Limb-severing machinery and loud noises awaited my frayed nerves – yet the workshop became my safe space Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email I had my first panic attack on New Year’s Day 2022. In the months that followed I experienced more of these episodes and increasingly craved serenity. Woodworking emerged in my mind as a place I might get some reprieve from the new psychological maze I was stumbling through after a traumatic event changed how I experienced the world. The call of the timber was undeniable. I landed on the Victorian Woodworkers Association in North Melbourne for its price, emphasis on craft and the pedigree of its tutors. Here I was able to take an open class that let me make whatever I wanted from day one. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

After going platinum in the 90s and writing the South Park theme, bassist extraordinaire Claypool discusses the AI-themed concept album he’s made with Sean Ono Lennon When Les Claypool wrote his first song for Primus in 1984, he faced a crisis of self-confidence. “I was too embarrassed to sing in my apartment,” he says on a video call. “But my roommate at the time was dating the preacher’s daughter, and had keys to the church across the street.” In the dead of night, the madcap bassist and singer took his recording equipment to the empty church, set up on the podium, and first sang his anti-war song Too Many Puppies, which recast soldiers as little dogs: “Too many puppies are being shot in the dark!” It was the first oddball creation of many: Primus’s rubbery fusions of prog, metal and funk have made Claypool one of rock’s most unlikely success stories. Albums such as 1991’s Sailing the Seas of Cheese are cartoon lands filled with colourful misfits, largely drawn from Claypool’s upbringing in blue-collar California, and given voices inspired by Mel Blanc’s work for Looney Tunes. Today, Claypool has two platinum records, a legacy of influencing giants such as Deftones, and a global cult fanbase including Rush and Tom Waits. But his wackiness, along with his having written the South Park theme and popularised the fan catchphrase “Primus sucks”, has made it hard to peel off the label of class-clown. “There’s an iron hand in that velvet glove,” he promises. Continue reading...

Hummus and pet grooming also join list of goods and services used to help judge the impact of rising prices Business live – latest updates The UK’s increasing sobriety will be recognised from next month in the basket of goods used to calculate inflation after alcohol-free beer was added to a list by the Office for National Statistics totalling 760 items. Hummus and pet grooming were also included in the list of goods and services used to help judge the impact of rising prices on the cost of living. Continue reading...

Politicians express joy and pride and thousands of Buckley masks reportedly being printed for St Patrick’s Day Oscars 2026 winners: the full list Jessie Buckley’s Oscar win has uncorked delight across Ireland and prompted an early start to St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Politicians, artists and commentators expressed joy and pride after waking up on Monday to images of the Kerry actor clutching the statuette for best actress in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Trams, buses and hire bikes will be integrated under molten orange and asphalt black brand highlighting industrial heritage, says Oliver Coppard South Yorkshire’s transport system will be known as the “People’s Network”, with trams, buses and hire bikes all coming under public control. The plan was unveiled on Monday by the region’s mayor, Oliver Coppard, who said it would create an affordable, joined-up network in molten orange and asphalt black colours. A large fleet of electric buses and 25 new trams will be introduced over the next five years. Continue reading...

A letter from 15 critics to the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh condemns ‘divisive move’ that saw non-Scottish publications excluded from reviewing the musical’s press night Theatre critics in Scotland have written to the Royal Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh condemning a “divisive” and “London-centric” decision to not invite reviews from UK national publications for its new musical version of One Day. The show, based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls, held a press night on Wednesday but only critics writing for Scottish publications were invited to review it. A separate press night for other critics is planned for a later date, when the show opens in London. Continue reading...

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

The club by the lake are far from universally popular but the Como manager’s clever tactics brought a key win over Roma For once the TV cameras at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia had not picked out a Hollywood A-lister in the stands but a celebrity of calcio instead. Gennaro Gattuso, the Italy manager, not to mention a World Cup and Champions League winner, had come to watch Como play Roma. A crucial game in the race for Europe, the two teams having started the weekend level in fourth place. And still a slightly surprising one for Gattuso to pick. Not because it lacked the history and traditional importance of Lazio’s game against Milan later that evening, but because Como don’t have any Italian players for him to watch. Continue reading...

