Month: May 2019

Late summer, 2005. A hot evening. All the windows are open and I’m watching a film in the living room with my fiancee. When the film finishes, I go through to the bedroom. Nothing looks quite right. Books that had been lined up on the windowsill are piled on the floor and on a chair….

James Comey, the former director of the FBI, has said that the Mueller report contains sufficient evidence that Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice that he would have been charged, were he not president. Comey is the latest in a growing list of former federal prosecutors and senior judicial figures who have said that the…

I have had an invitation to my niece’s wedding that includes a note saying she hopes my partner and I will attend so she can “start to get to know her only uncle”. She is 27 and my brother’s eldest child, but I have seen her only twice. My brother cut contact after I came…

In his bridge-club cords and grandpa shoes, 80-year-old Yvon Chouinard doesn’t look the rock-star entrepreneur. And, when he speaks, he doesn’t sound much like one either. The founder of US outdoor apparel brand Patagonia believes stock market valuations are “absurd”, investing in shares is “buying blue sky” – and modern-day capitalism is destroying the planet….

In his bridge-club cords and grandpa shoes, 80-year-old Yvon Chouinard doesn’t look the rock-star entrepreneur. And, when he speaks, he doesn’t sound much like one either. The founder of US outdoor apparel brand Patagonia believes stock market valuations are “absurd”, investing in shares is “buying blue sky” – and modern-day capitalism is destroying the planet….

President Cyril Ramaphosa saved the African National Congress (ANC) from a crushing defeat in this week’s general election, senior officials in South Africa’s ruling party have said. With 80% of the ballots cast counted by noon local time (1100 GMT) on Friday, the ANC was on course to retain its majority with a 57% share…

The fiancee of the first victim of the London Bridge terror attacks tried to get him to turn back just before they got on to the bridge because she had experienced premonitions of such an atrocity, an inquest heard. In an emotional testimony, Christine Delcros said she felt uneasy as she walked with Xavier Thomas…

Firefighters who battled the Notre Dame cathedral inferno as well as neighbouring residents and those who watched the fire from the streets should be tested for exposure to toxic materials, campaign groups have said. Experts consulted by the environmental group Robin des Bois have warned that the flames that destroyed the roof and spire of…

French commandos have rescued four western hostages who had been seized by a militant group in Burkina Faso, in a “complex” operation in which two French special forces soldiers were killed, authorities in Paris said. The elite troops freed two French tourists – Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who disappeared on 1 May while on…

Cannes kicks off next week, and with it the start of an awards conversation that looks likely to stretch until the 2020 Oscars. Judy, a new biopic of the singer Judy Garland is not officially screening on the Croisette, but timing of a first teaser trailer suggests its producers hope it to pick up buzz…