General news

• Support for Britain to stay in the EU narrows in ORB poll - Daily Telegraph

  30-05-2016 23:46
  (Reuters) - Support for Britain to stay in the European Union stood at 51 percent, five points ahead of support for a withdrawal from the 28-member bloc but down from a 13-point lead a week ago, an ORB poll for the Daily Telegraph said. Writing in the newspaper Lynton Crosby, the political strategist behind Prime Minister David Cameron's election victory, said the campaign focus on migration over the past seven days had boosted the Leave campaign.
  
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• Hissène Habré: Chad's former dictator gets life in prison- video profile

  30-05-2016 21:49
  
  An African Union-backed court finds Hissène Habré guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Once a rebel, Habré took over Chad in 1982 after deposing a former ally in a coup. Thousands of people are thought to have died during his rule until he fled the country in 1990. Habré’s lawyers say they will appeal the verdict by the Extraordinary African ChambersChad’s Hissène Habré found guilty of crimes against humanityContinue reading...
  
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• Out! Botham Says Exit To Prevent 'Cluttered' UK

  30-05-2016 21:46
  
  Sir Ian Botham has come out to bat for the Vote Leave team, warning the UK could become "cluttered" if it does not withdraw from the European Union. He acknowledged there could be "teething problems" if the UK voted to go it alone, but he suggested if the country was being invited to join the bloc now it would "give it a very wide berth". When asked if he had any concerns that jobs could be lost due to a Brexit, Sir Ian said: "If we stay, who's going to get those jobs?
  
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• Philip 'Frustrated' To Miss Battle Memorial

  30-05-2016 21:43
  
  Prince Philip is said to be "frustrated and disappointed" after being advised not to attend a commemoration marking the Battle of Jutland on medical grounds. Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, told Sky News: "He is very frustrated and disappointed that he can't be here and we're all very said that he won't be with us. It is understood that Philip, who is 94, is not planning to cancel any other engagements and has not been to hospital.
  
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• Four Stabbed In Clashes After Luton Carnival

  30-05-2016 18:23
  
  Four people were stabbed and several others injured during violent clashes following Luton Carnival. Superintendent Mark Upex from Bedfordshire Police said officers were trying to identify the "trigger".
  
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• EU debate insults UK voters' intelligence, says ex-central bank chief

  30-05-2016 16:53
  Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King has criticised arguments in the debate over Britain's European Union membership that he said "insult the intelligence of voters," British media reported on Monday. King, who steered UK monetary policy for 10 years to 2013, was speaking at Britain's Hay Festival, an arts event. Britons will decide on June 23 whether to leave or stick with the EU, with important implications for the future of Britain's economic and trade relations and for the EU itself.
  
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• Philip To Miss Event On Doctor's Advice

  30-05-2016 16:42
  
  Prince Philip will not attend a commemoration marking the Battle of Jutland on medical grounds. It is understood that Philip, who is 94, is not planning to cancel any other engagements and has not been to hospital.
  
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• Man Charged Over T-Shirt Mocking Hillsborough

  30-05-2016 16:39
  
  A 50-year-old man has been charged with a public order offence after a pub-goer was seen wearing a T-shirt mocking the Hillsborough tragedy. West Mercia Police said the charge against Paul Grange, from Worcester, relates to the display of abusive or insulting writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. He has been released on bail and will appear at Worcester Magistrates' Court on a date in July.
  
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• Prince Philip To Miss Event On Doctor's Advice

  30-05-2016 15:52
  
  Prince Philip will not attend a commemoration marking the Battle of Jutland on medical advice. It is understood that Philip, who is 94, is not planning to cancel any other engagements and has not attended hospital.
  
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• Two Britons Charged After Channel Boat Rescue

  30-05-2016 13:58
  
  Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham, Kent, and Robert Stilwell, 33, from Dartford were remanded in custody to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court today. The coastguard, RNLI and two Border Force boats were involved in the rescue after the rigid-hulled inflatable got into difficulties off the coast of Dymchurch on Saturday night. A similar inflatable boat was later discovered on the beach in Dymchurch.
  
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• French Open 2016: Play abandoned due to rain on day nine!

  30-05-2016 13:50
  
  Live updates from day nine of the French OpenEmail [email protected] or tweet @DanielHarrisDjokovic appears on course for place in the finalShelby Rogers stars as US tennis ponders post-Williams world 12.50pm BSTSustenance courtesy of Mary Legg.12.27pm BSTThere can be surer way of ushering in some sunshine than enjoying some Guga. Continue reading...
  
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• England v Sri Lanka: second Test, day four – live!

  30-05-2016 13:50
  
  Over-by-over updates from day four of the second Test in DurhamSilva and Mathews lead Sri Lanka fightback against EnglandSteven Finn: ‘I came out after tea trying to get into a fight’Email [email protected] or tweet: @TimdeLisle 12.50pm BST109th over: Sri Lanka 389-6 (Chandimal 99, Herath 33)Now Chandimal does get a spasm of nerves, getting a leading edge to an innocuous offbreak from Moeen. Then he wants a single to short midwicket, but Herath wisely sends him back.
  
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• PM Hails 'Proud Muslim' Khan On EU Trail

  30-05-2016 13:44
  
  David Cameron has hailed the "extraordinary coalition" that supports Britain remaining a part of the European Union, as he campaigned alongside Labour's Sadiq Khan. Appearing together in southwest London, the pair formed an unlikely alliance just weeks after the Prime Minister was accused of using racist slurs against the new London Mayor. The PM shook hands with Mr Khan and hailed the election of the "proud Muslim and proud Brit" as they launched a Britain Stronger in Europe battle bus and a fi
  
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• The page 69 quiz – can you identify the classic book from a single paragraph?

  30-05-2016 13:34
  
  69 is a big number: in 1969, man walked on the moon. Bryan Adams had a summer. At the age of 69, Marshall McLuhan died, leaving behind his theory of how to choose a book: if you like what’s on page 69, chances are you’ll like the rest too. Can you pick these page 69s?She always declares she will never marry, which, of course, means just nothing at all, But I have no idea that she has yet ever seen a man she cared for. It would not be a bad thing for her to be very much in love with a
  
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• David Cameron 'proud to campaign' alongside Sadiq Khan to stay in EU

  30-05-2016 13:33
  
  Prime minister praises London mayor at pro-remain event as pair unveil Britain Stronger in Europe pledge card David Cameron has said he is proud to campaign with Sadiq Khan to stay in the EU, weeks after claiming Labour’s London mayor was unfit for office because of links to Islamist extremists.The prime minister was accused of participating in a racist campaign against Khan during the mayoral contest, but the two politicians buried the hatchet on Monday as Cameron praised Khan for being a
  
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• Isis attacks in Baghdad kill 11 as Iraqi forces try to retake Falluja

  30-05-2016 13:25
  
  Group claims responsibility for two suicide bombings as military units try to advance into militants’ strongholdIslamic State has claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Baghdad as Iraqi forces entered Falluja, the latest phase in the week-long operation to capture the militants’ stronghold near the Iraqi capital.At least 11 people were killed, Iraqi officials said, in attacks in the Shia-dominated Shaab and Sadr City districts of Baghdad. Both were claimed by Isis in onli
  
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• Kent boat rescue: two Britons charged with people smuggling

  30-05-2016 13:15
  
  Mark Stribling and Robert Stilwell accused of immigration offences after boat carrying 18 Albanians started sinking in the ChannelTwo British men have been charged with people smuggling after a sinking boat carrying 18 Albanians, including two children, was rescued in the English channel.Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham, and Robert Stilwell, 33, from Dartford, have been charged under section 25 (1) of the Immigration Act 1971, which relates to assisting illegal entry to the UK. Both men appea
  
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• This EU referendum debate is farcical. No wonder I’m still undecided | Suzanne Moore

  30-05-2016 13:07
  
  The discussion seems to have become the province of oddballs who lack conviction living in a retread of Dad’s Army – and those who aren’t sure how to vote may not botherThis EU referendum is a serious business, one of the most serious decisions that we will be asked to make in our lifetimes, but there is something profoundly unserious and unreal about what is going on. Sometimes the debate is simply grim, sometimes it’s farcical. Quite honestly I have seen rap battles tha
  
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• The three big reasons Windows 10 tablets don't cut it

  30-05-2016 13:00
  
  Microsoft needs to fix battery life, screen and app issues if Windows 10 tablets are to successfully compete on the same footing as Android or the iPadIf you’re after a tablet in 2016 you broadly speaking have three choices: Android, Apple’s iPad or Microsoft’s Windows 10 tablets.While the first two are mobile born and bred, spawned from smartphone operating systems, Windows 10 comes from the other side of computing - the traditional desktop. Continue reading...
  
