Make up a big batch of tahini sauce with herbs, quick preserved lemons, experiment with all sorts of pestos, or try zhoug and shatta , two punchy Levantine chilli condiments I love the green tahini sauce with the roast cauliflower in your book Simple it livens up even the most joyless of midweek meals. What other easy sauces should I have in my repertoire to give plain dishes a bit of zhoosh ? Joe, Liverpool Im so pleased youve asked this question, Joe, because sauces and pastes are one of the

The singer on eating junk food in bed, a $100k holiday he didnt even go on, and the perks of fame Born Montero Lamar Hill in Georgia, Lil Nas X, 25, rose tofame in 2019 with his single Old Town Road, which won many awards, including two Grammys. In2021, he released his debut album Montero, which featured the hits Montero (Call Me By Your Name), Industry Baby and Thats What I Want.The following year, he completed his first worldwide tour. The documentary Lil Nas X: Long LiveMontero directed by C

Game-changing books that offer hope, as recommended by speakers at this years Hay festival, including Theresa May, Tom Holland, Helen Garner and Jon Ronson chosen by Lenny Henry , actor and comedian Continue reading...

Last year British taxpayers spent 800 years waiting to speak to HMRC. This is the price of a world digitised on the cheap In taking stock of how we spend our days, no one likes to think of all the hours weve spent on the phone to the tax office. Yet that and other necessary administrative evils are increasingly taking up our precious time. Taxpayers spent an accumulated total of almost 800 years on hold on the phone with HM Revenue & Customs last year, according to the National Audit Office , th

Bournemouths manager on Marcelo Bielsas lessons , his love for cycling and why Unai Emery should beat him to awards After an unforgiving start, Andoni Iraola has enjoyed an eye-catching first season in the Premier League, leading Bournemouth to their best points tally in the division, with a tophalf finish a distinct possibility heading into the final day. His work, imposing a breathless, aggressive style on a dynamic team, has earned him a nomination for the manager of the season award, as well

Gender stereotypes at home may hamper female students ability to progress in the classroom, research suggests Parents are more likely to overestimate maths ability in sons than daughters, according to research that suggests that gender stereotypes at home may hinder the progress of female students. The findings, presented in a lecture at University College London this week, found that parents tend to be overconfident about their childrens academic performance in reading and maths regardless of g

The two fighters have experienced epic highs and crushing lows in the lead-up to Saturdays undisputed decider His eye-catching size and improbable name earned Tyson Fury attention but his amateur career was marked by frustration. Fury fought only 35 times (31-4) and his dream of going to the 2008 Olympics was shattered when David Price responsible for one of those four defeats was selected as Team GBs super-heavyweight for Beijing. After a failed attempt to qualify for the Ireland team, a disi

Children crying out for stability are paying the highest price for Britains chaotic and exploitative residential care Im a patron of a small local charity that helps struggling children to rebuild trust and connection. Its called Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship , and it works by bringing them together with rescued horses. The horses, like many of the children, arrive traumatised, anxious and frightened. They help each other to heal. Children who have lost their trust in humans can find it in hor

Unusual storylines are growing ever rarer due to the influence of the super-rich and nation states in our national game Admit it, when Erik ten Hag walked out holding a microphone after Manchester Uniteds final home game on Wednesday night you also thought he was going to start saying things like Your job now is to support the new manager, before marching off to write books containing anecdotes about Richard Branson. In the event the most notable part of Ten Hags speech was how convincing he is

People who receive the new state pension can get thousands a year more than those on the old basic scheme Sheila receives the basic state pension and says it is a struggle to make ends meet. Were supposed to survive on pocket money, says the widow, aged 81. I dont go out because I cant afford it. I used to go for a coffee to treat myself but not any more. Its too expensive. If I buy clothes it is at the charity shop. The way we have to live is not nice at all. Theres masses of people in the same

There was more business than usual and some bemused regulars after El Califa de Len was rewarded for its exceptional offering El Califa de Len, an unassuming taco joint in Mexico City, measures just 3 metres by 3 metres and has space for only about six people to stand at a squeeze. Locals usually wait for 5 minutes between ordering and picking up their food. All that changed on Wednesday, however, when it became the first Mexican taco stand ever to win a Michelin star, putting it in the exalted

Herby lamb pastries with a yoghurt sauce and pine nut oil, and moreish Levantine flatbreads topped with labneh for dipping and snacking When thinking about why I love Lebanese food so much, Im tempted just to list some of that cuisines big hitters: the crunchy kibbeh and creamy hummus, the fresh fattoush and herb-crammed tabbouleh. Pilaf and pine nuts, fried falafel and sweet knafeh This is food I can eat every single day and never be bored with. Its food to scoop up, to share and often to tear

Previous 25,000 maximum no longer enough to fund some home improvements, says building society Nationwide building society has doubled the maximum personal loan it will offer borrowers to 50,000, citing the continued increase in building costs as the reason for the change. The society previously offered up to 25,000 for qualifying customers but said this was no longer enough to fund some home improvement projects. Continue reading...

