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Put three priests and their tea lady on a remote Irish island and what do you get? One of TV’s most loved sitcoms. The creators and cast of Father Ted explain how they put Craggy Island on the comedy map Careful now.” “Down with this sort of thing.” Of all the additions to the lexicon of protest from the past 20 years, none punctures a pompous bubble quite as well as these two deathless slogans paraded (with some reluctance) by Fathers Ted Crilly and Dougal McGuire outside a 1995 screening of the salacious movie The Passion Of St Tibulus on Craggy Island , Ireland’s last bastion of morality. Ted and Dougal’s noble vigil failed – St Tibulus went on to be bigger than Jurassic Park – but their entreaties have since passed into the language on both sides of the Irish Sea. You could see them on placards outside the Conservative party conference in Manchester in 2013, at last year’s Dublin water-pricing demonstrations, at the Pope’s visit to the UK and the student-fee protests. Irish footba...

Board chairman, Allan Leighton, blames financial position and ‘austere market climate’ of other stores, but activist calls for vote against board members The Co-operative Group has told its members that it cannot make an enhanced commitment to stock Fairtrade products because of tough competition among supermarkets and its shift towards convenience stores. The UK’s largest mutual made the remarks in response to a motion tabled ahead of the upcoming annual general meeting asking for the commitment to Fairtrade – for which the group has prided its link in the past – to be reiterated and also retain the long-term strategic objective that that if a “Co-operative product can be Fairtrade, it will be Fairtrade”. Related: Co-op chairman Allan Leighton urged to reverse boardroom plan Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1OZu4V6 via IFTTT

Show you stand with more than 180,000 Guardian readers calling on the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust to divest. More on the Guardian’s Keep it in the ground divestment campaign Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1PS01jn via IFTTT

The Post Office is concerned’ by a report into an alleged glitch in its computer system that led to employees being accused of financial irregularities The Post Office failed to investigate irregularities at sub-post offices before launching civil and criminal inquiries against employees, a report claims. A review was conducted by forensic accountants Second Sight after more than 100 sub-postmasters said they were wrongly prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting because of problems with the Horizon computer software leading to shortfalls being generated in their accounts. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1HmYQEC via IFTTT

The 25-year-old was playing for Quirindi Lions when he collapsed after making a tackle on Saturday A rugby union player has died after suffering a head injury during a Central North first grade match in New South Wales on Saturday. Nicholas Tooth was playing for Quirindi Lions when he collapsed after making a tackle in a match against the Narrabri Blue Boars at Quirindi Rugby Park in the mid-north of the state. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1yJI0Pg via IFTTT

A great driving route doesn’t always have to mean an epic road trip. Get behind the wheel for these journeys in the US, Spain, Switzerland, Japan and Norway and you’ll still enjoy the experience of stunning views and winding roads The twisting Sa Calobra highway in Mallorca sneaks through impossibly narrow gorges, as well as featuring an epic 360-degree curve, the Nus de Sa Calobra. Snaking through the rocky landscape of the island, the eight-mile stretch of tarmac is also steep. Built in such a way as to avoid using tunnels, a fair proportion of the road has a gradient of more than 7%. If you really want a challenge, try tackling it by bike. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1OwJYUL via IFTTT

Lambert won song of the year for her hit Automatic, Bryan was voted best entertainer and Taylor Swift was also honored in front of 70,000 fans in Texas Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan were among the winners at the 50th Academy of Country Music awards on Sunday in front of 70,252 fans in Arlington, Texas. Miranda Lambert, who led all nominees for the second consecutive year with eight nods, won song of the year for her wistful hit Automatic. She also received an ACM milestone award for most-awarded female solo artist. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1JXzqgB via IFTTT

The Leão Vermelho is a quirky dining experience held in the chef/waiter/bottle-washer’s grandparents’ house and inspired by Harry Potter. The food’s pretty fantastic, too … Top 10 bars in São Paulo The words “restaurant” and “chef” don’t really apply to O Leão Vermelho, a unique and whimsical new dining-meets-art experience in the small town of São João da Boa Vista in São Paulo state, Brazil. After leaving El Bulli restaurant in Catalonia, aged 19, the now 25-year-old Gabriel Vidolin set up O Leão Vermelho in his grandparents’ old house. He acts as maître d’, waiter, gardener, carpenter, artist, washer-upper, and, oh yes, chef. He makes everything himself, right down to the chairs guests sit on. Related: São Paulo restaurants creating a new Brazilian cuisine Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1HlkMjE via IFTTT

Now Easter’s out of the way, it’s time to start planning your next family holiday. Here are 10 places where there’s fun stuff for the kids plus great crowd-free places to stay Top 10 UK family-friendly holiday alternatives to Center Parcs South of Florence and west of Siena (both of which make easy day trips), the Val d’Elsa promises everything a Tuscan holiday should. Explore olive groves and riverside paths on short hikes, hire a Trail-A-Bike and take younger children for a pedal around the hills (and gelaterias). Book older kids in for a riding lesson and venture to pretty towns such as San Gimignano and Sovicille to explore churches, eat pizza and play on the swings. Where to stay Seven apartments at Al Gelso Bianco sleep between two and eight. Everything from cots to sterilisers can be provided and there’s plenty of space to run around in, plus a gated pool. It’s part of a working farm and winery and agricultural estate (you can buy their chianti, vin santo and olive oil), and t...

