Ideas and stories about everyday life, communities and style.
A Guardian review examines Apple’s AirPods 5, which retain an open-fit shape rather than using silicone tips. The reviewer reports stronger noise cancellation while noting that the physical design remains close to the previous generation.
Read more ↗
A Guardian travel feature explores Thuringia over four days using public transport, beginning in Erfurt. The region’s central German location combines dense forests, cultural history and towns whose older streets remain prominent in everyday life.
Read more ↗
Sandi Toksvig is raising support for Mappa Mundi, a digital atlas project being developed with the University of Cambridge. She argues that existing knowledge platforms overlook important material, especially information about women, and wants to create space for that work.
Read more ↗
A travel feature visits Monte Isola on Italy’s Lake Iseo, where old fishing hamlets and hillside villages sit beneath wooded slopes. The short ferry from Sulzano arrives at Peschiera Maraglio, providing a starting point for exploring the island.
Read more ↗
A Guardian feature surveys European spa towns whose buildings and public spaces developed around mineral-water tourism. Eleven historic towns were recognised together as a transnational UNESCO world heritage site in 2021.
Read more ↗
Security researchers are reporting growth in scams that place deceptive invitations or reminders inside electronic calendars. An apparently forgotten meeting can direct a user to a website requesting login details, turning a familiar planning tool into an entry point for fraud.
Read more ↗
Indian Cafe Racer has moved from a small space behind the Wellington pub into a larger Birmingham restaurant. The venture by Azad Kayes now has sixty-five covers after attracting a following that outgrew its original setting.
Read more ↗
Professional-looking equipment is increasingly appearing in domestic kitchens, from squeeze bottles and metal bowls to taps positioned above the stove. A Guardian feature links the trend with greater public visibility of chefs at work.
Read more ↗
Hiut Denim is making jeans in Cardigan, a small Welsh town with a long manufacturing history. After production moved overseas early in the century, many local workers lost jobs connected with what had been Britain’s largest jeans factory.
Read more ↗
A Guardian travel account visits Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and the slopes below Mont Blanc during autumn. The route uses the historic cog railway to reach Mont Lachat, where views extend towards the Bionnassay Glacier and Chamonix valley.
Read more ↗
A first-person Guardian feature recounts a journey from Sydney towards Perth by hitchhiking. The opening scene places the writer outside Esperance after a long wait for a lift, describing uncertainty as part of the experience rather than an exception.
Read more ↗
Canine companions attracted attention alongside celebrity guests at the latest fashion shows. A Guardian feature records dogs appearing at events associated with Louis Vuitton, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga and other major houses.
Read more ↗