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Experience: I’ve walked across three countries in a straight line
Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:00:25 GMT
I didn’t train for my first attempt and got stuck on a mountain with no signal, darkness falling and hypothermia setting in
Growing up, I loved the outdoors. I gallivanted through the Staffordshire countryside with my stepbrother, Greg. We used to pick a point in the distance and create “missions” to walk towards it. It was a mischievous challenge that saw us hopping fences, wading through rivers and sneaking around farmers.
I was also obsessed with maps, and even read the Birmingham A-Z for fun. When Google Earth came out in 2005, I spent hours studying satellite images.
Continue reading...This eight-part docuseries about one of tennis’s most decorated players paints a picture of an astonishing woman – and an even more astonishing sibling relationship
Serena Williams, holder of 39 grand slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, who spent 319 weeks as tennis’s world No 1 and became the highest-earning female athlete in history, never thought she was that good when she was a young player. That was because she was always training against her older sister, Venus (“she was the prodigy of prodigies”), the only person in the world who could really challenge her. A year younger, Serena remembers being shorter and weaker and resorting to cheating on line calls at practice so she could occasionally beat her.
In the Arena: Serena Williams (the title comes from President Roosevelt’s 1910 speech to the Sorbonne – “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena” so, yes, consider me told) is an eight-part docuseries that covers Serena’s rise and rise over her 27-year tennis career before she retired three years ago. Since then, incidentally, she has been busy with her venture capital firm, production company, body care and pain relief startup, beauty line and raising two children. Honestly, it’s like looking in a mirror, is it not?
Continue reading...Feeling the burn is your body’s way of signalling effort, but you don’t always have to suffer to make progress
The words may have been printed on gym vests for decades, but is “no pain, no gain” actually true when it comes to the benefits of exercise, such as improved cardiovascular health or increased muscle mass?
“Not strictly,” says Dr Oly Perkin from the University of Bath’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism (CNEM). “A better way of putting it is that you may make more gains if you experience a bit of pain.”
Continue reading...
Homeland Security Investigations once targeted human traffickers and cartels. Now it’s leading the charge against student protesters.
The post Mahmoud Khalil Won His Freedom Despite the Best Efforts of ICE’s Intelligence Unit appeared first on The Intercept.
Courts couldn’t issue injunctions or restraining orders against the government unless plaintiffs pay for a security bond.
The post Under GOP Budget Bill, You’d Have to Be Rich to Sue the Trump Administration appeared first on The Intercept.
Governor Greg Abott signs bill into law but challenge expected from critics who consider it unconstitutional
Texas will require all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments under a new law that will make the state the nation’s largest to attempt to impose such a mandate.
The bill, which was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, is expected to draw a legal challenge from critics who consider it an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state.
Continue reading...Victims of other injustices are treated better, says founder of ‘bittersweet’ Windrush Day
A founder of Windrush Day has called for a public inquiry into the scandal amid this year’s “bittersweet” celebrations of Black Britons and their contribution to national life.
Patrick Vernon, who campaigned for the national day for nearly a decade before the government adopted it, said the mistreatment, detention and removal of Black Britons wrongly accused of being in the UK illegally had not been treated seriously enough.
Continue reading...After the Supreme Court overturned Glossip’s conviction, prosecutors claimed to have “a plethora of evidence,” while offering none.
The post Oklahoma Seeks New Conviction of Richard Glossip Using Old Evidence appeared first on The Intercept.
Is giving an artist a one-star review an act of abuse? An influential theatre critic finds out in this smart story of #MeToo-era revenge
When Jesus is pressed to condemn the woman taken in adultery, he says, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” No one does, and a lesson in critical generosity is learned. Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Is giving an artist a one-star review an act of abuse – casting the first stone? Is it worse when the reviewer is male and the artist female? That’s the starting point of this entertaining and very timely debut novel from Charlotte Runcie, an arts journalist who, as a young intern, was lambasted on stage by a successful standup to whom she’d given a bad review.
There was an interactive customer feedback device propped up on the bar. Tell us what you think of our service, it said, and underneath there were two buttons you could press: an angry red face or a smiling green one. Excellent or worthless, nothing in between. Review your experience, share your thoughts, recommend us to your friends, swipe left, swipe right, leave a comment, have an opinion.
Continue reading...Neave Trio
(Chandos)
Works by Saint-Saëns, Mel Bonis and Sally Beamish’s imaginative reinterpretation of Debussy’s La Mer make for a disparate but rounded programme
Three French works make a disparate but rounded programme on this release from the Neave Trio. Saint-Saëns took years to write his Trio No 2, and the result was a sprawling five-movement work that gets an appropriately wide-ranging and meaty performance here. The first movement roils and surges, the players catching both the push and pull of the restless theme and the brief passage of stillness later on. The slow third movement sings .with wistful nostalgia, and the fourth flows by in a waltz-like whirl pitched somewhere between Chopin and Dvořák. But the second movement, with its obsessively repeated rhythmic motif, perhaps needs a little more imagination to make it work.
The two movements of Mel Bonis’s Soir et Matin, written in 1907, are the opposite way round in atmosphere from how you might expect: Soir (Evening) is soulful, expansive and melodic; Matin (Morning) altogether more strange, impressionistic and beguiling. Finally, there’s something unexpected on a chamber music recital: Debussy’s painterly orchestral showpiece La Mer. Rendering the orchestra’s highly textured writing for a chamber group is no easy task but this version, made by the composer Sally Beamish in 2013, is imaginative and beautifully judged, emerging more like a new work in its own right than a mere arrangement.
Continue reading...Splitgate 2’s Ian Proulx thought his Musk gag was funny – but what it revealed was the major blind spots still in the business
One thing most game developers can agree on in the modern industry is that it’s hard to drum up any awareness for your latest project without a mammoth marketing budget. Last year, almost 20,000 new titles were released on the PC gaming platform Steam alone, the majority disappearing into the content blackhole that is the internet. So when a smaller studio is offered the chance to get on the stage at the Summer Games Fest, an event streamed live to a global audience of around 50 million people, it’s a big deal. Not something that you want to spectacularly misjudge.
Enter Ian Proulx, cofounder of 1047 Games. His short slot at the event earlier this month had him walking on stage with a baseball bat to promote the online shooter Splitgate 2 by announcing that he was “tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year”, while wearing a cap bearing the slogan “Make FPS great again”. It did not go well. Gamers and fellow developers criticised his decision to diss another studio’s game as well as his politically charged use of a Maga/Trump meme, especially with anti-ICE protesters being beaten and arrested just across town. Proulx defended his actions, denying that his use of the cap slogan was political, but four days later he made an apology via X explaining: “We needed something to grab attention, and the honest truth is, we tried to think of something and this is what we came up with.”
Continue reading...‘He knows my name,’ says California Democrat, as Newsom condemns US vice-president and challenges him to debate
JD Vance’s decision to refer to California US senator Alex Padilla by the name of a terrorist conspirator showed how “unserious” the Trump administration is, the lawmaker has said of the vice-president.
“He knows my name – he knows my name,” Padilla told MSNBC’s The Weekend on Saturday, 12 days after the FBI forcibly removed him from a 12 June news conference hosted by US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem amid anti-immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) protests in Los Angeles.
Continue reading...Heeding the request of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump dispatched U.S. warplanes to bomb Iran.
The post Self-Proclaimed “Peacemaker” Drags U.S. Into Another War appeared first on The Intercept.
Organizers argue that LA’s sanctuary laws aren’t enough to keep their immigrant neighbors safe.
The post Community Defense Groups Take the Last Stand Against ICE in LA appeared first on The Intercept.
Taylor Lorenz and Akela Lacy on how bots, influencers, and political actors distort real-world violence before facts emerge.
The post The Disinformation Machine After a Murder appeared first on The Intercept.
Some Democrats are fighting to stop war with Iran, but party leaders are silently acquiescing or, worse, supporting an attack.