Illness claims the lives of victims within 24 hours of them contracting the symptoms, which include headache, weight loss and loss of consciousness A “mysterious” disease that kills patients within 24 hours has claimed at least 18 lives in a south-eastern Nigerian town, the government said. “Twenty-three people were affected and 18 deaths were recorded,” the Ondo state health commissioner, Dayo Adeyanju, said on Saturday. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1DVJki3 via IFTTT

Ruby Wax and Kathy Lette look so alike they were wary of each other at first. But their shared humour – and very different personalities – led to a lasting friendship The first time I met Ruby – coming out of Helena Kennedy’s house in the 1990s – she said: “We’re very much alike, aren’t we?” and squeezed my boobs to see which of us had the bigger bust. Initially we were a little wary of each other as perhaps we’re too alike – we’re both redheads, both colonials, both quick-fire mouthy broads – and I get mistaken for her all the time. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1JUC3Qc via IFTTT

A woman is anxious about the intimate story her boyfriend is writing about a woman he met on a dating site. Mariella Frostrup says it’s his roving eye she should be worrying about If you have a dilemma, send a brief email to mariella.frostrup@observer.co.uk The dilemma I have been seeing a man, more than a decade my senior, for the past five years. We both stumbled into this relationship with a serious case of emotional arrested development. We broke up briefly but then got back together and are now talking about moving in together. A few weeks ago, however, doubt crept in. I asked him if there was anything I should know about. After much deliberation, he said he was writing a story about a woman he met on a dating site while we were on our break. He assures me that he hasn’t seen her since we got back together. But I find the thought of him writing an intimate account of his relationship a potential deal-breaker. He is a man of means, and I appreciate that he has found it difficult...

With Aldi and Lidl entering the wine wars, Tesco are fighting back with well-priced offerings to keep wine lovers happy Tesco Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, France 2014 (£4.69) Is Tesco worried about the twin-pronged discounting German four-letter assault of Aldi and Lidl? That certainly seemed to be one of the subtexts at its latest wine press tasting, where the retailer was keen to point out that 30 of the 131 wines on show were priced under a fiver. That sounds great on paper. The problem is that, even once the chancellor’s recent wine duty freeze is taken into account, making a palatable sub-£5 wine these days is not easy – with £2.05 duty plus 20% VAT going in tax, plus packaging and transport costs, only a meagre few pence are left for the wine itself. That Tesco’s racy, pungent, Loire-like Gascogne white is more than merely drinkable is, therefore, something of a feat. Tesco Simply Bulgarian Merlot NV (£4.29) As for the rest of those sub-£5 bottles, there were many more misses t...

Scarlett O’Hara outfit from the 1939 film was once bought by Hollywood makeup artist James Tumblin for $20 as he amassed a collection of memorabilia A grey and black dress worn by Vivien Leigh in her role as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind has sold for $137,000 at an auction in California. The outfit from the 1939 film, featuring black appliques, was one of more than 150 items from the film up for auction by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills on Saturday. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1OWgeTo via IFTTT

Protests grow across continent with cars stoned, clashes outside embassies and companies threatened with closure South Africa is facing a backlash from the rest of the continent over the targeting of immigrants in a wave of xenophobic violence. South African vehicles were pelted with stones in Mozambique on Friday and South African companies are reportedly being threatened with closure in Nigeria. Protests have been held at various South African embassies across the continent, and several South African musicians have been forced to cancel concerts abroad. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1yFuSdW via IFTTT

Children are our future – but how do kids react to the contenders for future Prime Minister? We visited Betty Layward Primary School in Hackney, East London, to get the opinion of a group of 5 to 11 year olds on the highlights from the two big general election debates, featuring the likes of David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nicola Sturgeon and Nigel Farage Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1Ondaxv via IFTTT

Cafes serving meals made with ‘intercepted’ ingredients that were destined for landfill are opening up across the UK. You simply add up your own bill How much would you pay for food in a cafe which does not have any prices on the menu? And how would you decide what the price should be, if you knew the food you were going to be served was originally destined for the bin? That’s the dilemma facing customers of a new wave of cafes opening around the country. There are at least 10 “waste not, want not” cafes, from Skipchen in Bristol and the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds to Save the Date in London; they operate on the principle of using “intercepted food” – food that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets and wholesalers – on their menus, while letting customers pay what they feel their meal is worth. Customers order … and at the end of the meal are invited to put a donation in an envelope. There's no obligation to pay Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian htt...

A growing army of urban devotees has transformed the folding bike from a niche product into a cult classic boosting turnover 15-fold in just 13 years Abdul El Saidi peers over the shoulder of a young trainee as he delicately traces the white-hot tip of his welding torch across copper wire that glues the joint of a bicycle frame. The braze training manager at Brompton Bicycle is one of a dying breed of craftsmen in Britain whoturn the copper scars knitting together the steel frame into things of beauty. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1CU2Mro via IFTTT

Fashion hit or sartorial disaster? Our judges put Kanye West, Shia LaBeouf, Aidan Turner, Lewis Hamilton and Jared Leto under the style microscope Helen Seamons Guardian men’s fashion editor; Ronnie O’Sullivan Five-time world snooker champion; Alan Johnson Former home secretary; Mark-Francis Vandelli Star of E4’s Made In Chelsea . Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1cFRuAP via IFTTT

More than 100 people were injured in the blast outside a bank used by government workers to collect their salaries, police said A suicide bomb blast outside a bank in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad killed 33 people and injured more than 100, the city’s police chief said on Saturday. Police were investigating whether there was a second explosion after people rushed to the scene to help, the police chief, Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, told a news conference. Continue reading... from Network Front | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1O1GjmP via IFTTT