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Writer known as ‘Canadian Chekhov’ captured the desire and darkness of ordinary life in rural Canada, particularly for women Alice Munro, Nobel winner and titan of the short story, dies aged 92 Alice Munro, the 2013 Nobel laureate considered one of the greatest short story writers in the English language, has died at the age of 92 at her care home in Ontario, after suffering dementia for more than a decade. Born and raised in south-western Ontario, the “Canadian Chekhov” captured the desire and darkness of ordinary life in rural Canada, particularly for women – subjects long out of focus for the mainstream, finally achieving recognition later in life. A housewife and mother of four children, one of whom died in infancy, Munro would sneak in writing around naps and housework, publishing her first collection of short stories, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968, at age 37. Lives of Girls and Women, her only novel – really a collection of interlinked stories, as she called it – follo

Significant advances by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the Kharkiv region must concentrate minds in the west at a critical moment Antony Blinken’s unannounced visit to Kyiv on Tuesday was a welcome and timely show of support. It was the US secretary of state’s first trip to Ukraine since America belatedly signed off on a $61bn aid package last month, allowing a desperately needed supply of new arms to finally flow to troops in the east. As Mr Blinken met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the capital, events continued to underline how urgently such assistance – and much more of the same – is required. The ultimate scope of Russia’s significant offensive in the Kharkiv region is yet to become clear. In part it may be intended to create a buffer zone, protecting Russian territory close to the north-east border. But as thousands of residents are once more displaced, and the prospect looms of a huge artillery assault on the city of Kharkiv, the incursions are also diverting threadbare Ukrai

The most harrowing experiences of women in labour come under eight common themes in the MPs’ report Women suffering ‘harrowing’ births as hospitals hide failures, says MPs’ report A parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in the UK received more than 1,300 written submissions. The stories shared were harrowing. In many cases, the trauma experienced by women was caused by blunders before, during and after labour. Failures were often covered up by hospitals seeking to frustrate efforts by families to find answers, according to a review of the evidence by the Guardian. There were also many stories about a lack of compassion. Women were often ignored when they felt something was wrong, and were mocked, shouted at or denied basic needs such as pain relief. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wepMOGg

With many NHS maternity services struggling and a shortage of midwives, MPs’ plan for overhaul is ambitious That the findings of the UK’s first inquiry into birth trauma are far from surprising does not diminish the fact that they are shocking, devastating and difficult – indeed distressing – to read. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for birth trauma’s 80-page report should give ministers, NHS bosses and the midwives and obstetricians who deliver care serious pause for thought. It highlights how “mistakes and failures” by maternity staff lead to stillbirths, premature births, babies being born with cerebral palsy because they were starved of oxygen at birth, and also “life-changing injuries to women as the result of severe tearing”. How some mothers were mocked, shouted at, denied pain relief, not told what was going on during their labour, left alone in blood-stained sheets, with desperate bell calls for help going unanswered – all examples of “care that lacked compassion”.

Glamorgan beat early Division Two pacesetters Sussex inside three days in Cardiff What a start to the season Daniel Bell-Drummond is having – after a disappointing 2023 (an unbeaten 300 against Northants notwithstanding!) – with two hundreds and two seventies under his belt already, and 67 not out against Worcestershire. His fellow batter Leaning has just reached his first fifty of the season at Canterbury , Kent 131-2. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QuCGN2E

The television cut-aways to the ­enclosure housing the Arsenal ­supporters perfectly captured the anxiety. It was not supposed to be like this, not against this ­Manchester United. But the lesser spotted a­cceptable version of Erik ten Hag’s team was on show, fighting for the badge, and Arsenal were made to suffer. Leandro Trossard scored their goal midway through the first half after a United defensive malfunction – of course it was – but the advantage was slender and everyone knew, least of all Mikel Arteta, that it could take only one moment to rub out. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BUcS7Tg

The second series of Things Fell Apart, the writer and broadcaster’s podcast series exploring conspiracy theories and the culture wars, topped the charts earlier this year. He explains why journalistic values such as evidence and fairness are needed more than ever Just turned 57, Jon Ronson has had a number of successes in his multi-platform career, with books such as 2011’s The Psychopath Test and documentaries such as Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes . But perhaps none of his works has resonated quite so powerfully with audiences as the podcast Things Fell Apart – in particular the second series released by the BBC in January. Later this month he is due to discuss the show as a star guest at Sheffield’s podcast festival. Like the first series, it traces the origins of a number of conflagrations in the so-called culture wars, but it ingeniously sews together these disparate events and disagreements, tying them all to the early days of lockdown, so that listeners don’t so much hear about,

FA Trophy final: Solihull 2-2 Gateshead (aet; 4-5 on pens) Solihull lost playoff final on penalties to Bromley last week Solihull Moors and Gateshead knew their Wembley trip was only ever going to be double or quits. Tears and deja vu were guaranteed either way – it was merely a matter of dishing out the joy and despair. In the end, it was Gateshead who, courtesy of Dajaune Brown’s penalty – the 16th and coolest of an enthralling shootout – who avenged their defeat on this very occasion 12 months back. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ki0jyG7

Summer’s would-be blockbuster has hit a brick wall – did it simply typify everything the public hate about Hollywood or does it belie broader box office blight? On paper, it couldn’t fail. The Fall Guy was a lock as this summer’s first – and possibly biggest – box office smash. It had it all. Action, comedy, romance. Record-breaking stunts. Two of the hottest stars around. Great reviews. And a dog. Yet fail – or at least stumble – the The Fall Guy did. David Leitch’s bells and whistles blockbuster was tracked to make $40m at the US box office on its opening weekend. Instead, it landed just shy of $28m: a soft opening echoed overseas, where it picked up $30m across 68 other territories. Its current global total stands at $70m. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/V1QSY0u

Death toll may rise as search continues for victims under mud and rubble and as more rain approaches At least 50 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in flash flooding in the northern Afghanistan province of Baghlan. The number was confirmed by Hedayatullah Hamdard, the head of the provincial natural disaster management department, who said it could increase in the coming days. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VJgyH2K

Defense paints Trump as a distracted multitasker who signed papers without review as texts between Stormy Daniels’ ex-publicist and a former editor were shown Donald Trump returned to the Manhattan courthouse this morning, marking his 15th court appearance since 15 April as the fourth week of his historic hush-money criminal trial came to an end. Friday’s court session, which was a lot less tame and featured a handful of custodial witnesses who provided more technical supplements to testimony or evidence, followed several closely followed days of testimony involving adult film star Stormy Daniels, who divulged lurid details on her sexual affair with Trump. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DWnuoXi

Anneliese Dodds drew the short straw and was sent out to pretend Nat had always been Labour through and through Defections tend to be one-day wonders. An awkward photo op with your new party leader. Thirty minutes in the limelight at prime minister’s questions. And then oblivion. Seldom to be seen or heard of again. Take Christian Wakeford . By all accounts a decent enough bloke. But can you remember anything he has said or done since he jumped ship to Labour? He’s just another backbencher. Albeit one with some explaining to do with the constituents who elected him. Likewise Dan Poulter . He was barely seen in the Commons when he was a Tory MP. Don’t expect that to change much as he serves out his time as an opposition backbencher before stepping down at the coming election. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nLXIcP8

The Israeli leader is dragging out the war and undermining a ceasefire for political reasons. Can Biden toughen up? On Monday, the Israeli military ordered Palestinians in the city of Rafah to evacuate ahead of airstrikes, which unleashed fears that Israel was starting a ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city, where 1.4 million Palestinians have taken shelter. Hours later, Hamas announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal outlined by Egypt and Qatar. But the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the deal and doubled down on his plan to invade Rafah and achieve “total victory” against Hamas. It was a dizzying day in Israel’s brutal seven-month war on Gaza. But one thing was clear: Netanyahu does not want to end the war – and he’s doing all he can to undermine negotiations for a ceasefire and an agreement to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas since its 7 October attack on Israel. Netanyahu and his extremist allies fear that once the war ends, th

Christopher Kirker tells members that normal waiting times will apply for most women as concerns raised about tokenism The chair of the Garrick has told its members that the club may consider “allowing one or two exceptional … lady members” to join in the near future but that normal waiting times will apply for the majority of women. A leaked email from Christopher Kirker to all members on Wednesday described Tuesday’s vote ending the London institution’s men-only rules as “momentous” and addressed questions about how quickly the club might move to admit women. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vCjc1Zq

Former Spanish soccer federation chief faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for alleged actions in the aftermath The former Spanish soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales will stand trial for his unsolicited kiss of the national team player Jenni Hermoso after a high court judge admitted the case, the court said on Wednesday. Rubiales faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss. The offences carry prison terms of one year and 18 months respectively. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MGwtbAj

Guard was shot inside Drake’s home and had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while the assailant fled in a vehicle A security guard at the mansion of Canadian hip-hop artist Drake has been “seriously injured” in a shooting outside the musician’s Toronto home . The victim, an adult male, was rushed to a Toronto hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries following the shooting early on Tuesday morning. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ynvre2L

MPs and election candidates to be given guide about conspiracy theories covering topics such as 5G and the climate crisis MPs and election candidates are being provided with a guide on recognising conspiracy theories – ranging from false claims about 5G technology to others about vaccines and global organisations such as the International Monetary Fund. The guide was commissioned by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, who launched it on Tuesday with the shadow leader, Lucy Powell, amid concern about the impact of conspiracies theories, in many cases with antisemitic overtones. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IxLtXv7

It’s a moment of truth for Biden’s policy on Israel and the Palestinians – and at the least will make continued prevarication harder to disguise When Israeli troops paraded through the Rafah crossing with an oversized star of David on Tuesday morning, they were making a point to Hamas – and at the same time driving up to the very edge of Joe Biden’s “red line”. The Biden administration avoids that phrase at all costs. Its top officials also served Barack Obama, who drew a red line he did not enforce over Syria’s chemical weapons . But there is no hiding from the fact that they have clearly and repeatedly stated US opposition to a Rafah offensive , absent proper humanitarian provision for the more than 1 million people sheltering there. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Rjr1gDy

Ten men, including a boxer and an ex-marine, make allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour against the star who was once box office dynamite. Then this documentary goes even further In Kevin Spacey’s written right-of-reply statement at the end of Spacey Unmasked, he reminds the world that every criminal and civil court case accusing him of sexual assault has been resolved in his favour. He has a right to reiterate that fact. Public opinion, however, has long since turned against an actor who was one of the most acclaimed in the world when he won Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, but who has been an industry pariah since Netflix fired him from House of Cards in 2017. This new two-part documentary details further allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Spacey Unmasked is more, though, than a blizzard of marks on one side of an is-he-isn’t-he ledger. Viewers who are minded to believe what is alleged in these interviews are given a picture not just of whether an A

UCLA watched the chaos unfold in the middle of the night and did nothing until it was far too late Things had been tense at the University of California, Los Angeles, with some ugly jibes and the occasional shove exchanged between students who support Israel’s war on Gaza and those who have set up encampments to call for a permanent ceasefire and the university’s divestment from companies that arm and otherwise profit from Israel’s occupation and military incursions in the Palestinian territories. But what happened in the middle of the night last Tuesday was no scuffle. It was not even one more of the outsized, excessively brutal raids that college administrations have invited the police to inflict on their students. Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept, and the author of five books Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XHF3uam