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Wakelyns needs £1.2m to save its diverse organic crops and ‘micro’ enterprises including a bakery and honeybee hives
The aerial view of Wakelyns matches the experience of visiting it at ground level: in a region dominated by prairie fields of industrial agriculture, here lies a vivid green lung of land. Its sounds and sights in summer – the sleepy purr of the turtle dove, the vivid pink flash of a bullfinch – have vanished from most of the British countryside.
But Wakelyns is not a nature reserve – it is a thriving farm, a “living laboratory” for agroforestry and a hub for innovation and business. It is also under threat, and its owners must raise £1.2m to turn it into a charitable community benefit society.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:00:05 GMT
Decision vindicated. The Norway coach, Ståle Solbakken, had taken a major gamble in resting almost his entire side in the final group game against France, drawing stiff criticism, not least from those who had paid hundreds of dollars to witness a showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. As Solbakken said, the decision would stand or fall on the result of this game. Norway are in the last 16, and therefore his policy can be considered justified.
It was, though, a mightily close-run thing. Having taken a first-half lead through Antonio Nusa, Norway had seemed to be in control, Côte d’Ivoire’s possession sterile. But then Amad Diallo produced one of the great substitute interventions, making a remarkable clearance to keep out a Torbjørn Heggem volley before scoring a stunning equaliser. But with four minutes remaining, Erling Haaland bundled in the winner. He may had mis-hit it, but none of the Norway fans packed behind that goal cared as they progressed to a last-16 tie against Brazil in New York/New Jersey.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 19:05:09 GMT
The Dip couldn’t be more Keir if it tried: the military, the allies and probably not even Keir himself were happy
There was an air of melancholy as the defence investment plan (Dip) was announced at Malloy Aeronautics in Maidenhead, Berkshire. A sense that the main figures were fading out of history even as the legacy was being written, as if the event were sepia-tinted.
The Dip was supposed to be Keir Starmer’s lasting bequest to the country. His gift to an ungrateful nation. And if it is to be his swansong, it couldn’t be more Keir if it tried: something that manages not to satisfy any of the major players involved – the military, nor our allies – and probably not even Keir himself. The story of his time in government.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:25:08 GMT
Always wondered what everyday stuff celebrities buy, where they shop for food and the basics they scrimp on? The skincare expert talks vinyl, McDonald’s tea and the body lotion she buys on repeat with the Filter
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Caroline Hirons started her career working at the Aveda counter in Harvey Nichols before launching her successful skincare blog in 2010, which has since amassed more than 160m views.
Her debut book, Skincare, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Caroline launched her skincare app, Skin Rocks, and her skincare brand of the same name in 2022.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:09 GMT
Drop to 10% for pubs and eateries would be in line with most of Europe, but critics say it favours multinationals
Nearly a quarter of hospitality businesses are losing money, new data has shown, reigniting calls among chefs, pub owners and restaurateurs for their sector to be handed a reduced rate of VAT.
It may seem like a no-brainer because the measure would ease pressure on the ailing sector and put the UK in line with most European countries. But critics say the measure would be extremely costly and reward big multinational businesses, without necessarily helping to spur growth.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:24:31 GMT
We are surrounded by sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures – and most of it barely registers. Time to slow down and take it all in …
What was the last thing that made your body feel good? Maybe it was the first sip of tea or blast of water in your morning shower, the warm silk of a cat’s back arching to meet your fingers, pulling on a T-shirt softened by repeated washing or the moment you align the numbers on your bike lock and it releases with a weighty clonk? Maybe somewhere you encountered a paper coffee cup with a cardboard sleeve embossed with ridges that offered “a surprisingly gratifying tactile delight”? Maybe you’ve never considered paper cups much; I hadn’t before I read that in Ian Bogost’s The Small Stuff: The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life.
The Small Stuff is a manifesto for tuning into the tiny opportunities for gratification being human offers, even in increasingly frictionless, AI-enabled, automated lives. Starting from that paper cup, Bogost – an interdisciplinary academic at Washington University, video game designer and writer – explores how we’ve become what he calls “dematerialised” and how to fight back, analysing the idiosyncratically pleasing qualities of plastic drinking fountain tumblers, using “steel-crank-roll paper towel dispensers” and – don’t tell me this one doesn’t resonate – peeling the plastic protective film off, in his case, a wooden knife block (I have happy memories of doing this on our microwave door).
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:37 GMT
PM unveils long-awaited defence investment plan, which he says will mean hit to road, housing and energy schemes
Keir Starmer has warned his successor not to borrow more to pay for defence as he raided energy, transport and housing projects to plug a military spending deficit with an extra £15bn over the next four years.
The prime minister revealed his long-awaited defence investment plan (Dip) on Tuesday, after an 11-month government row that cost him a defence secretary and arguably contributed to his downfall.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:09:41 GMT
President reacts to ruling to uphold birthright citizenship after justices strike down executive order aimed at ending longstanding principle
Supreme court upholds birthright citizenship, allows states to ban trans women from female sports and ends limits on federal campaign spending
The supreme court’s decision to reject Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook yesterday is part of a long-running battle over the independence of the central bank.
Trump repeatedly attacked former chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates fast enough, calling him a “moron” on social media. Powell’s term ended in May this year, and he was succeeded by Trump nominee Kevin Warsh.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 19:56:14 GMT
Pontiff warns that defiance by Society of Saint Pius X would be ‘schismatic act’
Pope Leo has made a last-ditch attempt to persuade a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics to abandon plans to ordain its own bishops without Vatican approval, calling the “schismatic act” a “sin of extreme gravity”.
The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), founded in the Swiss village of Ecône in 1970 to oppose liberalising reforms in the Catholic church, plans to ordain four new bishops at its seminary there on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:13:35 GMT
Prime minister-in-waiting is seeking an interim base in the city centre before Ancoats site is completed in 2028
A civil service base that is under construction in Manchester has been earmarked for Andy Burnham’s No 10 North, according to reports.
The northern centre of government will be in Ancoats, on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, but the site is not due to be completed before 2028, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Continue reading...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:43:37 GMT