Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided over the weekend that he was unlikely to survive a vote of no confidence tabled against him this week. The first minister, who abruptly ended the Bute House agreement...Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided over the weekend that he was unlikely to survive a vote of no confidence tabled against him this week. The first minister, who abruptly ended the Bute House agreement...Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided...
Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP will need to elect a new leader in a process yet to be decided. Last year, after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation, the SNP embarked on a truncated selection contest where party members had six weeks to choose the new leader who then became first...Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP will need to elect a new leader in a process yet to be decided. Last year, after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation, the SNP embarked on a truncated selection contest where party members had six weeks to choose the new leader who then became first...Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP will need to elect a new leader...
Rishi Sunak has accused some benefits claimants of “trying to game the system” as polls showed that voters who are vital to Conservative hopes back tough changes to sickness benefits. The prime minister said he wanted to target welfare to those who “genuinely need it most” as he insisted the disability benefit...Rishi Sunak has accused some benefits claimants of “trying to game the system” as polls showed...Rishi Sunak has accused some benefits claimants of “trying to game the system” as polls showed...
martin samuel
They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around Liverpool’s season now.They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around...They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around...
ASK PROFESSOR TANYA BYRON
Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a woman — coming out...Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a...Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a...
NICK ROSS | COMMENT
Private schools are increasing fees by up to 8 per cent before the likely addition of VAT by a Labour government...Private schools are increasing fees by up to 8 per cent before the likely addition of VAT by a...Private schools are increasing fees by up to 8 per cent before the likely addition of VAT by a...
The United Arab Emirates has cancelled meetings with British ministers after being accused of funding paramilitaries...The United Arab Emirates has cancelled meetings with British ministers after being accused of...The United Arab Emirates has cancelled meetings with British ministers after being accused of...
PHOTOGRAPHY
April 29–May 5, 2024
Square print sale online here Wednesday, May 2
Pop-up Event: Magnum Gallery at 63 Gee Street, London For the first time in the history of its Square Print Sale, Magnum Photos partners with an esteemed literary magazine...April 29–May 5, 2024
Square print sale online here Wednesday, May 2
Pop-up Event: Magnum Gallery...April 29–May 5, 2024
Square print sale online here Wednesday, May 2
Pop-up Event: Magnum Gallery...
There is an end in sight to the cold weather that has dominated recent weeks, with a warmer spell set to sweep in and bringing with it hopes for a brighter May bank holiday weekend, forecasts suggest. The Met Office is predicting sunny spells for next Saturday with temperatures of 20C in central London and 18C in Birmingham, while Manchester can expect a sunny day and...There is an end in sight to the cold weather that has dominated recent weeks, with a warmer spell...There is an end in sight to the cold weather that has dominated recent weeks, with a warmer spell...
After an hour doing yoga surrounded by cats, one thing was quite clear — they did not like me. While the other...After an hour doing yoga surrounded by cats, one thing was quite clear — they did not like me. While the other participants of “kitten yoga” had them running around their mats, playing with their hair or even climbing on top of them, I had been entirely ignored. Yoga with cats, the latest iteration of doing exercise...After an hour doing yoga surrounded by cats, one thing was quite clear — they did not like me. While the other participants of...
The policing minister has blamed London’s soaring rate of knife crime on a reduction in the Metropolitan Police’s use...The policing minister has blamed London’s soaring rate of knife crime on a reduction in the...The policing minister has blamed London’s soaring rate of knife crime on a reduction in the...
A British holidaymaker attacked by a shark off Tobago was in a critical condition last night waiting to find out...A British holidaymaker attacked by a shark off Tobago was in a critical condition last night...A British holidaymaker attacked by a shark off Tobago was in a critical condition last night...
video
Student-led protests against the war in Gaza spread across more American universities this weekend as the growing wave of dissent that has led to hundreds of arrests now threatens to undermine President Biden’s campaign for re-election. More than 250 people were detained by police on Saturday at Washington University in St Louis, Boston’s Northeastern University as well...Student-led protests against the war in Gaza spread across more American universities this...Student-led protests against the war in Gaza spread across more American universities this...
Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, and Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, are due in...Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, and Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, are due in Saudi Arabia on Monday to push for a last-ditch ceasefire in Gaza before any Israeli military operation in Rafah. Israel has vowed to conquer Hamas in the southern city that it claimed to be the group’s...Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, and Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, are due in Saudi Arabia...
“In memory of your friend Anne Frank,” is the dedication to a verse written to the Holocaust victim’s best friend as she disappeared into hiding in a doomed attempt to evade the Nazis. Jacqueline van Maarsen, 95, was Anne’s childhood friend. They...“In memory of your friend Anne Frank,” is the dedication to a verse written to the Holocaust...“In memory of your friend Anne Frank,” is the dedication to a verse written to the Holocaust...
from our correspondent
The Castilian village of Pampliega has been waiting for the return of its king for 750 years. Wamba, one of the last of the Visigoth rulers, was buried there in the late 7th century in accordance with his dying wishes, nearly a decade after...The Castilian village of Pampliega has been waiting for the return of its king for 750 years.The Castilian village of Pampliega has been waiting for the return of its king for 750 years.
The former boss of Persimmon, who stepped down as chief executive of the listed housebuilder amid an outcry over his “unfathomable” pay package, is on a collision course with the American hedge fund backer of his new venture. Jeff Fairburn, best known in the City for a £75 million bonus payout at...The former boss of Persimmon, who stepped down as chief executive of the listed housebuilder amid an outcry over his “unfathomable” pay package, is on a collision course with the American hedge fund backer of his new venture. Jeff Fairburn, best known in the City for a £75 million bonus payout at...The former boss of Persimmon, who stepped down as chief executive of the listed housebuilder amid an outcry over his...
HM Revenue & Customs is investigating the tax affairs of Babylon, the insolvent healthcare technology company that was championed by Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, and had links to the Conservative Party. Officials are investigating tax matters relating to the period before the appointment in August of administrators from...HM Revenue & Customs is investigating the tax affairs of Babylon, the insolvent healthcare technology company that was championed by Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, and had links to the Conservative Party. Officials are investigating tax matters relating to the period before the appointment in August of administrators from...HM Revenue & Customs is investigating the tax affairs of Babylon, the insolvent healthcare technology company that was...
Butlin’s is suing insurers led by Aviva over a £60 million bill from flooding at its largest holiday resort in a case that turns on the definition of a “storm”. The company filed the claim at the High Court in London in a dispute with its insurers over the cover they are providing for damage to its site in Minehead...Butlin’s is suing insurers led by Aviva over a £60 million bill from flooding at its largest...Butlin’s is suing insurers led by Aviva over a £60 million bill from flooding at its largest...
comment
Last week the prime minister committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income by 2030. I got...Last week the prime minister committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national...Last week the prime minister committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national...
Nearly one in five London-listed companies have issued a profit warning in the past 12 months, new research shows.Nearly one in five London-listed companies have issued a profit warning in the past 12 months...Nearly one in five London-listed companies have issued a profit warning in the past 12 months...
YOUNG POWER LIST
the week ahead
If the big American technology companies have learnt one thing in the latest earnings season, it is not to disappoint...If the big American technology companies have learnt one thing in the latest earnings season, it...If the big American technology companies have learnt one thing in the latest earnings season, it...
need to know
1 More than a million potholes cost the economy £14.4 billion a year in repairs, accidents, driver delays and higher...1 More than a million potholes cost the economy £14.4 billion a year in repairs, accidents...1 More than a million potholes cost the economy £14.4 billion a year in repairs, accidents...
recruitment
From Terence Conran’s interiors and Tom Dixon’s furniture to Vivienne Westwood’s fashion and Peter Saville’s album covers, Britain has a proud history of producing outstanding designers. Yet this legacy could be under threat. Entries to the design and technology GCSE have plummeted by 68 per cent over the past decade, a decline that has not been offset by increases in...From Terence Conran’s interiors and Tom Dixon’s furniture to Vivienne Westwood’s fashion and...From Terence Conran’s interiors and Tom Dixon’s furniture to Vivienne Westwood’s fashion and...
recruitment
As chief executive of Speakers for Schools, the social mobility charity, Nick Brook focuses on empowering...As chief executive of Speakers for Schools, the social mobility charity, Nick Brook focuses on empowering state-educated students to reach their potential, irrespective of background or circumstance. With a career spanning 30 years of education leadership, here he shares the lessons he has learnt from classroom to...As chief executive of Speakers for Schools, the social mobility charity, Nick Brook focuses on empowering state-educated...
