Rugby World Cup final tickets: my (so far) fruitless attempts to watch England vs South Africa while on holiday in Japan Trying to beat the official website’s algorithm has now become a holiday pastime I am one of the desperate England fans here in Japan trying to hunt down two golden tickets to watch the final. Some fans have booked last-minute flights after the weekend’s semi-final result, changing three times in Russia to get the cheapest air fare. Others planned their holiday in advance, k

When I first heard my grandma had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I cried. I was scared she would become someone who wouldn’t recognise me, and worse, would soon become someone I wouldn’t recognise. But I soon learned she was still the same person. I just had to change the way I behaved around her to continue to enjoy her company as much. We are told time and again that Alzheimer’s is a “cruel disease”. Those were the exact words used by Barbara Windsor’s husband to describe the illness the E

Security at football matches is always tight. But for women to be asked to lift up their tops to have their bras inspected before a game is unheard of. Until this summer. In August, Grimsby away fans at Stevenage FC were asked by stewards to show their bras, with some reports that women even had their bras felt by security to confirm they were underwired. One of the fans was a 70-year-old woman. But despite complaints from Grimsby fans to the English Football League (EFL) about the treatment t

Fairy Liquid advert queen Nanette Newman need not fear that a ban on adverts stereotyping gender roles will spell the end of the domestic goddess scrubbing away at the sink. The actress said the advertising watchdog’s ban on adverts that promote negative gender stereotypes is “dangerous”, and would prevent women from enjoying domesticity in the home. But she is misguided- and not only in assuming all women love to do the washing up. The new guidelines from the Advertising Standards Authority (

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has the right intentions in launching a crowd-funded, community-driven news website to promote “evidence-based journalism” in an era of fake news. The problem is, it won’t work. Wales  wants his new website, Wikitribune, to make readers the editors of news they consume, allowing them to have more say over which topics are covered on the news site. But his vision of online news is nothing new. Internet users are already shaping how news is written across the wor

Celebrities are not known for making sensible decisions, but this week Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne set an example by refusing to share multiple photographs of their newborn baby on social media. Other than one grainy image the pair both posted to their Instagram accounts, the couple made a conscious choice not to publish any more photographs of their son on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, in order to protect his privacy. Delve into the Facebook feed of anyone over 20, and you will find an endle

Christmas comes but once a year, and when it comes it brings good excuse to post selfies of your wonderful life on Facebook. Christmas Day saw an outpouring of people grinning on social media, champers in hand with the dog dressed in a santa hat. For some, the Christmas card has been scrapped in favour of the Facebook photo post. But while sending a Christmas card of you and your family has typically been considered a cheesy Americanism, Brits are embracing narcissistic Noel like never before –

In a world where men dominate politics, business, law and the media, you could be forgiven for thinking every day is International Men’s Day. It is understandable why some feminists question the need to dedicate a day to a group of people who have enjoyed unchallenged privilege for centuries. But in 2016, International Men’s Day is needed more than ever before. What it means to be a man in the 21st century is rarely spoken about, and when it is, it is often done so apologetically. It is littl

Stop all the clocks. The Great British Bake Off is moving to Channel 4. Co-hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc have left the show. The nation’s most-loved, highest-rated TV show will never be the same again. Could this be 2016’s Top Gear? At least that was the reaction from fans that followed news the popular baking competition will no longer be broadcast on the BBC. Cue viewers likening Bake Off leaving the BBC to the UK leaving the EU (only worse), former contestants bewailing the “commercial

Guests know what to expect of a traditional British wedding. Confetti will be thrown, the best man will give an amusing speech and a distant uncle will embarrass himself on the dancefloor. But in this era of smartphones, how wedding guests should behave on social media is less clear. Is it acceptable to Snapchat a selfie before the bride walks down the aisle? Is it respectful to post photographs to social media on the big day? Should you wait until the happy couple make their marriage “Facebook

Jack Wills sells itself as a quintessentially British brand. Leaf through the clothing store’s catalogue or scroll through its Instagram feed and you will invariably see young, good looking models enjoying a spot of polo, cracking out the Pimms or having first class japes on the lawns of a stately home. But a raincloud has been cast over the wholesome British clothing line. Advertising watchdog ASA has banned an advert used in its spring catalogue on the grounds it was too “sexualised”. Said a

I am not ashamed to say that I love the clothes at Marks & Spencer. That shouldn’t come as a surprise if I were a 47-year-old woman with two children, a dog and a people carrier, but I am a young person. I should be embarrassed to start every shopping trip on the shiny beige floors, but I’m not. Zara’s sizes are too petite, H&M fabrics wear out in the wash, and there is good reason why Topshop has earned the nickname “tight-shite”. M&S’s trading results always give the public an excuse to bash

Five years ago on 1 May Osama bin Laden was confronted and shot dead in Pakistan by a member of the US army. To mark May Day this year, the CIA live-tweeted the military raid as if it were happening in real time, complete with maps, diagrams and pictures of bin Laden’s compound. Public institutions are under increasing pressure to interact with their online communities. On this score – however distasteful the social media experiment was – the CIA succeeded. The post that read “3.39pm EDT – Usa