Dublin’s famous music pub The Cobblestone saved from developers

Refusal of planning permission for hotel seen as victory against destruction of city’s cultural heritageIreland’s most famous traditional music pub has been saved after a Dublin city council planning decision that is being heralded as a landmark victory over property developers.Plans to turn the three-storey Cobblestone pub and Irish music school in...

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Storm Arwen: thousands in UK face fourth night without power

More than 150,000 homes without power on Monday, with damage thought to be worst since 2005More than 150,000 homes across the UK were facing a fourth night without power after Storm Arwen wreaked havoc, bringing down trees and electricity lines.The Energy Networks Association (ENA) said damage caused by Friday’s storm was some of the worst since 2005....

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Johnson insulting France over Channel crossings will only make things worse | Simon Jenkins

The prime minister’s pointlessly macho stance is putting the UK ever more at odds with its closest neighbourFrance’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, is a sensitive soul. He dislikes British politicians saying nice things to him in private, then turning round and using “insulting” and “strongly unfriendly” language in the House of Commons and the...

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Chinese could hack data for future quantum decryption, report warns

‘Threat groups’ could target valuable secrets with aim of unlocking them when computing power allowsChinese hackers could target heavily encrypted datasets such as weapon designs or details of undercover intelligence officers with a view to unlocking them at a later date when quantum computing makes decryption possible, a report warns. Analysts at Booz...

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Asda charters cargo ship with festive items amid supply chain crisis

Ship carrying 350 containers with toys, clothing and decorations is supermarket’s first ever private charterAsda has revealed it chartered its own cargo ship to ensure key festive items such as toys, clothing and decorations reach its stores, in the latest example of the extreme measures retailers are taking to mitigate pre-Christmas supply chain problems.The...

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Smooth as: how to care for your delicate silks

Legends about silk stretches back to 2640BC. Here’s how to keep it in the best possible shape in the 21st centuryMore so than other fabrics, the history of silk is shrouded in mystery and folklore, which feels apt for a fibre that is drawn from the cocoon of the silkworm. Its legend begins with the teenage wife of the Yellow Emperor.Sometime in 2640BC...

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‘A safe haven’: how Dungeons & Dragons is slaying social anxiety

The world’s most successful role-playing game could provide a home amid the chaos for those struggling with post-lockdown angstAs pandemic restrictions lift across Australia and more face-to-face activities resume, socialising can be a source of profound anxiety for many people. But what if, when you met up with others, you don’t have to be yourself?...

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‘Confronting’: Great Barrier Reef faces frequent extreme coral bleaching at 2C heating, research finds

Even if warming is kept to 1.5C, bleaching would hit more than three times a decade, study predictsGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingParts of the Great Barrier Reef would be hit with extreme levels of coral bleaching five times each decade by the middle of this century if global heating was kept just below 2C, according to ‘“confronting”...

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‘Almost unprecedented’ spike in number of Australians who see racism as a problem, survey finds

Authoritative social cohesion study also reports increasing positive sentiment on immigration and multiculturalismGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingAustralians are increasingly aware that racism is a problem in their country, while positive sentiment about immigration and multiculturalism has also increased over the past 12 months,...

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‘He was a god for us’: actors on being side by side with Stephen Sondheim

Musical theatre stars Jenna Russell, Daniel Evans and Janie Dee remember working with their hero, and the unique demands and rewards of his songsSam Mendes: ‘He was passionate, utterly open, sharp as a knife’So much of his work is about love. People talk about it being cold but as a teenage girl all I could feel from it was warmth. The songs are ridiculously...

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