The post How Democratic Party Leaders Quietly Support Trump’s March to War With Iran appeared first on The Intercept.
A new report reveals the usual suspects — and other corporate executives quietly enriching themselves on Trump’s authoritarianism.
The post Meet the Billionaires Profiting the Most From Trump’s Draconian Policies appeared first on The Intercept.
A War Powers Resolution would prohibit the “United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The post Congress Has One Way to Stop Trump From Going to War With Iran appeared first on The Intercept.
“Even if they rebuild all of Syria, Yarmouk will remain destroyed,” said one Palestinian refugee.
The post Palestinian Refugees in Syria See Little Hope — Even After Assad appeared first on The Intercept.
NBC, which is facing a defamation lawsuit from Sean “Diddy” Combs, removed an episode of “Dateline” about the Diddy trial.
The post Why Did NBC Delete Its “Dateline” Episode on Diddy? appeared first on The Intercept.
“It’s a terribly unusual thing,” a lawyer said about sealed affidavits in an investigation of alleged pro-Palestine vandalism.
The post Democrat Michigan AG Asked FBI to Raid Protesters’ Homes — But Won’t Tell Students Why appeared first on The Intercept.
A deep crimson vegan version of the classic Persian dip featuring coconut instead of the yoghurt, and a bean medley spiked with an aromatic spiced oil
This fava bean dip is rich and luxurious, but made using quite humble ingredients. The broad beans on top make a perfect garnish, because they are, in essence, fresh fava beans, while the vadouvan seasoning, although untraditional, has the same sweet, warm and earthy flavours as the fava. Then, a take on a vegan borani, enriched with coconut cream instead of the more usual yoghurt. It hits the spot with its tang, heat and sweetness, with an intense beetroot flavour from the salt-baking and a generous dollop of pomegranate molasses to add punch.
Continue reading...Oozy, boozy miniature cakes to enjoy with a kick of caffeine
Someone I know and admire very much, and who seems in excellent health at between 82 and 89 years old, has an espresso and a mini baba al rum every day at about three o’clock – except Sundays, when he has ice-cream. Every now and then, I join him and we then walk for a bit (there is nothing like a caffeine-baba spring in your step), and congratulate each other for not smoking while both wishing that we had a cigarette.
In Poland, the word “baba” can refer to a variety of baked goods, and one in particular is made with rye flour and sweet wine. Baba al rum came about thanks to the greediness of twice king of Poland Stanislaus Leszczyński, who, exiled in Lorraine, thought his kougelhopf too dry, so asked for it to be soaked in rum. This inspired his pastry chef to perfect the dish and, in turn, subsequently inspired other pastry chefs, like baba dominoes. It is a project, though, and remember to chill the eggs.
Continue reading...Why am I paying £28 for chicken and mash?
I felt a compulsion to go to Duchy, in east London, because I had dined at its predecessor, Leroy, in 2018, as well as its genesis, Ellory, in 2015. These three different restaurants share DNA. Yes, 10 years have passed, but very little in the pared-back, pan-European anchovies-on-a-plate-for-£12 dining scene has moved on.
No-frills decor, bare-brick walls, earnest small plates, staff with statement moustaches despite it not being remotely near Movember. We all know the drill for such places. There will be those exemplary anchovies on some sort of crostini, asparagus because it’s in season, some beans, maybe green, perhaps white, fancy French cheese and a tart of the day for afters. While Ellory merged into Leroy via a move from London Fields to Shoreditch, Leroy has become Duchy, it seems, via a simple change of the sign above the door. Front-of-house Alex Grant and chef Simon Shand met at Leroy and have now made this restaurant their own. In pop music terms, visiting Duchy is like going to see Bucks Fizz at Butlin’s and the only remaining member is David Van Day, and you’re pretty sure he was actually in Dollar, but hey, it’s fine, whatever, because they’re now cranking through Making Your Mind Up anyway.
Continue reading...Organizers argue that LA’s sanctuary laws aren’t enough to keep their immigrant neighbors safe.
The post Community Defense Groups Take the Last Stand Against ICE in LA appeared first on The Intercept.
You may well be knocked sideways by the sheer punch of this apparently simple sandwich – and it’s great for picnics, too
Last month, while on a book tour in New York, I ate a sandwich that moved me to utter profanities. It was unusual behaviour from me, and more so because the sandwich in question was packed with an excessive amount of spring greens, but then, that is the genius of Brooks Headley, chef/owner of Superiority Burger: like Midas, he has an ability to turn the ordinary into gold. Here, I’ve tried to recreate it by cooking down a kilo of spring greens until they are melting, soft, collapsed and buttery, before tossing them with sharp cheddar. It’s pure picnic gold.
Continue reading...As the Ritz is crowned the UK’s best restaurant, Francis Bown says it has been lifting his spirits for 60 years
I have been going to the Ritz for so long that my first lunch there cost three guineas (There’s nothing else like it’: the Ritz is crowned best restaurant in the UK, 14 June). The visitor from San Francisco who remarked that it is “a place where people want to put on airs” is right: and I rejoice that it is so. I want to dress formally, be in the company of others who have been obliged to make a sartorial effort and be served by waiters impeccably turned out, who treat me as if I were someone of importance.
It is theatre. Of course it is. How dull life would be without such magical make-believe. The Ritz has lifted my spirits regularly for 60 years. I hope to be sipping Earl Grey in its exquisite palm court until the time comes for me to go to that great hostelry in the sky – which I am just hoping will be as grand as the Ritz.
Francis Bown
London
Crumbly, summery, cobbler-style sandwich biscuits that you’ll make again and again
These buttery oat shortcakes are crisp on the outside, tender within and just rustic enough to feel inviting. Filled with honey-roasted apricots and a fragrant almond cream, they make a fabulous pudding; berries macerated with sugar and a splash of orange juice or Cointreau would also be delicious.
Continue reading...Wondering how to keep your cool as the temperature rises? Experts share their top tips, from face mists to fans, anti-chafe cream to sun hats
• The best fans to keep you cool: 14 tried and tested favourites
Heatwaves used to be marked by years, recalled misty-eyed by those who remembered them with fondness, like the heatwave of ‘76. Now, in the era of global heating, heatwaves are a warning sign, not a pleasure – and as we enter a UK summer, it’s a case of when, not if, the temperature will become unbearable.
Always take care when it heats up – the NHS recommends staying in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm, wearing sunscreen and hats, and avoiding exercise. It also advises taking showers, eating cold food and drinks, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks.
Continue reading...Doctors trying to save starving children and parents trying to feed their families spoke with The Intercept.
The post Children Are Starving in Gaza, as Soldiers Kill People Looking for Food appeared first on The Intercept.
“Even if they rebuild all of Syria, Yarmouk will remain destroyed,” said one Palestinian refugee.
The post Palestinian Refugees in Syria See Little Hope — Even After Assad appeared first on The Intercept.
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas
Each week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.
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Continue reading...The best new music, film, TV, podcasts and more direct to your inbox, plus hidden gems and reader recommendations
From Billie Eilish to Billie Piper, Succession to Spiderman and everything in between, subscribe and get exclusive arts journalism direct to your inbox. Gwilym Mumford provides an irreverent look at the goings on in pop culture every Friday, pointing you in the direction of the hot new releases and the best journalism from around the world.
Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you
Continue reading...Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean
Scroll less, understand more: sign up to receive our news email each weekday for clarity on the top stories in the UK and across the world.
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Imagine a world in which you can do transactions and many other things without having to give your personal information. A world in which you don’t need to rely on banks or governments anymore. Sounds amazing, right? That’s exactly what blockchain technology allows us to do.
It’s like your computer’s hard drive. blockchain is a technology that lets you store data in digital blocks, which are connected together like links in a chain.
Blockchain technology was originally invented in 1991 by two mathematicians, Stuart Haber and W. Scot Stornetta. They first proposed the system to ensure that timestamps could not be tampered with.
