Martin Compston and Meera Syal are among the names in this tale of divorcees hitting back at their exes. It’s a thriller, comedy and psychodrama all at once – but could maybe do with being more simple Sometimes three-in-one type things are good. Phone chargers with lots of leads for all your devices that have stupidly different ports. Those woolly hats that cover your neck and lower face, so you look daft but are impregnable to winter cold. The Nars blusher stick that is also a lipstick and eyeshadow. When it comes to dramas, however, it’s best to stick to one field of endeavour. The Revenge Club is a gallimaufry of tones, styles and performances. Watching it is like looking through a kaleidoscope that someone twists for you every few minutes; it’s fun but quite disorienting after a while. Continue reading...

Women are trailblazing efforts in the UK and US to improve sustainability on film and TV sets, from donating catering and rehoming props to reducing emissions It’s two days before Thanksgiving and Hillary Cohen and Samantha Luu are trying to figure out how they’re going to cook 120 turkeys with limited oven space in their food warehouse in downtown LA. “We’re going to have to do a bit of spatchcocking. It’s not very showbiz,” Cohen says. It’s the busiest time of year for Cohen and Luu, assistant directors who founded not-for-profit organisation Every Day Action during the Covid pandemic. Designed to help unhoused people and those facing food insecurity across the city, the idea was born when Cohen noticed the amount of food waste on film and TV sets, and looked into redistributing it to those in need. “I remember asking, ‘Why can’t we donate this food?’ I kept being told it was illegal and that people could sue us if they got sick.” It didn’t take Luu, who grew up working in a soup kitchen her father founded, long to establish this was not the case. “In the US, there’s the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act that’s been around since 1996,” she says. “It protects food donors from liability issues.” Continue reading...

Nobel peace laureate says Maduro’s political downfall is inevitable after her fraught journey to freedom by boat ‘Dangerous and scary’: how a US special forces vet helped María Corina Machado flee Venezuela Nicolás Maduro’s political downfall is inevitable, the Nobel laureate María Corina Machado has claimed, rejecting claims that the dictator’s demise would plunge Venezuela into a Syria-style civil war. Speaking to journalists in Oslo two days after being awarded the Nobel peace prize, Machado voiced confidence that her country was on the cusp of a new political era amid an intensifying US campaign to unseat Maduro. Continue reading...

The brutalist arts-and-towers complex, where even great explorers get lost, is showing its age. Let’s hope the 50th anniversary upgrade is better than the ‘pointillist stippling’ tried in the 1990s The Barbican is aptly named. From the Old French barbacane, it historically means a fortified gateway forming the outer line of defence to a city or castle. London’s Barbican marks the site of a medieval structure that would have defended an important access point. Its architecture was designed to repel. Some might argue, as they stumble out of Barbican tube station and gaze upwards, not much has changed in the interim. The use of the word “barbican” was in decline in this country until the opening in 1982 of the Barbican Arts Centre. Taking 20 years to build, it completed the modernist megastructure of the Barbican Estate, grafted on to a huge tract of land devastated by wartime bombing. The aim was to bring life back to the City through swish new housing, energised by the presence of culture. Nonetheless, the arts centre, the elusive minotaur at the heart of the concrete labyrinth, was always farcically difficult to locate. To this day, visitors are obliged to trundle along the Ariadne’s thread of the famous yellow line, inscribed in what seemed like an act of institutional desperation, across concrete hill and dale. Continue reading...

Robert Rhodes was acquitted in 2017 on grounds of self-defence after manipulating a child to help in cover-up A man who was previously cleared of killing his wife on the grounds of self-defence has been found guilty of her murder after their child came forward with new evidence under double jeopardy rules. Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, was convicted at Inner London crown court of murdering his wife, Dawn, on 2 June 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict, Surrey police said. Continue reading...

The world No 4’s entrance to the song Titanium has become an iconic moment in darts, but while he loves the attention what he really wants is the world title “There’s a lot of people playing darts who haven’t got no character,” Stephen Bunting says in a matter-of-fact tone, his voice still a little croaky from the cold that has been laying waste to him for the last week. “They’re boring to watch. And that’s probably why they’ll never be in the Premier League. You need to have a personality as well as being at the top of your game. You need to balance both.” And frankly, has anyone in the sport made a better fist of it than Bunting himself? A few years ago, the man they call The Bullet was little more than a capable journeyman on the fringes of the elite, as well-known for his resemblance to Peter Griffin from Family Guy as for his darts. Now he is the world No 4 and a multiple tournament winner, with a loyal and passionate following that – in its most spine-tingling moments – seems to transcend sport itself. Continue reading...

