Gene Wolfe, a towering figure in science fiction whose magnum opus The Book of the New Sun was hailed as a masterpiece by Ursula K Le Guin, has died at the age of 87. Wolfe’s publisher Tor, when announcing the news on Monday, described him as a “beloved icon”. “He leaves behind an impressive body…
Category: News
Trump investigations and gun coverage shine in 2019 Pulitzer Prizes
The 2019 Pulitzer Prizes, rewarding journalism and cultural excellence, were handed out on Monday, with a special emphasis going to investigations involving Donald Trump and reporting on gun safety issues in the aftermath of mass shootings. A rare, posthumous citation was made to Aretha Franklin “for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for…
Alberta election is key test for Rachel Notley and Canada’s carbon tax
When Canada’s leftwing New Democratic party launched a manifesto promising carbon taxes, coal plant closures and welfare spending in the heartland of country’s oil industry, few thought they could win. But in 2015, the party ended 40 years of conservative rule in the province of Alberta with an unexpected victory that seemed to mark a…
Ian McEwan: ‘Who’s going to write the algorithm for the little white lie?’
There is a scene toward the end of Ian McEwan’s new novel, Machines Like Me, when the narrator, Charlie, is pushing his lifelike prototype robot, Adam, in a wheelchair through a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. The demonstrators are protesting about everything under the sun – “poverty, unemployment, housing, healthcare, education, crime, race, gender, climate, opportunity”….
Indonesia: 193m people, 17,000 islands, one big election. Here’s what you need to know
World’s most complex one-day elections Indonesia, a nation made up of 17,000 islands, will hold the biggest, most complex one-day elections in the world on 17 April. The elections in India are bigger in number but are held over a comparatively relaxed period of six weeks. A total of 192.8 million Indonesians are registered to…
Tornadoes and flooding in southern US kill at least six, including three children
Powerful storms swept across the southern US on Sunday, after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least six people, including three children, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town. Nearly 90,000 customers were without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia as of midday Sunday. Two children were killed on…
I love ogling women and looking at porn. Am I addicted?
I want to find out if I’m addicted to women. I used to spend up to one and a half hours a day looking for women in underwear on Instagram, and looking for video on pornography websites so I could stimulate myself. I would do this every day; is that normal male behaviour or the…
Trump fixed on sanctuary city idea amid opposition and doubts over legality
Donald Trump appears determined to send migrants arrested at the southern border to “sanctuary cities” around the US, a scheme meant to exact revenge on his Democratic foes, despite fierce political opposition and doubts over the legality of such a move. On Saturday night, to widespread consternation, the president tweeted that it was: “Just out:…
Sisi could rule Egypt until 2030 under constitutional changes
Egypt’s parliament is to vote on a bill of sweeping constitutional changes this week that would increase President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s power and allow him to rule until 2030. MPs are expected to overwhelmingly confirm the bill on Tuesday, triggering a referendum. The proposed reforms, which were moved swiftly through committee hearings and parliamentary debates,…
Finland’s SDP tries to build coalition after narrow election win
Click:cnc machining center Finland’s Social Democrats will try to form a coalition government after a narrow win in parliamentary elections that saw left-leaning parties make sweeping gains, despite a stronger than expected showing from the far right. The centre-left SDP, led by Antti Rinne, a 56-year-old former trade union leader, will have 40 MPs in…