A few years later, in 1998, software developer Nick Szabo proposed using a similar kind of technology to secure a digital payments system he called “Bit Gold.” However, this innovation was not adopted until Satoshi Nakamoto claimed to have invented the first Blockchain and Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed database shared between the nodes of a computer network. It saves information in digital format. Many people first heard of blockchain technology when they started to look up information about bitcoin.
Blockchain is used in cryptocurrency systems to ensure secure, decentralized records of transactions.
Blockchain allowed people to guarantee the fidelity and security of a record of data without the need for a third party to ensure accuracy.
To understand how a blockchain works, Consider these basic steps:
Let’s get to know more about the blockchain.
Blockchain records digital information and distributes it across the network without changing it. The information is distributed among many users and stored in an immutable, permanent ledger that can't be changed or destroyed. That's why blockchain is also called "Distributed Ledger Technology" or DLT.
Here’s how it works:
And that’s the beauty of it! The process may seem complicated, but it’s done in minutes with modern technology. And because technology is advancing rapidly, I expect things to move even more quickly than ever.
Even though blockchain is integral to cryptocurrency, it has other applications. For example, blockchain can be used for storing reliable data about transactions. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
Blockchain already being adopted by some big-name companies, such as Walmart, AIG, Siemens, Pfizer, and Unilever. For example, IBM's Food Trust uses blockchain to track food's journey before reaching its final destination.
Although some of you may consider this practice excessive, food suppliers and manufacturers adhere to the policy of tracing their products because bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella have been found in packaged foods. In addition, there have been isolated cases where dangerous allergens such as peanuts have accidentally been introduced into certain products.
Tracing and identifying the sources of an outbreak is a challenging task that can take months or years. Thanks to the Blockchain, however, companies now know exactly where their food has been—so they can trace its location and prevent future outbreaks.
Blockchain technology allows systems to react much faster in the event of a hazard. It also has many other uses in the modern world.
Blockchain technology is safe, even if it’s public. People can access the technology using an internet connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your data stored at one place and that one secure place got compromised? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to prevent your data from leaking out even when the security of your storage systems is compromised?
Blockchain technology provides a way of avoiding this situation by using multiple computers at different locations to store information about transactions. If one computer experiences problems with a transaction, it will not affect the other nodes.
Instead, other nodes will use the correct information to cross-reference your incorrect node. This is called “Decentralization,” meaning all the information is stored in multiple places.
Blockchain guarantees your data's authenticity—not just its accuracy, but also its irreversibility. It can also be used to store data that are difficult to register, like legal contracts, state identifications, or a company's product inventory.
Blockchain has many advantages and disadvantages.
I’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about blockchain in this section.
Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency but a technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It's a digital ledger that records every transaction seamlessly.
Yes, blockchain can be theoretically hacked, but it is a complicated task to be achieved. A network of users constantly reviews it, which makes hacking the blockchain difficult.
Coinbase Global is currently the biggest blockchain company in the world. The company runs a commendable infrastructure, services, and technology for the digital currency economy.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology. It’s a chain of distributed ledgers connected with nodes. Each node can be any electronic device. Thus, one owns blockhain.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is powered by Blockchain technology while Blockchain is a distributed ledger of cryptocurrency
Generally a database is a collection of data which can be stored and organized using a database management system. The people who have access to the database can view or edit the information stored there. The client-server network architecture is used to implement databases. whereas a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, stored in a distributed system. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, timestamp and transaction information. Modification of data is not allowed due to the design of the blockchain. The technology allows decentralized control and eliminates risks of data modification by other parties.
Blockchain has a wide spectrum of applications and, over the next 5-10 years, we will likely see it being integrated into all sorts of industries. From finance to healthcare, blockchain could revolutionize the way we store and share data. Although there is some hesitation to adopt blockchain systems right now, that won't be the case in 2022-2023 (and even less so in 2026). Once people become more comfortable with the technology and understand how it can work for them, owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs alike will be quick to leverage blockchain technology for their own gain. Hope you like this article if you have any question let me know in the comments section
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