The Saracens and England rugby player Billy Vunipola had to be stunned by a Taser as he was arrested in Mallorca after a “violent incident”. Vunipola, who plays No 8, tried to attack customers and security personnel at the Epic bar in Palma in the early hours of Sunday, according to local media.The Saracens and England rugby player Billy Vunipola had to be stunned by a Taser as he was arrested in Mallorca after a “violent incident”. Vunipola, who plays No 8, tried to attack customers and security personnel at the Epic bar in Palma in the early hours of Sunday, according to local media.The Saracens and England rugby player Billy Vunipola had to be stunned by a Taser as he was arrested in Mallorca after a...
The father of the Norwegian middle-distance running sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with physically abusing one of his children, with an allegation of using a wet towel to beat the child. Last year the relationship between Gjert Ingebrigtsen and his children disintegrated when Jakob, the reigning Olympic 1,500m champion, and...The father of the Norwegian middle-distance running sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with physically abusing one of his children, with an allegation of using a wet towel to beat the child. Last year the relationship between Gjert Ingebrigtsen and his children disintegrated when Jakob, the reigning Olympic 1,500m champion, and...The father of the Norwegian middle-distance running sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with physically abusing one...
martin samuel
They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around Liverpool’s season now. A lot of history being tailored to current events. The quadruple gone in March, the treble in April, and now with the league title seemingly beyond reach, much is being made about the announcement...They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around...They had no choice. That is what needs to be understood. There is a lot of retrofitting around...
Harry Brook interview
mike atherton
The oft-told story of Sir Alex Ferguson being first to the desk the morning after winning another trophy is a...The oft-told story of Sir Alex Ferguson being first to the desk the morning after winning another...The oft-told story of Sir Alex Ferguson being first to the desk the morning after winning another...
premier league
As Erling Haaland lapped up the adulation of the 2,893 Manchester City fans behind the goal at the City Ground, Noel...As Erling Haaland lapped up the adulation of the 2,893 Manchester City fans behind the goal at...As Erling Haaland lapped up the adulation of the 2,893 Manchester City fans behind the goal at...
Tom Allnutt
There is so much to like about this Tottenham Hotspur team, the fearless approach, that sense of adventure and players that never know when they are beaten. The problem is that their opponents like them too, given Spurs are yet to learn how to defend. When the final whistle blew on a nerve-shredding north London derby, as the music blasted loud to drown out the Arsenal...There is so much to like about this Tottenham Hotspur team, the fearless approach, that sense of...There is so much to like about this Tottenham Hotspur team, the fearless approach, that sense of...
Gregor Robertson
Last week a short video was doing the rounds on social media, the kind of vignette that the official accounts of...Last week a short video was doing the rounds on social media, the kind of vignette that the official accounts of Premier League broadcasters clip up and wheel out for clicks and “bantz” these days. Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea at the Emirates was less than eight minutes old when the Arsenal midfielder Thomas...Last week a short video was doing the rounds on social media, the kind of vignette that the official accounts of Premier League...
gallagher premiership
premier league
premier league
Elgan ALderman
It would be best for all parties if Karl Dickson did not referee Harlequins games any more. Not because of his...It would be best for all parties if Karl Dickson did not referee Harlequins games any more. Not...It would be best for all parties if Karl Dickson did not referee Harlequins games any more. Not...
stuart fraser
Even after claiming his best win on a tennis court for close to a year-and-a-half, Rafael Nadal refused to ease the...Even after claiming his best win on a tennis court for close to a year-and-a-half, Rafael Nadal...Even after claiming his best win on a tennis court for close to a year-and-a-half, Rafael Nadal...
game in numbers
The four own goals scored this weekend by Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United and Sheffield United were the most in the Premier League in the space of two days for more than seven years. The rate of one own goal per 7.4 Premier League...The four own goals scored this weekend by Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United and...The four own goals scored this weekend by Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United and...
