Kate McCusker

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Ben Quinn |Kate McCusker

Britain’s elite universities are continuing to benefit from multi-million pound funding from Facebook’s owner, Meta, amid criticism over its approach to harmful content, ditching of independent fact checkers and political influence. Members of the Russell Group benefited from a total of £2.8m worth of funding from Meta last year, and £7.7m over the past four years.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kate McCusker

When Laura Young got Cooper the cavapoo in 2020, she knew that single-use plastic poo bags weren’t going to cut it. “Having a dog is a lifestyle extra,” says the 28-year-old environmental scientist. “I was aware that I wanted to try not having a negative environmental impact.” But where to start? The shelves seemed to be divided into two camps: bog-standard, single-use plastic wisps, and shiny, expensive bags brandishing eco buzzwords.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kate McCusker

The unfailing politeness of Canadians is a national character trait recognised the world over, but ex-pats living in the UK, readying their postal ballots for next week’s momentous elections, are in no mood for niceties. “If you mess with Canadians, we’ll hit back,” says Sarah Helppi, a 44-year-old Toronto native turned Londoner who has just posted her ballot for what she calls the most important Canadian vote in her lifetime.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kate McCusker

David Tennant has criticised the “demonisation” of the trans community, saying that while he wishes JK Rowling “no ill will”, he hopes that “we can all as a society just let people be”. The Scottish actor, who appeared in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, likened the treatment of transgender people to the Thatcher government’s introduction of section 28 – a 1988 law that prohibited local authorities from “promoting” homosexuality.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kate McCusker

Liam and Noel Gallagher have performed together for the first time in 16 years in a closed pub in north London, according to reports. The brothers were pictured arriving at the Mildmay club in Newington Green, north London, on Thursday where they are believed to have filmed a promotional video for this summer’s sold-out Oasis reunion tour. According to The Sun, they arrived at the venue separately, stayed for just over an hour, and made enough noise to provoke the ire of local people.