Month: July 2026

‘When she turns eight they will take her’: rising number of Afghan girls being sold into child marriage‘When she turns eight they will take her’: rising number of Afghan girls being sold into child marriage

Afghanistan is seeing a resurgence in underage brides and mothers as desperate families sell their children in order to eat Sima* is 18, but has already given birth four times. Her youngest is a newborn, the eldest is four. Sitting with her children in their mud-brick room in Badghis province, ...

Once again we are told AI may be conscious – I study consciousness, and I have my doubts | Anil SethOnce again we are told AI may be conscious – I study consciousness, and I have my doubts | Anil Seth

Despite Anthropic’s claims, Claude is no more likely to achieve sentience than a simulation of a weather system is likely to generate a real hurricane For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the prospect of creating artificial beings in our own image. Of developing synthetic minds and artificial bodies that ...

‘Diego, give us a hand’: Argentina v England revives historic tensions‘Diego, give us a hand’: Argentina v England revives historic tensions

Decades after the Falklands war and Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal, the fixture is once again being discussed as far more than a game When Argentina’s national football team burst into the dressing room after beating Switzerland 3-1, they celebrated by singing The Fourth Star, the country’s unofficial World Cup ...

Ride or Die review – Hannah Waddingham’s comedy caper is the perimenopausal TV of your dreamsRide or Die review – Hannah Waddingham’s comedy caper is the perimenopausal TV of your dreams

This tale of a 50-year-old assassin going rogue – and having to confess all to her best mate – is so much fun. The chemistry between its leads is a thing of beauty The bone-deep magnificence of Hannah Waddingham is such that she could, I suspect, talk most of us ...

A moment that changed me: I started yoga – and saw my scoliosis in a surprising new lightA moment that changed me: I started yoga – and saw my scoliosis in a surprising new light

As a teenager I declined a painful operation to straighten my spinal curvature, and it was a decision I sometimes regretted. But through daily stretching and exercise, my relationship with my body was transformed I was 13 when a spinal surgeon gave me unsolicited career advice. “Scoliosis won’t ruin your ...