interview
The Grand Designs presenter on how the show has made him allergic to super-spending on homes
Judith Godrèche tells Adam Sage about her legal claims against two film directors and her assault by Harvey Weinstein
INTERVIEW
Some claim the show gave them PTSD, but the TV and radio presenter says it helped her to flourish after years of debilitating neuroses
first person
Lucy Holden’s plan to take a romantic trip abroad took an unexpected turn after she split up with her boyfriend
YOUNG POWER LIST
We’ve had Bridget Jones’s boyfriend, then break-up, then baby. And 23 years after the first film came out, we’re in...We’ve had Bridget Jones’s boyfriend, then break-up, then baby. And 23 years after the first film...We’ve had Bridget Jones’s boyfriend, then break-up, then baby. And 23 years after the first film...
ASK PROFESSOR TANYA BYRON
Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a woman — coming out...Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a...Q. My husband and I have been together for almost 20 years. When we met he was engaged to a...
the Lowdown
ask the experts
MindGames
MINDGAMES
first night review
first night review
first night review
first night review
First night review
I doubt that I will be the only person to come out of this double bill, mounted by the young singers and directors on the Royal Opera’s Jette Parker scheme, with a big smile on my face and hardly the foggiest notion of what any of it meant. If...I doubt that I will be the only person to come out of this double bill, mounted by the young...I doubt that I will be the only person to come out of this double bill, mounted by the young...
Viewing GUide
tELEVISION | STREAMING GUIDE
Television
TELEVISION
Television
interview | Susannah Constantine
first person
I am 74, a pensioner. An OAP with a bus pass, hearing aids and a shopping trolley. Many people’s perception of a...I am 74, a pensioner. An OAP with a bus pass, hearing aids and a shopping trolley. Many people’s...I am 74, a pensioner. An OAP with a bus pass, hearing aids and a shopping trolley. Many people’s...
interview
The most startling political earthquake to have hit Canada in nearly a decade came on August 2 last year in the form...The most startling political earthquake to have hit Canada in nearly a decade came on August 2...The most startling political earthquake to have hit Canada in nearly a decade came on August 2...
Dainty faces and orange details are just two of the new trends showcased at Geneva’s Watches and Wonders event
How the passion of a local sake master has transformed a little-known town into a gourmet destination
Whether it’s for a classic handwritten invitation or a 3D pop-up cathedral save-the-date, we have the stationers for you
video
Go behind the scenes with world famous pâtissier, and learn how is hyper-realistic treats are made
video
Do you like the sound of a golden zipper as it eases open a leather Louis Vuitton suitcase? What about the feeling of a cool string of Tasaki pearls hitting your palm, the pearls lightly tapping against each other? Does the sound of an Hermès...Do you like the sound of a golden zipper as it eases open a leather Louis Vuitton suitcase? What...Do you like the sound of a golden zipper as it eases open a leather Louis Vuitton suitcase? What...
Ships by night aren’t all cocktails and casinos — from camping in Antarctica to illuminated Venice, these incredible cruise experiences only happen once the sun sets
video
Would you go analogue on holiday, relying on paper maps, taking the advice of strangers and making dice-based decisions for a fortnight? Our writer did — here’s what happened
video
The DJ has presided over the Balearic club scene for 40 years. As the island’s season kicks off, he gives us an insider’s lowdown on its best known hotels
uk
These under-the-radar spots in Cornwall, Anglesey, the Highlands and more are big on headspace and low on tourists. We also want to know your suggestions
Travel advice
Walkouts by Border Force officials and refuelling staff are set to disrupt operations at Europe’s busiest airport. Here’s what you need to know
kathy lette | travel troubleshooter
video
Comparing Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two best-known destinations in the United Arab Emirates, is a bit like comparing...Comparing Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two best-known destinations in the United Arab Emirates, is a...Comparing Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two best-known destinations in the United Arab Emirates, is a...
Comment
A wise friend once said that the definition of being an adult was staying in a hotel but being too busy to use the pool.A wise friend once said that the definition of being an adult was staying in a hotel but being...A wise friend once said that the definition of being an adult was staying in a hotel but being...
video
Paris is one of the most alluring cities to visit, whether you’re into food, art, culture or history. And there’s a hotel for every mood and budget. Our Paris expert Hannah Meltzer visits five of her favourites and explains why they’re perfect for...Paris is one of the most alluring cities to visit, whether you’re into food, art, culture or...Paris is one of the most alluring cities to visit, whether you’re into food, art, culture or...
MindGames and Brain Boost puzzles to print and solve at your leisure
Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided over the weekend that he was unlikely to survive a vote of no confidence tabled against him this week. The first minister, who abruptly ended the Bute House agreement...Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided over the weekend that he was unlikely to survive a vote of no confidence tabled against him this week. The first minister, who abruptly ended the Bute House agreement...Humza Yousaf is expected to announce his resignation as Scotland’s first minister today. Senior sources said Yousaf had decided...
Iain Macwhirter
We always said it would end in tears, and it did. The Green MSP Gillian Mackay, breaking down under very gentle questioning from John Beattie on BBC Scotland’s Drivetime on Friday was the definitive moment in the breakup of the Green-SNP marriage of inconvenience. She quickly composed herself, however, then declared, dry-eyed, that she...We always said it would end in tears, and it did. The Green MSP Gillian Mackay, breaking down under very gentle questioning from John Beattie on BBC Scotland’s Drivetime on Friday was the definitive moment in the breakup of the Green-SNP marriage of inconvenience. She quickly composed herself, however, then declared, dry-eyed, that she...We always said it would end in tears, and it did. The Green MSP Gillian Mackay, breaking down under very gentle questioning...
Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP will need to elect a new leader in a process yet to be decided. Last year, after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation, the SNP embarked on a truncated selection contest where party members had six weeks to choose the new leader...Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP...Humza Yousaf has only been in office for 13 months but if, as expected, he quits then the SNP...
Its recorded links to Scottish royalty are almost 1000 years old and its origins have been shrouded in mystery, with legends linking it to biblical heroes and ancient Egyptian pharoahs. But now a new exhibition celebrating the Stone of Destiny has...Its recorded links to Scottish royalty are almost 1000 years old and its origins have been...Its recorded links to Scottish royalty are almost 1000 years old and its origins have been...
obituary
Never mind Lon Chaney Jr and his Universal horror pictures. For Scottish film fans of a certain age, there was only...Never mind Lon Chaney Jr and his Universal horror pictures. For Scottish film fans of a certain...Never mind Lon Chaney Jr and his Universal horror pictures. For Scottish film fans of a certain...
Councillors are facing legal action after striking a multi-million-pound deal to run Edinburgh’s two world-famous...Councillors are facing legal action after striking a multi-million-pound deal to run Edinburgh’s...Councillors are facing legal action after striking a multi-million-pound deal to run Edinburgh’s...
review
New music is a tough sell for any orchestra, so it was a bold (some might say brave) decision by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to programme not one but two new works in this weekend’s concerts. The unfortunate consequence was that lots of...New music is a tough sell for any orchestra, so it was a bold (some might say brave) decision by...New music is a tough sell for any orchestra, so it was a bold (some might say brave) decision by...
Football
We have long since reached the stage of the season where the ‘what’ matters infinitely more than the ‘how’. Which is just as well for Rangers, as beyond the bare bottom line of three points, there was precious little else that Philippe Clement and...We have long since reached the stage of the season where the ‘what’ matters infinitely more than...We have long since reached the stage of the season where the ‘what’ matters infinitely more than...