Carl Rinsch, who directed Keanu Reeves action film 47 Ronin, was convicted on fraud and money laundering charges A Hollywood director was convicted Thursday on charges that he scammed Netflix out of $11m for a show that never materialized, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about $1m in mattresses and luxury bedding. Carl Rinsch, best known for directing the film 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges, according to court records and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in New York. Continue reading...

Howman: ‘We are not effective enough at catching cheats’ Former Wada director general urges more ambition One of the most senior figures in global anti-doping has warned that too many drug cheats in sport are evading detection – and criticised the current system as “ineffective”. David Howman, the former director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit, urged anti-doping bodies to be more ambitious in catching elite athletes again rather than focusing on compliance issues. Continue reading...

Scottish rock band says image ‘meant to provoke debate, not hate’ after many at concert accuse group of antisemitism The Scottish rock group, Primal Scream, has defended displaying an image of a swastika inside a Star of David during a London gig, in response to accusations of racism and antisemitism. During a performance at the London’s Roundhouse, a video was shown on stage of a swastika in the centre of a Star of David that was then superimposed over eyes of images of political figures, including the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the US president, Donald Trump. Continue reading...

We want to hear from the public and healthcare workers about the impact of the ‘worst-case scenario’ flu crisis Flu cases rose 55% in one week in England this month, as the NHS braces for a “worst-case scenario” in the next fortnight as hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulances services come under intense strain. It comes as the British Medical Association has lined up strike action for resident doctors in England next week over concerns on pay. Continue reading...

Mohammadi ‘violently’ detained along with other activists at memorial event in Mashhad, according to her foundation Iranian security forces have “violently” arrested the 2023 Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi at a memorial ceremony, her supporters said. Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024, was detained along with several other activists at the ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week, her foundation wrote on X. Continue reading...

The 21-year-old came to rugby via an unusual route, but it is one that may soon see him in the England squad To announce Afo Fasogbon as English rugby’s next big thing is not entirely accurate. He may be big – 6ft 4in tall and around 130kg – but as far as the internet is concerned he arrived some time ago. Video footage of the young Gloucester prop waving off the more experienced Ellis Genge after edging a scrummaging duel at Kingsholm last year went viral almost before Genge had reached the touchline. Should the 21-year-old make a strong impact off the bench against Munster in Cork on Saturday evening, however, he could soon be vying for even greater recognition. England are suddenly lighter in the tight-head department after Will Stuart’s unfortunate recent achilles injury, with Asher Opoku-Fordjour also currently out of action. If Leicester’s Joe Heyes so much as breaks a fingernail, alarm bells will start ringing at Twickenham. Continue reading...

In World Cup parlance, Qatar was Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s qualifier. Now it’s the big time for Trump’s dictator-curious protege I used to think Fifa’s recent practice of holding the World Cup in autocracies was because it made it easier for world football’s governing body to do the things it loved: spend untold billions of other people’s money and siphon the profits without having to worry about boring little things like human rights or public opinion. Which, let’s face it, really piss around with your bottom line. But for a while now, that view has seemed ridiculously naive, a bit like assuming Recep Erdoğan followed Vladimir Putin’s election-hollowing gameplan just because hey, he’s an interested guy who likes to read around a lot of subjects. So no: Fifa president Gianni Infantino hasn’t spent recent tournaments cosying up to authoritarians because it made his life easier. He’s done it to learn from the best. And his latest decree this week simply confirms Fifa is now a fully operational autocracy in the classic populace-rinsing style. Do just absorb yesterday’s news that the cheapest ticket for next year’s World Cup final in the US will cost £3,120 – seven times more than the cheapest ticket for the last World Cup final in Qatar. (Admittedly, still marginally cheaper than an off-peak single from London to Manchester.) Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Comforting reassurance was once the work of the church. Now it’s increasingly being sought from the machine A few summers ago I attended two funerals in a week. One was for a man who was atheist and had lots of worldly success. The second was for a woman who was Catholic, raised three children and lived a much quieter life. This is a special way of being afraid No trick dispels. Religion used to try, That vast moth-eaten musical brocade Created to pretend we never die … Continue reading...

Lilian Greenwood condemns Conservative ‘mixed messages’ and promises a system that works for everybody UK politics live – latest updates Conservative policies that pitted drivers against cyclists risked making the roads less safe by inflaming tensions, a minister has said, promising that the era of transport culture wars is over. Lilian Greenwood, whose Department for Transport (DfT) role includes road safety and active travel, said seeking to divide road users into categories was pointless given most people used different transport methods at different times. Continue reading...

