Police have moved in to begin arresting climate activists blocking Waterloo Bridge in central London. Hundreds of people had occupied the crossing – and three other sites in central London since Monday morning. Overnight officers tried to clear the bridge, arresting 113 people, but the blockade remained in place. However, just after 12.30pm on Tuesday…
I’m a teacher and I live in the back of a van
If I’d thought, 10 years into teaching, I’d be camping in the back of a van during the week, parking up under darkened coastal coverts, surviving on my wits at the front of class by day and my wife’s tasty pack-ups by night, would I have taken the plunge? I have two sleeping bags (four-season),…
Canada: police hunt fake deliveryman who shot woman with crossbow
Police in Canada are hunting a suspected hitman who they say disguised himself as a delivery person to carry out a “premeditated, targeted and isolated attack” on a woman, gravely injuring her with a crossbow. Details of a brazen murder attempt were released to the public Monday morning by police in Mississauga, Ontario. The attack…
Madame X: Madonna’s new alter-ego is both anonymous and well-trodden
Madonna announced the name of her new album today – along with a new alter-ego: both are called Madame X. In a minute-long video teasing the record, Madonna fleshes out her character. If you feel like you’re struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance, spare a thought for the Madame who is apparently “a secret…
How capitalism captured the mindfulness industry
On the internet is an image of Ronald McDonald, the McDonald’s hamburger icon, seated in a lotus position. Some Thai Buddhists see this in literal terms as disrespectful to the Buddha; others are rightly critical of the colonialist and harmful cultural appropriation of Buddhism by the west and the lack of regard for Asian Buddhism…
‘Dirt and filth’: Russia attacks film about Red Army in Afghanistan
A row has broken out in Russia over a film about the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, after politicians and former servicemen criticised its unflattering depiction of Red Army soldiers as unpatriotic. Leaving Afghanistan, directed by Pavel Lungin, is based on the experiences of Nikolay Kovalyov, a veteran of the Afghan war who went on…
Bibi Andersson obituary
It is often the fate of any actor who worked regularly for the illustrious Swedish director Ingmar Bergman to be celebrated, above all, for that association. Among this elite ensemble, Bibi Andersson, who has died aged 83, appeared in 10 features and three television films by Bergman, which included such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal…
Russian court jails Norwegian for 14 years on spying charges
A Russian court has jailed a Norwegian man for 14 years after finding him guilty of spying on nuclear submarines, a verdict that could strain ties between Moscow and its Nato-member neighbour. Frode Berg, 63, a retired former guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, was detained in Moscow in December 2017 and tried behind closed doors…
Captain chaos: Trump advises Boeing, despite swift failure of own airline
“What do I know about branding[?]” Donald Trump mused on Twitter, early on Monday morning. “Maybe nothing […] but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name.” Quite aside from the scant regard shown by the president for the…
Gene Wolfe, ‘magnificent’ giant of science fiction, dies aged 87
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…