Winter readsLeo TolstoyWinter reads: Master and Man by Leo TolstoyThe lethal cold is clearly freighted with symbolism in this wintry parable, but it is realised with tangible biteWhen winter starts to bite the story I think of is Tolstoy's "Master and Man" (1895). Winter cold is integral to this sophisticated parable on a concrete and spiritual level. It is an evocative tour de force: snow and biting winds gust from its pages.
26 Dec 202319.47 GMTWill Unwin’s report has just landed so I’ll sign off with that. Thanks for keeping me company. Hope you all close out 2023 with smiles on your face (no matter your views on VAR).
Liverpool go top after Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota finish off BurnleyRead more26 Dec 202319.44 GMTUnsurprisingly, Klopp doesn’t think Elliot’s goal should have been disallowed.
“Only someone who has never played football could say it’s not a goal”
Cirque du SoleilReviewRoyal Albert Hall, London
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s choreography connects amazing talents from yo-yoers to contortionists in a slick and seamless show
It’s how visceral your reactions can be, that’s the appeal of circus. A lurching stomach when an aerialist plummets towards the floor, or an involuntary gasp when an acrobat nails a tricky catch. So, when someone jumps the full height of the Royal Albert Hall on a giant trampoline, and your heart leaps to join them, that’s pure joy; vicariously free and flying, all from the safety of your seat.
Movies This article is more than 18 years oldFarrell wins restraining order in sex tape caseThis article is more than 18 years oldActor Colin Farrell has won the first round of a legal fight to stop a two-and-a-half-year-old, 14-minute video of him having sex with then girlfriend, former Playboy model Nicole Narain, from going public.
A Los Angeles judge issued a restraining order that temporarily blocked the public release of the sex video yesterday, a day after Farrell's lawyers filed the suit.
Small Alison (Karelina Clarke) with her closeted and gay father Bruce (Adam Murphy) in the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Fun Home, which grapples with burning questions of identity and truth. Photograph: Prudence UptonSmall Alison (Karelina Clarke) with her closeted and gay father Bruce (Adam Murphy) in the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Fun Home, which grapples with burning questions of identity and truth.
GazaMore civilian casualties recorded in 2023 than any year since 2010Action on Armed Violence says 33,846 were killed or wounded by airstrikes, bombs or artillery, the most it has recorded
Middle East crisis – live updates More civilians were recorded as being killed or injured by airstrikes, bombs or artillery during 2023 than in any other year for more than a decade due to the high number of casualties from the three-month war in Gaza, an annual study has said.
Storm clouds pass over downtown Chicago and the Bronzeville neighborhood, heading east out over Lake Michigan. Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/APStorm clouds pass over downtown Chicago and the Bronzeville neighborhood, heading east out over Lake Michigan. Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/APChicago This article is more than 6 months oldTornadoes halt Chicago air traffic as residents urged to seek shelterThis article is more than 6 months oldAt least eight tornadoes hit north-eastern Illinois, with no immediate reports of injuries
CitiesTattoo artists are regularly arrested in Iran and sentenced to fines, lashes or imprisonment – yet they are in huge demand among young people
Mohammed’s tattoo studio is hidden in a back room behind a clothes shop in the poorer, southern part of Tehran. Photos of Al Pacino, Che Guevara and the Eiffel Tower adorn the walls. His customers often ask for classic tattoo motifs – a rose, for example, or a predatory animal – but Maori-style tribal patterns are also popular.
The ObserverTravelReviewGive yourself a regenerating boost at 10 of the most energising and uplifting mountain wellness resorts and spas
Naturhotel Chesa Valisa, Hirschegg, AustriaThe first certified bio-organic hotel in the Vorarlberg region, this 500-year-old building is now home to a soothing mountain retreat, combining a programme of outdoor hikes, indoor yoga and spa treatments with plenty of cosy spaces for relaxing with a book or just drinking in the glorious views.