A marmalade-dropper for Paddington Bear? | Letters
As a Portuguese-British citizen, I feel it is my duty to add to your explainer article (Keir Starmalade, anyone? Will marmalade really have to be rebranded in UK?, 4 April) and explain where the word marmalade originated from.Marmalade comes from the fruit marmelo (quince).And marmalade was and is quince jam in Portugal.This jam began to be exported to England at the end of the 15th century.Only in the 17th century did the English start to apply the word marmalade to orange jam.
As with many quintessential British things like tea, the English adopted it and made it their own.I like this story because my two countries are represented.Mónica Joyce MonizWyton, Cambridgeshire Your article about the alleged rebranding of marmalade made me smile – it has always been incorrectly named.As it comes from Citrus x aurantium, and not Citrus x sinensis, it should be known as bitter orange marmalade – perhaps the EU and the UK can save the bitter talk for other more important differences?Tony BatcupLas Condes, Santiago, Chile The best that could be said about Brexit was that it represented jam tomorrow, and even that wasn’t true – except, it turns out, in the most literal, disadvantageous sense.Mark de BrunnerBurn Bridge, North Yorkshire Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Ex-Waitrose worker needs our support | Brief letters
Perhaps the boss of Waitrose should leave his ivory tower and spend an extended period on the shop floor to experience the life of a shop worker and see the shoplifting epidemic that is happening day in and day out. He may then reach boiling point one day and react out of character. Perhaps a “Don’t-shop Wednesday” at Waitrose, in support of Walker Smith (Waitrose employee sacked after stopping shoplifter from taking Easter eggs, 5 April), might have some effect and reach top executives.Roy WilsonHarrow, London The heartwarming column on how Beau the labrador saved his master’s life after he suffered cardiac arrest on a beach (The pet I’ll never forget, 6 April) reminded me of when we got our new collie. Arriving home, my husband went on ahead to open the house door and didn’t see that I had tripped and landed face down on our lane
Oil and gas crisis from Iran war worse than 1973, 1979 and 2022 together, says IEA
The oil and gas crisis triggered by the blockade of the strait of Hormuz is “more serious than the ones in 1973, 1979 and 2022 together”, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said.Speaking as Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway approached, Fatih Birol told Le Figaro newspaper that the impact of the Middle East conflict on the oil market was larger than the combined force of the twin shocks of the 1970s and the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The IEA executive director also warned that the countries most at risk were developing nations, which would suffer from higher oil and gas prices, higher food prices and a general acceleration of inflation, while European countries, Japan and Australia would also feel an impact.Oil prices seesawed around the $110 (£83) a barrel mark on Tuesday, rising above that level after Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran made a deal, before later easing to just below.Investors are growing increasingly anxious as Trump escalates his threats against Iran, demanding that it reopen the strait of Hormuz as part of any deal to stop the war
The life-changing magic of wearing smartglasses | Letters
I read with sympathy the concerns of Elle Hunt in relation to privacy issues around Meta smartglasses (I wore Meta’s smartglasses for a month – and it left me feeling like a creep, 1 April). Clearly there needs to be ongoing development of technology and protocols that protect the public from ill-intentioned users. As the chief executive of a charity supporting people with a visual impairment, however, I would like to emphasise the point touched upon in your article: how transformative this technology is already proving for blind people.We are seeing significant numbers of our visually impaired staff and clients using Meta glasses in conjunction with their mobile phones to improve their ability to perform ordinary functions that most of us take for granted. A visual impairment can be disempowering and isolating
Tell us: do you use AI chatbots to make decisions for you?
AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are now a part of everyday life.More and more people are using them to help make decisions in their lives, like sending text messages, deciding what to cook, or navigating relationships.We want to hear about your experiences of using chatbots. Are you addicted to them? And what type of decisions are you using them for?You can tell us your experiences of using chatbots using this form.Please include as much detail as possible
Jon Rahm adamant he will play for Europe at next year’s Ryder Cup
Jon Rahm has declared he will play for Europe in next year’s Ryder Cup, with the Spaniard confident of ending his standoff with the DP World Tour by this September. Rahm’s sentiment from Augusta National will raise Luke Donald’s confidence that he will be able to call on one of his key team members for Europe’s Ryder Cup defence.Rahm has been subject to fines reaching seven figures for participating on the LIV Tour without consent from the DP World Tour, of which he is still a member. Rahm dropped his appeal over the sanctions recently, which leaves him in default to the DP World Tour and unavailable for Ryder Cup selection. He also turned down a deal which would have seen the situation resolved in return for playing six designated DP World Tour events
‘We’ll start a creche’: how the World Surf League is becoming family friendly for parents on tour | Kieran Pender
The tour brings in maternity wildcard and parental leave, with surfers saying it is a ‘huge step in the right direction’ and ‘so sick’ for the sportThis year’s Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach has felt different for Connor O’Leary. After almost a decade on tour, this is the Australian Japanese surfer’s first World Surf League campaign with a baby in tow. Romii-Sakura O’Leary, who will celebrate her first birthday this month, is one of a growing number of children hanging out in the competitor’s area.“I was watching her crawling around the competition site yesterday,” O’Leary says midway through the Pro, the opening event of the 2026 WSL calendar. “Seeing her crawling around, playing with Kelly [Slater], Steph [Gilmore] was grabbing her, it makes you appreciate the life that we live
Colbert on Trump’s Iran speech: old news ‘delivered by a narcotized turtle’
Post your questions for DJ Shadow
Stephen Colbert on Trump attending birthright citizenship hearing: ‘That’s mob-boss-level intimidation’
Colbert on Trump’s shifting tone on Iran: ‘It’s a military strategy known as starting a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle’
Chatting dating, jazz and the Harlem Renaissance: the exclusive supper clubs where Black women nourish community
‘After one gig, someone stole my car with my dole money in it’: Morcheeba on how they made The Sea