CATEGORIES

The day I caught my catfish

Andrew Lloyd describes the surreal experience of tracking down the man who stole his identity and whose Facebook profile was like a shrine devoted to his face. He was surprised to find that neither Meta nor the Metropolitan police seemed interested in taking action against the perpetrator

THE CALL OF NATURE

Across the globe, vast swathes of land are being abandoned to be reclaimed by nature. To see what happens to the natural world when people disappear, look to Bulgaria

Record drug haul seized as smugglers' new route is found

Colombian authorities working with dozens of other countries have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine in the space of six weeks, a global record for any single anti-narcotics operation, finding some of that haul on a \"narco submarine\" travelling on a new drug trafficking route to Australia.

Taxing times Trump's tariff threats send ripples around the world

European companies were wondering whether they had dodged a harmful blow to their US sales after Donald Trump promised to slap trade tariffs on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods in social media posts last Monday.

Against the grain The hidden killer on your plate

Most of us consume far too much salt, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. But you can retrain your palate

Lost taxes and pollution The high cost of illegal gold mining boom

Felicity Nelson recalls her 17-day detention in September vividly. The 34-year-old activist was one of 53 people arrested at a junction in Accra, the capital, after protesting with hundreds of others against illegal mining.

Protests roil women's university over plan to admit men

Spray paint and protest banners cover the walls and pavements of Dongduk women's university in Seoul. \"We'd rather perish than open our doors,\" reads one slogan. Since 11 November, students have staged a sit-in, initially occupying the main building and blocking access to classroom buildings across campus, forcing classes to move online.

Ship operator 'emitted more CO2 in 2023 than a city'

The world's largest cruise line company is responsible for producing more carbon dioxide in Europe than the city of Glasgow, a report has found.

The former sailor fighting to keep cruise ships at bay

After spending most of his life on commercial vessels, Guillaume Picard is leading the battle to protect Marseille from vast liners

Trees of life Saplings from Sycamore Gap to spread hope

Saplings from the felled. Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted across the UK, including next to one of London's most famous roads, at a rural prison and at a motor neurone disease centre opening in the name of the late rugby league star Rob Burrow.

An urban plot with a sustainable ending

Oosterwold residents must grow food on at least half their property, leading to creative solutions

Blueprint outlines plans to reform end-of-life care

MPs, doctors and charities have drawn up a blueprint to deliver an . \"unprecedented transformation\" of care for 100,000 people a year in the final stages of their lives.

Ordinary voices The power behind assisted dying vote

Many influential people spoke for and against Kim Leadbeater's bill, but it was the opinions of constituents that had greatest sway over MPs

Notre Dame reopening offers 'shock of hope', says Macron

The restoration of Paris's Notre Dame after its partial destruction by fire five years ago will give the world a \"shock of hope\", Emmanuel Macron has said as he marked the medieval cathedral's imminent reopening with a televised walking tour.

Gisèle Pelicot is not my adversary, says defence lawyer

Béatrice Zavarro, a diminutive figure in a long black robe and heavy red glasses, who has described herself as the \"devil's advocate\", stood up in a packed courtroom in Avignon last week to sum up the defence for Dominique Pelicot, on trial for drugging his wife, Gisèle, and arranging more than 50 men to rape her.

Rebel strikes Why did civil war reignite and what comes next?

Eight years ago, indiscriminate Russian airstrikes helped the forces of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, drive rebels from Aleppo a crucial turning point in the country's civil war, which has largely been in a state of stalemate since 2020.

Tough talk Ceasefire with Lebanon makes peace in Gaza less likely

Joe Biden has revived diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza with the hope of building on momentum generated by the newly agreed but now seemingly shaky ceasefire in Lebanon.

Return to ruins and uncertainty, despite ceasefire

Mohammed Bzeeh spent the first hours of the ceasefire cleaning. After the Hezbollah-Israel agreement last Wednesday appeared to have brought 13 months of fighting to a close, Bzeeh and his family found their home in the village of ZibqeenZibqin ruined by an Israeli airstrike.

Flawed framework Democrats need to accept big tech isn't an ally against Trump

As Democrats think about how to counter the Trump administration, they need to accept a very simple lesson from the past eight years. Big tech and big business are part of the political opposition working on behalf of Donald Trump, not the Democrats' allies.

Family values Is Biden's pardon an act of love or just hypocrisy?

Joe Biden's announcement last Sunday that he had pardoned his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases, is likely to have been the product of a Shakespearean struggle between head and heart.

'Still in this fight'

Bruised by a Trump victory even more alarming than in 2016, the president-elect's opponents are determined to pick their battles - and be tactically smarter this time

If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?

The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.

'It's not drought - it's looting'

Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.

Life in the grey Zone

Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?

Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40

Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.

Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail

Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.

Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet

Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?

Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning

When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.

Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back

In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.

Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?

In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.