Damsels in Distress – review
During the golden days of Hollywood’s big studio system, directors such as Michael Curtiz and John Ford made three or four films a year, hoping that perhaps...
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Chen Guangcheng: how China tried to lock down a blind man
The campaign to keep Chen Guangcheng locked away from the world — defeated at least temporarily by his escape — has been as remarkable in its pettiness as it...
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Terry Spinks, Melbourne Olympic boxing champion, dies at the age of 74
Terry Spinks, the youngest Briton to win an Olympic boxing gold medal, has died at his home in Essex following a long illness. He was 74. Spinks won flyweight gold...
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Boost for Nick Clegg as majority of voters favour House of Lords reform
A majority of voters favour reform of the House of Lords, according to a poll that will boost the position of Nick Clegg who is fighting a growing Tory campaign...
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Girls live chat: season one, episode three
Every episode of HBO’s Girls so far has featured an awkward (read: raw, honest, refreshing) sex scene. First, there was Hannah with her hands around her ankles...
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A law and a courtroom, but who will be judge on Jeremy Hunt?
David Cameron and a hapless Jeremy Hunt are groundhogs on the edge of Whitehall’s most perilous precipice, attempting to answer an impossible question. If...
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Outside Bet – review
Outside Bet Production year: 2012 Country: UK Cert (UK): 12A Runtime: 101 mins Directors: Sacha Bennett Cast: Adam Deacon, Bob Hoskins, Jenny Agutter, Phil Davis,...
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Italys Ferrari of the railways gets off to a flying start
Could this sleek, red railway equivalent of a Ferrari one day cut a blurry dash through the Chilterns? If Britain has struggled to sell the idea of high-speed rail...
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Buck: the real-life horse whisperer
Buck Brannaman is aware he has enormous hands. But as befits the “Zen master of the horse world”, he’s pretty modest about them. “Perhaps...
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Ramblers line up for the 80th anniversary of their greatest ever trespass
It’s time to dubbin your boots and have a good gargle in readiness for next week’s anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout. This is becoming...
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James Dawson shortlisted for Queen of Teen crown
Book prizes are the dream of all authors but debut novelist James Dawson didn’t expect his first ever shortlisting to be for the “most glitzy and glamorous”...
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Nestle beats Danone to Pfizers baby food business
Swiss food giant Nestle has won a takeover battle for Pfizer’s baby food business, beating its French rival Danone with an agreed offer worth $11.85bn (?7.35bn). In...
continue reading »World
Chen Guangcheng: how China tried to lock down a blind man
The campaign to keep Chen Guangcheng locked away from the world — defeated at least temporarily by his escape — has been as remarkable in its pettiness as it...
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Trinidad to abolish legal appeals to UK
Trinidad and Tobago plans to stop sending appeals in criminal cases to Britain’s privy council,...
Ageing Australia turns its back on the answer to its problems
Not many people would support a 10-year-old being put in prison without ever having committed a crime....
Arrest fears over Chinese activist who helped Chen Guangcheng escape
A Chinese activist who helped “barefoot lawyer” Chen Guangcheng escape his lengthy house...
Taylor verdict absorbed by a region that can forget, but not forgive
Twenty-odd miles from Sierra Leone’s seaside capital of Freetown, the tiny hamlet of Grafton...
Khalil Dale: tributes paid to British aid worker murdered in Pakistan
Tributes have been paid to a British aid worker whose body was found dumped in an orchard in Pakistan....
Travel
Tito Vilanova: from the shadows to Barcelonas next great hope
As Barcelona supporters take in the news of Pep Guardiola’s impending departure as the club’s manager it may not do much to sooth their despair that...
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Shaun Lunts try secures hard-earned victory for Leeds at Salford
Leeds stayed on course for a third consecutive Wembley appearance, but only after receiving a real fright...
Tidal Bay beats a path to impressive victory at Gold Cup at Sandown
Paul Nicholls crowned a seventh consecutive jump trainers’ championship as the frustrating Tidal...
Uefa should pardon banned Chelsea and Bayern players, says union
The international players’ union have issued a plea for clemency by Uefa for six Chelsea and Bayern...
Tour of Britain route is the longest in its history
Tour of Britain organisers hope a summer of success for British cycling continues into the autumn after...
Harry Redknapp admits doubts over Luka Modrics future at Tottenham
The Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, has admitted that Luka Modric may quit the club this summer. Tottenham...
Sport
Terry Spinks, Melbourne Olympic boxing champion, dies at the age of 74
Terry Spinks, the youngest Briton to win an Olympic boxing gold medal, has died at his home in Essex following a long illness. He was 74. Spinks won flyweight gold...
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Alex King is not short-term answer, says Stuart Lancaster
Stuart Lancaster said last night that he hopes to announce changes to his coaching team after the weekend...
Everton benefiting from Nikica Jelavic fear factor, says Leon Osman
Leon Osman believes Nikica Jelavic has given Everton a fear factor from which the rest of the team are...
Local hero Jay Spearing takes long and grinding road to graduation
It is a common misconception that modern footballers have no back story, that academies and youth schemes...
Arsene Wenger admits need to buy strike partner for Robin van Persie
Arsenal inched closer to the financial imperative of Champions League qualification with a point in...
Uefa should pardon banned Chelsea and Bayern players, says union
The international players’ union have issued a plea for clemency by Uefa for six Chelsea and Bayern...
Politics
Boost for Nick Clegg as majority of voters favour House of Lords reform
A majority of voters favour reform of the House of Lords, according to a poll that will boost the position of Nick Clegg who is fighting a growing Tory campaign...
continue reading »More in Politics
A law and a courtroom, but who will be judge on Jeremy Hunt?
David Cameron and a hapless Jeremy Hunt are groundhogs on the edge of Whitehall’s most perilous...
Local elections vs coping with the cuts
As the mission continues I am beginning to feel an affinity with Jehovah’s Witnesses. True, I...
From the archive, 30 April 1912: The Republican party and coloured gentlemen
No class of American citizens gets more fun or more passing importance out of a presidential election...
Alex Salmond offered to help BSkyB bid and asked for support from Sun
The email traffic of James Murdoch’s lobbyist Frederic Michel describes Alex Salmond’s...
Conservatives turn three-point opinion poll lead into eight-point deficit
Support for the Conservative party has plunged since the budget according to the findings of a new...
Lifeandstyle
In the company of women
How much should a man know about his family? I don’t mean in a deep psychological sense, but in grasping the inconsequential minutiae of everyday...
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Gove investigates Catholic school petition on gay marriage
The education secretary, Michael Gove, is to examine claims that rules were breached when Catholic schools...
Crossword blog: Meet the Setter – Puck
Puck has been setting for the Guardian since 2006 – not a long time in crossword years, but he...
First there was Justin Biebers snake; now theres Jerry
Another win for late-stage capitalism, finally, with news that the pet name for Justin Bieber’s...
George: the private club where Murdoch and Cameron courted
New Labour had Granita, the now defunct Italian restaurant in Islington where Tony Blair and Gordon...
Nigel Slaters pigeon casserole and banana trifle recipes
I generally remove a pigeon’s breasts with a small, sharp knife and grill or shallow fry them,...
Fashion
Choose charity shops, for a dainty fashion footprint
Charity shops are where you go to patch up the worn spot on your conscience from fashion overindulgence. Donation is supposed to be beneficial all round: you can...
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Madonnas perfumer suggests the popstar remains a hard to woman to please
“Madonna has no patience for stupid people,” said expert perfumer Stephen Nilsen, at the...
How the pyjama look became an unlikely hit trend
It’s lucky that the good folk at Paddy Power restrict their odds-laying to basic sartorial stuff...
Can fashion reclaim feminism? Jane Shepherdson of Whistles thinks so
In twelve years as a fashion editor, I’ve been to dinners announcing the birth of a handbag, I’ve...
Sali Hughes: nail treatments
Getting into nail painting, filing and polish removal (usually DIY, occasionally salon) in my 30s...
Karen Millen faces battle with her own brand
The battle for the Karen Millen name is hotting up. Millen the woman says she is embarrassed by the...
