Barry Lyndon at 50: why Kubrick’s most overlooked masterpiece deserves another viewing: Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, struggled at the box office when it was released. It remains one of the director’s most under-appreciated films. Unlike 2001: A Space Odyssey or The Shining, which have been endlessly dissected in …
Stingray sand ‘sculpture’ on South Africa’s coast may be oldest example of humans creating an image of another creature: South Africa’s Cape south coast offers many hints about how our human ancestors lived some 35,000 to 400,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. These clues are captured in the dunes they once traversed, today cemented …
The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights: The Gambia’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults. This potential reversal has thrust the country into …
How to survive being a guest at another family’s Christmas: Rawpixels/Shutterstock Welcome to the holidays, a time for families coming together. It’s exciting to visit your partner’s family and experience new relationships and rituals – it’s also potentially mortifying. Holidays are a crucible for surfacing relational histories – and conflicts – as well as highlighting …
Alexei Navalny disappears from jail – another in the long line of Russian dissidents to fall foul of Vladimir Putin: There is growing concern about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny who is reported to have disappeared from the Russian prison colony in which he has been serving a lengthy sentence. Lawyers for the 47-year-old dissident …
As another lobbying scandal erupts in the Conservative party, are tougher rules finally on the horizon?: Conservative MP Scott Benton has become the latest British politician to face suspension for breaking lobbying rules in what is becoming a regular cycle of scandals. Parliament’s committee on standards has recommended a 35-day suspension for Benton after he …
Serbian election: another win for the Serbian Progressive Party will threaten peace in Europe: The outcome of Serbia’s parliamentary elections on December 17 will have profound implications for peace in Europe. Though somewhat obscured by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more recently the crisis in Gaza, tensions in the Balkans have risen sharply in …
Ukraine war: Russia’s hard line at European security meeting ratchets up tensions another notch: After many months of diplomatic wrangling, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was granted another lease of life at the annual ministerial council meeting last week in a messy compromise between Russia and the west. But rather than …
Fossil snake traces: another world-first find on South Africa’s Cape south coast: Puff adders leave linear, sometimes slightly undulating traces. EcoPrint/Shutterstock Snakes are familiar, distinctive – and often feared – reptiles. And they’ve been around for a long time: body fossils found in the UK, Portugal and the US stretch all the way back to …
Zimbabwe’s president was security minister when genocidal rape was state policy in 1983-4. Now he seeks another term: Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images Trigger warning: this article contains accounts of sexual violence. Zimbabwe will hold its elections on 23 August. The current president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is running for re-election. This is …
Ukraine war: Crimean bridge attack is another blow to Putin’s strongman image: The bridge connecting mainland Russia across the Kerch strait with the illegally annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea was seriously damaged on July 17 2023, in what appears to be a successful strike by naval drones. While there has been no official confirmation from …
The government passed a major immigration law last year – so why is it trying to pass another one?: The illegal immigration bill has generated endless controversy on its way to becoming law. The bill, which effectively bans asylum seeking in the UK, has faced heavy criticism for its treatment of children, its approach to …
Renationalising Thames Water would be a gamble – but there is another way to help clean up the industry: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock The privatisation of water companies in England and Wales was supposed to bring efficiency and investment to a vital sector that had been starved of public funding. But since 1989, the industry has failed to …
The Greek migrant shipwreck is another preventable tragedy at the borders of Europe: The Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy has been described as the “world’s most dangerous maritime crossing”. This was proven once again last week in the tragic shipwreck of a boat full of men, women and children, around 50 miles away from …
Senegal’s internet shutdowns are another sign of a democracy in peril: Protestors gather in Madrid to demand justice and democracy in Senegal. Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images Senegal’s government began blocking several digital platforms – including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube – in certain areas on 1 June. Days later, it …
US banking failures: the role of big auditors in another financial crisis: Three recent and very serious US bank failures – Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature and First Republic – have one common denominator: all three businesses were audited by one of the world’s major professional services firms, KPMG. The company has stood by its …
Sudan: questions about Wagner Group involvement as another African country falls prey to Russian mercenaries: After more than a week of intense fighting between Sudanese government troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum, many western countries – including the US and UK – are evacuating their nationals from the strife-torn city. While the conflict has been …
UK plan to give vape kits to help smokers quit means swapping one health risk with another: The scheme would offer smokers vape starter kits to help them quit. ducu59us/Shutterstock The UK government set out ambitious plans in 2019 to make England smoke free by 2030. To achieve this, they recently announced plans to offer …