Posts by Sarkiya Ranen
Belt and braces PM: what wearing suit braces says about Burnham
The sartorial evolution of Andy Burnham reached another milestone this week when the prime minister appeared at a photocall in Derbyshire wearing a pair of braces under his suit. Navy, slimline and button-on rather than clipped, they were barely visible while he posed for a photo in Ilkeston. It was only when he unbuttoned his…
Read MoreItalian police recover paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse after heist
Italian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen earlier this year from a private museum near the northern city of Parma, authorities have said. The raid took place overnight on 22-23 March at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 12 miles (19km) from Parma,…
Read MoreCricket reader Q&A: ask Ali Martin your questions ahead of England v Pakistan – live
Ali is live Ali Martin is online now answering your questions about England’s cricketing future – and anything else cricket-related. Share Key events Will Root be willing to think outside the box? wickselmbarkers asks: Will Root be willing to think out of the box as a returning captain with funky fields and also change his…
Read MoreJeremy Bamber’s legal team challenge ban on his talking to the media
The legal team of Jeremy Bamber, who has served 41 years in prison for murdering five members of his family, has challenged Wakefield prison’s decision to ban him from talking about his case to the media and long-term supporters. His lawyers have issued a claim for judicial review against the secretary of state for justice…
Read More‘Disgraceful’: what one photo from Clacton tells us about British politics in 2026
It ended, perhaps fittingly, on a rather baffling note. After 34 days of campaigning to regain the parliamentary seat of Clacton on England’s south coast, Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, declined to turn up to the town’s leisure centre to hear himself declared the winner and MP. It was quite the…
Read MoreBenjamin Netanyahu describes UK as ‘first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon’
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the UK “the Islamic republic of Britain” in a podcast interview, where he also described the country as the “first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon”. His comments, made during an interview for Israel’s army radio, played into a common far-right Islamophobic trope about Britain’s small Muslim…
Read MoreDigested week: Humid New York or London’s oven-blast heat? Tough one to call
Monday I’ve been in New York for two weeks, where the unthinkable has happened: even for a city accustomed to extremes, it is so hot, so humid, so reminiscent of Mobile, Alabama, or Mumbai, that all over the city, New Yorkers have been forced to break persona to talk about the weather. “Was it always…
Read MoreDonald Trump to give speech on crime and safety during New York visit – US politics live
Donald Trump to give speech on crime and safety during New York visit Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. President Donald Trump plans to highlight his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York on Friday, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans…
Read More‘The eww holds power’: why disgust shapes how we see nature, queerness and each other
It was the summer of 2021 and I was standing in Hyde Park, London, trying to persuade passing tourists to come bug hunting with me. I was working on a campaign to increase public appreciation of invertebrates and, while I adore bugs, this job was teaching me how differently other people see them. A woman…
Read MoreQuitting Canada: Why I am moving to the United States
Grainy videos hide more than they reveal. They smooth out the texture and contours of life in a single moment. We often look back on these relics as beautiful, simpler times. But it’s hard to grasp what life felt like for the protagonists in the frame. The anxiety and excitement. The stack of bills collecting…
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