The Germans nine-year Anfield tenure has contained some unforgettable highs and a handful of agonising near-misses Recruiting Jrgen Klopp was a coup for Fenway Sports Group Liverpool were not what they are now in 2015 and his willingness to end a planned year-long sabbatical after four months to take the job generated a level of excitement and anticipation among supporters rarely witnessed before. It would not be misplaced. After signing a three-year contract at the citys Hope Street hotel, a

News avatars are proliferating on social media and experts say they will spread as the technology becomes more accessible The news presenter has a deeply uncanny air as he delivers a partisan and pejorative message in Mandarin: Taiwans outgoing president, Tsai Ing-wen, is as effective as limp spinach, her period in office beset by economic under performance, social problems and protests. Water spinach looks at water spinach. Turns out that water spinach isnt just a name, says the presenter, in a

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A vivid cultural of digestion, from ancient Greece to All-Bran Some people, observed Samuel Johnson, have a foolish way of not minding, or pretending not tomind, what they eat. For mypart, Imind my belly very studiously, and very carefully; for Ilook upon it, that he who does not mind his belly, will hardly mind anything else. And whilewe are minding our belly, our belly minds us:so, at least, we are encouraged to think by modern hymns to the wisdom of the enteric nervous system and the gut micr

For her debut book, the Irish photographer Eimear Lynch travelled around Ireland to photograph groups of girls immersed in the, often lengthy, ritual of dressing up and applying their makeup together Girls Night is available now from IDEA Continue reading...

The blood friends swap stories and medical advice to help one another feel unburdened by their experiences Victims of the infected blood inquiry are joining forces to share stories and support. Sue Wathen, Joan Edgington and Nicola Leahey were diagnosed with hepatitis C after struggling through years of unexplained symptoms that were dismissed by doctors. Continue reading...

Concerns raised as influencers promote pigment-injection procedure as latest cosmetic trend From butter boards to viral dances, social media has spawned a host of fads, but experts have warned against the latest trend: eye-tattooing. The procedure, known as keratopigmentation, is a recent development and can be used for therapeutic purposes to improve the appearance of eyes. This can include for people who have been left with scars on the transparent front part of the eye, known as the cornea, a

Rescue operations become ever more dangerous in the town at the centre of Russias recent offensive in the Kharkiv region Evacuating the last remaining residents of Vovchansk, the town at the centre of Russias recent offensive in Kharkiv region , becomes more dangerous with every passing day. As fierce street battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces continue in the northern part of the town, a band of local police and volunteers have been journeying in daily to evacuate the last, terrified re

The attempted assassination of a leader sympathetic to Putin has Europe on edge. But exaggerating the fascist threat is also dangerous The shooting of the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, has dramatised the increasingly angry and polarised landscape of European politics. With just weeks to go before the European parliament elections , it is time to step back from the brink. This eruption of violence in the midst of the campaign is so shocking that it may, at best, have a chastening effect,

Shocking, arresting and extraordinary photographs that shifted how women are seen in the world Author Anne Enright: The lens has not lost its power to claim and possess By Sophy Rickett Continue reading...

From a burrowing clam to toilet cleaner, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz 1 The OEDs first citation for video game mentions which Atari product? 2 Which river has Damietta and Rosetta branches? 3 Who were bribed in the 1950s payola scandal? 4 Which poet was nicknamed the White Myth of Amherst? 5 What athletics world record has stood at 7291 since 1988? 6 Which PM was described by Caitlin Moran as a C-3PO made of ham? 7 Which philosopher had a brother who was a celebrated one-handed pia

Eight-year-olds video, which racked up 14m views, hits a sore point for mobilers who have struggled with the cost of living Like the totemic 8 pint or 5 coffee , the cost of a Mr Whippy ice-cream has become a barometer of a world gone mad. But really, nine quid for two ice-creams? Bloody hell. That was the damning verdict of an eight-year-old whose TikTok rant over the cost of two screwballs from an ice cream van in the park has racked up 14m views at the time of writing. Continue reading...