Comment
You can’t counter Conspiracy Britain with facts
Will Lloyd
Extremist teaching, as in Stockport, is a US import that thrives on being told by respectable institutions it is wrong
Tomiwa Owolade
Don’t tell me to listen to female podcasters
libby purves
We’re in trouble if a woman’s place is WFH
Sathnam Sanghera | Notebook
I’ll hazard a guess as to why roads are less safe
Sean O’Neill
Truth of Troubles will never out until state comes clean
Leading Articles
The Porous Border
A huge influx of refugees crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic is proving politically toxic in Dublin. Returning them to the UK is no solution
Sánchez on the Brink
Spain’s prime minister will announce on Monday whether he will stay in office
Keep the Change
The French, who long scorned tips, are being corrupted by the Anglo-Saxons
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Gaza protests and how to keep Jews safe
Sir, Gideon Falter, chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, says about the Metropolitan Police that “the police wanted to keep us safe but the problem is the police see themselves as peacekeepers rather than law enforcers” (“...Sir, Gideon Falter, chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, says about the Metropolitan...Sir, Gideon Falter, chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, says about the Metropolitan...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: The National Association of Head Teachers publishes a survey on school building maintenance; the Resolution Foundation think tank holds a discussion event on economic lessons from the past 25 years of devolution, with speakers including John Swinney, former Scottish deputy first minister, and Mark Drakeford, former Welsh first minister.
US: Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, pays two-day visit to Saudi Arabia.
Italy: Gathering of primates and moderators from 42 provinces of the Anglican Communion in Rome.
On this day
In 1587 Sir Francis Drake led a raid into Cadiz harbour and torched more than 20 Spanish ships being equipped for war with England, the “singeing of the king of Spain’s beard”; in 1882 the electrically powered Electromote, a forerunner of the trolleybus, was tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens, its inventor, in Berlin; in 1916, after six days of fighting, a group of Irish nationalists surrendered to British forces in Dublin, bringing the Easter Rising to an end. In 1921 a treaty was signed that in 1922 established the Irish Free State, later becoming the Republic of Ireland; in 1945 French women voted in an election for the first time, in the first municipal election since the country’s liberation from German occupation. The right for women to vote had been signed into law on April 21, 1944; in 2011 Prince William married Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, London, in a service broadcast live to an estimated two billion viewers.
Nature notes
Both as a caterpillar and in its adult form, the lappet moth is an extraordinary beast. Bark-brown and covered in fur, when the caterpillar flattens its body and clings to a twig in order not to be seen, you’d think it a sort of lump or swelling: a woody extrusion of some kind, perhaps a scar, one with a light powdering of lichen or mould. Even when it draws in its body to achieve locomotion, it can still be hard to spot, its fine hairs so blur the outline of its form. The adult moth is completely indistinguishable from a dry, brown oak leaf, right down to the small protruding snout that perfectly mimics the petiole. Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Andre Agassi, tennis player, former world No 1, 54; Dame Helen Atkinson, engineer, pro-vice-chancellor (aerospace, transport and manufacturing), Cranfield University, 64; Frank Auerbach, painter, 93; General Sir Peter de la Billière DSO MC and Bar, Gulf War commander, 90; Bob and Mike Bryan, doubles tennis players, Olympic gold medallists (2012), 46; Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, actor, There Will Be Blood (2007), Lincoln (2012), 67; Baroness (Ruth) Deech, chairwoman, Bar Standards Board (2009-14), 81; Catherine Dixon, director-general, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 58; Anita Dobson (Lady May), actress, EastEnders (1985-88), 75; Nat Edwards, director-general and master of the Royal Armouries, 58; Prof Sir Ian Kershaw, historian, Personality and Power: Builders and Destroyers of Modern Europe (2022), 81; Lord (Timothy) Kirkhope of Harrogate, Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber Region (1999-2016), 79; Zubin Mehta, conductor, 88; Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter, On the Road Again (1980), 91; Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), 66; Franc Roddam, film director, Quadrophenia (1979), and creator, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and MasterChef, 78; Fred Scarlett, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2000), 49; Paul Scully, Conservative MP for Sutton & Cheam, tech and the digital economy minister (2023), 56; Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, 70; Stacey Snider, co-founder of Sister (film and television studio), chair and chief executive of 20th Century Fox (2017-19), 63; Uma Thurman, actress, Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003), 54; David Tindle, painter, 92; Phil Tufnell, cricketer, England (1990-2001), 58; Klaus Voormann, artist, album cover designer for the Beatles’ Revolver (1966), and musician, bassist for Manfred Mann (1966-69), 86; Martin Whitmarsh, chairman and co-founder, BAR Technologies, 66.