Sport, music, Scouts … it’s time to end the relentless treadmill of kids’ extracurricular activities and re-embrace civilisation
There are no uniforms to remember, no bags to pack, no mad dashes across suburbs at this time of year. Even dinner can be eaten while seated
‘Matter of survival’: South Korean president urges public health cover for hair loss
Medical professionals and some in conservative circles feel argument of Lee Jae Myung may be a bit thin
Australia’s 5% home deposit scheme makes it harder for low-income earners to buy, research suggests
Economists find Labor’s policy ‘generates inequality’ and could push up prices significantly
Country diary: Postcard from a pier, where brent geese are the main attraction
Ryde, Isle of Wight: There’s plenty of commotion here among the hovercraft and herring gulls, not least from these wonderful, tubby geese, which make my winter
Anti-protest laws contain ‘extraordinary powers’, NSW premier says when linking Gaza rallies to Bondi terror attack
Chris Minns says state ‘can’t risk another mass demonstration on that scale in NSW [because] the implications can be seen, in my view, on Sunday’
Brown University shooting suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials say
Claudio Neves Valente, who was found dead in a storage facility, also killed an MIT professor at his Boston-area home
The Crunch: the mystery of clothes shopping; children’s TV; and the rest of the best of 2025
Josh and Nick pick their favourite pieces of the year, which include the best way to dice an onion, Woodside gas emissions and a voting matrix
Ukraine deal: EU leaders agree €90bn loan, but without use of frozen Russian assets
Two-year deal will cover most of Ukraine’s needs, but will be secured against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets
Last-minute Christmas gift ideas: 56 of the best presents to buy in a pinch in Australia
The best thoughtful gifts you can buy for Christmas – even when time is running out
Europe has lost all credibility in the Middle East. The way to regain it lies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon
Sidelined by Trump, preoccupied with Ukraine and damaged by its immoral stance on Gaza, Europe can still help stabilise its eastern Mediterranean neighbours , says Guardian Europe columnist Nathalie Tocci
They survived wildfires. But something else is killing Greece’s iconic fir forests
In the Peloponnese mountains, the usually hardy trees are turning brown even where fires haven’t reached. Experts are raising the alarm on a complex crisis
Thrillers should be on UK school curriculum to boost reading, says Lee Child
Bestselling author says focus on ‘masterpieces’ puts children off as he promotes prison literacy scheme
Experience: I won the lottery for 15 minutes
My heart skipped a beat. I felt quite light-headed. Finally, the moment I dreamed of had arrived
How do I talk to my conservative grandsons who dismiss my politics as fuzzy thinking?
You could try showing them the depths of what they don’t know, says advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Knowing what they’re missing could be a path to mutual respect
Storytellers: how the world’s oldest job became the hottest new corporate job title
Big tech, retailers and compliance firms are hiring people to ‘own the narrative’. But what do they actually mean by that?
Angela Rayner to publish memoir amid talk of potential Labour leadership challenge
Exclusive: Book to detail life from child poverty and teenage pregnancy to unions and Labour deputy leadership before fall from grace