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Vieni, Birmingham – ‘A happy hubbub – you cannot pipe this in’ – restaurant review

Vieni dances a fine line where British Italian restaurants often fail

Vieni, an Italian restaurant in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, is small, Sicilian and scrappy. The Instagram bio of its chef and founder Angelina Adamo reads, “Bite off more than you can chew and learn how to fucking chew”, which feels like a battle cry for almost everyone stepping into hospitality, especially independent places like Vieni, where the waters are choppy and your skillset needs to be varied. Arancini with one hand, signing off payroll and ordering loo paper with the other.

Vieni, which is about a mile or so from the city’s Bull Ring, is a million miles from Albert’s Schloss, Big Mamma’s La Bellezza and the multitude of vast, impersonal pleasure machines that have spread their legs in Brum city centre. Of course, a gigantic Rosa’s serving pad thai and Tattu with a plastic purple flower ceiling all have their place, and make people happy, but I have joy in my heart for places like Vieni.

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I ghosted a problematic friend. Now I feel terrible, but also relieved | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Your friend gave you little choice but to end your relationship. You were right to prioritise your own wellbeing

I had a friend who I always felt on edge around, but I tried to push past that and give them an opportunity. They had experienced childhood trauma and had mental health issues. I put my discomfort down to having to be a bit more accommodating.

They seemed incapable of maintaining friendships and would paint themselves as a victim, saying they constantly get ghosted.

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‘We couldn’t let her story end there’: Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s brother on the year since her shocking death – and why he’s still fighting in her name

She was the young girl in that infamous photograph with Prince Andrew, and the best-known survivor of Jeffrey Epstein. As Virginia’s explosive posthumous memoir continues to reverberate, her brother Sky Roberts and his wife, Amanda, talk about her final tragic months

A British prince was arrested at 8am and was stripped of his title; ambassadors, politicians and numerous other high-profile men lost their prestigious jobs; millions of files relating to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released and a US president remains under scrutiny. So much has happened since the death of Virginia Roberts Giuffre in April last year, and the posthumous publication of her memoir Nobody’s Girl six months later, detailing for the first time the full story of her abuse by Epstein and his associates. “This year has been extraordinary,” says Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s younger brother. “I just wish Virginia was here to see it.”

He is determined that there will be many more advances to come. Giuffre had become one of the most recognisable survivors of Epstein; in the midst of grief, Sky and his wife, Amanda, have become accidental advocates. “She paved the way, and we want to keep paving that road forward for other survivors out there,” says Sky.

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One week, two killings: Trump’s immigration crackdown turns deadly – again

The fatal shootings of two men, both killed in their vehicles by ICE agents, have rekindled anger over the US’s militarized deportation push

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with his brother and two other passengers in Houston, Texas, when immigration agents began tailing his car. They pulled him over and fired a fatal shot through the open passenger-side window.

Six days later in Biddeford, Maine, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, was driving around his neighborhood when agents stopped him at an intersection – right outside the laundromat where he’d often go with his three-year-old daughter – and shot him dead.

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Bank of England to stop accepting bonds linked to coal for key loans

Campaigners hope move will force commercial banks to rethink holding assets linked to the fossil fuel

Climate campaigners have declared a victory after the Bank of England said it would no longer accept bonds linked to one of the most polluting industries on the planet for key loan arrangements.

The ban, which comes into force in October, marks a fresh crackdown on thermal coal, which is burned in power plants to create electricity, and has long been a target of green policy activists.

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England beat France in an epic World Cup third-place playoff – in pictures

As England register their best World Cup finish since 1966, we bring you our pick of the images from Miami where Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick sealed a 6-4 victory for Thomas Tuchel’s side

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Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Water besparen? Deze 7 ‘zuinige’ gewoontes kosten juist méér water

Je denkt dat het niet aan jou ligt dat het water bijna op is. Veel Nederlanders denken heel bewust met water om te gaan, zeker nu droogte en lagere waterdruk steeds vaker in het nieuws zijn. Toch blijken juist een paar ogenschijnlijk “zuinige” gewoontes enorme verspillers.

1. Extra kort douchen, maar dan vaker

Een korte douche is beter dan een lang bad, dat klopt. Maar wie drie keer per dag “even snel” springt, verbruikt vaak meer water dan iemand die één keer per dag wat langer doucht. Het is het totaal per dag dat telt, niet het aantal keren.

2. De kraan een beetje laten lopen “voor later”

Veel mensen laten de kraan zachtjes lopen tijdens het tandenpoetsen, handen inzepen of even “heel snel” een mail checken. Dat straaltje lijkt onschuldig, maar op jaarbasis gaat het al snel om honderden liters schoon drinkwater.

3. De wasmachine altijd op de eco‑stand zetten

Eco‑programma’s verbruiken minder energie, maar draaien vaak veel langer. Dat kan betekenen dat je wasmachine per beurt juist meer water gebruikt dan een korter, regulier programma. Zeker bij kleine wasjes is eco niet altijd de slimme keuze.

4. Elke plant een eigen gietbeurtje geven

Met de hand elke plant een scheutje water geven voelt heel zorgvuldig, maar je verliest onderweg veel water: langs de randen, op het terras, in de lucht. Een gieter of druppelsysteem gericht op de wortels is vaak een stuk efficiënter.

5. De tuin sproeien in de volle zon

“Snel even sproeien nu je tijd hebt” – en dat is dan vaak midden op de dag. In de felle zon verdampt een groot deel van het water voordat het de wortels bereikt. Sproeien in de vroege ochtend of late avond levert veel meer rendement op.

6. De vaat voorspoelen onder de kraan

Moderne vaatwassers zijn gemaakt om vuile borden aan te kunnen. Ze hebben voorspoelprogramma’s en sensoren die de vuilgraad meten. Wie alles eerst grondig onder de kraan afspoelt, verbruikt onnodig veel water bovenop het verbruik van de vaatwasser.

7. Halfvolle baden “voor de ontspanning”

Een halfvol bad lijkt minder erg dan een hotelbad vol schuim, maar ook een half bad bevat vaak meer water dan een gemiddelde douchebeurt. Zeker als dit een wekelijks ritueel is, tikt het verbruik snel aan.

Wat kun je wél doen?

  • Douche één keer per dag, maximaal 5 minuten.
  • Zet de kraan uit tijdens inzepen en tandenpoetsen.
  • Draai wasmachines en vaatwassers alleen vol.
  • Geef je tuin water in de avond of vroege ochtend.

Kleine aanpassingen leveren ongemerkt een groot verschil op voor je waterverbruik – én je rekening.


Afternoon shadows

Keith Midson has added a photo to the pool:

Afternoon shadows

Hinsby Beach, Tasmania.

本土寺

hiroki.sato has added a photo to the pool:

本土寺

本土寺

hiroki.sato has added a photo to the pool:

本土寺