Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?

Like many of us who are mindful of our plastic consumption, Beth Gardiner would take her own bags to the supermarket and be annoyed whenever she forgot to do so. Out without her refillable bottle, she would avoid buying bottled water. “Here I am, in my own little life, worrying about that and trying to use less plastic,” she says. Then she read an article in this newspaper, just over eight years ago, and discovered that fossil fuel companies had ploughed more than $180bn (£130bn) into plastic plants in the US since 2010. “It was a kick in the teeth,” says Gardiner. “You’re telling me that while I am beating myself up because I forgot to bring my water bottle, all these huge oil companies are pouring billions …” She looks appalled. “It was just such a shock.”

Two months before that piece was published, a photograph of a seahorse clinging to a plastic cotton bud had gone viral; two years before that England followed Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and introduced a charge for carrier bags. “I was one of so many people who were trying to use less plastic – and it just felt like such a moment of revelation: these companies are, on the contrary, increasing production and wanting to push [plastic use] up and up.” Then, says Gardiner, as she started researching her book Plastic Inc: Big Oil, Big Money and the Plan to Trash our Future, “it only becomes more shocking.”

Nintendo Switch 2; Nintendo
This ruthlessly competitive game will have everyone from your granny to semi-pros trying to set fire to their opponent’s side of the court with powered-up ‘fever rackets’

Tennis has been a regular hobby of Mario’s for the past 30 years, beginning with the headache-inducing Mario’s Tennis on the Virtual Boy and most recently resurfacing as the surprisingly complex Mario Tennis Aces on the Switch. Now he’s back in his whites (and reds) with a charming new take on the sport that dials back the difficulty level and adds lots of fun modes and features, aiming to appease complete newcomers and Djokovic-esque veterans.

At first, the range of options is almost bewildering. You can opt to play in one-off matches with up to three other players or NPCs, or enter a more structured tournament of singles or doubles play. Then there’s the extremely fun Mix It Up, which offers a range of fun tennis derivatives. These include Forest Court where piranha plants appear and gobble any balls that get close, and Pinball where bumpers and barriers pop up as you play. Trial Towers, meanwhile, presents a tower of increasingly tough tennis challenges which all have to be completed to open the next two buildings; fail more than three times and you’re sent back to the beginning – yes, it’s Mario Tennis: The Roguelike.

William Golding’s classic tale is about civilisation, ‘savagery’ and empire – can a a colour-blind cast do that justice?

Adolescence creator Jack Thorne’s new BBC series sees him return to the subject of masculinity, this time turning to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The novel, which remains a GCSE set text, has been a staple of secondary school English departments almost since its publication in 1954. The decision to include a diverse cast, including the excellent Winston Sawyers who plays Ralph, will probably be viewed by many as a progressive move, ensuring that not only white actors are offered roles and not only white people are represented on screen. But for all its progressive aspirations, an adaptation like this obscures some of the most interesting themes discernible in the book.

It’s important to state at the outset that I am certainly not suggesting there are too many Black and Asian people on television. The opposite is often true. Instead, I’m questioning what aspects of Golding’s original story are obscured by the inclusion of Black and Asian actors in the series.

Darren Chetty is a writer and academic, and co-author with Karen Sands O’Connor of Beyond the Secret Garden: Racially Minoritised People in British Children’s Books

Exclusive: approximately 350-acre compound planned as base for multinational force, according to records reviewed by the Guardian

The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres, according to Board of Peace contracting records reviewed by the Guardian.

The site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force composed of pledged troops. The ISF is part of the newly created Board of Peace which is meant to govern Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Representatives from more than 45 countries expected to attend initiative aimed at bringing an end to the war in Gaza

• Authoritarians, strongmen and dictators: who is on Trump’s Board of Peace?

Good morning and welcome to the US politics live blog. The inaugural meeting of US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, his initiative to bring an end to the war in Gaza, begins today with representatives from more than 45 countries expected to attend.

But some major European allies, including the UK, Germany and France, have turned down their invitations, wary of the group’s operations and its potential to rival the UN. There is also no Palestinian representation on the board, while Israel holds a seat.

The appointment follows allegations she was previously spoken to about her management style

This is what the Cabinet Office says about Antonia Romeo in its news release about her appointment.

Dame Antonia Romeo is currently the longest-serving permanent secretary in government and will become the first female cabinet secretary in the more than 100-year history of the role …

Antonia is the longest serving permanent secretary in government, with nearly a decade of leading economic, public services and security departments. As permanent secretary of the Department of International Trade, Antonia set up the new department from scratch as the UK left the EU, bringing together trade policy with promotion and finance for the first time.

As permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice she led the official response to the civil unrest of summer 2024, working across the criminal justice system to keep the country safe, and launched the Sentencing Review.

At the Home Office she has launched a plan to restore order and control to the asylum system and the biggest reform of policing in decades, and led the publication of the strategy to build a safer society for women and girls in support of the home secretary.

It is a huge privilege to be asked to serve as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.

The civil service is a great and remarkable institution, which I love. We should be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the government’s agenda and meet the challenges the country faces.

I look forward to working with all colleagues across the civil service to do this, in support of the prime minister and the government.

PM ‘delighted’ to fill position with ‘outstanding public servant’ – who becomes first woman to hold cabinet secretary role

• UK politics live

Keir Starmer has appointed Antonia Romeo as cabinet secretary, the UK’s most senior civil servant.

Romeo, the first woman to hold the post in the role’s 110-year history, has been a key figure behind the scenes in multiple government departments including spells as permanent secretary at the Home Office, International Trade and the Ministry of Justice.

MILAAN (ANP) - Nederland loopt in Milaan en Cortina d'Ampezzo nog twee medailles achter in vergelijking met de vorige Winterspelen van 2022 in Beijing. Na het zilver en brons van de shorttrackbroers Melle en Jens van 't Wout op de 500 meter staat de teller voor TeamNL nu op vijftien plakken.

Sportkoepel NOC*NSF had zichzelf vooraf ten doel gesteld de negatieve trend te doorbreken. Bij de Winterspelen van 2014 in Sotsji braken de Nederlandse sporters met 24 medailles een record. In 2018 in Pyeongchang zakte dat aantal terug naar twintig medailles en in 2022 in Beijing waren het er nog zeventien.

Nederland heeft nog drie dagen om ervoor te zorgen dat de Winterspelen niet voor de derde keer op rij met minder medailles eindigen. Bij het langebaanschaatsen worden de 1500 meter en de massastart, bij zowel de mannen als vrouwen, nog verreden. In het shorttrack heeft TeamNL nog kansen op de 1500 meter voor vrouwen en de aflossingsfinale bij de mannen.

De Verenigde Naties hebben beklemtoond dat er in oktober vorig jaar zeer waarschijnlijk volkerenmoord is gepleegd in de Soedanese stad El-Fasher. Doelwit waren leden van niet-Arabische etnische groepen. Een onderzoeksmissie van de VN concludeert dat op de inname van de stad door de Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "drie dagen van absolute gruwelen" volgden. De daders zouden moeten worden berecht, vindt de missie.

Er was geen sprake van uit de hand gelopen oorlogsgeweld, maar van een gecoördineerde operatie op grote schaal die door leiders van de RSF openlijk werd bevorderd. De operatie had "alle kenmerken van genocide" en was gericht op de vernietiging van niet-Arabische etnische groepen zoals de Zaghawa. "Duizenden mensen zijn verkracht, vermoord of verdwenen."

Volker Türk, de mensenrechtenchef van de VN, heeft vrijdag nog de paramilitaire RSF beschuldigd van oorlogsmisdaden in El-Fasher. Zijn kantoor spreekt van een "golf van intens geweld, schokkend qua schaal en wreedheid".

De VN-missie stelt dat niet alleen in El-Fasher maar ook in de streek mensen van een bepaalde etnische groep zijn vermoord of lichamelijk en geestelijk zwaar letsel is toegebracht. Daarnaast werden er opzettelijk omstandigheden gecreëerd met het doel een etnische groep geheel of gedeeltelijk te vernietigen. Dat zijn alle drie kenmerken van genocide.

El-Fasher in Darfur werd lange tijd belegerd door de RSF. De RSF waren eerder als 'Janjaweed'-milities van de Soedanese dictator Omar al-Bashir actief in de bloedige etnische strijd in Darfur. In 2013 kregen ze een officiële paramilitaire status. De dictator is in 2019 afgezet. De milities werden als RSF onder leiding van generaal Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo rivaal van het leger dat wordt aangevoerd door generaal Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. In april 2023 barstte een oorlog uit tussen de twee.

De RSF bestaan voornamelijk uit etnisch of cultureel Arabische stammen in Darfur. Ze hebben het net als vroeger als Janjaweed gemunt op andere stammen die ze niet als Arabisch of islamitisch beschouwen. Daarbij worden op grote schaal massamoorden gepleegd volgens internationale organisaties.

wing of kaz has added a photo to the pool:

鹿児島県鹿児島市、鴨池日枝神社 / Kamoike Hie Shrine, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture