Leicester fly-half returns to scene of South Africa’s autumn triumph, where his opposite number is also a familiar face

There will be those at a sold-out Twickenham on Saturday who will be sick of the sight of Handré Pollard. The 30-year-old fly-half returns to the stadium with Leicester six weeks after his accuracy from the tee kept the Springboks out of reach against England , his goalkicking once more a dagger to the heart of Steve Borthwick. That his opposite number will be Harlequins’ Marcus Smith only heightens the sense that England’s bête noire is back.

As was the case in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, Pollard began November’s victory over England on the bench, only to come on and turn the screw from the tee. He is the elder statesman of South Africa’s pool of No 10s but is at home playing the role of safe hand on the tiller, just when Rassie Erasmus needs it. For the Springboks it has been a year of experimentation, all the while maintaining their place at the top of the world rankings, but Pollard’s reliability, whenever Erasmus calls upon him, has been consistent. Cast your eye around the global game and there are no better candidates to shoot for goal if your life depended on it than South Africa’s double World Cup winner.

Protests have erupted nationwide after disappearance of boys not seen since they were approached by soldiers

The disappearance of four boys in Ecuador after they came into contact with the armed forces is posing a severe challenge to President Daniel Noboa’s “war on drugs” .

The four – all black, aged between 11 and 15, and residents of Las Malvinas, a poor area in the country’s largest city, Guayaquil – were returning from a football game near their homes on 8 December when 16 air force soldiers approached them.

Blending noise and techno, the pair are determined to make dance music more than a ‘functional, metronomic thing’ – and to never play the same set twice

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Dame Area aren’t bothered about making hits – in fact, when the Spanish-Catalan electro-punk duo see a song catching on in their live shows, they might remove it from the set list. “We never want to be dependent on any one track,” says Silvia Konstance, who whispers, shouts and thrashes at drum pads alongside Viktor L Crux. “It keeps things exciting.”

What began as a protest against a college religion requirement led to sects nationwide and, arguably, a religion

Last week, the Earth’s north pole tilted to its farthest point from the sun, ushering in the longest night of the year. For those who base their spiritual practice on the seasons, the solstice is a time of ritual and reflection, of communing with the darkness of nature and the light to come. At henges and groves throughout Britain, people gathered to mark this day: wiccans, neo-pagans of all sorts, and druids.

Druids are best known as iron age ritual workers, practitioners of an earth-based spirituality found throughout what is now England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The movement in the region still has many adherents who trace their inspiration back to these ancient forebears.

Air fryers make short work of the choux pastry for these ring-shaped buns with a cinnamon glaze

I was sceptical about using an air fryer for baking, but it really does work – we even set air-fryer choux buns as a challenge on Junior Bake Off , and they were a real hit! The air fryer’s quick, even heat makes it perfect for choux pastry, but you can, of course, also deep-fry or bake these in the oven instead. This is just a speedy alternative.

My anxiety about not replying to everyone’s messages was at a constant simmer until I created proper boundaries

I feel as if I’ve lost days of my life to digital causes. Even though I’m an extrovert, the near-constant drip of WhatsApp communications can drain me; my anxiety over not replying instantly to everyone is at constant simmer. Add to that the element of performance, and the worry that proving you care is measured in the messages you send … and it can all get too much.

“Where has Remona gone?” panicked one friend, when I went awol while juggling a deadline, babysitting, and hosting house guests. The pile-up of 248 unread messages in one group alone – inclusive of podcast-length voice notes – made me feel like a bad person for being absent. Sometimes, I’m happy to be entirely mute – as I was in one unnecessarily large group I was added to without consent. I went unnoticed for years amid unsolicited selfies of people I barely knew and forwarded messages that had to be forwarded further or you’d face some disaster, until someone realised I was lurking and outed me in front of all 43 members. I was mortified.

From morning drinks to bedtime sounds – and don’t forget a mid-afternoon boogie – experts share tips to help you boost your energy levels

“A side bend stretches the intercostal muscles between the ribs, making more space for inhalation,” according to the psychologist Suzy Reading, author of Self-Care for Winter, “and when we breathe better we feel more lively. Either seated or standing, breathe in and stretch one arm up overhead, forming a banana shape for your side body. Breathe out to lower your arm back down and come back to centre. Repeat five times on each arm.”

The deliveries of vital food and medical supplies will help 200,000 families, according to aid groups and local volunteers

An aid convoy has reached a besieged area of Khartoum for the first time since Sudan’s civil war broke out in April 2023, bringing food and medicines in a country where half of the people are at risk of starvation.

The 28 trucks arrived in southern Khartoum on 25 December, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), which provided 22 trucks loaded with 750 tonnes of food.

• Defender likely to be out for two more weeks
• Ange Postecoglou laments players’ heavy workload

Tottenham’s injury crisis has deepened after Ben Davies suffered a setback in training, twhich may leave Ange Postecoglou without a fit centre-back for Sunday’s visit of Wolves.

Spurs were already without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and the Welshman for Thursday’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest , but their problems were compounded when Radu Dragusin was forced off with an ankle problem.