Scientists in the US have uploaded a fruit fly to a computer simulation, while an Australian lab has taught neurons on a glass chip to play a 90s video game. How long before we are all living in a sci-fi movie? It sounds like the opening of a sci-fi film, but US scientists recently uploaded a copy of the brain of a living fly into a simulation. In San Francisco, biotechnology company Eon Systems created a virtual insect that knew how to walk, fly, groom and feed in its virtual environment. Researchers in Australia, meanwhile, have taught a petri dish containing 200,000 human brain cells to play the iconic 90s shooter Doom. One experiment has pushed a brain into a computer; the other has plugged a computer into brain cells. Both stories have been hailed as scientific breakthroughs, but have also sparked inevitable fears about the prospects of lab-grown humans and digital clones. Should we be concerned? Continue reading...

Reform UK’s deputy leader comments came as he was responding to questions raised about his own tax affairs All Britons should do their best to pay the minimum tax possible, Reform UK’s deputy leader has argued as he dismissed a newspaper investigation over his own tax affairs as a smear. Richard Tice, who was presenting a press conference on Monday about Reform’s claims to have saved large sums of money in the English councils it runs, faced questions about a Sunday Times story which detailed a scheme the paper said had helped him avoid nearly £600,000 in corporation tax. Continue reading...

Judge describes Nathan Bennett as ‘incorrigible and dangerous’ over string of offences including rape A “dangerous paedophile” who sexually abused five children in his care at a nursery in Bristol has been jailed for 24 years. Judge William Hart described Nathan Bennett as “evil” and said that he had thought seriously about imposing a life sentence because it was difficult to assess whether he would ever not be a risk to children. Continue reading...

Club also hit with nine-month academy transfer ban Investigation covered period between 2011 and 2018 Chelsea have been fined £10.75m by the Premier League and given a one-window transfer ban, suspended for two years, over historical breaches of regulations under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. “The Premier League has concluded two separate disciplinary processes involving Chelsea Football Club, following the club voluntarily self-reporting potential historical breaches of rules,” the league said. Continue reading...

What are the symptoms of the infection? Can it be prevented? And what is being done to manage the situation? A sixth-form pupil and a university student have died in Kent and 11 other people are believed to be seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis. We take a look at the disease, and how the situation is being managed. Continue reading...

Mark Sowerby battles bad feelings by tackling brutal channel crossings – the Oceans Seven – around the world The title of this invigorating documentary about open-water swimming seems at first to be a wry note-to-self regarding something competitors essentially have no control over: the possibility of becoming shark food. But, as practised by Australian waterman Mark Sowerby, it turns out to a surprisingly deep and empowering maxim about choosing to accept apprehensions and fears, and not being picked off by one’s inner vulnerabilities. Sowerby is that oft-spotted species: the investment banker seeking redemption. Adrift among the 1%, he pivots to long-distance swimming and makes a traumatic crossing of the English Channel in 2015. Then his company becomes chum for short-sellers. His self-esteem in tatters, depression swallows him up. Realising he can process the trauma with intensive pool time, Sowerby decides that completing the other six stages of the “Oceans Seven” – a set of brutal channel crossings around the globe – is the tonic he needs. Continue reading...

Recording of humpback whale from 1949 could also provide new understanding of how the huge animals communicate A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it’s the oldest such recording known. The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps from the water, and was recorded by scientists in March 1949 in Bermuda, said researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Continue reading...