TV presenter and naturalist Steve Backshall finds a camper truck the ideal way to give children an outdoors experience in untamed parts of northern England Camping trips with a young family can be thoroughly challenging, especially in the UK, when the weather often skips from sunshine to deluge in the blink of an eye. My extra challenge is that my wife, Helen, cant join us for our Easter break (shes away training for her fourth Olympic Games reasonable excuse). My three kids (twins of four, and

Long-distance couples meet for the first time, including a pair who started out in a Game of Thrones roleplay chatroom. It is bizarre but strangely sweet to witness When the internet was invented nobody used their real names on it, and I am starting to wonder if breaking that covenant was a mistake. Starting to wonder correction, I am fully sure that was an error. We need to go back to usernames xX_tha_0rin0c0_Xx, that sort of thing and anonymity and no webcams and, ideally, screeching 56k mo

Ian Rankins mercurial detective is back in a fresh reimagining. Plus: more fun with Ncuti Gatwas Doctor. Heres what to watch this evening 9.25pm, BBC One Continue reading...

Edible oil droplets trap bugs without the harm to people and wildlife that synthetic pesticides can cause Tiny sticky droplets sprayed on crops to trap pests could be a green alternative to chemical pesticides, research has shown. The insect glue, produced from edible oils, was inspired by plants such as sundews that use the strategy to capture their prey. A key advantage of physical pesticides over toxic pesticides is that pests are highly unlikely to evolve resistance, as this would require th

Salted caramel made with bacon fat? Surely not! Then again, whyever not? Bacon fat has a unique, rounded, umami-rich flavour that works well in both sweet and savoury dishes, so always be sure to save any left over after cooking, and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those flavourful, caramelised bacony bits. Bacon fat makes just about any dish more mouthwatering, and turbo-charges it with flavour: use it for sauteing potatoes, frying chicken or, if you fancy stepping up your

Completed days before his assisted death, the French New Wave master director talks through his ideas as illustrated in his hand-drawn scrapbook Here is an intriguing footnote to Jean-Luc Godards extraordinary career - a docu-textual movie collage lasting just under an hour in two parts, or maybe two layers, completed just before his assisted death two years ago in Switzerland at the age of 91. His collaborator and cinematographer Fabrice Aragno calls it not the last Godard but a new Godard. In

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Nadeem, 57, an academic, meets Anona, 59, an environmentalist What were you hoping for? That he could make me laugh, had hair and wouldnt bore the pants off me. Continue reading...

Boxer has raised funds for Ukraine but faced criticism in the past for his apparent Moscow-leaning sympathies On the streets of Kyiv this week, the name of the Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk prompted a few eye-rolls, alongside expressions of admiration for his sporting prowess. The former cruiserweight, who fights the Briton Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, has been an active fundraiser for the Ukrainian military and humanitari

Marina Hyde: So Russell Brand was baptised in the Thames, and all his sins were washed away. Cheaper than a lawyer, I suppose; plus Jenny Kleeman meets Raffaella Spone, the woman accused of creating and circulating a damaging deepfake video of teenage cheerleaders. The problem? Nothing was fake after all. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president admits his army lacks enough troops and has only 25% of the air defences it needs as Russia advances in the north-east. What we know on day 815 Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has warned that Russias offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region this month may only be the first wave of several and Russian troops could aim for the city of Kharkiv. We have to be sober and understand that they are going deeper into our territory. Not vice versa, Zelenskiy said on Friday

The frustration that erupted into deadly violence in the French territory last week has been building for years In the middle of the main road in Rivire-Sale, north of Nouma, sits a burnt-out car. After days of rioting, young men with masked faces wave a Kanak flag as vehicles pass. All around is desolation. Shops with gutted fronts, burnt buildings, debris on the pavements and roads. Gangs of young people roam the area. The violence that erupted last week is the worst in New Caledonia since unr

An office drone must suffer the machismo of an Australian coastal town in this barmy, low-budget thriller about a would-be wave-chaser Here is a gloriously demented B-movie thriller about a middle-aged man who wants to ride a big wave and the grinning local bullies who regard the beach as home soil. Dont live here, dont surf here, they shout at any luckless tourist who dares to visit picturesque Lunar Bay on Australias south-western coast, where the land is heavy with heat and colour. Tempers ar

Strikingly large sum being recouped from people who fell foul of system that did not flag overpayments Ministers are clawing back more than 250m from unpaid carers over benefit infringements that occurred largely as a result of government failures, it can be revealed. More than 134,000 people who care for loved ones are being forced to repay often huge carers allowance overpayments. The debts are incurred in many cases through no fault of their own, and leave carers saddled with enormous debts,

A cold, damp spring depressed plant sales in the UK, but help is at hand from the Glastonbury festival of the gardening world The sixth-wettest April on record has not been kind to Britains gardens or its 1,600 garden centres. So far this year, with most of the key selling season over, garden centre sales are up just 2% on last year and down 11% on 2022, after the sodden spring depressed sales of shrubs, trees, bedding plants andseeds. Continue reading...