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• Hiroshima: I had family members among the dead | George Takei

  30-05-2016 13:00
  
  The day of the attack, we were incarcerated in an internment center for Japanese Americans. We were filled with grief when we learned what had happenedPresident Obama became the first US president ever to visit Hiroshima last Friday. The site where the first atomic bomb, deployed by the United States to end World War II, laid waste to the entire city and killed over 70,000 people instantly and another 70,000 who died agonizing, lingering deaths over the next two months. I had family members amon
  
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• Getting off offline: when porn gets in the way of a real-world relationship

  30-05-2016 13:00
  
  Many believe that porn is addictive, and that the endless stream of on-demand internet erotica makes real-life sexual experiences not stimulating enoughGregor Schmidinger was eight when he viewed his first porn magazine, found in a rubbish bin in his hometown in Austria. Aged 11, he had access to the internet at home, which he used to explore his burgeoning attraction to men. As the years progressed, he spent more time masturbating to increasingly hardcore – and in some cases violent &ndas
  
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• 'Legendary' first edition of Alice in Wonderland set for auction at $2-3m

  30-05-2016 12:54
  
  The edition is one of only 22 known copies in existence, after Lewis Carroll withdrew the print run because of a problem with the illustrationsA “legendary” first edition of Alice in Wonderland – one of just 22 known copies in existence, after Lewis Carroll withdrew the entire print run – is due to be auctioned in New York next month, where it is anticipated to fetch between $2m and $3m (£1.3-£2m).Continue reading...
  
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• Character building: meet the understudies who steal the show

  30-05-2016 12:53
  
  Sheridan Smith and Glenn Close are among the stars whose stand-ins have recently wowed audiences. From the panic to the euphoria, understudies describe the delirious experience of replacing an A-listerWho grows up wanting to be an understudy? Most nights they slip in and out of theatres unnoticed, while someone else’s name is in lights. But in recent weeks, two actors have proven that understudies can not only save the show – they can steal it too.Related: Bring on the understudy! Do
  
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• Skrillex and Justin Bieber on Sorry copyright claims: 'We didn't steal this'

  30-05-2016 12:48
  
  Producer of Bieber’s No1 denies using loop from Casey Dienel’s song Ring the BellSkrillex has responded to a lawsuit filed by the artist Casey Dienel which claims he and Justin Bieber stole a loop from the vocalist’s song to use as part of their 2015 single, Sorry.“SORRY but we didn’t steal this,” Skrillex tweeted on Friday, adding a video which showed how the section of the song was produced. Bieber retweeted him, adding the hashtag “#wedontsteal”
  
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• Manuel Pellegrini: If I don’t get an interesting offer I will quit football

  30-05-2016 12:34
  
  In an exclusive interview, the outgoing Manchester City manager talks about his future, says he should not have announced that Pep Guardiola was taking over and that his team were the best in the country over his three yearsManuel Pellegrini smiles broadly, shakes hands and offers a seat at one of the desks in his office at Manchester City’s First Team building.The nerve centre in which the Chilean plotted City’s past three campaigns has modern lines, with sweeping windows, and is sp
  
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• 'Keep the quirk': rebuilding a famed New Age resort, clothing still optional

  30-05-2016 12:30
  
  Seven months after Harbin Hot Springs in California burned down, the community is wrestling with the blank slate on which to imagine a new homeTucked away in its own canyon on Butts mountain, Harbin Hot Springs was bucolic and blissful, with shimmering dry air. Stressed-looking city folk in black sunglasses unloaded European cars in the parking lot of the famously clothing-optional resort, eager to strip down and loll in the hot pools, the cold pools, or on the shady lawn; or maybe to attend an
  
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• Weight-loss surgery stories: 'It was the end for my marriage. But I'm much happier' | Guardian readers and Sarah Marsh

  30-05-2016 12:13
  
  Surgeons say more operations would improve health and save the NHS money in the long term. Two women who have had the procedure discuss whether it was a wise choiceWhat is the best way to tackle the rise in obesity in the UK: education, counselling or surgery? If you think we should focus on that last option, you’re not alone. In the British Medical Journal this month, bariatric surgeons warned that the UK was lagging behind other countries in Europe when it came to offering weight-loss su
  
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• Game of Thrones: old favourites finally fight back

  30-05-2016 12:06
  
  Peace more or less reigned this week, so rather than watching bodies pile up, we saw beloved characters have grotesque awakenings – then find their nerveSpoiler alert: this episode assumes you’ve seen episode six of Game of Thrones season six. Don’t read on if you haven’tIt was a weird week: nobody died. There was a corpse on a slab having its face carefully peeled off, sure, and a few skeletal wights got a flaming mace through the ribs, but in both cases they’re al
  
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• El Niño is over – but it leaves nearly 100 million people short of food

  30-05-2016 12:00
  
  Scientists say sea temperatures are back to normal, but from southern Africa to southern Asia, droughts and heatwaves have left a trail of devastationThe strongest El Niño in 35 years which has seen long droughts, scorching temperatures, water shortages and flooding around the world is officially over. But the consequences of a second year of extreme weather will be seen for many more months in food shortages for nearly 100 million people, the loss of income for millions of poor farmers a
  
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• 'A wake up call': child-related shootings fuel Detroit's tough gun safety stance

  30-05-2016 12:00
  
  Filing charges against adults may be difficult – as families are already grieving – but prosecutor Kym Worthy and others argue shootings are ‘entirely’ preventableDaylen Head’s older sister found a sawn-off shotgun in a bedroom closet. While mimicking a video game, prosecutors say, she shot her nine-year-old brother dead.Frankie Navarrette, 11, discovered his father’s loaded shotgun and shot himself in the buttocks. He survived.Continue reading...
  
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• Syrian peace talks in peril after opposition's chief negotiator quits

  30-05-2016 11:48
  
  Mohammad Alloush said Geneva talks had failed to secure release of detainees or to push political transition without AssadThe prospects of a negotiated peace settlement in the Syrian civil war were dealt a serious blow when the opposition’s chief negotiator in UN-brokered talks in Geneva resigned, describing them as a waste of time on security and humanitarian fronts.Mohammed Alloush, a member of the Saudi-backed rebel group Jaysh al-Islam (army of Islam), condemned the international commu
  
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• Is Operation Black Vote’s referendum poster unnecessarily divisive? | Simon Woolley and Remona Aly

  30-05-2016 11:38
  
  The UK’s 4 million ethnic minority voters could decide the EU vote but many are being put off by the negativity of the debate Continue reading...
  
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• Boris Johnson is nicer than Trump but just as divisive, says Ken Clarke

  30-05-2016 11:15
  
  Former chancellor criticises Brexiter for using similar tactics as US presidential candidate to exploit fears on immigration The campaign to leave the EU has turned into a leadership bid by Boris Johnson, Ken Clarke has said – calling him simply a nicer version of Donald Trump.The former Tory cabinet minister, who has served as chancellor and home secretary, suggested Johnson was exploiting people’s fears about immigration in a similar way to Trump, the controversial US presidential
  
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• 'So boring it barely exists': readers review the revamped Top Gear

  30-05-2016 11:12
  
  Idris Elba should replace Chris Evans, and Matt LeBlanc should stop reminding us he’s American … here are your Top Gear reviews. Did any of you lap it up?
  After controversy over the stunt by the Cenotaph and rumours of supposed feuds between presenters, Top Gear finally returned to our screens on Sunday nearly a year on from the last series. With new faces, luxury locations and a plethora of flashy cars we asked you to review the first episode. Here’s what some of you said.Con
  
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• Britain will make 'reasonable' decision in Brexit vote - Schaeuble

  30-05-2016 11:09
  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Monday that he believed the British people would make a "reasonable" decision in a June 23 referendum on whether the country should leave the 28-member European Union or stay in it. "I believe that Britons will in the end make a reasonable decision in the Brexit question," Schaeuble said. (Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Michelle Martin)
  
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• Shinzo Abe postpones Japan tax rise after warning of economic slump

  30-05-2016 11:00
  
  PM moves to stave off potential drag on consumer spending as doubts rise over ‘Abenomics’ programmeJapan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is to postpone an unpopular tax rise in a last-ditch attempt to breathe life into the economy, reports said on Monday, days after he told fellow G7 leaders that the world was on the brink of a crisis comparable to the Lehman shock.Abe reportedly told senior members of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) that an increase planned for next April in
  
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• Emmy the Great: 'It’s time to retire English as pop’s lingua franca'