Architect whose cultural projects included the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester and the remodelling of St Luke’s church for the LSO When men first walked on the moon in 1969, “space age” design began to percolate into mainstream architecture. One of the most literal and dramatic interpretations of this futuristic trend was the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester, a heptagonal theatre-in-the-round contained in an ultra-modern structure of tubular steel and glass inspired by Nasa’s lunar lander. A key member of its design team was Axel Burrough, of Levitt Bernstein Architects, who has died aged 79. The theatre module, which Burrough designed with David Levitt and Malcolm Brown, squats within the imposing neo-classical confines of the historic Royal Exchange. When the Exchange finally ceased trading in 1968, its grade two listed status ruled out conventional uses and refurbishment strategies, but it could be made to accommodate a building-within-a-building, conjuring a compelling visual and experiential contrast between old and new. Continue reading...

Rivalry has been Bundesliga’s best in recent years and intense 1-1 draw had ‘everything football has to offer’ Even if Xabi Alonso is no longer at Bayer Leverkusen strong traces of him remain, both at the club and in the Bundesliga. Take the match-up between Die Werkself and Bayern Munich, another of his former clubs. In the last few years it is a meeting that has nudged Der Klassiker gently aside in terms of excellence and what it has meant. Like so many historical domestic faceoffs with Bayern and AN Other it is likely transient but even if Saturday’s latest edition may not have had quite the direct rivalry that recent meetings have, many of the feelings of intensity and adrenaline were still there. It was the perfect pep for the run-in. There has been another moment in the recent past in which a stalemate in this showpiece has pleased neither team; the goalless draw in the corresponding fixture last season springs to mind, where Bayern were neutered as was/is rarely possible and only got away with a point after a mindboggling miss from Florian Wirtz at the death. If the two clubs’ realistic aims have gone in opposite directions since, there was still plenty of chuntering on both sides at the end. Continue reading...

US president had suggested his trip could be put on hold if Beijing fails to help secure the strait of Hormuz China has said it is in communication with the US regarding Donald Trump’s planned visit to Beijing, despite hints from the US president that he might delay the trip if Beijing does not help to unblock the strait of Hormuz. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. The two sides are maintaining communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China.” Continue reading...

From The Wire to Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, the Academy award winner has amassed a body of work that straddles commercial and critical success • Oscar winners 2026: the full list • Sinners’ Oscar triumphs show that Black cinema is now a vital and valid part of Hollywood Michael B Jordan’s best actor Oscar places him in an exclusive club. Only five black actors have won the award before. He now sits on a list that includes Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier, the first black winner for Lilies of the Field in 1964. But less than a month ago, it seemed unlikely. Jordan’s success at the Actors awards was the first serious hint that he could beat Timothée Chalamet, who had won at the Golden Globes and was the frontrunner for much of the awards campaign. But Chalamet, who made a few missteps on the campaign trail, was up against one of the most well-loved actors operating in Hollywood. Jordan is someone who at only 39 years old has managed to amass a body of work that straddles commercial and critical success. Continue reading...

As big tech continues to dominate the film industry, Video StoreAge is a uniquely crafted company that works with film-makers to sell independent films on USB drives The streaming-skeptical cinephile faces a dilemma in 2026, especially when it comes to watching movies at home. Increasingly, movies are available via rentals that funnel money to mega-corporations including Amazon or Apple; digital “purchases” from those same companies that can actually be revoked at any moment; or, most enticingly but still somewhat inconveniently, well-curated physical media special editions that treat films with the respect they deserve (sometimes even respect they don’t, depending on the title) while taking up a lot of shelf space and hitting your wallet hard. Plus, as vinyl aficionados know, bespoke physical media can also be severely limited in terms of where you can actually play it. Basically, almost everyone in the home-video space is trying to either be Amazon or the Criterion Collection. Ash Cook, the former Sundance programmer who founded the new distributor Video StoreAge (pronounced like “storage”), is trying to figure out a third way. He described Video StoreAge’s products – indie movies sold on USB drives – as “like a DVD in the present tense. It’s a way to have a physical copy of a movie, but in this case you can play it on your computer. It has digital utility.” Like almost anything else these days, Video StoreAge is available as a subscription, with quarterly collections of five features and five shorts. The first drop includes Vera Drew’s buzzed-about The People’s Joker, a homemade superhero comedy that reappropriates many elements of the Batman mythos into a trans coming-out story. (Honestly, it’s more fun than those Joaquin Phoenix movies and might understand the Joker character better, too.) But they also sell single films, including Drew’s, or any combinations of available films as a sort of digital indie-movie mix tape on those format-flexible USB drives. (The quarter’s shorts package is included with every movie regardless, an automatic special feature.) Continue reading...

