It’s the part of myself I’m most frequently embarrassed by – but as comedy festival season approaches, I’m prepared for the worst

I thought Daniel Kitson was just about ready to kick me out of the comedy room. He had already picked on me several times for laughing too loud, too readily (“that wasn’t even a joke”, he chastised me at one point). I was trying hard to suppress my laughter – to hold it in, to hold it back, to not fully express the joy I was feeling. I was being somewhat successful. And then I wasn’t. Everyone in the audience was laughing – but I was laughing too much.

Then Kitson looked at me, and asked me to laugh “10% less” – I was ruining it for the rest of the audience, he said. Bring it down 10% and give everyone else a chance. My face turned red, I shrunk in my seat, and I tried my hardest – really, I did – to not laugh so loud.

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Buddhist monks had walked 2,300 miles from Texas, braving snow and often barefoot – their arrival in the capital was greeted by thousands

Bhante Saranapala gazed down at more than a hundred Buddhist monks wearing burnt-orange, saffron and maroon robes, most sporting woolly hats, a few clutching flowers.

“These monks are awesome!” roared Saranapala, who is known as the “Urban Buddhist Monk”, prompting a cheer from the big crowd. “Their determination should be greatly appreciated. Walking from Texas to Washington DC, 2,300 miles; it requires strong determination!”

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Jailed then exiled in London, Rahman returns home as the main contender to be next prime minister of Bangladesh

Tarique Rahman, who after 17 years in exile is the main contender to be the next prime minister of Bangladesh, has pledged to end entrenched corruption and put the country on a “new path” as voting began in the first free and fair elections in almost two decades.

Speaking to the Guardian before polls opened on Thursday morning, Rahman promised a new era of clean politics, including a “top down, no tolerance” approach to graft, if his Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) was brought to power.

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ntomlin124 has added a photo to the pool:

Rambo2100 has added a photo to the pool:

A dark day, with the Sydney harbour suburb of Birchgrove in the foreground and Goat Island, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and the financial end of the Sydney CBD also in the picture.

Named after Lieutenant John Birch's estate built circa 1812, the area served maritime and shipbuilding industries but, like neighbouring Balmain, has long ceased to be a suburb of the 'working man'. At one time the Balmain Colliery was located here.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

S/opp Architects was founded in Oslo, Norway in 2016 . The practice emerged from observing a fundamental disconnect in Scandinavian architecture.

Businesses are embedding prompts that produce content they want you to read, not the stuff AI makes if left to its own devices

Amid its ongoing promotion of AI’s wonders, Microsoft has warned customers it has found many instances of a technique that manipulates the technology to produce biased advice.…