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The Guardian

Labour sounds alarm over rollout of universal credit rape clause into N Ireland (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Opposition calls for parliamentary debate, saying women risk being criminalised if two-child limit is imposed in region Labour is raising the alarm about a government attempt to extend to Northern Ireland a policy that imposes a two-child limit on universal credit recipients unless a woman can show she has been raped. The move could place Theresa May on a collision course with the Democratic Unionist party, on whom she is relying on for her minority government to win votes in Westminster. Continue reading...
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Diana documentary reveals William and Harry regret 'rushed' last call (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry speak out about coping with grief and loss after the death of their mother 20 years ago The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have revealed deep remorse that their last conversation with their mother was a brief phone call that they cut short because they were too busy playing with their cousins. In a documentary about Diana, Princess of Wales, her sons speak candidly about their grief, their loss, and coping with the shock of her premature death, aged 36, 20 years ago. Continue reading...
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Female BBC stars urge corporation to 'act now' on pay and gender (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Sue Barker, Clare Balding and Fiona Bruce among those demanding response from BBC director general Some of the BBC’s most high-profile female personalities have written a frank open letter to the director general, Tony Hall, calling on him to “act now” and tackle the gender pay gap. Household names including presenters Clare Balding, Victoria Derbyshire and Angela Rippon are among at least 40 women who have used their “strong and loud voices” to urge him to “correct this disparity” over gender pay, which they say has been known within the corporation “for years”. Continue reading...
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England v India: Women's World Cup final – live! (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Updates as England take on India at a sold-out Lord’s, 10.30am BST England fully prepared for destructive India Tammy Beaumont: ‘I genuinely doubted whether I was good enough’ Email Vithushan or tweet @Vitu_E to get in touch 11.39am BST 15th over: England 61-2 (Taylor 9, Knight 0) Potential for turning a good start in to a sticky one. Bit unnecessary from Beaumont, who had got out of her funk with that overdue boundary. 11.32am BST Ha, it wouldn’t be a Women’s World Cup match without a dismissal off a full toss from a leggie. Poonam Yadav is the recipient of this wicket. Beaumont the one with egg on her face. It dips just before Beaumont tries to lash it into the Grandstand – Goswami takes a few giant strides in from the legside fence to take the catch. Continue reading...
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Jeremy Corbyn denies promising to wipe student debts (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Labour leader said before election he would ‘deal with’ debts, but now says that was not a commitment to write them off Jeremy Corbyn has insisted Labour did not commit to wiping graduates’ student loan debts during the general election campaign, after Conservative MPs accused the party of knowingly misleading students. The Labour leader told NME magazine during the election that he would “deal with” the huge debts acquired by graduates who had paid high tuition fees, as well as abolishing fees for current students. Continue reading...
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Government to allow gay men to give blood three months after sex (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Medical advances mean time limit will be reduced from 12 months under plans for NHS in England Gay men in England will be allowed to donate blood three months after having sex instead of a year, under equalities reforms announced by the government. Transgender people will also be able to choose their legal sex more easily as part of the shake-up announced by the education secretary, Justine Greening. Continue reading...
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Eight people found dead in trailer outside San Antonio Walmart (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Police ‘looking at a human trafficking crime’ after CCTV footage shows vehicles picking up other people from tractor-trailer Eight people have been found dead in a tractor-trailer outside a Walmart in Texas in what police are calling a human trafficking case. Several other people, possibly dozens, were found in the truck, which didn’t have a working air conditioning system, and they were taken to hospitals, firefighters said. Authorities said the driver had been held, but they didn’t release the driver’s identity. Continue reading...
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Tory members turn to David Davis in battle to succeed Theresa May (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Brexit chief is ahead in a party survey but the search is on for a surprise candidate David Davis is the preferred choice among Tory members to replace Theresa May as leader, but the race is wide open, according to the most comprehensive measure of party opinion since its disastrous election campaign. Related: I can think of many MPs who could become Tory leader. But not yet Continue reading...
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Fukushima: robot images show massive deposits thought to be melted nuclear fuel (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Robot spots suspected debris of melted fuel for first time since 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the plant Images captured by an underwater robot on Saturday showed massive deposits believed to be melted nuclear fuel covering the floor of a damaged reactor at Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant. The robot found large amounts of solidified lava-like rocks and lumps in layers as thick as 1m on the bottom inside a main structure called the pedestal that sits underneath the core inside the primary containment vessel of Fukushima’s Unit 3 reactor, said the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Continue reading...
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The Generation Game to return to BBC with Mel and Sue (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Family show once hosted by Bruce Forsyth and famous for conveyor belt of toasters and household electricals to be revived Television presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins will soon be back together on BBC1 again, urging on amateur competitors, but not in a baking contest. Instead it has been announced that the two former Great British Bake Off stars are to present a fresh version of gameshow The Generation Game, a family favourite that began in 1971 and was hosted for many years by Bruce Forsyth. Continue reading...
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More Jerusalem clashes feared as Israel searches for way to secure holy site (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Death toll of violence over access to compound housing al-Aqsa mosque reaches seven, bringing global calls for restraint Israel’s security forces and Palestinian leaders are bracing for weeks of violence as the death toll in a bloody weekend of confrontations over Israel’s placement of metal detectors at the entrance to the compound housing the al-Aqsa mosque reached seven. The fears were voiced as Israel deployed thousands of extra troops to the West Bank, amid a stark call from the Middle East quartet – representing the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – urging all sides to “demonstrate maximum restraint”. Continue reading...
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‘Imagine living with this crap’: tempers in Venice boil over in tourist high season (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
As residents leave and visitor numbers soar, the city’s quality of life is being eroded. This summer, irate locals have taken to the streets Emotions run high in Venice, the Italian island city that fascinates visitors even as it exasperates the dwindling band of local inhabitants. Venice is still known as La Serenissima, the most serene, and was once a place where the population rubbed gracefully along with visitors made up mostly of intellectuals, writers and artists. It is difficult now to imagine that happy coexistence, when you wander through the intricate maze of alleys and waterways and speak to local people. Depopulation and mass tourism have long been causes of local despair. But this summer it feels as if a tipping point may not be far away. Continue reading...
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What I learned from home DNA testing (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
They promise to reveal everything from our ancestry to our chances of serious illness. But are DNA tests accurate and do they tell us anything worthwhile? There may come a time in everyone’s life when they find themselves sitting at the kitchen table on an otherwise unexceptional weekday morning, drooling saliva into a test tube in the spirit of scientific inquiry. The spit is for one of the home genetic-testing kits I’m sampling. A growing number of these kits (brands such as 23andMe, DNAFit, Thriva, MyHeritage DNA, and Orig3n) promise to unlock the mystery of your genomes, variously explaining everything from ancestry, residual Neanderthal variants, “bioinformatics” for fitness, weight loss and skincare, to more random genetic predispositions, denoting, say, the dimensions of your earlobes or the consistency of your earwax. Continue reading...
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Leftwing Breitbart? Chapo Trap House is strong new voice in resistance to Trump (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Among Democrats and progressives, the best way ahead is up for fierce and fractious debate. Some younger voices are shouting louder than others It has been called the leftwing alternative to Breitbart – a subversive, humorous and politics-focused new media presence that has attracted a devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic. Related: Could Kamala Harris revive the fractured Democratic party for the 2020 election? Continue reading...
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The Observer critics’ guide to the summer holidays (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Make cultural hay while the sun shines with our suggestions for reading, viewing and listening, from dreamy R&B to vintage Keanu Reeves to op art in the country Pop Beyond the boutique tag, Houghton festival in Norfolk (10-13 August) specialises in high-end electronic music, from minimal techno to reggae. Sensitively curated by Craig Richards, artist-cum-Fabric DJ, it boasts a cogent bill – Ricardo Villalobos headlines, Nicolas Jaar and Floating Points promise lengthy DJ sets – and an atmospheric lakeside setting with an abandoned warehouse for those old-skool rave vibes. The festival boasts proper art, too, with works by James Turrell, Richard Long and Rachel Whiteread on the bill. Continue reading...
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I’m unsure about the fiancee my parents found me | Mariella Frostrup (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Mariella Frostrup tells a Muslim man that if they are both willing to make it work they stand as much chance of success as those who marry for love The dilemma I am a 27-year-old man and a practising Muslim. I currently live in Germany. I am very liberal, and I respect the freedom and rights of women. I am engaged to a 24-year-old Pakistani-British girl, arranged by our families. I think you know how things are done in Pakistani families. We have been talking/texting for the last six months. Continue reading...
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The expert's guide to the perfect meat barbecue (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Everything you need to know about grilling meat, from fuel to two-zone cooking, by Hawksmoor’s executive chef. Plus recipes for pre-meat-fest snacks and sauces to go alongside Barbecue, at its most basic, is an alchemy of wood, smoke and meat, so the fuel you use can dramatically affect flavour. Your best bet is to use lumpwood charcoal, made from high-quality hardwoods with none of the chemicals that help lesser charcoals burn. You can then add different hardwood chunks, depending on the flavour you are looking for: oak, apple and cherry are personal favourites. (Any garden centre worth its salt will have a range of woods for cooking and smoking in the barbecue section; failing that, there are numerous stockists online.) Continue reading...
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Yotam Ottolenghi’s vegetable barbecue recipes (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
There’s a lot more to barbecue than meat: all sorts of vegetables, and even fruit, benefit from time over the coals, too Throughout all the seasons, and for many, many years now, I’ve been marking all sorts of ingredients with chargrilled stripes. Stalks of asparagus and sprouting broccoli, wedges of halloumi and feta, chunks of bread, red tomatoes, orange squash, white cauliflower: the effect of the chargrill is to make things look great – those smart, black lines – and taste great, taking on the smoky flavours of the grill. When the sun is not calling, I’ll do this indoors, in the kitchen, on a ridged griddle pan, with a high flame on the stove and the extractor turned up to the max (or the window opened very wide). The results are pretty much the same, but nothing quite beats the allure of food that’s cooked and eaten outdoors. Continue reading...
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Thomasina Miers’ summer fruit dessert recipes (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
From nectarine tart to mango sorbet, summer puddings are all about making the most of seasonal fruit When the sun’s out, I find it hard to shake the feeling of perpetual summer. I’ll be in a state of shock come October, obviously, but for now I’ll happily bask in all the sun’s glory – and all the amazing fruit it brings with it. Tangy cherries collapse in a pan and stain a fool with their crimson juices; apricots bake in a clafoutis and get an emerald sparkle from basil-scented sugar; raspberries and nectarines provide a fine match for a goats’ curd tart with the merest hint of sweetness to bring it to the right side of pudding. Then it’s over to Mexico (of course) with pineapple, coconut, mango and lime featuring in a bright, citrussy sorbet and a tea loaf that is indecently soft and squidgy. Well, we might as well enjoy the sunshine while we can. Continue reading...
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The Open 2017: final round – live! (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Official live leaderboard from day four at Royal Birkdale Drop Scott an email at scott.murray@theguardian.com Third round report: Spieth leads US surge Plant finds time to smell the roses as best amateur 11.33am BST Aaron Baddeley keeps on trucking. More birdies at 16 and 17 - that’s three in a row - and he’s six under for his round now. A birdie down the last, and he’ll be signing for a 63, which would have meant something this time yesterday. If the wind doesn’t get too fresh, we could witness quite a few similar birdie blitzes today. 11.25am BST Daniel Berger played better than Jordan Spieth over the closing stretch of the Travelers a few weeks ago. But he lost out in a play-off when Spieth holed out from a bunker. Here’s another reminder of the 24-year-old’s potential this morning: birdies at 6, 7 and now 9, and he’s reached the turn in 31. He’s +1. “I hope that Spieth wraps this up on the front nine,” begins Hubert O’Hearn. “I rather think he will. He will be a very worthy champion; the only golf pro to whom comparisons to Nicklaus can be made without sounding like over-hyped nonsense. He seems to game-plan like Jack, and perhaps more critically than that he shares the same quality to snap himself back into focus after a bad shot. When yesterday he horribly misread a putt on 15, he laughed it off.” His mental fortitude is out of this world, his slightly troublesome relationship with the 12th hole at Augusta the glaring exception to this rule. He looked shaky for a while on the final day at the aforementioned Travelers ... and look how he turned that one around. Continue reading...
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Sky’s the limiting factor for Chris Froome in Tour de France popularity stakes (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Briton’s four wins place him in exalted company, but team’s image prevents fans from properly celebrating his achievements In 1963, the Tour de France organisers devised a route to discomfit Jacques Anquetil, who had just won the race for the third time. The time trial kilometrage was slashed and the mountain stages increased. It did not work: Anquetil took his fourth Tour in emphatic style. A similar process can be traced leading to Chris Froome’s fourth Tour win, sealed in Marseille in one of the most scenically beautiful and atmospheric stages the event has ever run. This Tour route looked tailored for the young French hopeful Romain Bardet, he of the nerveless descending skills, more downhill skier than cyclist, but the outcome was the same as in 1963: the man who, on paper, was least favoured by the route, ended up the winner, taking his fourth Tour. Continue reading...
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Deceit, determination and Murdoch's millions: how Premier League was born (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Twenty-five years ago Rick Parry, David Dein and Greg Dyke turned British football on its head. Here the men behind the revolutionary deal relive the story Rick Parry is showing me the most important document in the recent history of British sport. He has a photo of it on his phone. “Here it is in my handwriting,” he says. “Graham was upstairs, waiting for me to tell him, and I’d forgotten to put FA. So that’s Graham’s writing on the top going ‘by the way, that’s the FA Premier League’.” “Graham” is Graham Kelly, the former chief executive of the Football Association. In 1991 he hired Parry to help him with a problem. Out of that problem was born a football competition that has become a global brand, a sporting hegemon and a form of soft power for the United Kingdom in the 21st century. But visible even in its totemic “founders’ agreement”, the document on Parry’s phone, were the tensions that would make the Premier League sometimes as reviled as it was beloved. Continue reading...
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Tom Daley revels in spectacular 10m platform gold at World Championships (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
• British diver claims first individual world gold for eight years • ‘It was a weird competitive feeling. It was like I had blinkers on’ Tom Daley relished the pressure in responding from his Olympic disappointment to win a second World Championships 10-metres platform title in Budapest on Saturday. The 23-year-old Plymouth diver was inconsolable after missing out on qualification from the Olympic semi-final in Rio last August, having been peerless in the earlier qualification heat. Continue reading...
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Martin Slumbers’ strange anti-BBC tirade may come back to haunt him | Ewan Murray (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The R&A’s chief executive has picked a fight with an odd target and his labelling of the BBC’s Open coverage as ‘tired and outdated’ is likely to have repercussions It is one of sport’s unwritten rules. Martin Slumbers also seemed about the least likely individual to breach it. Which did not stop the chief executive of the R&A launching a verbal grenade in advance of this Open Championship. Related: R&A calls BBC golf coverage 'tired and outdated' and defends Sky's Open deal Continue reading...
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England faced with no easy answers after painful defeat by South Africa (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Tom Westley makes his Test debut but the rest of Joe Root’s chastened side is marked by uncertainty as they attempt to bounce back at The Oval So which side are going to be thrashed at The Oval? The series between England and South Africa has not been short of incident or interest but, while it stands tantalisingly at 1-1, a tense, fingernail chewing finish to a Test has been the missing ingredient. Add a couple of those and we have a series to remember for a long time. Modern cricketers do not seem so adept at digging themselves out of holes. Related: Joe Root says England must learn fast from defeat Trevor Bayliss calls ‘shocker’ Continue reading...
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José Mourinho guarantees David de Gea is staying with Manchester United (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Mourinho says he is ‘100%’ certain De Gea is not leaving United bracing themselves for bid from Real Madrid José Mourinho has guaranteed “100%” that David de Gea will not be sold by Manchester United to Real Madrid or any other club for the coming season. The manager was speaking in California’s Palo Alto before Sunday’s tour meeting with Real in San Jose. De Gea nearly moved to the Spanish club two years ago before the transfer collapse on the final day of the 2015 summer window. Continue reading...
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Euro 2017: Mark Sampson warns England players of Spain’s ‘dark arts’ (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Teams meet in crucial European Championship Group D match • England Coach Sampson says Spain are ‘hard to fall in love with’ Mark Sampson has warned his England players to beware the “dark arts” practised by a Spain side that he believes “people find it hard to fall in love with” when the Euro 2017 rivals meet in Breda on Sunday night. The game not only promises to determine which team finishes top of Group D but should also prove to be a useful litmus test of the Lionesses’ status as contenders. “Spain are one of those teams that, on one hand, are the purist’s dream yet, on the other, are incredibly frustrating,” said Sampson, whose players thrashed Scotland 6-0 in their opening Group D match last Wednesday. “No one would argue that Spain’s tippy-tappy football, their possession-based style, isn’t pleasing on the eye. Continue reading...
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Sophie Hahn breaks her own world record to win another World Para gold (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• British 1-2 in T38 100m as Hahn defeats team-mate Kadeena Cox • Georgina Hermitage also wins her second gold in T37 100m There was defiance from Kadeena Cox, brilliance from Sophie Hahn, grit from Georgina Hermitage and an awesome show of brute strength from Aled Davies. It was one of those Saturday nights at the London Stadium when it was difficult to know where to look first. Perhaps it was important just to take a moment to consider the beauty of Para sport, to appreciate how far these athletes are willing to push themselves in their pursuit of glory and recognition. There is an argument that the penultimate evening at the World Para Athletics Championship belonged to Hahn, who shattered her own world record on the way to winning her third consecutive world title in the T38 100m. Her second gold at this competition confirmed her status as one of the finest sprinters of her generation, a remarkable thought given that she is only 20 years old. Continue reading...
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Ian Poulter feels the Open love but falls out of Claret Jug contention | Andy Bull (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The Englishman started the day with an ominous bogey and was unable to draw on the mass of affection from the Royal Birkdale crowd to stay with Jordan Spieth In sport, affection is one of the rewards of endurance. Stick around long enough, and most everyone comes to like you in the end. Even if you are Ian Poulter. He may be Marmite online, but there is no player more popular with the crowd at Birkdale this week, not even Rory McIlroy. After the year Poulter’s had, he has earned every last little bit of their support. This is the first major Poulter has played in since last year’s Masters and the first he has contended since the Masters before that. In the past 12 months, he has struggled so hard that he nearly lost his PGA Tour card, has had surgery to fix a severe foot injury, had to close down his clothing company and make it through a qualifying tournament just to play here. Continue reading...
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Manchester United title ambitions hinge on keeping David de Gea, says Herrera (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• United believe Real Madrid are preparing bid for De Gea • Ander Herrera: ‘He is a goalkeeper who can give you points’ Ander Herrera says it is vital that Manchester United do not sell David de Gea as the Spaniard believes his countryman’s departure to Real Madrid would dent the club’s title prospects. On Sunday José Mourinho’s side play their fourth pre-season tour game in San Jose against Real, who United believe are preparing to make a serious offer for De Gea. Continue reading...
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Rory McIlroy’s spirits drop as he fails to take advantage of benign Royal Birkdale (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Rory McIlroy, world No4, has been off his game all year and missed an opportunity to get closer to the leaders on a day when the weather was kind Rory McIlroy says he wants another blast of foul weather in what is shaping as a forlorn pursuit of Jordan Spieth, the immaculate American putting master who leads him by 10 shots going into the final day of the 146th Open. Related: Rory McIlroy remembers who he is to put right damage of Open first round Continue reading...
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West Ham announce club-record signing of Marko Arnautovic from Stoke (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Austria international signs five-year deal: ‘It is a massive club’ • Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph moves to Middlesbrough West Ham have announced the signing of Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City on a five-year deal for a club-record fee of up to £25m, with a guaranteed £20m plus an additional £5m in potential add-ons. The 28-year-old had been agitating for a move and after rejecting two earlier bids Stoke finally relented. Arnautovic will bolster the Hammers’ squad following the addition of Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart on loan, and the imminent transfer of Javier Hernández. Continue reading...
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Dele Alli and Harry Kane expose absurdity of football’s silly season (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Spurs pair who cost pittance are second and third most valuable players in the world behind Neymar according to one estimate – but fans still crave a splurge Now that the Lions tour and Wimbledon are over, and with the Test series against South Africa yet to grab the attention, thoughts can easily turn to the start of the new football season, which is only two weeks away. Or rather to the pre-season competition. I don’t mean friendly tournaments, like the money-spinning non-event of the so-called International Champions Cup. But the true sport and drama of the transfer window. A kind of fantasy football for chairmen, it is also a ritual that finds generous space for frenzied media and desperate fans alike. And all to the tune of sums of money that are increasingly difficult to conceptualise, let alone justify. Related: Kyle Walker for £50m? Collective madness has gripped the Premier League | Jonathan Wilson Continue reading...
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Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier hoping to steal Kyle Walker’s England shirt (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Spurs full-back believes he has been handed a chance by Walker exit • ‘My dream is always to play for England’ Kieran Trippier is undaunted at the prospect of battling his friend Kyle Walker for England’s right-back position at next summer’s World Cup having spent two years in his shadow at Tottenham Hotspur. While Walker begins life at Manchester City following his £50m move last week, Trippier knows this is his moment to shine. With Russia 2018 on the horizon, the timing could not have been better for the 26-year-old who made his full international debut against France in June. Trippier signed a new five-year deal following Walker’s departure and is determined to repay the faith shown in him by Mauricio Pochettino by excelling for club and country. “For the past two years I’ve been waiting patiently for my opportunity,” he said before Spurs’ friendly match with Paris Saint-Germain in Orlando on Sunday. Continue reading...
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Lee Westwood outshines Augusta pal as Danny Willett disappoints again (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Westwood hits a 69 and was going well before a double bogey at the 12th • Willett makes a three-over 73 after a run of dropped shots Lee Westwood and Danny Willett will always be inextricably linked. They were playing partners at the Masters in 2016 when the field was seemingly competing for second place until Jordan Spieth took a quadruple-bogey seven at the short 12th and the older man looked at a scoreboard and said to his mate: “He’s just chucked a big one in there.” Related: Branden Grace shoots lowest-ever men’s major round of 62 at the Open Continue reading...
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Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha claims he was racially abused on social media (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Zaha claims he was called a ‘black monkey’ in Instagram messages • Frank de Boer accuses West Brom of trying to injure Zaha in friendly Wilfried Zaha claimed he was racially abused on social media on Saturday, shortly after his Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer accused West Brom’s players of targeting the winger during a pre-season friendly. Zaha added a message to his Instagram story following the 2-0 victory in Hong Kong, suggesting followers of his former club Manchester United and their rivals Liverpool had sent him abuse. Continue reading...
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Tour de France diary: Macron’s man-hug, Barguil usurps Bardet and a killer wolf | William Fotheringham (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Another Chris Froome PR disaster; cringeworthy presidential memories; a new French hero is born; and a return to Puy-de-Dôme must be on the cards For the first time this year, I drive the roads of the Tour stage; the last 120km. Up to 10 years ago, this was a daily occurrence, but it is something we never do now, as all superfluous cars are directed on to a diversionary route to avoid risks to spectators. As always, there are insights to be gained from actually seeing the roads that you simply don’t get from a television camera, and there is local colour in abundance. Everywhere is the emblem of the Beast, an 18th century legend involving – depending on who you believe – a vast homicidal wolf, or a serial killer who covered his crimes by inventing the legend of the wolf. Vast wolf prints are drawn on the road, trailers of hay bales are covered with wolf posters, and a lifesized wolf model sits on a roundabout in the town of Saugues. Also commemorated is a big beast of French cycling writing, Pierre Chany, whose poster adorns a tower in his home village of La Margeride. The L’Équipe writer died in 1996, one of the last of the old-school devotees of chain-smoking Gaullists, proper lunch breaks and typed copy, who could recall passing a bottle to Louison Bobet from a press motorbike in the mid-50s. Truly the stuff of legend. Continue reading...
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Alfie Plant finds time to smell the roses as best amateur at the Open (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The 25-year-old is guaranteed the Silver Medal as leading amateur at the Open and the Millwall fan has brought boisterous support with him from London Royal Birkdale, where football fame is no passport to club membership, rose on moving day to acclaim Alfie Plant, a Millwall fan from Bexleyheath who can hardly believe he has emulated Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the nailed-on winner of the Silver Medal. The only amateur to make the cut on a foul Friday, Plant was cheered from first tee to last hole on a warm, windless Saturday afternoon in celebration of a one-under par 69 that leaves him on three over par going into the final day. On a day of astonishing scores all around him, Plant’s return might appear unremarkable but, having quietly tamed a demanding course, he had plenty to be proud of. Continue reading...
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Jason Day back from the dead and aiming to join final-round Open reckoning (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
World No6 delighted to survive cut then score a third-round 65 and believes ‘there’s definitely a chance of shooting 61’ Jason Day found out he would be playing at the weekend at about 9pm on Friday when he got round to checking where the cut mark was after finishing his second round, to use his own words, in a coffin. On Friday, he had stood on the 16th tee at level par only to walk off the 18th on five over after peeling off three sixes in a row and left the course in high dudgeon, convinced he had missed a third cut in a row after the US Open and the Travelers Championship. Continue reading...
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Stephen Yarborough’s starting stalls death has no precedent, say Racetech (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Racetech’s Kate Hills says firm had long had an ‘impeccable record’ on safety • ‘It was a freak accident,’ says a team leader of Newbury stalls handlers The death of Stephen Yarborough at Haydock on Friday is believed to be the first fatal accident involving starting stalls since they were introduced on British racecourses more than half a century ago. Kate Hills, a communications consultant for Racetech, which operates the starting stalls, said on Saturday that the firm had long had “an impeccable record” on safety and had been unable to identify any precedent for Friday’s incident, when Yarborough was run over by the starting stalls as they were being moved by a tractor. Racetech’s chairman, Tom Phillips, and its chief executive, John Bozza, travelled to Haydock on Saturday morning to speak to staff members. Some of those who were part of Yarborough’s team on Friday were due to return to the site for another shift at last night’s race meeting, though Hills said none of them were being compelled to do so and that discussions had been held with each man to assess the impact of the incident. Continue reading...
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Liverpool fans and Hillsborough groups have emotive safe standing debate (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
• Spirit of Shankly group organised Saturday’s meeting in Liverpool • Opinion remains divided but rail seating options are proving popular Liverpool fans are to vote on the introduction of rail seating in football stadiums following a constructive and at times emotive meeting on safe standing. As Damian Kavanagh, one of roughly 100 people who attended the two and a half hour discussion, put it: “This is uniquely complicated for us. We should be full, front and centre of the debate because we lived with Hillsborough.” Momentum is growing in favour of the return of standing in the top two divisions of English football. The success of Celtic’s pilot experiment last season – now a permanent feature at Celtic Park – has given further impetus to a campaign long promoted by the Football Supporters Federation (FSF). For Liverpool, however, and particularly those affected by the 1989 disaster, it is a sensitive and complex issue that divides opinion, although on the evidence of Saturday’s public meeting the tide is turning marginally in favour. Continue reading...
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Female channel bosses have earned top billing (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Amid the controversy and pay gaps exposed by the BBC’s salary disclosures, two highly skilled and talented women have risen to the top of the broadcasting industry Here, in the midst of current controversy, is some good news. The new leaders of both ITV and Channel 4 are both women (replacing men). More good news sees them not only succeeding on equal terms, but winning the same heady blend of salaries and add-ons. At which point, however, we encounter a few shades of grey. Carolyn McCall, flying in from an easyJet hangar in Luton, is reportedly on course to make £25.2m over the next five years at ITV, if all goes well (an edifice built on the foundations of £900,000 pa). Her predecessor, Adam Crozier, has earned £24.9m since 2012. Alex Mahon, replacing David Abraham atop C4, can expect to hit his £881,000 a year, perhaps edging closer to a million if the ad revenue rolls in (as it did at the end of Abraham’s reign). Continue reading...
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The Trump resistance can be best described in one adjective: female | LA Kaufman (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
With the anti-Trump resistance, the preponderance of women is so noteworthy that failing to name it obscures the movement’s basic nature LA Kauffman is a longtime grassroots organizer and author of Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism It’s now been six dizzying and nauseating months since Donald Trump took the oath of office, and the brightest spot on the American political landscape is the grassroots resistance that has sprung up to counter his regime. No previous president ever faced so many protests so early in his term, and the millions who have taken to the streets since January can already take significant credit for stalling and frustrating key aspects of Trump’s agenda, from his Muslim ban to his bid to repeal the Affordable Care Act. There are numerous qualities that distinguish this organizing upsurge from past waves of protest in the United States, but the most striking and significant is its composition: the resistance, by and large, is women. Continue reading...
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Sexism in advertising is a problem – but hardly the worst one | David Mitchell (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The Advertising Standards Authority’s move to stamp out gender stereotyping is a good thing, but is it really a priority? When I heard last week’s news that the Advertising Standards Authority is proposing to crack down on gender stereotyping in adverts, I found my reaction interesting. If only you could do the same. But then I am pretty easily entertained. I’ve been known to watch golf if the remote’s out of reach. It was quite a negative reaction – I won’t deny it. There’s no point in being ashamed – it was involuntary. It’s like someone shouting “Heil Hitler!” in their sleep. It turns out that’s just who they are. Continue reading...
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The rebirth of Google Glass shows the merit of failure | John Naughton (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The much-mocked wearable computer, refashioned as an aid for factory workers, is the latest success born of a commercial flop Remember Google Glass? It was the name coined for spectacles developed by Google’s (now Alphabet’s) X division (the company’s intellectual sandpit in which engineers develop way-out ideas). Looking at first sight like a cheap pair of non-prescription reading glasses, Glass functioned as a kind of miniature head-up display (a transparent screen that allows users to read data without having to change their viewpoint). Over part of the right-hand lens was a small rectangular block of glass which functioned as a miniature computer monitor. Inside the right-hand support (the part that goes over your ear) Google had packed memory, a processor, a camera, speaker and microphone, Bluetooth and wifi antennas, an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and a battery. So when you put on your spectacles you were, in fact, donning a tiny wearable computer. Glass was first announced in 2012 and made available (for $1,500) to select early adopters (dubbed “Glass explorers”) in 2013. It went on sale to the general public in May 2014. In technical terms, it was an amazing piece of miniaturisation. Driven by voice commands, it had quite impressive functionality. You could tell it to take a photograph, for example, or record a video of what you were looking at. Similarly, you could call up a Google search about something you were looking at and have the results displayed in surprisingly readable form on the tiny screen – which appeared to be suspended some distance ahead of you in space. In that sense, Glass looked like the realisation of a dream that early tech visionaries like Douglas Engelbart had – of technology that could usefully augment human capabilities with computing power. Continue reading...
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We can’t prepare to leave Europe until we know where we’re going | Andrew Rawnsley (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The battle for a transition deal seems to have been won. This resolves one argument, only to ignite many others Tick. Tock. We have now got to that scene in the Brexit movie where rivulets of sweat begin to drip down the faces of the crew. They have noticed that the clock is running down. It is nearly four months since Mrs May dispatched her letter telling the EU that Britain was leaving. Yet nothing has been agreed. The cabinet continues to quarrel about the ultimate shape of Brexit. The talks in Brussels are making little discernible progress in critical areas. Time is one of Britain’s worst enemies in this process – and the clock becomes a more deadly foe with each day that is wasted. It never was credible that the many aspects of this country’s ties with its closest neighbours and most important trading partners could be renegotiated to the remorseless timetable that kicked in when Mrs May invoked article 50. Britain’s political and economic relationship with the EU is the product of more than four decades of intricate engagement. Continue reading...
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Frankly, banks – it’s time to give a damn about your image (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Ten years on from the credit crisis, things still aren’t looking good at two of our biggest financial institutions Another week, another chance to take a kick at the banks, which are collectively showing very few signs of wanting to improve their image a decade after the financial crisis. We have results from Barclays, which is the first time the bank has had to face the City since the unveiling of a date for its criminal trial – of ex-chief John Varley and three former colleagues – on charges concerning the way the bank raised billions of pounds from Qatar in 2008. Anyway, block January 2019 out of your diary. Continue reading...
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After the pay furore, the BBC now has a chance to be a beacon for fairness | Will Hutton (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The corporation faced down critics over its salaries for ‘talent’ and should commit to equity for all staff ‘The BBC is really hurting today,” declared Jeremy Vine outside Wogan House, the home of Radio 2 last week, as the country learned that the broadcaster was paid north of £700,000 a year. He was right, which is what the corporation’s Tory critics so ardently wanted. Over the day, various household names squirmed as they were confronted with the reality that by the standards of the mass of their viewers or listeners – those paying the licence fee – their pay was eye-wateringly high. BBC arguments about needing to keep up with the market were palpably overstated. Where else are John Humphrys or Jeremy Vine likely to broadcast to such big audiences in such well-loved prestigious programmes with such fantastic production support? Dozens of broadcasters would jump into their shoes if given the chance. The architects of the BBC’s pay disclosure regime seemed to have achieved their objective: the BBC cannot be trusted with the public’s money – it plainly needs to be downsized or done away with. Continue reading...
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Sean Spicer’s gone but PR joke’s not over (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Trump’s press secretary has bowed out but the president was really in charge of communication anyway Headlines across the globe signal the exit of a White House press secretary, but it’s hard to understand why. Sean Spicer was left to play the buffoon by his commander-in-chief. He swiftly became a bad joke, one confirmed when yet another reshuffle plonked a banker without PR experience in place as his head of communications. Communication, it may be gently added, is not this US administration’s strongest suit. But does any of this really amount to much, apart from TV satirists doomed to search for another target? The plain fact about Donald Trump’s presidency from day one is that he is the only communicator who counts. His tweets, his ad libs, his body language send the messages that really matter; and there’s no sign of that changing. Sean Spicer only seemed important because journalists like to think that the ritual of press briefings make them important. Now that briefing operation is more disembodied than ever, an irrelevance just pottering on. Continue reading...
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Rushing into a trade deal with the US would harm the UK | Adam Marshall (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The head of the British Chambers of Commerce says Britain would be outflanked in any hastily arranged transatlantic deal agreement As someone born in the US who has spent all his adult life in the UK, you might think I would be a natural advocate for a comprehensive US-UK free trade agreement. After all, more than 15% of all UK goods exports already go to the US – the biggest percentage for any single country, if the 47% of UK goods exports that go to the EU’s 27 countries are discounted. The US and UK are the world’s two pre-eminent services exporters and the flow of knowledge and deals between them is similarly immense, as is the healthy competition between firms and financial centres. Because of this, a surprisingly large number of politicians and commentators seem to believe that, rather than pursuing quick wins that tackle some of the practical issues faced in UK-US trade, a comprehensive FTA with the US should be an early goal for post-Brexit Britain. Continue reading...
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Sir Ray Tindle, local hero, we bid you a fond adieu (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The nonagenarian champion of regional newspapers, who rescued dozens over the years, has announced that his son is taking over It wasn’t so much a farewell, more a gentle bowing out last week as Sir Ray Tindle, 90, who bought his first local paper with £300 of his demob money and ended up owning 220, announced that his son would be taking over. There’ll be time enough to contemplate future difficulties, but for once let’s dwell in the past and Ray’s roseate presence, where local papers were more than failing cash machines. Here he is, announcing his retirement. Continue reading...
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Let the north run its own powerhouse | Sarah Longlands (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
If it’s all too complicated for those in Westminster, they should hand over the reins In the north of England, we know a little about trains. In 1825, when George Stephenson ran the first passenger steam locomotive along the Stockton and Darlington railway, little can he have thought that, for all his pioneering efforts, upgrading our crumbling infrastructure would prove such a national headache. The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has decided that electrifying the TransPennine route is too “complicated” and “difficult”; his excuse is that the Victorians have made the challenge too hard. We are supposed to believe that hanging electric cables along old rail lines is an engineering feat too far. But the truth is that the problem lies in the shortage of engineering skills (currently deployed electrifying the Great Western line) and the over-centralised system presided over by Grayling’s department and Network Rail. Continue reading...
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Italy feels the heat as EU shuts doors to migrants (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Ventimiglia is the new frontier of a humanitarian crisis On a hot afternoon in the northern Italian border town of Ventimiglia, a group of well-dressed French tourists is making its way towards air-conditioned buses that will take them back to their homes along the Côte d’Azur. They’re returning from a day of shopping at Ventimiglia’s lively Friday market, a mecca on the town’s seafront for visitors flocking across the frontier to rummage through an irresistibly cheap selection of clothes, food and trinkets. Continue reading...
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The Observer view on Poland’s assault on law and the judiciary | Observer editorial (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The Polish government has gifted power over the supreme court to politicians. The EU must get tough and withhold funding The decision by Poland’s upper house of parliament to give the government de facto control of the country’s highest court is a serious mistake with negative implications for Europe. The legislation compromises judicial independence and undermines confidence in the rule of law free from political interference. It deals a heavy blow to Poland’s far from robust post-communist democratic institutions. It is a staggering act of defiance of the EU, which explicitly opposed the measure. And it explodes the too-comfortable illusion, fashionable since Emmanuel Macron won France’s presidential election, that the dark forces of intolerant European nationalism and populism are in retreat. Continue reading...
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Boots’ morning-after apology isn’t easy to swallow | Barbara Ellen (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Boots has said sorry in the row over its emergency pill, but its comments reveal how women are still judged on contraception and sex Boots, Britain’s largest chemist, has now apologised (and maybe narrowly avoided a nationwide boycott) for “causing offence and misunderstanding” with its comments to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) about not wanting to lower its price for the morning-after pill (MAP), because it didn’t want to be accused of “incentivising inappropriate use”. This led to a storm of criticism, including a Labour party letter, signed by Jess Phillips, Yvette Cooper, and Harriet Harman and 32 other female Labour MPs. Phillips later said: “Boots’ justification infantilises women and places a moral judgment on them.” Quite. It’s good that Boots apologised, but a “misunderstanding”? Continue reading...
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Europe seeks a long-term answer to a refugee crisis that needs a solution now | Simon Tisdall (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
With thousands of people marooned in Greece, Serbia and Italy, Europe is split down the middle about how to deal with the influx of migrants British holidaymakers heading for Italy’s beaches and other popular Mediterranean destinations this weekend, as the summer school break begins, may get more than they bargained for. Europe’s sun-kissed southern shores are more sought-after than ever. But many of this year’s visitors belong to new waves of refugees fleeing persecution and poverty in Africa, south Asia and the Middle East. Continue reading...
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Gender reassignment could be streamlined under proposal (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The equalities minister, Justine Greening, proposes removing need for medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria Proposals to streamline the process of changing gender have been unveiled by the government, as part of an attempt to boost equality for the LGBT community. Related: Pride in London crowds celebrate 50 years since decriminalisation of homosexuality Continue reading...
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Revealed: Jeremy Corbyn’s secret backer when chips were down – Tony Blair (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Hilary Armstrong, who served as the former prime minister’s chief whip, says Blair stepped in to rescue Corbyn when he was under threat of deselection Famously, Jeremy Corbyn could not have entered the Labour leadership contest without the nominations of MPs who wanted a leftwinger in the race, although they had no intention of voting for him. But even before that, it has emerged, the veteran backbench rebel had a highly surprising secret benefactor: Tony Blair. According to the Labour peer Hilary Armstrong, who served as the former prime minister’s chief whip, Blair stepped in to rescue Corbyn from being removed as an MP when some of Corbyn’s Islington North constituents wanted to deselect him. Continue reading...
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Ministers ‘undermined law’ over Iraq war crimes allegations (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Harriet Harman demands Ministry of Justice publish emails that may reveal it pressured law watchdog to act against Iraqi abuse lawyers The government has been accused of undermining the rule of law by putting pressure on an independent regulator in its action against a legal firm pursuing claims of human rights abuses involving British troops in Iraq. The former deputy leader of the Labour party, Harriet Harman, has called for the release of any emails that would reveal whether the ministries of justice and defence attempted to influence the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to act against Leigh Day. The human rights firm has been involved in many high-profile cases against British soldiers and has referred a number of them to the controversial Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), now being wound up. Continue reading...
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100 tenants a day lose homes as rising rents and benefit freeze hit (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Charities demand action to tackle toll of soaring housing costs, welfare cuts and ‘no fault’ evictions A record number of renters are being evicted from their homes, with more than 100 tenants a day losing the roof over their head, according to a shocking analysis of the nation’s housing crisis. The spiralling costs of renting a property and a long-running freeze to housing benefit are being blamed for the rising number of evictions among Britain’s growing army of tenants. More than 40,000 tenants in England were evicted in 2015, according to a study by the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). It is an increase of a third since 2003 and the highest level recorded. The research appears to confirm fears that a mixture of rising costs and falling state support would lead to a rise in people being forced out of their homes. It will raise concerns that even those in work are struggling to pay their rent. Continue reading...
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The moped menace: how the scooter became muggers’ vehicle of choice (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
They’re used in phone robberies, bag snatches – and now even in acid attacks. They’re easy to steal and hard for the police to pursue. Is there a way to cut this crimewave? From her office window, Elizabeth O’Neill could see young men on scooters prowling for victims almost every day. “You’d see people waiting at bus stops staring at their phones as these lads were about to snatch them,” she said. “You’d think ‘don’t do it, put your phone away’. And then it happened to me.” O’Neill, a charity worker, was waiting for a bus “looking at my phone, figuring out where I was going”. It was all over very quickly. “Two lads on a moped snatched it out of my hand and rode off. I felt really stupid. Continue reading...
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Is the Stirling becoming a prize ass? (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The Stirling prize 2017 shortlist displays a woeful lack of adventure – not least in its omission of Tate Modern’s Switch House The Stirling prize has done it again. The award for the UK building that “has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture over the past year” has a magnificent record of not recognising the projects that define their time, of favouring everyone’s second choice and nobody’s first choice, with the result that you could write a convincing history of modern British architecture based on the projects that haven’t won: the Eden Project, the British Library, Birmingham Selfridges, David Chipperfield’s Neues Museum in Berlin, the Saw Swee Hock student centre at the London School of Economics. This time, the most memorable building of the year, the Switch House extension to Tate Modern, hasn’t even made the shortlist. This omission completes a double: when Tate Modern phase one was completed in 2000, its Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron were ineligible under the then rules. One of the most significant cultural endeavours of the century has therefore been completely missed by the Stirling radar. Continue reading...
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Great Ormond Street staff 'get death threats' over Charlie Gard (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Scotland Yard investigates allegations of thousands of abusive messages received by medical professionals Scotland Yard has been called in to investigate allegations that staff at Great Ormond Street hospital have been bombarded with violent threats and abuse over the case of the baby Charlie Gard. Related: My sister-the-doctor has graduated – just as the world has turned on medical experts Continue reading...
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Love Island: stars’ on-screen smoking angers health charity (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Campaigners urge Ofcom to investigate possible breach of broadcasting code by ITV bosses The bedroom activities of Love Island’s glamorous contestants are providing many a watercooler moment in offices across the land. But their love of smoking is provoking an altogether different kind of debate. Amid growing concerns about the rise of smoking on screens and its influence on the young, the media regulator Ofcom has been asked by a leading health charity to investigate whether the show is in breach of strict codes governing lighting up on television. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) is questioning why the contestants’ cigarettes are contained in plain white packs which hide the highly visible – and distinctly unglamorous – graphic health warnings that carry pictures of diseased lungs and references to male impotence. Continue reading...
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EU demands right to child benefits even after Brexit (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Brussels talks falter as UK says £30m benefit must end in March 2019 The right of EU citizens working in Britain to send child benefits to their children living abroad, even if they are born after Brexit, has become the latest flashpoint in the clashes between London and Brussels over the UK’s withdrawal from Europe. Brussels believes European citizens living in the UK should be left unaffected by the referendum result, and the EU’s negotiating team, led by Michel Barnier, raised the issue midway through last week’s negotiations in Brussels. Continue reading...
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Stars from comedy’s punk past return to the Edinburgh fringe (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
They were at the vanguard of political comedy. Now Alexei Sayle, Craig Ferguson and Sue Perkins are heading back to the festival, as it celebrates its 70th birthday Unknown talents and student hopefuls head for the Edinburgh festival fringe at this time of year, aiming to break into the entertainment industry. This summer, however, a loud and anarchic blast from comedy’s punk past is also on the bill. A slew of stars, including Alexei Sayle, a comic hero of the 1980s, and Sue Perkins, who first made it big at the festival 20 or so years ago, are returning to try their luck as the fringe celebrates its 70th birthday. Continue reading...
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HMP Hewell unrest brought under control by prison riot squads (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Prison Service says a ‘small number’ of inmates in Worcestershire prison refused to follow orders and attempted to cause damage A prison wing is understood to be under control after prison security teams were drafted in to deal with an “ongoing incident”. So-called Tornado squads, equipped to deal with riots, were sent to HMP Hewell near Redditch, Worcestershire, after trouble broke out on one of the prison’s wings on Saturday. Continue reading...
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Tenpin alleys boom as Britain is bowled over by retro vibes of 1950s America (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Children’s parties, gourmet burgers and VIP lanes help rebranded venues pull in record crowds In the 1951 film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando’s character, Stanley Kowalski, famously went bowling to blow off steam. The bowling alley also proved a refuge from responsibility for Jeff Bridges’s cinematic slacker, the Dude, in The Big Lebowski. Both would find the lanes of 21st-century Britain considerably less to their liking. The smoke-filled halls and cheap beer are long gone as tenpin bowling has gone both mass and upmarket, offering VIP lanes and cocktails by night, and children’s parties and gourmet burgers by day. Continue reading...
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Kamala Harris: young, black, female – and the Democrats’ best bet for 2020? (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
She has only been a senator since last January, but the presidential buzz is growing as the party debates the need for a radical edge Kamala Harris, California’s new senator, earlier this month made a visit to Chowchilla state prison, often described as the largest women’s prison in the world. Harris, only the second black woman to have been elected to the senate, toured the facility and sat down to talk with inmates. She later called them “extraordinary”, and praised their optimism about finding a new life after prison. But the moment she dwelled on most was a visit to the silk-screening room, where the women were manufacturing American flags. Continue reading...
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Cold spring leaves French grape harvest headed for historic low (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Agriculture ministry says wine production from Bordeaux to Alsace has dropped dramatically Knocked off course by a cold spring snap, French wine production from Bordeaux to Alsace has dropped dramatically this year and could hit “a historic low”, according to the agriculture ministry. “At 37.6 million hectolitres the 2017 harvest is set to come in 17% lower than in 2016, and 16% below the average of the past five years,” the ministry’s statistics bureau Agreste said on Saturday. Continue reading...
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Can Ellen Johnson Sirleaf save Liberia? (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Africa’s first elected female president has made giant steps in ridding her country of warlords, rape and child soldiers, but much remains to be done It’s not every day a president invites you into their bedroom. But then Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, is not your typical president. A woman for one thing, the first ever elected to lead an African nation, she’s also had several previous lives: freedom fighter, banker, UN bureaucrat, rebel, farmer, grandmother-in-chief. Would I like to go inside her room? Hell, yes! We went to school in the city, and spent the vacations here in my father’s village. We crossed two different worlds Continue reading...
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Donald Trump attacks press as Russia scandal swirls around Jeff Sessions (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Trump follows communications director move by blasting Washington Post Opinion: Just another day in Trump’s tragicomic America Donald Trump’s haphazard attempt to relaunch his communications operation after six months as president will face its first test next week, when his son-in-law testifies about alleged links to Russia. Related: Pardon me? Legal experts doubt Trump could absolve himself in Russia inquiry Continue reading...
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'I will be back': Violin-playing face of Venezuela's protests injured in clashes (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Wuilly Arteaga posts defiant video message from hospital bed as opposition announces fresh national strikes Venezuela’s opposition have announced a two-day national strike against President Nicolas Maduro following a day of violent clashes in Caracas on Saturday where the injured included a violinist who has become the face of the protests. “Neither rubber bullets nor pellets will stop our fight for Venezuela’s independence,” said musician Wuilly Arteaga. The 23-year-old has become famous in Venezuela for playing the national anthem and other tunes on his violin in front of security lines as battles rage around him. “Tomorrow I will be back in the streets.” Continue reading...
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Indonesia police ordered to shoot drug dealers to tackle 'narcotics emergency' (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
President Joko Widodo’s comments echo those of Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose drug war has killed thousands Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, has told law enforcement officers to shoot drug traffickers to deal with what he called a “narcotics emergency” facing the country. “Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest. Shoot them because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency position now,” Widodo said in a speech delivered at a political event late on Friday. Continue reading...
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EU will hit Poland with deadline to reverse curbs on judicial freedom (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Protests continue after senate approves laws seen as serious threat to democracy The EU is expected to give Poland’s rightwing government until September to reverse a controversial set of laws that give the country’s politicians control over its supreme court. Related: Poland's former president Lech Wałęsa joins protest against judicial overhaul Continue reading...
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‘I’m no fascist’: film-maker hits back over opposition to Catalan independence (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Award-winning film-maker Isabel Coixet has caused a storm in her native Catalonia by speaking out against latest referendum She is one of Spain’s leading film-makers, revered in her native Catalonia and admired globally for award-winning films such as My Life Without Me and The Secret Life of Words. Continue reading...
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Hanoi is choking on the fumes of 5m motorbikes, but can ban break its habit? (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The roads of Vietnam’s capital have been taken over by the two-wheeled horde, but bringing in a ban by 2030 will be a tough ask It is easy to spot a foreigner in Hanoi. Cowering at intersections, staring in awe as the traffic hurtles past, tourists wait for a break in the flow of motorcycles, bicycles, carts, cars and buses – or for a kind driver to stop and bestow them the right of way – so that they may finally cross the road. That break never comes, of course, which is why the Vietnamese capital’s chaotic congestion is a phenomenon that hotel concierges often address with first-time visitors. The New York Times even published a how-to guide for tourists on safely crossing the road. With 5m motorbikes on the city’s streets – many of them carrying entire families, or stacked up with boxes, window frames or flowers – Hanoi has long been either a thrilling, or terrifying, experience for the uninitiated. Continue reading...
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California firefighters rescue and revive dog in house fire: 'He was in bad shape' (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Firefighters rubbed a Shih Tzu named Jack’s chest and used an oxygen mask specially designed for pets to revive him after finding him unconscious Firefighters rescued a small white dog named Jack from a house fire in Bakersfield, California and revived the animal on camera, in a video that has been shared widely on social media. Related: Ruff justice: Neapolitan mastiff crowned World's Ugliest Dog 2017 Continue reading...
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Republicans face two unpalatable options on replacement healthcare bill (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
After a six-month debate and seven years of promising they would repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republicans don’t have many good options left to pass a bill Mitch McConnell likes to say that finding 50 Republican votes to pass healthcare reform is like solving a Rubik’s cube. As he pushes his party toward a vote expected early next week, the Senate majority leader is still furiously twisting the puzzle. Related: Republicans still can't craft healthcare plan that won't drop coverage for tens of millions Continue reading...
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German girl arrested in Mosul is missing Linda Wenzel, say authorities (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Wenzel disappeared from her home near Dresden last year and is believed to have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq A German girl who was believed to have been fighting for Islamic State in Mosul when she was arrested last week is the missing 16-year-old Linda Wenzel, German authorities have confirmed. Wenzel’s parents had been searching for their daughter since she disappeared from her home in the village of Pulsnitz, near Dresden, in July last year. She is thought to have converted to Islam after being groomed on social media. Continue reading...
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Greece and Turkey struggle in aftermath of quake that killed two (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Main harbour on holiday island Kos, where two died and hundreds were injured, remains closed with flights also affected Kos is dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake that killed two people and injured hundreds on the Greek holiday island. The 6.7-magnitude quake left hundreds more injured in the Turkish resort of Bodrum, about 12 miles (20km) across the sea from Kos. Tourists have faced flight delays and the damaged main harbour was closed for a second day. Continue reading...
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Vatican versus: how cricket united Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims (mer., 19 juil. 2017)
It began with a conversation between Pope Francis and archbishop Justin Welby. Now, three years on, the Unity Through Cricket tournament is flourishing – and seeking to bring in Jewish, Sikh and Hindu players too In September 2016, three unique cricket teams played a tournament unlike any other. The hosting side were the Archbishop of Canterbury’s XI, a team made up of Anglican vicars. One visiting team, Mount, was composed mostly of Muslim players from Yorkshire. The other, the St Peter’s XI, had come to Birmingham from the Vatican. The competition – played under the name Unity Through Cricket – had been four years in the making, and the idea for it began at the very top. Continue reading...
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Cool and quirky Airbnb homes for family holidays in the UK – in pictures (lun., 17 juil. 2017)
Fancy a rustic yurt in the Welsh countryside? How about a gothic church with its own banqueting hall and hot tub in Somerset, or a glamping pod near Brighton? These unique Airbnb homes are ideal for fun UK breaks for all the family Continue reading...
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The film-maker bringing art to life – using only a smartphone (lun., 10 juil. 2017)
Akinola Davies often uses a mobile to capture moments of inspiration, but will he be able to shoot an entire short using only a smartphone? On his latest project, he took the OnePlus 5 on location to capture an artist at work. Will it be up to the cinematic task? People will probably be surprised how much I use a phone for my work as a film-maker. There’s something so responsive about taking photos or filming on a phone, something so immediate, and often when I see something that inspires me, my phone is what I reach for. It is also much lighter and nimbler than carrying around a clunky SLR. Continue reading...
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The best summer of my life? Reuniting with my family in Thailand (ven., 30 juin 2017)
For chef and street food impresario Sai Deethwa, travelling to the Thai village where she was born meant an emotional reunion with her family – and an unforgettable summer Three years ago, I had the holiday I’d waited my whole life for – I returned to the tiny village of Ban Si Tawan where I was born, in Sikhoraphum, north-east Thailand. I was raised here, near the Cambodian border, until I was just over one. When mum had me, she was a single mother, and had to work to support me, so she had help from my maire yai (in Thai culture, this is the name given to your mother’s oldest female sibling). Other relatives helped raise me too – everyone pulled together until we moved to England with my stepdad in 1987. I hadn’t returned since. My mum and stepdad couldn’t afford to take me and my three younger sisters back together. So going “home” – it feels like home even after 27 years in the UK – was a very big deal. I made the trip with my husband James, who helps me run Buddha Belly, my Thai street food stall. All of my family have been in the street food industry, so I was excited about seeing how it worked in Thailand – and we certainly got loads of great ideas to take home. Continue reading...
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Voters on Trump and Russia: 'If he had to cheat to get in, I'm OK with that' — video (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
Trump supporters in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, cast much of the blame for his stumbles on the media, and remain steadfast in their belief that a Clinton administration would have been worse The Promise: Trump supporters still fixate on Clinton as mood darkens Continue reading...
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Have you heard of tape-ball cricket? – video (mer., 19 juil. 2017)
Tape-ball cricket possibly solves all of the legacy issues with cricket, it’s quick, safe and cheap. It was born in Karachi but is migrating around the world and is producing a generation of international cricketers. Here’s everything you need to know about the fast-growing street sport Amna Rafiq: the woman on a mission for women’s cricket Continue reading...
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Vast iceberg splits from Antarctic ice shelf – video explainer (mer., 12 juil. 2017)
A giant section of the Larsen C ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula has broken off, unleashing a 5,000 sq km iceberg – about a quarter of the size of Wales One of largest icebergs ever recorded breaks off Antarctic ice shelf Continue reading...
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Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk: 'There are 400,000 men on this beach – how do you get them home?' (mar., 18 juil. 2017)
Dunkirk sees director Christopher Nolan tackle one of the most remarkable stories of the second world war: the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from the beaches of northern France. In an extended video interview Nolan discusses the challenges of bringing such a mammoth operation to the big screen, the hard choices made by those involved in the evacuation and the ‘subtle and truthful’ acting performance of Harry Styles Continue reading...
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How to adapt Jane Austen for the screen, with Andrew Davies (mar., 18 juil. 2017)
To mark 200 years since Jane Austen’s death, prolific screenwriter and Bafta fellow Andrew Davies discusses his five steps for adapting Austen’s novels for the screen. Davies who is known for his award-winning 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice illustrates each point with clips and references from each of his Austen TV classics Continue reading...
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Life and death in Texas: abortion frontline of America – video (lun., 17 juil. 2017)
New Texan anti-abortion laws are putting women’s lives at risk, according to pro-choice campaigners. But pro-life activists claim they are protecting women from an out-of-control abortion industry. Leah Green visits the state as the battle over women’s bodies intensifies Continue reading...
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The billion-dollar palaces of Apple, Facebook and Google (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
From California to London, the tech giants are employing top architects to build spectacular symbols of their immense global power. But they have their critics… We know by now that the internet is a giant playpen, a landscape of toys, distractions and instant gratification, of chirps and squeaks and bright, shiny things – plus, to be sure, ugly, horrid beasties lurking in all the softness – apparently without horizon. Graphics – rounded corners, lower case, Google’s primary colours, Twitter’s birdie, Facebook’s shades of blue – enhance the innocence and infantilism. It is a world, as Jonathan Franzen once said, “so responsive to our wishes as to be, effectively, a mere extension of the self”. Until we chance on the bars of the playpen and find that there are places we can’t go and that it is in the gift of the grown-ups on the other side to set or move the limits to our freedom. We’re talking here of virtual space. But those grown-ups, the tech giants, Apple, Facebook, Google and the rest, are also in the business of building physical billion-dollar enclaves for their thousands of employees. Here too they create calibrated lands of fun, wherein staff offer their lives, body and soul, day and night, in return for gyms, Olympic-sized swimming pools, climbing walls, basketball courts, running tracks and hiking trails, indoor football pitches, massage rooms and hanging gardens, performance venues, amiable art and lovable graphics. They have been doing this for a while – what is changing is the sheer scale and extravagance of these places. Continue reading...
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The art of making a jihadist (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
We know about jihadists’ dedication to violence, but that’s not the whole story, says expert Thomas Hegghammer. There’s a hidden culture of poetry, music and storytelling that sustains their ideology When Jihadi John, the Islamist terrorist who gloried in decapitating hostages, was exposed as Mohammed Emwazi, a spokesman from Cage recalled the west Londoner bringing “posh baklava” to the advocacy group’s offices. He described the knife-wielding murderer and gloating torturer as “a beautiful young man… extremely kind, gentle and soft-spoken, the most humble young person I knew”. One of the people who inspired Emwazi was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, renowned for leading the group that beheaded and tortured many western hostages in Iraq, including the British engineer Kenneth Bigley. Zarqawi was known as the Sheikh of the Slaughterers, but he was also referred to as He Who Weeps A Lot, for his habit of crying during prayer. Continue reading...
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Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life review – topical tunes and retro bombs (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
(Polydor) The singer looks outward on her fourth album in a state-of-the-nation address peppered with guest stars and pop history flashbacks Most pop stars innovate every album cycle, a fraught hustle that is of a piece with this era’s frantic audio production values. That’s all beneath Lana Del Rey. The ageless 32-year-old arrived at a languid sound, a detached authorial voice and a set of obsessions on her 2012 debut Born to Die, and her fourth album remains true to them all. One fine track sums up her entire oeuvre: the title of Summer Bummer reflects the consistently high mercury of Del Rey’s mises-en-scène; and there is usually a worm at the centre of her perfect peach. The rhyme reflects the way all this glossy nihilism is often delivered with a wink. Continue reading...
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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie review – more than just flatulence gags (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
This surprisingly nuanced animation intersperses lavatory humour with narrative invention Although one of the foundations on which much children’s cinema was built, lavatory humour was always perceived as an inglorious last resort. Can’t think of a funny line? Have a character break wind instead. By this logic, Captain Underpants, a film almost entirely crafted out of lavatory humour, should be a soul-crushing, puerile slog. However, David Soren’s animation, which was adapted from the children’s books by Dav Pilkey, is a delightful surprise. It’s a celebration of friendship, of the boundless creativity of children’s minds. It’s a dizzily silly collection of sly cultural references. It’s visually inventive, narratively agile. And yes, it has fart gags. Continue reading...
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'The idea is coming of age': Indigenous Australians take carbon farming to Canada (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The Aboriginal Carbon Fund has signed an agreement with Canadian First Nations peoples to share lessons from successful land management program Australia’s world-leading Indigenous land management and carbon farming programs are spreading internationally, with a formal agreement signed to help build a similar program in Canada. A chance meeting between Rowen Foley from the Aboriginal Carbon Fund and a Candian carbon credit businessman at the 2015 Paris climate conference spawned a relationship that led to an agreement this week that will help Canadian First Nations peoples learn from the Australian Aboriginal carbon farming success. Continue reading...
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Jorja Smith review – homegrown R&B’s new voice (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Electric Brixton, London The Walsall prodigy combines soul with classical grace in a set full of shiny new songs – so why such a long wait for her debut album? By the time you’re 20, no one is really judging you on your A-levels any more. But its worth noting that the soulful R&B phenomenon Jorja Smith – playing a sweltering, one-off gig tonight – once wrote an A-level dissertation entitled “Is Postcolonialism Still Present in Grime Music?” Her defining single of 2016, meanwhile, was a jazzy outing called Beautiful Little Fools, released on International Women’s Day. It was inspired by the role of women in The Great Gatsby, and written while she was still at school. Continue reading...
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Don’t let OJ Simpson blind us to black victims of injustice | Natalie Moore (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Over the past 20 years, too much has remained the same for black America It is the mid-1990s all over again in America. Drama interrupted daytime soap operas; viewers fixated on their television screens and a racial divide offered differing black and white points of view. OJ Simpson had struck again. Last week, a Nevada parole board freed Simpson. He had served nine years of a 33-year sentence for his role in a 2007 armed robbery, attempting to retrieve memorabilia he said belonged to him. As was the case with his murder trial in 1995, in which a jury acquitted him of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, cable and network television blasted wall-to-wall coverage. Continue reading...
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Documenting women's stories of street harassment – in pictures (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Photojournalist Eliza Hatch’s photo series Cheer Up Luv aims to raise awareness about women’s experiences of sexual harassment in cities such as her native London. Hatch found her female friends had all experienced harassment regularly, while her male friends were shocked by how frequently it occurred. Her photographs often feature women in environments in which they have been harassed, alongside their accounts. “I really wanted to capture the woman in her surroundings,” says Hatch. “Instead of it being somewhere where she felt vulnerable, I wanted to make it a stage for her to speak out from. And I wanted you to actually look into her eyes as you’re hearing her story.” See more at: instagram.com/cheerupluv Continue reading...
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David Newell-Smith: ‘There is nothing I would rather do than take photographs’ (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
We pay tribute to David Newell-Smith, an Observer photographer who helped establish newspaper photography as an art form • See a gallery of David Newell-Smith’s Observer photography David Newell-Smith, who died last month at the age of 80, was part of an explosion of British photojournalistic talent in the early 1960s. Armed with revolutionary new lightweight 35mm cameras and an aesthetic influenced by the great French and American photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Eugene Smith, this generation also benefited from the new colour supplements that were to showcase their work. Continue reading...
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Games reviews roundup: Splatoon 2; Mighty Gunvolt Burst; Kirby’s Blowout Blast (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Shooting and platform classics are reworked for the Nintendo Switch with excellent results, while the 3DS gets a high-speed nostalgia trip Nintendo Switch, Nintendo, cert: 7 ★★★★ Continue reading...
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Glasgow’s dark legacy returns as gangland feuds erupt in public killings (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
After decades spent reinventing its image, the city is plagued by the return of a brutal family struggle to control its drugs trade It was a moment of casual ruthlessness outside a busy Glasgow supermarket seven years ago that lit the fuse under Britain’s most brutal gangland feud. Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll, a brutal enforcer for one of Scotland’s most notorious organised crime clans, was sitting in his car outside a superstore in the city’s north-east. What happened next will never be forgotten by the throngs of shoppers who witnessed it. Two men approached and fired several rounds into the car, killing Carroll outright in a gangland hit that had been carried out with cold precision. The intensity of the police investigation into the shooting of Carroll led to an initial period of calm in a tit-for-tat war that had raged through Glasgow’s hardest streets for 10 years. Its origins lie in the rivalry between two family gangs, the Lyons and the Daniels, for control of the city’s heroin and cocaine market. Continue reading...
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Pun for your life! Punsters are rocking New York’s comedy clubs (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
They are the most reviled form of joke, but puns turn out to be comedy dynamite When I was 17 years old, my classmate Jill O’Doyle asked whether I’d seen Titanic yet. It was the beginning of third period, the movie had just opened and I had opinions about its star. “Titanic?” I said, my lips curling into the fat-kid equivalent of a Billy Idol snarl. “You mean with Leonardo DiCraprio?” Jill looked about 1,000 detentions exhausted by this response but, to her credit, she ignored what I’d said. Our chat was over. As far as I can remember, this was my introduction to how puns generally go over out in the world. Continue reading...
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Bitter Palestinian rivalry adds to the agony of Gaza’s vulnerable (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Cancer patients desperate for drugs: a stricken territory suffers fresh misery In Shifa hospital, Gaza, tiny premature babies, some with multiple infections, others with congenital diseases, lie packed together in incubators, struggling for life amid a tangle of tubes as lights flicker. With electricity virtually cut off, their life support is powered by a generator with a variable current. The health of several of the babies is so poor they should have been transferred out of Gaza to modern intensive care units elsewhere, but permission to leave has been refused. Continue reading...
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Full speed ahead for train builders as minister pulls plug on electrification (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Chris Grayling has axed promised upgrades, but in other areas the industry looks healthy. What’s going on? The bright, electric future of the railway has been dimmed: trains will now continue to run on diesel west of Cardiff to Swansea, as they will on the Midland mainline to Nottingham and Sheffield. An announcement sneaked out on the last day before parliament went into summer recess has sparked howls of betrayal, in Wales in particular. Rail electrification, the government had once boasted, would bring quicker, greener, more reliable services, jumpstarting the economy and creating jobs with its high-voltage wires. Now it is scrapped, and ministers say at least people will not have to put up with unsightly masts. Continue reading...
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Ready Player One: first trailer for Steven Spielberg's virtual reality game thriller (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The BFG director debuted the footage from his new film at a Comic Con event, showcasing elaborate VR and special effects The first footage from Steven Spielberg’s forthcoming thriller Ready Player One has been released onto the internet. Continue reading...
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Missy Elliott FYF review – technical blips can't ruin a Supa Dupa Fly return (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The rap outlier returned to perform in the US for the first time in a decade and proved she can still deliver - proving her music still sounds like nothing else Ten years after her last performance in the US and 20 years since the release of her album Supa Dupa Fly, Missy Elliott’s performance at FYF festival in Los Angeles proved why she is still peerless. After the avant-garde electronica of Björk (backed by Arca), Elliott’s set was another example of a 90s star whose path has been one of committing to a singular vision without compromise. Unlike Bjork who has continued to perform live and release new music, Elliott’s post-00s output has been limited partly due to her battle with Lupus. Apart from a cameo as part of Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime performance in 2015 and a trickle of singles, Elliott has mostly served as an example of an artist who truly pushes the boundaries of R&B and hip-hop. As the headliner for the first day of FYF fest in Los Angeles, Elliott appeared out of a neon box surrounded by a gaggle of dancers in white outfits with vizors. Beginning with 1999’s She’s A Bitch, she started a rapid fire set that constantly kept moving and felt like an anaerobic workout in places, with Elliott and her dancers demanding crowd participation. There wasn’t much nostalgia paid to her less known hits. Minute Man was rolled into the braggadocious I’m Really Hot, and her Ludacris collaboration Gossip Folks finished off a mini medley. Continue reading...
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Gorgeous Georgia: walking in the Svaneti's mountains (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
New flights from the UK have opened up the country’s unspoilt north west, an area of mighty peaks, flower meadows and fantastic hiking country In June, Wizz Air added Georgia routes to its timetable from Luton – flying not to the capital Tbilisi, but to Kutaisi, in the west, a place I’d never heard of. A gateway for exploring the Svaneti region, home to the mighty Caucasus mountains, it offers a genuinely off-the-beaten-track adventure for Brits (compounded by a 3am arrival time). Accommodation, I had been told, is quite basic, but if the weather is kind, the scenery is superb, utterly unspoilt and great for trekking – and with a fares from £24 one-way for the five-hour flight, a bargain too. Continue reading...
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A new way to love: in praise of polyamory (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Polyamory isn’t monogamy and it isn’t swinging, it’s being open to having loving relationships with different people of different sexes at the same time, and in that way learning to love yourself, too I have never enjoyed typical monogamy. It makes me think of dowries and possessive prairie voles who mate for life, and historically all monogamous relationship models have owned women in some way, with marriage there for financial purposes and the ownership of property. It opens the boundaries between friend and lover in a safe way Continue reading...
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Don’t water plants on sunny days? Three horticultural myths exposed (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Some sage old sayings are based on facts – others are not worth the bother While many age-old gardening practices are now supported by scientific evidence, some of the most common ones have consistently been shown to be either unnecessary or downright counterproductive when put to the test. So simply not bothering with the following three conventional pieces of gardening “wisdom” could save you time and effort, and will almost certainly give you the same or even better results. Old school horts, look away now… Not bothering with three conventional pieces of gardening 'wisdom' could save you time and effort Continue reading...
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How to stand the test of time as an artist | Ryan Holiday (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The most enduring works are made with heartfelt intent, says Ryan Holiday, not to mention a lot of hard work In 1937, literary critic Cyril Connolly sat down to write a book around an unusual question: how does an author create something that lasts for 10 years? Connolly’s view was that the mark of literary greatness lay in standing the test of time. With the spectre of world war looming on the horizon, the idea of anything surviving in an uncertain future had a kind of poignancy and meaning to it. The book that Connolly wrote, Enemies of Promise, explored contemporary literature and the timeless challenges of making great art. While it never became a trendy cultural sensation, this unusual book ultimately endured through wars, political revolutions, fads, massive technological disruption and so much else. It lasted first for a decade – in 1948, 10 years after its release, Enemies of Promise was expanded and given its first reprinting. The book got the same treatment in 2008. Continue reading...
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‘It is ridiculous, but I find it so beautiful’ | A cook’s kitchen (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The happy hoarder chef Peter Gordon likes his pottery piled high and shelves well-stocked with memories I used to come to Broadway Market on Saturdays and think: I’d love to live in Hackney. I moved here six years ago – to possibly the only street in the East End that wasn’t bombed, which happens to look like Coronation Street. I have great neighbours – people who have lived here forever. When I moved in, I ripped out the hugely overgrown garden, and spent 10 weeks doing up the house. The kitchen came three years later. I kept the floor red – I’d fallen in love with the lino of the old kitchen – and, although I’d always steered clear of stainless steel in the home – too much like work – Round House Design suggested it, and it’s been good. Related: ‘I once put my nephew in the dumbwaiter’ | A cook’s kitchen Continue reading...
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It’s time to prune those woody herbs | Alys Fowler (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
Lavender, thyme, rosemary, sage: they all need a trim every now and again There is a lavender at the bottom of my street that has grown so wild it sprawls through the fence; you can see a line along the flowers where passersby can’t help but caress its fragrant blooms. I’m one of them. I like its dishevelled nature, but I’m not sure it would work in a garden. Its bare legs and gaping belly would make it unsightly. Woody herbs such as lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage, as well as the less-woody-but-still-woody-enough oregano and winter savory (Satureja montana) do need pruning. Left to their own devices, they become leggy, with the woody parts bearing few or no fresh shoots. Continue reading...
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My mother’s dinner parties included ‘exotic’ Smash (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
She served ‘coq au vin’ or ‘boeuf bourguignon’, which was either lumps of chicken or lumps of beef with instant mashed potatoes and frozen peas My mother came from that curious, half-liberated generation of women who were educated, but not expected to use their education. Imagine being her, getting so far from a little village in Yorkshire to Cambridge University. Of course she was terrified of being shoved back into the kitchen; most of her female Cambridge contemporaries ended up as housewives. She loved her work and she was brilliant at it: in the middle of the cold war she brought the Americans and Russians together in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She was never going to be the one turning carrot roses in the kitchen while the men folk rearranged the world order. My parents didn’t have friends who just dropped by. For one thing, the family meal would never have stretched to an extra mouth. My mother, the lower mathematician, had a genius for dividing anything into five. Nor was it a household into which we could safely introduce schoolfriends or boyfriends. Nobody wanted the word out that my father, the higher mathematician, ate raw mince sandwiches for tea. Continue reading...
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I’m a control freak and a parent of four adults, who live with me. Something’s got to give … (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
I don’t know where they go, when they’ll be back, or if they’ll even have any hair left when I open the door. And that’s not to mention the tattoos The chaos of having premature twins changed me overnight from laidback dreamer to control freak. Bringing two tiny babies home, I immediately tipped the cats off the breadboard and got out the bleach. I wanted my house ringing with cleanliness. I couldn’t cope with loud noises – I talked in a whisper and turned off the TV. I fell apart if my newly established routine was disrupted. Things had to happen at the right time, and I had to be in charge. I tried getting a live-in au pair, but I couldn’t cope with anyone else looking after my children. I knew it was an extreme reaction to screaming babies and sleepless nights. I thought it would pass. Then I had two more children. It didn’t pass. Now I am living with four young adults. Control isn’t possible. But still I struggle for it. I used to decide how they were dressed and when to cut their hair. Now I never know what I’m going to find tattooed, pierced or shaved on to their person. I come home after shopping to find Zac in the kitchen, and his brother with a pair of electric clippers. Jake has given himself a mohican. Zac is standing in a circle of hair. What remains on his head hardly covers his scalp. I take several deep breaths. I’m not sure what’s worse: the state of the boys’ heads or the state of the floor. At least hair grows, I console myself, as I point them to the vacuum cleaner. Continue reading...
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Your pictures: share your photos on the theme of 'dazzling' (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Wherever you are in the world, this week we’d like to see your pictures on the theme ‘dazzling’ The next theme for our weekly photography assignment in the Observer New Review is ‘dazzling.’ Share your photos of what dazzling means to you – and tell us about your image in the description box. The closing date is Thursday 27 July at 10 am. We’ll publish our favourites in The New Review on Sunday 30 July and in a gallery on the Guardian site. Continue reading...
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Do you think the morning-after pill is too expensive in the UK? (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Boots has been criticised for refusing to reduce the cost of emergency contraception. We want to hear from our readers about this Boots has been criticised for refusing to lower the cost of the morning-after pill for fear it would “incentivising inappropriate use”. It comes after a campaign from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a leading provider of abortion care, prompted Tesco and Superdrug to halve the price of the emergency contraceptive. The chemist Boots, however, did not follow in this move for fears of encouraging over-use. Continue reading...
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Politics Live - readers' edition - Friday 21 July (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Discuss today’s politics and share links to breaking news, and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web 7.41am BST I’m not writing my usual blog today but here, as an alternative, is the Politics Live readers’ edition. It is a place for you to discuss today’s politics, and to share links to breaking news and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web. Feel free to express your views robustly, but please treat others with respect and don’t resort to abuse. Guardian comment pages are supposed to be a haven from the Twitter/social media rant-orama, not an extension of it. Related: Cabinet accepts Brexit transition will mean years of free movement Related: Tories use 'take out the trash' day to dump controversial reports Related: Vince Cable named Lib Dem leader as no other candidate emerges Related: Contaminated blood inquiry runs into trouble as victims boycott consultation Related: Severn crossings tolls to be scrapped next year Nine council by-elections tonight, previewed by @andrewteale:https://t.co/nI1sQWURKi pic.twitter.com/TKpwiIrBnG Labour HOLD Billingham North (Stockton-on-Tees). Billingham North (Stockton): LAB 40.5% (+5.3) CON 38.7% (+19.0) IND 11.0% (+11.0) LD 5.3% (+5.3) NEP 4.5% (+4.5) No UKIP/Oth as prev Conservative HOLD Chiddingly & East Hoathly (Wealden). Ketton (Rutland) result: CON: 68.8% (+12.7) LDEM: 31.2% (+4.2) Conservative HOLD. No UKIP as prev. Whissendine (Rutland) result: IND (I. Arnold): 54.1% (+54.1) CON: 26.0% (-0.8) IND: 11.7% (+11.7) LDEM: 8.2% (-56.9) Ind GAIN from LDem. Labour GAIN Leek East (Staffordshire Moorlands) from Conservative. Leek East (Staffordshire Moorlands) result: LAB: 45.0% (+25.6) CON: 28.9% (+1.1) IND: 19.5% (+19.5) LDEM: 6.6% (+0.7) No UKIP/Oth as prev. Labour GAIN Alston Moor (Eden) from Liberal Democrat. Alston Moor (Eden) result: LAB: 55.8% (+55.8) CON: 34.7% (-10.7) IND: 7.8% (+7.8) GRN: 1.8% (+1.8) Lab GAIN from LDem. No LDem candidate. New Romney (Shepway) result: CON: 35.2% (+6.2) LAB: 32.5% (+21.5) IND: 27.5% (+27.5) LDEM: 4.8% (-3.7) Con HOLD. No UKIP and Grn as prev. St Helier (Merton) result: LAB: 74.1% (+3.1) CON: 15.6% (+1.7) LDEM: 4.8% (+1.9) GRN: 3.0% (+0.3) UKIP: 2.5% (-7.0) [Corrected % chgs] Tonight's council by-election results: Lab: 4 (+2) Con: 3 (-1) Ind: 1 (+1) LDem: 0 (-2) Awaiting St Michaels (Knowsley): Lab defence. pic.twitter.com/wuaE0l6hEp Continue reading...
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Sports quiz of the week: Tour de France, the Open and Roger Federer (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Who is ‘mad’? Who hit an historic hat-trick? And who wants $20,000? • Football quiz: the Premier League’s French connection Mark O'Meara had the honour of hitting the first shot at The Open this year. How did that work out for him? He hit a hole in one He hit a quadruple-bogey eight He pulled a muscle during a practice swing and had to pull out He lost his ball in the rough Chris Froome is well placed to win his third straight Tour de France on Sunday. Who was the last cyclist to win three in a row? (Lance Armstrong doesn't count.) Miguel Indurain Eddy Merckx Greg LeMond Alberto Contador Complete this quote from USA footballer Jozy Altidore: "My girl is mad at me. She’s mad at me and she’s mad at Romero. She’s like ..." "Why are USA not world champions already?" "Why don't you score no more? You're a poor man's Clint Dempsey" "Only I can bite you, only I can grab your nipples" "Why were you so rubbish at Sunderland?" Roger Federer has now played 102 singles matches at Wimbledon – the same number as which other tennis player? Pete Sampras Boris Becker Jimmy Connors Rafa Nadal Who won their 23rd grand slam title at Wimbledon on Sunday? Roger Federer Martina Hingis Venus Williams Ekaterina Makarova Jodie Taylor's three goals against Scotland at Euro 2017 made her the third England player to score a hat-trick for England in a major tournament. Geoff Hurst was the first. Who was the second? Michael Owen Bobby Charlton Gary Lineker Theo Walcott How did Milan's new signing Lucas Biglia respond when asked if he had a message for the club's fans? "They are paying me so, so much" "I'm not worth £15m" "Forza Lazio" "Go Inter" Who demanded $20,000 from Dallas wide receiver Lucky Whitehead this week? His ex-wife, who says she "has to the pay the household staff" His former team-mates, who claim he lost it in a game of cards A rapper who returned his kidnapped dog His parents, who say they "earned it by bringing him up" Kyle Walker became the most expensive English footballer in history when Manchester City paid Tottenham £50m for his services, taking that dubious honour from which player? John Stones Raheem Sterling Andy Carroll Rio Ferdinand Which Women's World Cup final will take place in Surrey on Sunday? Cricket Lacrosse Hockey Basketball Continue reading...
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Readers recommend: share your songs about repression (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 24 July We’re looking for songs where repressed emotions are expressed in tune this week. For more on how readers and our playlist picker are interpreting the theme, keep an eye on the comments. You have until 11pm on Monday 24 July to post your nomination and make your justification. Continue reading...
