Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner has called for a review of religious exemptions on the carrying of knives in public, following the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak.

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life on Monday for stabbing the 18-year-old student five times with what the judge called a “large Sikh dagger”. The prosecution told the jury that while Digwa was entitled to wear a small kirpan – a ceremonial sword or dagger worn by initiated Sikhs – under his clothing around his neck, he also chose to carry the much larger knife that was used to kill Nowak last December.

It is illegal to carry most knives in public without a “good reason”, the government’s gov.uk website states. And it is “illegal to use any knife or weapon in a threatening way”.

Are kirpans exempt?
A template letter from The Council of Sikhs in Law providing information for employers says the kirpan is “a ceremonial blade, carried by initiated Sikhs as one of the five articles of faith”. Worn by Amritdhari, or baptised Sikhs, it holds “a deep religious and symbolic significance for Sikhs”.

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 sets out “an exception in terms of carrying bladed articles in public places for particular religious and ceremonial reasons”, said Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, in response to Nowak’s death. But “the judge actually said that the minute that this perpetrator removed the blade from the sheath, you can forget any sense of there being some sort of exception to the law”.

What other uses are permitted?
The law allows exemptions “as part of any national costume”, such as a sgian dubh, a small ornamental knife worn with Highland dress. Blunt blades or curved swords for the purposes of historical re-enactment or filmmaking, or for sports such as fencing or martial arts, are also allowed (usually with proof of participation). Some handmade swords are exempt, too, as are antiques over 100 years old and most “vintage” swords made before 1954.

A defence to a charge of carrying an illegal knife is for the person to prove that they had “good reason or lawful authority” for having it. This can include travelling directly to and from a legitimate bushcraft course or woodland activity where a fixed blade is required, or for “use at work”.

“I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show,” said Laura Siegemund following her loss in the first round of the French Open to Naomi Osaka, who arrived in a black corset and matching pleated skirt before stripping down to a gold tennis dress.

The Japanese player progressed to the fourth round but lost to Aryna Sabalenka in a landmark night session, during which Osaka’s “shimmering” outfit became even “more eye-catching under the lights”, said The Guardian. Critics claim her “elaborate” on-court clothes may “serve as a distraction”. With Wimbledon around the corner, the tennis-fashion debate is likely to intensify.

‘Another language’
Osaka “really knows how to turn a tennis court into a catwalk” and has done so for years, said the Daily Maverick. Though her “court-ure” has been labelled “problematic” by some, her choice of fashion is “part of how she chooses to be seen”. For a sports star who has spoken openly about her struggles with anxiety, depression and public communication, her outfits have become “another language”.

The four-time grand slam champion has “never had average tastes when it comes to fashion”, said The Athletic. Her outfit at the Australian Open – a “dreamy, dramatic ensemble” that was meant to “evoke jellyfish” – “took over cultural discourse far beyond her match”.

Female athletes “don’t want to be known or judged for their outfits alone”, said The Independent. But with less prime-time coverage of their games than male players, it “can’t hurt to turn a few heads and garner extra attention using a bit of tulle and some sequins”.

‘Fancy-dress-adjacent’
I understand “how annoying it must be for Osaka’s opponents”, said The Times’ fashion director Anna Murphy. Her “ballroom skirt” and “spangled waistcoat” are an aesthetic “more usually seen in ‘Bridgerton’” and “Dancing on Ice”. But professional tennis “isn’t for the shy and retiring”, and if you’re on a rumoured $10 million sponsorship deal, “why not milk it”?

Wimbledon has indicated that it will go along with Osaka’s “fancy-dress-adjacent thing”, provided what she wears is white. The restrictions are only on colour, not style, “so what’s it going to be for SW19? A snowman? A snowball? A snowballgirl?” But this sets a precedent that could turn the circuit into a “fancy dress party”.

Fishing crews pull in their nets at sunrise on the Hooghly River in West Bengal. The image, captured by Dutch photographer Marco Rutten, was among 27 winners chosen from almost 9,000 entries in the 2026 World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem®.

Marco Rutten / World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem®

“No literary genre divides opinion quite like self-help,” said Josiah Gogarty in GQ. Some people love it, while others steer well clear. But the best personal growth books “cover a lot more ground than you might think”, spanning from deeply personal memoirs about grief to science-backed guides that could change your relationships. Here are our top picks.

Secure, by Dr Amir Levine
It’s been 16 years since Levine and Rachel Heller published the bestselling “Attached”, which set out the “four main styles of bonding” in human relationships: anxious, secure, avoidant and fearful avoidant, said psychotherapist Philippa Perry in The Guardian. Now, Levine is back with a keenly anticipated follow-up that is also rooted in attachment theory. The psychiatrist lays out a “set of tools to help us feel more secure in all our relationships”.

The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Published over a decade ago, this insightful book is one that “hasn’t wavered in popularity” and continues to “attract new fans with each passing year”, said Daisy Jones in Vogue. “It’s easy to see why.” The Dutch psychiatrist writes in a “persuasive” way that “rings true”. Backing his ideas with scientific research, he argues that “though the brain may work hard to suppress trauma, the body does not in fact forget”.

Atomic Habits, by James Clear
“If you’ve ever wanted to change something about your life but found it overwhelming”, this transformative book provides a “step-by-step” guide to building small positive habits, said Tria Wen in Reader’s Digest. It’s a “great book to gift”, helping readers “think about their goals in terms of little shifts they can make” that can be divided into “more manageable pieces”.

Donald Trump could be the man to save Cuba
The Economist’s editorial board
“For too long, dreams of heroic purity have harmed ordinary Cubans, both on the island and in exile,” says The Economist. Cuba’s leaders are stubborn, lonely men” shaking fists at America, while “successive US presidents and congressional leaders” have “bowed” to anti-regime Cuban-American hardliners. But Donald Trump “has an edge”. Untroubled by “ideological certainties”, he may be best placed to make the deal that lifts the US embargo. If he does, “he will deserve any peace prize he wants”.

Vickrum Digwa is no Sikh
Hardeep Singh in The Spectator 
“Decades of good will for British Sikhs have been damaged” by “one dangerous and dishonest Sikh heritage monster”, writes Hardeep Singh of the Network of Sikh Organisations. In killing Henry Nowak and falsely accusing him of racism, Vickrum Digwa has “caused serious damage” to our community. We’re facing “collective punishment for his heinous and cowardly crime”. It’s “right to express anger” but not this “crude vilification of all Sikhs”. Digwa’s “reprehensible” actions are “a corruption of everything Sikhs believe in”.

The EU should fast-track Ukraine’s membership of the club – it has the most to gain
Mujtaba Rahman in The Guardian
“Joining the EU is important” for Ukraine, writes political risk consultant Mujtaba Rahman. It’s key to any peace deal, would help “ward off a future Russian invasion” and should “attract inward investment”. Europe would also benefit from Ukraine’s membership, which would make the continent a “military and agricultural superpower”. Yet “EU leaders are torn”, amid “concerns over corruption” in Kyiv and the cost of subsidising the country’s “economic catching up”. But while it wouldn’t be “easy”, the “alternative” is “untenable”.