John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds go family-friendly in their new imaginary-friends comedy, while the singer swaps introspection for lust on her long-awaited new album If Out now In what has to be one of the more enviable showbiz lives, John Krasinski has played Jim in The Office, married Emily Blunt, and written and directed acclaimed horror franchise A Quiet Place. Now he turns his hand to family entertainment, writing and directing this part-animated fantasy about imaginary friends made visibl

Supporters gather enough valid signatures to put measure that would enshrine abortion rights into constitution on to ballot Voters in Colorado will have a say on abortion rights this fall after supporters collected enough valid signatures to put a measure on the ballot, part of a national push to pose abortion rights questions to voters since the US supreme court removed the nationwide right to abortion. The Colorado measure officially made the ballot on Friday and would enshrine abortion righ

Cannes film festival A dying director who fled from the US to Canada agrees to make a confessional film in Schraders fragmented and anticlimactic story Muddled, anticlimactic and often diffidently performed, this oddly passionless new movie from Paul Schrader is a disappointment. It is based on the novel Foregone by Russell Banks (Schrader also adapted Bankss novel Affliction in 1997) and reunites Schrader with Richard Gere, his star from American Gigolo. Though initially intriguing, it really f

Arsenal manager vows to try again should the Gunners fail in their quest for a first Premier League crown in 20 years Mikel Arteta pondered the question for a split second, then responded. Had he been in touch with Pep Guardiola this week to discuss Sundays denouement of the Premier League title race ? No, no, came the emphatic answer. The Arsenal manager remains on good terms with his Manchester City counterpart, who gave him hisfirst opportunity in coaching back in 2016 when Arteta turned down

New Hampshire employees of day care arrested after six-month investigation and each face 10 charges of endangering children Four New Hampshire daycare employees allegedly spiked childrens food with the sleep supplement melatonin and were arrested on Thursday. The arrests stem from a November 2023 investigation at a daycare in Manchester, New Hampshire, about 30 minutes outside the state capital of Concord. Continue reading...

Samantha Power says barely 100 trucks of aid a day enter Gaza, far less than 600 needed to address threat of famine Humanitarian assistance has begun to arrive in Gaza along a US-made pier , but the US aid chief said the new sea corridor could not be a substitute for land crossings, and warned that deliveries of food and fuel entering Gaza had slowed to dangerously low levels. The White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, confirmed on Friday that truckloads of humanitarian aid, inc

From the rubble to the Ritz? The rousing pre-match welcome Southamptons supporters gave their players left a wreckage of flares, smoke bombs, empties and cans but as fans exited a supercharged St Marys they left with a trip to Wembley to plan. Russell Martins side were given a heroes welcome and now they are one game from returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking, a date with Leeds to prepare for a week on Sunday. Will Smallbone settled any lingering nerves early in the second

Yonaguni is a tourist hotspot but its location just 100km from Taiwan means residents must wrestle with the creeping militarisation of their home In the minds of many Japanese people, Yonaguni is a sleepy paradise of crystal-clear sea and pristine beaches, where miniature horses graze on clifftops and empty roads dissect fields of sugar cane; where tourists dive with hammerhead sharks and marvel at the Ayamihabiru the worlds largest Atlas moth. But this tiny island, located far closer to Taipe

Bakery scent added via microcapsules to postage stamp celebrating jewel of French culture The French Post Office has released out a scratch-and-sniff postage stamp to celebrate the baguette, once described by President Emmanuel Macron as 250 grams of magic and perfection. The stamp, which costs 1.96, depicts a baguette decorated with a red, white and blue ribbon. It has a print run of 594,000 copies. Continue reading...

Firm asked to back up claims about Fiona Harvey after executives appearance before select committee An MP has asked Netflix to provide evidence that the woman who inspired the character Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer is a convicted stalker, claiming that a record of her conviction has not yet been found. Netflixs director of public policy, Benjamin King, told the culture media and sport committee on 8 May that the show was the true story of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist, Rich