‘We’ll see how I feel in practice,’ says world No 2 McIlroy hampered by back injury before Players Championship Rory McIlroy will weigh up whether to play another event before the defence of his Masters title next month after an underwhelming outing at the Players Championship. He was the defending champion at TPC Sawgrass, but his preparation was hampered by a back injury and he finished in a disappointing tie for 46th on Sunday. “I’ll see how my body feels,” said the world No 2. “We’ll see how I feel in practice and at home and if I get itchy feet at home maybe add an event at some point. Continue reading...

Prisons minister says more women should be diverted away from jail – and new board aims to bring about that change Pat had been in trouble with the police before, when she was 16 and had been spat out of the care system with no qualifications, no housing and no support. Nearly 50 years later, she heard a knock on the door again. There had been a fire in the estate where she lived, and another resident said she had seen Pat start it. “I was in the police station for nearly two days before I got to the magistrates court,” she said, worrying one finger over the top of her hand. “The magistrate said he was sending it to the crown court, and sending me to prison, basically.” Continue reading...

Palais Garnier, Paris Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple’s Arena spills off the stage while Morau’s equally audacious Étude has balletic body snatchers What a joy to find Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple given full run of the grandiose Palais Garnier. The sparky duo from London, known as Jess and Morgs, bring their audacious blend of choreography and live camerawork to a gripping new creation, Arena, with video design by Jakub Lech. It peaks with a bravura sequence in which Loup Marcault-Derouard leaves the stage and is seen on a huge screen, racing around the opera house’s imposing halls and staircase. Arena gives the sense of choreographers in a candy store, seizing the real estate newly available to them after their hit, tech-centric reboot of Coppélia for Scottish Ballet in 2022. The piece opens with understated, percussive coolness and shades of A Chorus Line – an athletic squad limber up with individual and collective confidence. “Next please!” barks the voiceover and a camera operator glides down the queue, capturing beady eyes, beating chests, glistening sweat. In the age of Instagram, dancers are ever-ready for their closeups and here the port de bras frequently results in tightly framed faces – but Arena exposes the perils of chronically online culture and the urge to compete, compare and conform. There is a gladiatorial element to Annemarie Woods’ costumes yet this is a dystopian contest that also feels rooted in the present day. Continue reading...

Bibby Boys photo exhibition documents experiences of the men who lived on the former asylum seeker vessel in Dorset and the local community that rallied around them The Bibby Stockholm barge, which was moored off Portland, Dorset, to accommodate asylum seekers, attracted many negative headlines – from evacuation after the discovery of legionella bacteria, to the suicide of Albanian asylum seeker Leonard Farruku and angry far-right protests. But an exhibition launching this week reveals a less reported side of life on the barge, where enduring connections between asylum seekers and members of the local community were forged and continue long after the last group of asylum seekers left the vessel in November 2024. Continue reading...

Sonia Bompastor ‘a bit sad’ at League Cup changes while Andrée Jeglertz steels Manchester City for season’s climax Sonia Bompastor said losing the opportunity to play in the League Cup was a “bit sad,” but she understood the reason for excluding teams that qualify for the Champions League next season. With Chelsea rarely outside the European places the Blues’ 2-0 League Cup final victory over Manchester United on Sunday may well be their last foray in the competition for some time. “I think I understand the reason why the decision is made,” she said after goals from Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones secured the win. “For a club like Chelsea, we are playing a lot of games, our schedule is busy, so I understand the reason behind the decision. As much as we want to be competing in every competition and going as far as possible and grabbing as many titles and trophies as possible, I understand. Of course, when you have one competition that is probably going away from you it’s a bit sad.” Suzanne Wrack Continue reading...