches more than 400 pupils stream through the Nelson Mandela school’s gate each morning, and wonders which of them might be carrying Ebola.The institution’s principal has done everything he can … Continue reading “Lives and incomes lost as Ebola takes toll on Bunia’s public-facing workers”

‘In the past, there was lots of swearing and saying you were crap’: my day at the all-new Italia Conti stage school

From Noël Coward to Martine McCutcheon, the famed institution has been hothousing talent for more than a century. Our writer finds there’s a softer approach these days – and a food bankWhen I walk into renowned stage school Italia Conti, in the smart building in Woking that has been its home since 2022, the first … Continue reading “‘In the past, there was lots of swearing and saying you were crap’: my day at the all-new Italia Conti stage school”