Environment
Ramblers line up for the 80th anniversary of their greatest ever trespass
It’s time to dubbin your boots and have a good gargle in readiness for next week’s anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout. This is becoming...
continue reading »More in Environment
Flood warnings hit south of England
Flood warnings are spreading across drought-stricken areas in the south of England as Atlantic weather...
UK to give ?60m to developing countries to build CCS plants
The UK will provide ?60m to developing countries to build carbon capture and storage (CCS) plants under...
Windfarms can increase night time temperatures, research reveals
Large windfarms can increase local night time temperatures by fanning warmer air onto the ground, new...
David Cameron downgrading of keynote green speech to remarks is an utter betrayal
When you are in an omnishambles, stop shambling. Yet prime minister David Cameron has at the last minute...
Michael Portillo not backing Boris Johnson for London mayor
Michael Portillo, the former Tory cabinet minister, has said he will not back Conservative candidate...
Culture
Damsels in Distress – review
During the golden days of Hollywood’s big studio system, directors such as Michael Curtiz and John Ford made three or four films a year, hoping that perhaps...
continue reading »More in Culture
Girls live chat: season one, episode three
Every episode of HBO’s Girls so far has featured an awkward (read: raw, honest, refreshing) sex...
Outside Bet – review
Outside Bet Production year: 2012 Country: UK Cert (UK): 12A Runtime: 101 mins Directors: Sacha Bennett Cast:...
Buck: the real-life horse whisperer
Buck Brannaman is aware he has enormous hands. But as befits the “Zen master of the horse world”,...
James Dawson shortlisted for Queen of Teen crown
Book prizes are the dream of all authors but debut novelist James Dawson didn’t expect his first...
Leonardos anatomy, Picassos etchings and spiders penises – the week in art
Exhibition of the week: Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist A human foetus nestles in a womb that is like the...
Business
Italys Ferrari of the railways gets off to a flying start
Could this sleek, red railway equivalent of a Ferrari one day cut a blurry dash through the Chilterns? If Britain has struggled to sell the idea of high-speed rail...
continue reading »More in Business
Nestle beats Danone to Pfizers baby food business
Swiss food giant Nestle has won a takeover battle for Pfizer’s baby food business, beating its...
UK government meets borrowing target for financial year
The British government borrowed more than expected last month, but still managed to meet its target...
Big Data age puts privacy in question as information becomes currency
This month, the US chain Walmart bought the startup Social Calendar, one of the most popular calendar...
Alex Salmond admits he planned to lobby Jeremy Hunt over BSkyB
Alex Salmond has admitted he planned to lobby Jeremy Hunt to back Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of...
Barclays investors vent anger over boardroom pay
Shareholders have demonstrated their mounting anger over runaway boardroom pay, delivering a huge protest...
Damsels in Distress – review
During the golden days of Hollywood’s big studio system, directors such as Michael Curtiz and John Ford made three or four films a year, hoping that perhaps every couple of years a Stagecoach or a Casablanca would survive. Over the past 40-odd years, however, few …
Chen Guangcheng: how China tried to lock down a blind man
The campaign to keep Chen Guangcheng locked away from the world — defeated at least temporarily by his escape — has been as remarkable in its pettiness as it has been comprehensive in scope. A massive security operation has swamped the small village of Dongshigu. …
Terry Spinks, Melbourne Olympic boxing champion, dies at the age of 74
Terry Spinks, the youngest Briton to win an Olympic boxing gold medal, has died at his home in Essex following a long illness. He was 74. Spinks won flyweight gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics aged only 18, defeating Romania’s Mircea Dobrescu in the final. …
Boost for Nick Clegg as majority of voters favour House of Lords reform
A majority of voters favour reform of the House of Lords, according to a poll that will boost the position of Nick Clegg who is fighting a growing Tory campaign to maintain the status quo at Westminster. As a joint parliamentary committee unveils its plans …
Girls live chat: season one, episode three
Every episode of HBO’s Girls so far has featured an awkward (read: raw, honest, refreshing) sex scene. First, there was Hannah with her hands around her ankles being asked to play “the quiet game”. Then came Marnie (no pun intended), cringing while Charlie attempts to …
A law and a courtroom, but who will be judge on Jeremy Hunt?
