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The gravestones at the base of the Hardy Tree in Old St Pancras Churchyard in London. Photograph: Jerome Flynn/AlamyThe gravestones at the base of the Hardy Tree in Old St Pancras Churchyard in London. Photograph: Jerome Flynn/AlamyThomas HardyGravestone-encircled ‘Hardy Tree’ falls in LondonThe tree became a powerful symbol of life among death after the novelist and poet stacked gravestones around its base in the 1860s The Hardy Tree, named for the writer who stacked gravestones around the base of the ash when both man and plant were young in the 1860s, has fallen down.

Hobbies This article is more than 1 year oldI used to think art required natural talent. Then I taught myself to drawThis article is more than 1 year oldJosh NicholasPractice may not make you Picasso (or perfect for that matter), but the process of acquiring a new skill is a reward in itself After a lifetime of scribbling on scrap paper, a few years ago I finally started taking drawing seriously.

OpinionIsrael-Gaza war This article is more than 1 month oldIsrael is losing the war against Hamas – but Netanyahu and his government will never admit itThis article is more than 1 month oldPaul RogersThe official narrative has been that Hamas is weakened, but in reality the IDF’s doctrine of massive force is failing Paul Rogers is emeritus professor of peace studies at Bradford UniversityUntil recently the war narrative on Gaza has been very largely controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country’s ministry of defence.

Céspedes at home in Lucca in the 1940s. Photograph: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty ImagesCéspedes at home in Lucca in the 1940s. Photograph: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty ImagesFiction in translationChampioned by Elena Ferrante, Céspedes’s neo-realist classic The Forbidden Notebook is being reissued 70 years after it was first published. It still speaks to women’s lives today Postwar Italian neorealism was one of the most exciting literary movements of the 20th century, but it’s only recently that the female neorealists have had the attention they deserve.

Arts funding This article is more than 11 months oldWallace and Gromit maker warns UK animators may have to move abroadThis article is more than 11 months oldExclusive: head of Aardman studio blames Brexit as UK falls behind on skills and tax relief The head of Aardman, the Oscar-winning British studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, has warned that the nation’s animation productions for children’s television will have to be made overseas because acute challenges are taking their toll on the UK sector.

Children and teenagers This article is more than 1 year oldDanica Novgorodoff wins Kate Greenaway medal for graphic novel Long Way DownThis article is more than 1 year oldJudges praise ‘incredible’ version of Jason Reynolds’ novel while Katya Balen wins the Carnegie medal for her ‘evocative’ second book October, October Danica Novgorodoff’s “innovative” graphic novel adaptation of Jason Reynolds’ novel Long Way Down has won the Yoto Kate Greenaway medal, making it the first graphic novel to win the illustration prize since Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas in 1973.

22 Dec 202311.38 GMTThe television cameras have gone, time for us to disappear too. An intriguing day at the Wankhede, with the pendulum swinging from India to Australia and then hugely to India again with that vital unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership of 102 between Deepti and Vastrakar. After Ghosh and Rodrigues put on 113, Australia fought back solidly in the afternoon as India lost their middle order in a flurry of wickets - four for 14.

Supporters of Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in Mexico City on 6 April 2022. Photograph: Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/REX/ShutterstockSupporters of Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in Mexico City on 6 April 2022. Photograph: Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/REX/ShutterstockAndrés Manuel López Obrador This article is more than 2 months oldMexican president’s popularity soars even as country faces persistent turmoilThis article is more than 2 months oldAmlo’s pension program helped boost his approval rating, but critics point to his various shortcomings as his term nears its end

FilmObituaryRobert SterlingIn the early 1950s, while the film industry was blaming the sharp decline in cinema attendance on the proliferation of television throughout the US, many film actors welcomed the one-eyed monster that boosted several fading careers. One such figure to benefit from the new medium was Robert Sterling, who has died aged 88. He had been in films since 1939, playing bland second leads or heroes in B-movies, when he was cast in Topper.