There is oodles of lace, glinting diamante and enough sequins for several series of Strictly Come Dancing: no, it’s not the Met Gala but an unassuming street in north London where a quiet battle is under way to protect a hidden fashion treasure. Almost 100 fashion stores, with names such as Bien Avenue, Cinderella and … Read more
The telephone line was a little fuzzy, and the voice on the end gravelly from several days of Covid isolation. Yet the poignancy of the message, and the moment itself, could not have been clearer: “I’m watching you, kid. I love you,” the speaker said. Joe Biden’s warmhearted call to his vice-president, Kamala Harris, at … Read more
Last year, Rachel Antell, an archival producer for documentary films, started noticing AI-generated images mixed in with authentic photos. There are always holes or limitations in an archive; in one case, film-makers got around a shortage of images for a barely photographed 19th-century woman by using AI to generate what looked like old photos. Which … Read more
Even in a room full of generals from around the world decked in military braid, the arrival of the prime minister causes a stir. At the Farnborough international airshow this week, knots of advisers and armed police surrounded Keir Starmer as he walked through the stalls, occasionally allowing a favoured chief executive or a nervous … Read more
Stifling though the crowds of tourists can be at the height of summer, a hint of love is in the air across the five villages of Italy’s Cinque Terre as a Ligurian riviera coastal path famed as a meeting point for courting couples reopens after an almost 12-year closure. Sculpted into the steep cliffs wedged … Read more
“Let me guess,” says a woman exiting a private detective’s office and finding another one coming in. “You’ve got a husband, he’s got a secretary. Am I getting warm?” So far, so Raymond Chandler, and, indeed, Zoë Boehm, first glimpsed storming out of a row with her husband, fellow gumshoe Joe Silverman, has more than a … Read more
Households facing 100% increases to their car insurance premiums and 25%-plus rises to home insurance renewals may well be able to slash the price by shopping around and using a couple of other tricks. How do I know this? I’ve just done it – several times. In the past few months the wider Brignall family … Read more
The Paris Olympics are here, at last, and it’s strange to admit that I am excited rather than nervous. It’s taken me 12 years to reach this point. I am proud to have won five gold medals at three successive Olympic Games in London, Rio and Tokyo but I’ve also got one title that you … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Israel orders the evacuation of an area designated as a humanitarian zone in Gaza Israel’s military ordered the evacuation on Saturday of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants … Read more
The Paris Olympics are being held at the very time of year when the City of Light is least desirable as a destination, as all those inhabitants who vacate the city in August for their summer getaways well know. Cole Porter might have recommended Paris when it sizzles, but when it sweats? An acquired taste. … Read more