In sprawling landfills, thousands of Argentinian families scavenge for survival amid toxic waste and government neglect, dreaming of steady jobs and escape The sun rises over the plateau of Neuquén’s open-air rubbish tip. Maia, nine, and her brothers, aged 11 and seven, huddle by a campfire. Their mother, Gisel, rummages through bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat. Situated at the northern end of Argentinian Patagonia, 100km (60 miles) from Vaca Muerta – one of the world’s largest fossil gas reserves – children here roam amid twisted metal, glass and rubbish spread over five hectares (12 acres). The horizon is waste. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 people Indonesia’s deadly flooding was an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday. Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, Tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia’s Sumatra. Continue reading...

Prize fund boosted to £2m for racing’s premier Classic Aim to revive glory days and attract six-figure crowd Epsom racecourse has announced a £6m, five-year plan to revive the flagging fortunes of the Derby, the world’s most famous Flat race, which includes a boost to the Classic’s prize fund to £2m, free admission to the main enclosure for under-18s, free parking and the installation of a bank of “bleacher” seats along the inside rail to give racegoers a “bird’s eye” view of the final three furlongs. The Coronation Cup, for older horses over the Derby course and distance, will also be moved from the first day of the meeting to join the Derby on Saturday’s card. Continue reading...

Balshaw, who joined the Tate in 2017, helped steer organisation through Covid-19 and fluctuating attendance figures Maria Balshaw is to step down as the director of Tate in 2026, after a challenging nine-year tenure when she steered the organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic and had to deal with fluctuating attendance figures and financial instability. Balshaw, who joined as director in June 2017 after a celebrated spell as the leader of the Whitworth in Manchester, said it was a privilege to serve as director but now was the time for her to move on. Continue reading...

With its soaring ceilings, meandering pathways and mesh-like walls, Taichung Art Museum, designed by Sanaa, sweeps visitors from library to gallery to rooftop garden for rousing views Walking through the brand new Taichung Art Museum in central Taiwan, directions are kind of an abstract concept. Designed by powerhouse Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the complex is a collection of eight askew buildings, melding an art museum and municipal library, encased in silver mesh-like walls, with soaring ceilings and meandering pathways. Past the lobby – a breezy open space that is neither inside nor out – the visitor wanders around paths and ramps, finding themselves in the library one minute and a world-class art exhibition the next. A door might suddenly step through to a skybridge over a rooftop garden, with sweeping views across Taichung’s Central Park, or into a cosy teenage reading room. Staircases float on the outside of buildings, floor levels are disparate, complementing a particular space’s purpose and vibe rather than having an overall consistency. Continue reading...

Colour-coordinating couples are nothing new, but Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner still caught the eye When the Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet and the media personality and businesswoman Kylie Jenner appeared at the LA premiere of his new film, Marty Supreme, this week, they appeared to have been Tangoed. Dressed head to toe in matching bright orange outfits, made by the LA-based brand Chrome Hearts, they drew strong reactions online, and not all negative. “I have now confirmed there is such a thing as too much orange,” said one on Reddit. Continue reading...

Men are suspected of ‘mass killings, sexual violence and deliberate attacks in El Fasher’, says Foreign Office The UK has placed sanctions on four senior commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suspected of involvement in “heinous” violence against civilians in the city of El Fasher, but decided not to take any action against their key military and diplomatic backer, the United Arab Emirates, or their chief commander. British officials suggested they preferred to use their leverage with the UAE and the RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, privately, but admitted there was little sign of a ceasefire in Sudan’s near three-year civil war. Continue reading...

It started with a goat. Now – via a degree for developers and an incubator for startups – the tiny city is churning out world-famous video game hits. What is the secret of its success? On 26 March 2014, a trailer for a video game appeared on YouTube. The first thing the viewer sees is a closeup of a goat lying on the ground, its tongue out, its eyes open. Behind it is a man on fire, running backwards in slow motion towards a house. Interspersed with these images is footage of the goat being repeatedly run over by a car. In the main shot, the goat, now appearing backwards as well, flies up into the first-floor window of a house, repairing the glass it smashed on its way down. It hurtles through another window and back to an exploding petrol station, where we assume its journey must have started. This wordless, strangely moving video – a knowing parody of the trailer for a zombie survival game called Dead Island – was for a curious game called Goat Simulator. The game was, unsurprisingly, the first to ever put the player into the hooves of a goat, who must enact as much wanton destruction as possible. It was also the first massive hit to come out of a small city in Sweden by the name of Skövde. Continue reading...

A margarita dressed in a red vermouth coat with white tequila trimmings … ho ho ho This smoky, deep-red cocktail takes its cue from our Latin roots, but with a seasonal twist. The mix of mezcal, tequila and vermouth is warming and vibrant, while pomegranate and rosemary lend a winter accent that makes it as fitting for a Christmas gathering as for a relaxing night in. Maria Yanez and Carlos Socorro, Tiny Wine, London W1 Continue reading...