As climate breakdown pushes families to starvation, many feel forced to ‘sacrifice’ daughters to save siblings. Photographer Elise Blanchard travelled the country speaking to girls as young as eight, 10 and 14 who have been engaged or married to repay debts or pay for food‘I’m not happy about this,” says 11-year-old Khatira, who was sold into marriage to repay debts, sitting in her home in Qala-e-Naw, capital of Badghis province in north-west Afghanistan. “She was healthy before her engagement, now she is worried and cries a lot,” says her 40-year-old mother, Noor Bibi.When her 20-year-old husband-to-be comes to her home, Khatira runs away. Since her engagement, she has stopped going outside because she “is ashamed of having a husband in front of the other girls”, says her mother.Shepherds watch over their sheep in the hills of Bala-Murghab, Badghis province, north-west Afghanistan. By March, the pasture was already too dry for the season Continue reading...

15 Oct 2026 04:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Peru’s anchoveta have made up about a 10th of the entire global commercial fishing catch since 1970, more than any other fish. A combination of warming seas and decades-long overfishing spells disasterOn 10 June 2026, the government of Peru made a decision that it knew would hurt one of the world’s major fishing industries. It stopped all anchoveta fishing boats from going out to sea, suspending the fishing season. At first the order was temporary, but in mid-August, the suspension turned into a total closure. This was no easy call. For one thing, it was a brutal blow to the Peruvian economy.Peruvian anchovies – the scientific name is Engraulis ringens – are not the salty, punch-packing little fillets in a puttanesca sauce or caesar salad dressing. That is a different species – Engraulis encrasicolus – which is smaller, tastier and found mostly in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Only a small part of Peru’s anchoveta catch is eaten in fish form. The rest – more than 90% – is immediately processed as fishmeal and fish oil, packed in sacks and barrels, and shipped to fish, shellfish and seaweed farms, factory farms and nutritional supplement producers around the world. Continue reading...

15 Oct 2026 04:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Drawing on dozens of interviews with intelligence and police officers across two continents, a Guardian investigation reveals the murderous cost of our insatiable appetite for cocaineRead more: Latin American organised crime ‘may operate in 16 European countries’Explainer: What is state capture and why does it matter?As abductions go, few have been more brazen. Alan Jalloh was with two friends outside Goodies supermarket, frantic as usual with late afternoon shoppers. Rush hour in downtown Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, was under way with familiar gusto.A black Toyota Rav4 forced its way through the Peninsula highway traffic. Witnesses describe burly white men leaping out, yanking on balaclavas. Jalloh, 40, seemed to freeze. As did his two friends, one a famous Freetown footballer. All three were dragged into the waiting SUV. None of them have been seen since. Continue reading...

14 Oct 2026 06:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

From chat-up lines to social coaching, we’d like to hear from people who use AI to assist them navigating the online dating worldWe’d like to understand more about the different ways that people are using AI to assist with online dating.Perhaps you have used an AI assistant to help with chat-up lines? Or you may have turned to one for some social coaching? However you have used AI for online dating, we’d like to hear all about it. What worked and what didn’t? Continue reading...

15 Oct 2026 16:47 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Are you a single woman? We’re interested in hearing about your relationship to sexWhen the trailer for Wicker came out in July, it caused a frenzy. The film, which is coming out this month, stars Olivia Colman as a woman who commissions a basket-woven husband, played by Alexander Skarsgard.Responses to the trailer were unbridled. The idea of a single woman taking control of her sex life - no matter how fantastically - struck a nerve. Continue reading...

14 Oct 2026 13:55 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

We want to hear from people who have cancelled a wedding close to the event and whyCalling off a wedding – especially at the last minute – is rarely an easy decision. It can feel disappointing and costly. Even so, it can often be better than going ahead with a marriage simply because the venue is booked and the invitations have been sent.With this in mind, we want to hear from people who decided to call off their engagement and either cancel or postpone their wedding. What made you change your mind about wanting to get married? How did friends and family take the news? What was the financial and emotional impact? Tell us about it – anonymously if you prefer – below. Continue reading...

12 Oct 2026 15:55 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Our business, labor and consumer rights reporters will answer your questions in a live Q&A on Thursday 15 OctoberOur reporters answer your questions on whether Trump’s economy will sink Republicans in the US midtermsThe US economy is top of voters’ minds ahead of the November midterms with food and gas prices remaining high, the job market unstable, consumers angrier than ever, and a new Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, in place.We’ll be hosting a live midterm election Q&A on Thursday 15 October 2026 at 12pm EDT on the Guardian US site with a panel of our business, labor and consumer rights reporters: Lauren Aratani, Michael Sainato, Heather Timmons and Gaya Gupta. The team will cover cost of living challenges, tariffs, inflation and new federal policy proposals from local candidates.Will the Iran war cost Trump in the US midterm elections? Your questions answeredWho are the groups financially backing the candidates in the midterms?The makeup of the Democratic party, plus key races to watch Continue reading...

08 Oct 2026 14:45 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN