Nerdery triumphs over gossip in this earnest but compelling memoir of the 90s New York club scene
It is bizarre to learn that, despite a career spent desperately trying to fill the dancefloor, reading the room night after night to predict how he might make it pop off, Mark Ronson never dances – “unless you count standing around, bobbing my head, and reciting rap lyrics as dancing”.
Night People is intended as Ronson’s memoir but is as much an attempt to immortalise the people and scenes he came up in as it is a reflection on a childhood shaped by the late-night parties hosted by his parents – first in London, where a distant memory of Robin Williams tucking him in to bed with “Nanu nanu” floats through, then later in Manhattan, when his mother marries Mick Jones from Foreigner.
In this week’s newsletter: a conservation success story has a sting in its tail as wild pollinators pay the price
Everyone wants to save the bees.
Angelina Jolie put on a beekeeping suit for Guerlain and David Beckham proudly presented the King with a pot of honey from his bees in Oxfordshire. So many people wanting to do good have set up hives in their gardens or on roofs that they have become a symbol of sustainability. Of course, farming honeybees is a great way to make delicious honey, but there is a sting in the tail – keeping hives doesn’t help wild pollinators.
McConaughey plays the unassuming real hero who drove a schoolbus full of children out of California’s deadliest wildfire
The political context has been scorched away in Paul Greengrass’s empowering inferno. This is a dynamically shot and earnestly performed real-life disaster movie about California’s terrifying 2018 Camp fire, a darkness-at-noon horror that became the deadliest wildfire in California history, killing 85 people and razing more than 150,000 acres. Greengrass and co-screenwriter Brad Ingelsby have taken their inspiration from Lizzie Johnson’s 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, about the calamity and the ironically named town caught up in it, pointing up the extraordinary, unassuming courage of school-bus driver Kevin McKay who piloted a busload of screaming kids and their teacher through hell to safety.
America Ferrera plays the caring, if slightly prim teacher Mary Ludwig and Matthew McConaughey is the rough, sweaty everyman hero behind the wheel – with whom, in the time-honoured style of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen, Mary is to have an emotional connection. Before the fire, Kevin had been a loser and a screwup, alienated from his son and ex-wife, on the verge of getting fired from his school-bus-driving job (due to honest errors attributable to family worries) – but of course highly eligible for the heroic redemption that the fire will provide.
Supporting Sri Lankan tea-pickers, training Mexican marine conservationists, and helping to regenerate remote Alpine villages are among your favourite tourism projects
• Tell us about a favourite European city break – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher
Nestled in the Kathmandu Valley, Nagarkot Community Homestay Network is a cornerstone for building businesses. It enables women to grasp financial independence by opening up their homes to tourists. It was an enriching cultural experience for both me and my host. Their support of each other spilled over during my stay, in their warmth, delight and genuine desire to share and learn. Vicky Bamford
Beijing’s comments come as leading military figures in PNG express concern over a potential defence treaty with Australia
China has urged Papua New Guinea not to sign a treaty that could restrict or prevent it from cooperating with another country, days after Australia failed to secure a defence pact with the Pacific nation.
In a statement on Facebook late on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea said it respected the country’s “right to conclude a bilateral treaty with other countries on a voluntary basis”.
Over a year into power, Starmer’s government is floundering – but it still has time on its side. In the second of a two-part series, our panelists suggest ways of reversing the slide
But 50 years after Fawlty Towers first aired on the BBC, B&Bs in Torquay are still fond of the town’s association with the sitcom and its eponymous proprietor.
A buttery and crumbly pastry, which works as well for breakfast as it does for an afternoon treat
Italians know what they’re doing when it comes to sweet things, and they’re not shy about enjoying them for breakfast, either; that said, only in Sicily do I feel comfortable having brioche and granita first thing in the morning, mainly because no one there bats an eyelid. This crostata – a buttery, crumbly pastry filled with homemade blackberry and bay jam – would work well for both breakfast and an afternoon treat. You will have more jam than needed here, but if you’re going to the effort of making it yourself, it’s worth having a bit extra to enjoy on yoghurt or toast.
Exclusive: Industry delegates outnumbered climate experts by 14 to one at recent ICAO meeting, thinktank says
The UN aviation organisation has been captured by the industry, a report has concluded, leading to the urgent action required to tackle the sector’s high carbon emissions being blocked.
Industry delegates outnumbered climate experts by 14 to one at the recent “environmental protection” meeting of the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the report found. The ICAO is the forum where nations agree the rules governing international aviation.
Framework outlines legislation both sides will need to pass to create agency investigating Troubles-era crimes
The British and Irish governments are to unveil a new framework to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s Troubles in an effort to resolve an issue that has bedevilled politics in the region and relations between London and Dublin.
Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, and Simon Harris, Ireland’s foreign minister, are scheduled to publish the long-awaited proposals on Friday after a year of negotiations to overhaul the controversial Legacy Act passed by the Conservative government in 2023.
Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman criticize ABC’s parent company, Disney, and FCC chief, Brendan Carr
Late-night show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon and former host David Letterman have all rallied behind Jimmy Kimmel following ABC’s decision to indefinitely suspend his popular late-night show after his comments about the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.
In his opening monologue on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert mocked executives at Disney, ABC’s parent company, for caving to threats from Brendan Carr, the FCC chairman, when they pulled Kimmel off the air.
Bali governor says new instructions issued to stop hotels and restaurants being built on productive land, especially rice fields
Indonesia will ban the construction of new hotels and restaurants built atop cleared rice fields and agricultural land on the popular resort island of Bali, after recent flash flooding killed at least 18 people.
A state of emergency was declared on Bali on 10 September after the island experienced the most severe flooding in more than a decade.
Indian players refuse to shake hands with Pakistani counterparts after Asia Cup match, in sign that traditional onfield camaraderie is eroding
As nationalistic rivalries go, few run as deep as India and Pakistan. But even as the neighbours fought wars against each other, carried out rival nuclear tests and conducted nightly shows of strength along their heavily militarised border, there was always one thing that brought them together: cricket.
But as the two sides came together on Sunday for a match in the Asia Cup tournament, the camaraderie that was once celebrated as cricket diplomacy had vanished.
Everybody loved Robert Redford. Directors and co-stars including Ralph Fiennes, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Judd Hirsch, Norman Reedus and F Murray Abraham explain why
In the city of Tarim, colourful mansions built by the city’s merchants are being knocked down as the war-torn nation cannot afford to maintain them
Words and photographs by Saeed al-Batati in Tarim
When the bulldozers moved into Abdul Rahman Bin Sheikh al-Kaf’s mud-brick palace in Tarim and began tearing down its spectacular architecture, the clouds of dust around the landmark attracted a large gathering in the Yemeni city.
Haddad Musaied, a local journalist, got a call from a friend telling him about the destruction and encouraging him to come and see it. “As a journalist, you have a responsibility to stop what is happening,” the friend said.
I put myself forward as a human guinea pig to study the effects of long-term sub-aquatic living. Not everyone can say they have befriended a lobster and a shark
My stay in Jules’ Undersea Lodge started in March 2023. The habitat, secured to the bed of a 30ft-deep lagoon in Key Largo, Florida, wasn’t the most comfortable hotel I’ve spent time in, but then I wasn’t there for a holiday. I’m a biomedical researcher and I was there as part of a scientific mission called Project Neptune 100.
The main aim was to research the mental and physical impact on the human body of living in increased atmospheric pressure – 70% higher than at the surface. It was also to study what happens when you leave someone alone in a confined environment for 100 days. The data might have all manner of applications – for future missions to Mars, for example.
This animated comedy about a hotel full of ghosts comes from a Rick and Morty writer. But banish all thoughts about cartoon sitcom greatness – it is relentlessly, endlessly OK
Animated comedy for adults should be a limitless playground for the world’s brightest comic imaginations and sometimes it is, but it is also a genre that has been bloated by bland, empty calories – inessential shows that viewers leave running in the background while they potter or doomscroll. To the teetering pile of landfill entertainment can be added Haunted Hotel, Netflix’s new comedy about, unsurprisingly, a haunted hotel.
As you ponder whether or not to put it on your watchlist, push the giants of cartoon sitcom out of your mind: showrunner Matt Roller has episodes of Rick and Morty on his CV, but Haunted Hotel doesn’t have the fizzing imaginative leaps of that series, nor does it deliver the finely honed, classic comedy of The Simpsons, the lewd snark of Family Guy or the black profundity of BoJack Horseman. Instead, it is, at best, quite funny. It has lines that conform to the familiar shape of jokes. Some of the synapses you associate with laughter will experience mild stimulus. If you don’t like this gag, another will be along in a minute, and although you probably also won’t like that one, you won’t strongly dislike it either. This show is relentlessly, endlessly OK.
The nationalist policies of Sohei Kamiya’s party, Sanseito, are drawing a mix of youth voters, disaffected conservatives and conspiracy theorists
Sleeves rolled up and perched atop his campaign vehicle, Sohei Kamiya was a familiar sight in Tokyo as he railed against the political establishment in the run-up to Japan’s upper house elections. He drew applause from admirers, and grimaces from those fearful of his divisive brand of “Japanese first” politics – inspired by his natural ally, Donald Trump.
Kamiya’s political party, Sanseito – literally the “political participation party” – has been described as far-right, ultraconservative and nationalist – with migrants, the “liberal elite” and foreign capital the objects of its anger. Its nickname – the do-it-yourself party – speaks to its role, it says, as a place for self-starters who have grown tired of the Japanese political mainstream.
Sunday’s demonstration in Manila to coincide with anniversary of 1972 martial law declaration as president backs rally in bid to placate anger
Thousands of people are expected to join a mass protest in Manila on Sunday amid a groundswell of anger in the Philippines against perceived corruption in government-funded flood control projects.
Dubbed the “Trillion Peso March”, the demonstration is named after a Greenpeace estimate of $17.6bn that the environmental organisation alleges is the amount skimmed from climate-related projects in 2023.
President says Ukrainian forces in east have reclaimed 160 sq km of land and cleared another 170 sq km as counteroffensive ‘achieving results’. What we know on day 1,304
Ukrainian forces have pushed back some of the gains Russia made over the summer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, calling the operation an “important success” after months of battlefield setbacks. The Ukrainian president said his troops had reclaimed 160 sq km (62 sq miles) of land near the eastern coalmining town of Dobropillia, where Russia pierced Ukraine’s defences in August. Russia did not immediately comment on the claims. Zelenskyy said after meeting troops in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday that his army was “achieving results” in an ongoing counteroffensive there. In addition to reclaiming the 160 sq km, Ukrainian forces had “cleared” Russian troops from an additional 170 sq km of land but had not yet formally taken the territory, he said in a video address. Zelenskyy did not say when Ukraine made the gains but said Russia had “suffered thousands of losses”. DeepState, an online battlefield tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, showed Russian troops made rapid advances near Dobropillia last month but that some of their gains had evaporated in recent weeks. The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.
Donald Trump has accused Vladimir Putin of letting him down in a joint press conference with Keir Starmer during which the US president piled criticism on his Russian counterpart, report Kiran Stacey and Pippa Crerar. Trump said he had hoped to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine soon after entering office but that Putin’s actions had prevented him from doing so. Putin “has let me down”, Trump said. “He’s killing many people, and he’s losing more people than he’s killing. The Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers.” His comments on Thursday came during an hour-long press conference alongside the UK prime minister which marked the culmination of a two-day state visit. His comments about Putin will delight British officials who had hoped to use the unprecedented second state visit to isolate the Russian president on the world stage.
A Russian air strike on the Donetsk region town of Kostiantynivka on Thursday killed five people, Ukrainian police said. The town is about 8km from the front line and is surrounded by Russian troops on three sides, according to DeepState. Kyiv has been hitting back with long-range strikes on Russia’s oil sector, with the latest attack on Thursday morning triggering a fire at a refinery in the central Bashkortostan region, about 1,400km from the front. Vladimir Putin said more than 700,000 Russian soldiers were now deployed on the Ukrainian front line.
Russia has responded to a US-based report about the forced re-education of deported Ukrainian children. Yale’s School of Public Health said after an investigation that it had identified more than 210 sites where Ukrainian children have been taken for military training, drone manufacturing and other forced re-education by Russia as part of a large-scale deportation programme. The facilities – across Russia and occupied Ukraine – include camps as well as schools, military bases, medical facilities, religious sites and universities, it said. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed on Thursday that the report was full of fabrications and based on questionable data. Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia and Belarus in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Ukraine received the remains of 1,000 bodies that Moscow said were dead Ukrainian soldiers during its latest exchange with Russia, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, adding that work would be done on identifying the bodies.
Masculine adequacy is a curse, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Beyond assuring him he meets the standard, could you help him to see the standard doesn’t matter?
My boyfriend sees sex as a competition he is losing. He feels like he doesn’t perform enough (he does) and worries he isn’t big enough (he is!).
He grew up without a father – the father’s fault – and I wonder if this has something to do with it. How can I assist him to see sex as non-competitive? I love him, and I find this self-loathing distressing.
Eleanor says: I assume he doesn’t think he’s losing the competition with you, somehow, but with imagined manly foes, comparisons, symbols of everything he (imagines he) isn’t?
Croft’s recent win the 174km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc made her the first woman to take out the triple series crown in the prestigious event
Growing up in Stillwater, New Zealand, population 86, Ruth Croft learned hard work from a young age. Her father ran a transport company, managing dozens of drivers and semi-trailers across the 600km West Coast in the South Island.
“On school holidays I worked for my dad full time, sometimes 14-hour days,” says Croft. “Shitty jobs like cleaning drains or the grease bay. I don’t know anyone who works as hard as he does.”
Bridge theatre, London Ibsen’s mysticism and mermaids are thrown out as director Simon Stone amps up the 1888 play’s psychological intensity with his eco-focused update
Writer-director Simon Stone is known for his rock’n’roll takes on the classics. This is a characteristically high-octane version of Ibsen’s play: loud, modern and led by screen stars Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln. Yet his script, again created in the rehearsal process, retains all of Ibsen’s layers and adds some of its own in the updating.
All mystical talk of the sea and mermaids is excised. The production brings a sharply lit realism to the privileged yet complex family at its heart that seems to be slowly drowning: Ellida (Vikander), as the young, second wife of neurologist Edward (Lincoln), is caught between life with her husband and a long lost, formative ex-lover, Finn (Brendan Cowell), who makes a reappearance. Ellida’s stepdaughters, Hilda (Isobel Akuwudike) and Asa (Gracie Oddie-James), are trying to stay afloat amid grief for their biological mother, who killed herself.
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