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'Vince Cable is a building block': Lib Dems on the party's future (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
From optimism to fears the party is at a crossroads, we hear from Liberal Democrat readers as Vince Cable becomes leader Vince Cable is officially the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. He stood unopposed in the leadership election, with no other candidates putting their name forward before nominations closed at 4pm on Thursday. Related: Vince Cable named Lib Dem leader as no other candidate emerges Continue reading...
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BBC pay disclosure raises broader questions on inequality | Letters (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
Readers respond to this week’s revelations about salaries paid to the broadcaster’s staff and the gap between the amounts paid to men and women Among the furore arising from the publication of top BBC salaries, it has been suggested that, as a result of the gender pay gap reporting regulations, all companies and organisations employing more than 250 people will face similar issues from April 2018 (Ending the silence, G2, 20 July). Regrettably, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only do the regulations not require the publication of the salary of named persons, they don’t require the publication of the salary of a single human being. Nor will they require disclosure of pay by job, nor by grade, nor pay band. Continue reading...
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Tell us how the Brexit negotiations affect you (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
If you’re a British citizen in an EU country or an EU citizen in Britain, we want to know what impact the Brexit process is having on your life Divisions between the EU and UK positions on Brexit have emerged as three and a half days of intense talks in Brussels come to an end. Related: Britons living in Europe could lose right to live in another EU country Continue reading...
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From rent rises to luxury flats: share your experiences of student housing (jeu., 20 juil. 2017)
Amid news of rent protests and students suing a university over mouldy flats, we want to hear from our readers about the reality of renting Student housing has received a lot of media attention lately. There have been protests against rent rises, reports on the rise of luxury student housing and more recently news that students are preparing to take legal action against a top university for offering them mouldy and mice-infested flats. But what is the reality of modern student renter? We want to hear from our readers about the changes to the marketplace. Are you worried about rent rises? Are students being forced to live in poor-quality accommodation? How has it affected your time as a student? Have you rented one of the new luxury student housing offerings? What do you think? Share your stories with us. Continue reading...
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Not the Booker prize 2017 needs your nominations now (lun., 17 juil. 2017)
The literary award decided by readers is back for another year of compelling contention. Please use your vote in the comments below The Not the Booker prize is back and it’s nine years old – old enough now that I really should stop expressing surprise at its continuing development. If it were a child, it would be safely past the stage of sighing heavily when I remark how much it’s grown. It would simply roll its eyes and walk off. And we don’t want that, because the award remains a source of fascination, intrigue and – best of all – unexpected and wonderful novels. This year’s search starts right here. You can nominate any book eligible for for this year’s Man Booker prize – that is to say basically any novel originally written in English, by a writer of any nationality, published in the UK between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2017. (As with the Man Booker, US authors are now allowed). All you have to do is post a comment naming the book and author (and publisher too, if you want to be really helpful) below the line. Continue reading...
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What is your favourite Guardian article of 2017 so far? (mar., 18 juil. 2017)
We want to hear what you would like Gary Younge to include in this year’s Bedside Guardian, an end-of-year compendium of the best we’ve published Every year, around Christmas time, the Guardian publishes a book of its best articles of the year – the Bedside Guardian.
It’s a mix of domestic, foreign, light, serious, news-oriented and feature pieces that spans from October 2016 to October 2017. This year I’m editing it and the selection process wouldn’t be complete without finding out what you, the readers, think are the best pieces of the year and why. Continue reading...
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When did charming become cranky? Why a middle-aged Morrissey is so hard to love (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
As a new biopic England is Mine charts the Smiths singer’s early life, fans speak of their disillusion at his increasingly outspoken views Like countless musicians, managers and record labels before them, the makers of the new movie England Is Mine have discovered that nothing is easy where Morrissey is involved. The unauthorised biopic follows ambitious young Steven Patrick Morrissey up to the point, in 1982, when he met guitarist Johnny Marr and formed the Smiths, the most fiercely beloved British band of their generation. The title comes from one of Morrissey’s many indelible lyrics: “England is mine and it owes me a living.” On 23 May, however, Morrissey published a dog-whistling Facebook post about the terrorist attack in Manchester which criticised Sadiq Khan, immigration and political correctness: “In modern Britain everyone seems petrified to officially say what we all say in private.” Many fans were dismayed, not for the first time. Now a film that purports to show the birth of a star risks looking like the story of the apprenticeship of a resentful crank. Continue reading...
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Bryan Cranston: ‘Interesting actors come from challenging backgrounds’ (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The Breaking Bad actor, 61, on loading trucks, loading dishwashers and riding motorbikes across the USA I had a dichotomous childhood. The first eight years felt very normal. I had a mother, a father, a brother and a sister. Then things started to disintegrate. My father left home and my mother started drinking. It fractured and dissolved, and I became an introverted kid, always wondering when the next rug would be pulled from under me. Figuring out where I was going to stay each day gave me confidence Continue reading...
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La La Land meets Isle of Wight in Minghella Jr’s debut as a director (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Max Minghella follows in father Anthony’s footsteps as a screenwriter and director The late Anthony Minghella was one of Britain’s most admired film-makers, winning nine Oscars for The English Patient, the war drama he wrote and directed, inspired by Michael Ondaatje’s novel. A decade after his death, his son is following in his footsteps as a writer and director, working with the producer of La La Land, the musical that won six Oscars this year. Actor Max Minghella is making his directorial debut with a British feature film set on the Isle of Wight, where his father’s family ran an ice-cream business. The new film, Teen Spirit, is a coming-of-age drama about a shy girl who has dreams of becoming a pop star and enters an international music competition. Continue reading...
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Ian McMillan: ‘Barnsley is culturally very interesting’ (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
The ‘bard of Barnsley’ on his new libretto for Ice-Cream: The Opera – and living in the village where he grew up Ian McMillan, nicknamed the bard of Barnsley, is a poet, writer, playwright and saviour of dialect, especially that of his native south Yorkshire. He is best known as presenter of The Verb on Radio 3. His first job, in the 1970s, was on a buff and dip machine, sticking together tennis balls. He has been poet in residence at Barnsley Football Club, Humberside Police and English National Opera. He has written the text for Ice Cream: The Opera, receiving its world premiere at Bradford festival on Sunday 30 July. You’ve said this opera is so hot it’ll melt your heart. How so? Because it’s the first opera ever set on two separate ice-cream vans. It’s about warring ice-cream families. It’s a kind of Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story. Without giving any spoilers, I’ll bet it all works out all right in the end. The composer is Russell Sarre, an Australian who lives in America. It was all done by email – I’d send him words at a sensible time in Barnsley and he’d get them at a not sensible time in the States. It’s a challenge not being in the same room, or even the same continent. Continue reading...
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Christopher Nolan: from superheroes to Dunkirk’s small tales of heroism | the Observer profile (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
His bold experimental films and blockbuster franchises have met with huge commercial success. Now the director reveals new depths of warmth and humanity with his potent war movie When initial details emerged about the new film Dunkirk, attention focused disproportionately on the news of the acting debut of Harry Styles, of One Direction fame. Creditable as the pop star’s performance may be, he isn’t the main reason for the excitement now surrounding the movie. That’s all due to Christopher Nolan, who already has a place on the distinguished roll-call of celebrity film-makers, alongside Cecil B DeMille, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg and James Cameron. Or, for that matter, his friend Quentin Tarantino, who has spoken of Nolan’s “old film-making craft”, arguing that he would be “just as potent a film-maker as he is if he was making movies in 1975. Or, if he was making movies in 1965. I’d like to see Chris Nolan’s version of The Battle of Bulge [sic]. That would be fucking awesome.” Continue reading...
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Ben Affleck says he will be The Batman despite report he would relinquish role (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Justice League star will not direct forthcoming standalone Batman movie DC Extended Universe panel trails new film and first Aquaman footage Ben Affleck has dismissed rumors that he will hang up his cape before the next Batman film, for which he recently ceded directing responsibilities. Related: Ready Player One: first trailer for Steven Spielberg's virtual reality game thriller Continue reading...
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The night I drove George Melly home from the Cricklewood Tavern (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
It’s the early 1970s, and a young jazz fan is called upon to rescue ‘Good Time George’ after a typically flamboyant pub performance In the early 1970s when I was in my 20s, I was sharing a flat in Hampstead, northwest London, with a like-minded group of jazz enthusiasts. I had just had my first and only novel published and was also pursuing a fledgling career in advertising photography. George immediately lit a huge cigar, which rendered visibility inside my old Volvo to almost zero Continue reading...
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The Observer view on Jane Austen’s immortality | Observer editorial (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Two centuries after her death, her influence is still felt Jane Austen, who died 200 years ago last Tuesday, has been enjoying an impressively vigorous afterlife. First, as an icon of her gender, there has been her controversial debut on the new £10 note, an appearance that sent some indignant Jane-ites into a tizzy about her image. “Airbrushed”, they cried; “inauthentic”, they snorted. Continue reading...
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Tour de France 2017 – in pictures (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
As this year’s Tour reaches its climax after 20 stages of racing, we bring you some of our favourite images from three weeks of two-wheel action Continue reading...
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Full bloom: summer florals – in pictures (dim., 23 juil. 2017)
Immerse yourself in bold florals. This summer’s 1970s-inspired vibe is tinged with bright orange, rich brown and kooky flower prints Continue reading...
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The 20 photographs of the week (sam., 22 juil. 2017)
The earthquake on the Greek island of Kos, clashes in Jerusalem, wildfires in California, the Tour de France and protests in Caracas – the news of the week captured by the world’s best photojournalists Continue reading...
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Allez allez! Le Tour de France - a photo essay (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Guardian photographer Alicia Canter donned a polka dot jersey and headed to Le Puy-en-Velay to watch the cycling’s most famous race storm into the mountains On Sunday the Tour’s 15th stage ran from Laissac-Sévérac l’Église to Le Puy-en-Velay, the Haute-Loire town famous for its lentils and lace-making. Based in Puy, Alicia was able to photograph the final category 1 climb of Col de Peyra Taillade while soaking up the atmosphere of the town. Continue reading...
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Best photos of the day: leopard's lunch and a Colombian parade (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of photo highlights from around the world, including sunbathing sea lions and a cocaine bust Continue reading...
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Joy of sticks: 10 greatest video game controllers (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
From Atari’s CX joystick to the Oculus Touch, here are our favourites Continue reading...
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The week in wildlife – in pictures (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
A pod of pilot whales, nesting storks and a clan of hyenas are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...
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‘We lived in an area known as the slums’: life in 1960s Manchester (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Bridget Cunniffe recalls growing up in a community photographed by Shirley Baker I was five when this picture was taken. I’m the girl lying on the ground. The two girls in the light blue dresses are my sisters Kate and Mary, who are twins; my oldest sister Sarah is having her hair combed by her friend Marie. We were generally known as the redheaded Murray sisters. My mum is wearing a flowery dress, and talking to our neighbour, Mrs Bowers. I think it must have been a Sunday, because we’ve all got our nice dresses on. The saucer on the floor would have had ice-cream on it. My mum used to buy a bowl from the van and share it out. We lived in an area of Manchester known as the slums, but we weren’t really aware of that as children. We were always clean and tidy, and we had plenty to eat. We didn’t feel as though we were missing out. And we had such freedom. There were a lot of half-demolished houses around, and we used to play in them. We’d make swings and hang them off the lamp-posts. Continue reading...
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Magnum's masterclass – in pictures (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Indian wrestlers grappled with futuristic pool players to scoop the top prizes at the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture photography awards Continue reading...
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Travel photo of the week: barbecue like it's your own backyard (ven., 21 juil. 2017)
Friends grill and chill at the Yport cliffs in this image from Simon Roberts’ series capturing the landscapes of Normandy Continue reading...
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