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Music This article is more than 5 years oldMTV VMAs: Madonna tribute to Aretha Franklin proves divisive as Camila Cabello wins bigThis article is more than 5 years oldA muted ceremony saw the Havana singer win video and artist of the year while the late soul singer was remembered in a brief memorial This year’s MTV Video Music Awards saw Camila Cabello taking home the night’s two biggest trophies for artist and video of the year for Havana, beating out Drake and Childish Gambino – though it was Madonna who generated headlines for what was seen by some as a misjudged tribute to Aretha Franklin. [Read More]

Microbiology This article is more than 5 years oldProbiotics 'not as beneficial for gut health as previously thought'This article is more than 5 years oldResearch finds probiotics caused ‘very severe disturbance’ in gut when taken in conjunction with antibiotics Probiotics, hailed by some as a cure for all kinds of digestive ailments and recommended by many GPs alongside antibiotics, may not be as universally beneficial for gut health as previously thought. [Read More]

History booksFrom Pepys’s Diary to Ben Judah’s impressionistic survey, the city has provided a wealth of material for writers Read Iain Sinclair’s final pilgrimage through London here Let’s start with Samuel Pepys, scurrying about Restoration London in a whirl of work and pleasure before going home to write it all down in his Diary. Born in Fleet Street in 1633, Pepys spent his journalising years living in nearby Seething Lane from where he routinely clattered off to the docks (he was secretary to the Admiralty), popped into City coffee houses (the person he had gone to meet had invariably left five minutes earlier) and canoodled with pretty actresses in Covent Garden (he always felt wretched afterwards). [Read More]

Short storiesReviewA gripping collection that draws on the Argentinian military dictatorship to mix daylight horrors with supernatural shocks In 1927MR James, author of some of the most indelible ghost stories ever written, gave a lesson in how to do it: “Let us, then, be introduced to the players in a placid way; let us see them going about their ordinary business, undisturbed by forebodings, pleased with their surroundings, and into this calm environment let the ominous thing put out its head, unobtrusively at first, and then more insistently, until it holds the stage. [Read More]

TelevisionInterview‘The truth is, I love everything’: is Phil Rosenthal the nicest man on TV?Stuart HeritageThe Somebody Feed Phil host refuses to be rude, gives his staff free cereal and forces himself to go hungry for his viewers’ benefit. No wonder he’s charmed audiences the world over By and large, the key to a successful food and travel show is its host. Stanley Tucci’s Italian series, for example, is like being led around a city by someone charming enough to get you seats at all the best spots. [Read More]

Hiking in the forests of Vidzeme, Latvia s northern region. Photograph: James ForrestHiking in the forests of Vidzeme, Latvia s northern region. Photograph: James ForrestLatvia holidaysHalf of Latvia is woodland … so no wonder its people derive so much wellbeing from foraging, ancient forest crafts and being at one with nature In Japan it’s called shinrin-yoku (forest bathing); in Norway it’s friluftsliv (appreciation of outdoors activity and nature). But in Latvia there’s no special term for it. [Read More]

Children's booksChildren's booksUncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - review'If you want a heart-wrenching book that explores one of the greatest evils of humanity, whilst still retaining a small piece of hope for change, Uncle Tom's Cabin is for you'Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin (Wordsworth Classics)Harriet Beecher Stowe's main work Uncle Tom's Cabin has an incredible legacy. Focusing on the plight of African American slaves in antebellum USA, it was charged by Abraham Lincoln with the outbreak of the American Civil War and it is easy, even in this modern day, to see why: the amazing legacy is matched by the fantastic plot which follows the irresistibly loveable character Uncle Tom through his trials and torments under different slave owners and the intertwining lives of various other slaves. [Read More]

The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, talks with Joe Biden in San Francisco on 14 November. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesThe governor of California, Gavin Newsom, talks with Joe Biden in San Francisco on 14 November. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesGavin NewsomGovernor has been busy campaigning over the last few months, but his approval rating sank to an all-time low and his constituents are growing increasingly skeptical Gavin Newsom won’t be on the ballot in 2024, though lately, he’s been acting a lot like he is. [Read More]

Wellness or hellness?BeautyFace masks made of nightingale faeces, used in Japan for centuries, are currently resurgent in western salons. But what are the results like? The Guardian’s product and service reviews are independent and are in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. We will earn a commission from the retailer if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. I am standing in the bathroom with poo all over my face. [Read More]

Dance musicInterviewHow Jack Your Body began house music's squelching electronic revolutionJude RogersSteve ‘Silk’ Hurley only made his 1986 track to amuse his friends – then it burst out of Chicago’s clubs and became a No 1 hit January 1987’s pop charts began cosily enough. A 1957 rock’n’roll staple was No 1 (Jackie Wilson’s Reet Petite). Elkie Brooks and the Housemartins sat in the top 10. Then, like a future shock, came Jack Your Body: a track built on a scruffy, electronic beat, a squelching, pulsing bassline, and the voice of a man breathing heavily, squealing, and then stuttering its title like a mantra. [Read More]