David Cameron and a hapless Jeremy Hunt are groundhogs on the edge of Whitehall’s most perilous precipice, attempting to answer an impossible question. If Mr Cameron has “full confidence” in his culture secretary, then who is to judge if Hunt goes or stays? Surely not …
Outside Bet – review
Outside Bet Production year: 2012 Country: UK Cert (UK): 12A Runtime: 101 mins Directors: Sacha Bennett Cast: Adam Deacon, Bob Hoskins, Jenny Agutter, Phil Davis, Vincent Regan More on this film In this big-hearted, low-budget British movie a gallery of familiar actors play a group …
Italys Ferrari of the railways gets off to a flying start
Could this sleek, red railway equivalent of a Ferrari one day cut a blurry dash through the Chilterns? If Britain has struggled to sell the idea of high-speed rail to a sceptical public, the government might like to turn to Italy for inspiration. From Saturday, …
Buck: the real-life horse whisperer
Buck Brannaman is aware he has enormous hands. But as befits the “Zen master of the horse world”, he’s pretty modest about them. “Perhaps it’s just that people in Britain don’t have very big hands,” says the wrangler who has been tossed off just about …
Ramblers line up for the 80th anniversary of their greatest ever trespass
It’s time to dubbin your boots and have a good gargle in readiness for next week’s anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout. This is becoming one of the year’s great fixtures for northern walkers, and many from the UK more widely. The great …
James Dawson shortlisted for Queen of Teen crown
Book prizes are the dream of all authors but debut novelist James Dawson didn’t expect his first ever shortlisting to be for the “most glitzy and glamorous” – and pinkest – award out there: the Queen of Teen. Given to “the feistiest, frothiest and most …
Nestle beats Danone to Pfizers baby food business
Swiss food giant Nestle has won a takeover battle for Pfizer’s baby food business, beating its French rival Danone with an agreed offer worth $11.85bn (?7.35bn). In the battle to dominate the lucrative baby food market, Nestle is to acquire brands such as S-26 Gold, …
UK government meets borrowing target for financial year
The British government borrowed more than expected last month, but still managed to meet its target for the financial year. City economists said the high March shortfall highlighted the pressure on the chancellor to stick to his austerity measures, especially as the credit rating agencies …
Trinidad to abolish legal appeals to UK
Trinidad and Tobago plans to stop sending appeals in criminal cases to Britain’s privy council, a move that could make it easier for death sentences to be carried out in the Caribbean country. The prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said the government would submit legislation to …
Alex King is not short-term answer, says Stuart Lancaster
Stuart Lancaster said last night that he hopes to announce changes to his coaching team after the weekend ahead of England’s tour to South Africa this summer. The head coach, who met New Zealand’s Wayne Smith last week, confirmed that Smith would not be available …
In the company of women
How much should a man know about his family? I don’t mean in a deep psychological sense, but in grasping the inconsequential minutiae of everyday life. Such a grasp, I have been made forcibly to understand, symbolises intimacy and caring. Thus my wife is irritated when I can’t …
Leonardos anatomy, Picassos etchings and spiders penises – the week in art
Exhibition of the week: Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist A human foetus nestles in a womb that is like the opened skin of a horsechestnut. Drawn with exquisite tenderness and humanity, this homunculus expresses the wonder and fragility of who we are. I find it more …
Gove investigates Catholic school petition on gay marriage
The education secretary, Michael Gove, is to examine claims that rules were breached when Catholic schools were asked to encourage their pupils to sign a national petition against gay marriage. The Catholic Education Service (CES) wrote to nearly 400 British secondary schools to encourage support for …
Big Data age puts privacy in question as information becomes currency
This month, the US chain Walmart bought the startup Social Calendar, one of the most popular calendar apps on Facebook, which lets users record special events, birthdays and anniversaries. More than 15 million registered users have posted over 110m personal notifications, and users receive email …
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