How Iran used Ali Khamenei’s funeral as a political and diplomatic tool
Ali Khamenei, who served as Iran’s supreme leader until his assassination in a US-Israeli operation in February 2026, will finally be laid to rest today. His burial brings a week of public mourning ceremonies and processions to an end, and comes as hostilities between the US and Iran are escalating again. Islamic tradition calls for […]
Football headers: growing evidence suggests this skill is damaging to brain health
Whether it’s at practice or during a Fifa World Cup match, football players could unknowingly be putting their brain health at risk every time they take to the field. Studies suggest that retired football players have a higher risk of developing dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, compared to the general population. It’s currently thought that this […]
Ruth Ellis: what her posthumous pardon tells us about Britain’s view of abuse then, and now
Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be hanged in Britain on July 13 1955. Her execution was a national event. A crowd, reported to be 1,000-strong, gathered outside Holloway Prison in London that morning. Anti-death penalty protesters held signs, some people prayed and some wept. Ellis’s story had deeply moved the public. Over 70 […]
Heatwaves: why British trees are shedding branches and dying
British trees are struggling to survive in heatwaves. Forests like these are likely to be affected. Billy Stock/Shutterstock If you visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, on the edge of London, you will see a brightly painted skeleton of a dead oak tree. The tree, known as the climate changed oak, succumbed in the […]
Personal goals motivated footballer Anthony Gordon to learn Spanish – a recipe for success
Anthony Gordon in action for England against Mexico at the 2026 World Cup. Cal Sport Media via AP Images/Alamy Anthony Gordon – one of the stars of England’s football team at the 2026 World Cup – surprised many when he was presented as a new Barcelona player at the end of the 2025-26 domestic football […]
How new technology ensures the Titanic story endures
The continued reinvention of the Titanic across television, immersive exhibitions, virtual reality and theatre suggests the emergence of what might be called a “Titanic signature”. This is a recognisable way of retelling the disaster that repeatedly combines familiar characters, dramatic moments, emotional themes and immersive experiences. Rather than simply recounting history, each new version reworks […]
Patrice Lawrence is the new children’s laureate – why she is the perfect pick in this moment of division
The children’s laureate is responsible for promoting reading and children’s literature, as well as celebrating creativity and storytelling. For the newly appointed children’s laureate, Patrice Lawrence, belonging will sit at the centre of her work. “I believe that we, as humans, are changed by stories. They connect us to different worlds, and they connect us […]
How can you be tired yet wired? Blame your stone-age brain
Kinga Howard/Unsplash, CC BY The clock reads 2:13am. You are exhausted. Your eyes ache, your body feels heavy and the alarm is already beginning to loom over the night, yet your brain refuses to let go. Instead, thoughts arrive in waves. Did you send that email? What if you forgot something important? Perhaps now is […]
Evil Dead Burn could breathe new life into a fragmented horror saga
The horror series Evil Dead, first brought to the screen in 1981 by director Sam Raimi, is in its healthiest state for decades. The 2023 film Evil Dead Rise was a financial success, and 2026 will prove to be a huge year for the franchise, with the release of new film Evil Dead Burn. The […]
The Great Wherever: an intriguing ghost story about the history of African American land in the US South
Time dilates for young children, Shannon Sanders writes in The Great Wherever, and also for ghosts. Ghosts can reclaim time in which to grieve, gossip and watch their earthly relatives in horror, pity and love. Sometimes the dead can bridge silences in family lineage too. If this sounds fanciful, let me convince you otherwise. Ghosts […]