Alys Fowler's gardening columnGardensThe shells – either fresh or in the form of grit – perform magic by regulating the soil’s environment
I love oysters – not the insides, which my stomach decidedly can’t tolerate, but the shells. I sprinkle them here, there and everywhere in my garden because they perform a certain magic by regulating the soil’s environment.
Oyster shell can be used as an alternative to lime. Both are composed of calcium carbonate, which is an alkali, and therefore raises the pH of the soil, increasing the plant’s ability to take up other micronutrients such as zinc, iron and manganese.
FilmPetrol lit with a cigarette? Only in the moviesFrom Hitchcock's The Birds to The Usual Suspects, it has been one of the staple cliches of Hollywood: the cigarette butt tumbling in slow motion into a pool of petrol unleashing a conflagration.
But if you find yourself tied up and doused in petrol don't worry if all your assailant has is a lighted cigarette: scientists have proved you won't end up as a human fireball.
GardensFrom keeping houseplants alive to gardening in small spaces – these are our top picks Best for trendspotting @theplanthunter
Online magazine about gardeners, their envy-inducing spaces and plants. The equivalent of reading back issues of The World Of Interiors.
Best for photography buffs @pleasuregardenmagazine
Delicious, inspiring garden and outdoor photography from this arty biannual garden magazine.
View image in fullscreen Photograph: @sean_swallowBest for feeling zen @sean_swallow
A beautiful garden on the Welsh borders that seems to always be bathed in perfect light, along with posts from Swallow’s travels.
Geelong woman Vera Gazzard lost more than $30,000 through a series of crypto schemes. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The GuardianAustralians who were convinced to put money into the Hyper group investment schemes say no one has been held to account for their losses
Investors lose millions as crypto schemes operate unchecked in Australia Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails,free app or daily news podcast by Sarah MartinVera Gazzard had plans for her $50,000 in savings.
The great women's art bulletinKaty HesselAt moments when we need to start all over again, great art is there to salve our wounded feelings and help point the way to the future
Last Thursday night I gave a talk at the Hirshhorn in Washington DC. I always stick around afterwards so I can chat to people about their work, their favourite artists or their routes into art. On this occasion, one woman – her eyes glassy – looked at me and said: which artist can I look at to soften heartbreak?
Republicans This article is more than 2 years oldThis article is more than 2 years oldThomas Massie’s incendiary picture, days after a deadly school shooting in Michigan, seemed carefully calibrated to provoke It is a festive family photo with seven broad smiles and a Christmas tree. But one other detail sets it apart: each member of the Massie family is brandishing a machine gun or military-style rifle.
Outcry after Colorado sheriff’s office tweets photo of Santa getting handgun permitRead moreThe photo was tweeted last week by Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, with the caption: “Merry Christmas!
Efforts to desexualise gay men disappear when we talk about our sexual differences – or lack thereof. Photograph: Ralph Daily / flickr via Creative CommonsEfforts to desexualise gay men disappear when we talk about our sexual differences – or lack thereof. Photograph: Ralph Daily / flickr via Creative CommonsOpinionSex This article is more than 9 years oldJust how 'gay' is anal play, really?This article is more than 9 years oldZach StaffordThe kind of sex that gay men are having isn’t exclusive to the LGBT community.
North KoreaNorth Korea claims to have fired solid-fuel hypersonic missile in latest weapons testIf confirmed it would be the first ever test of this kind of intermediate-range ballistic missile by Pyongyang
North Korea said Monday it had successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic manoeuvrable warhead, in what would be the latest breakthrough in its pursuit of advanced weaponry.
The launch, Pyongyang’s first known weapons test this year and its first ever test of a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), was detected by Seoul’s military Sunday afternoon.
An oiled coco de mer shell is sold as a souvenir. The seeds are prized by tourists to the Seychelles for their suggestive shape. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via GettyAn oiled coco de mer shell is sold as a souvenir. The seeds are prized by tourists to the Seychelles for their suggestive shape. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via GettyThe age of extinctionSeychellesThe rare palm that bears this botanical icon grows wild on just two islands in Seychelles.
TelevisionReviewThe editor of one of Russia’s independent newspapers, Dmitry Muratov, has risked his life to report on abuses of power against the odds. This is his remarkable but terrifying story
In 2021, Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was jointly awarded the Nobel peace prize, alongside the Philippines’ journalist Maria Ressa. It marked, said the Nobel committee, “another existential point for democracy”, and the award was a rallying cry for truth, freedom of the press and holding power to account.