  30-05-2016 11:00
  
  The Hong Kong-born singer-songwriter Emmy the Great asks why more and more musicians, from Gwenno Saunders to Maria Usbeck, are turning to their first languages for their lyricsIn May this year I released two music videos for the same song – one in English the other in Mandarin. After a decade as a singer-songwriter, it was my first time releasing music in Chinese. Around the time that I began to translate my songs into Chinese, two of my fellow multilingual musicians had embarked on simil
  
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• Think TTIP is a threat to democracy? There’s another trade deal that’s already signed | Nick Dearden

  30-05-2016 10:58
  
  If you needed proof that trade agreements are just an excuse to hand big business power at our expense, look no further than Ceta, a deal between the EU and CanadaAs the great powers gathered in Japan for last week’s G7 summit, a series of massive trade deals were under attack from all sides. And yet, from Donald Trump to Jeremy Corbyn, there is a recognition that “trade” has become little more than a synonym for big business to take ever more control of society.The US-Europe d
  
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• Kenya's new front in poaching battle: 'the future is in the hands of our communities'

  30-05-2016 10:40
  
  In a country hit by a devastating poaching surge for rhino horn and elephant ivory, local people are turning the tide – but the wider problems of demand, corruption and organised crime remain“It’s hard work. I cut their tusks off with an axe,” said Abdi Ali, a northern Kenyan pastoralist who became a full-time poacher at 14. With three other men it took him about 10 minutes to kill each of the 27 elephants he poached, cutting off the trunk, splitting the skull and removin
  
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• Former Chad dictator to learn fate after alleged victims' long fight for justice

  30-05-2016 10:38
  
  Dakar court to give verdict on Monday on whether Hissène Habré is guilty of murder, torture, rape and crimes against humanityChad’s former dictator is to learn his fate on Monday after a 26-year battle by his alleged victims to bring him to justice.A court in Dakar will decide whether Hissène Habré is guilty of murder, torture, rape and crimes against humanity in the culmination of a five-month trial. Continue reading...
  
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• Luther Burrell called into England squad as replacement for Manu Tuilagi

  30-05-2016 10:21
  
  • Burrell replaces injured Tuilagi for tour of Australia
  • Northampton centre scored try in 27-13 win over WalesEngland have named Luther Burrell as a replacement for the injured Manu Tuilagi in their squad for the tour of Australia.A torn hamstring has ruled out Tuilagi out of the three-Test series against the Wallabies and the head coach, Eddie Jones, has turned to Burrell, a try-scorer in Sunday’s 27-13 victory over Wales at Twickenham, to fill the gap in the 32-man party. Con
  
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• Eyewitness: How bumblebees find pollen

  30-05-2016 10:20
  
  Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading...
  
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• Mexican football star Alan Pulido rescued after kidnapping

  30-05-2016 10:17
  
  Olympiakos player had been snatched in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas state, as he returned from a party on Saturday nightMexican security forces have rescued football star Alan Pulido, who was found “safe and sound” hours after he was kidnapped in his crime-plagued home state of Tamaulipas, authorities have said.
  Pulido, a former national team forward who plays for Greek club Olympiakos, declared he was “very well, very well, thank God” as he appeared alongside the state go
  
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• Moscow exhibition celebrates Soviet cinema's grand designs

  30-05-2016 10:00
  
  Poster display highlights ideology and escapism of mass-produced publicity tools that spawned an artistic genre, The Moscow Times reportsThe cultural heritage of Soviet cinema is being celebrated in a landmark exhibition, which brings together some of the most innovative film artworks of the past century.With none of the romanticism of the Hollywood silver screen, these bold experiments in graphic design and ideology demonstrate how a mass-produced publicity tool became its own artistic genre. C
  
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• Melissa McCarthy: why Hollywood’s first lady of funny is hit and miss

  30-05-2016 10:00
  
  When she’s working with Paul Feig she’s a scream. But as her new film The Boss proves, other directors aren’t so lucky Related: Melissa McCarthy fights off critics, Batman and Superman to top US box office What’s not to love about Melissa McCarthy? She’s a superstar in a comedy universe dominated by boys’ clubs and sylphs, and she’s funny as hell. She stole Bridesmaids, and Judd Apatow’s This Is 40, with a bracingly foul-mouthed cameo. And now she
  
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• Duncan Jones on Warcraft: 'If you get it wrong, people are going to be upset'

  30-05-2016 10:00
  
  The director son of David Bowie on his £100m franchise movie and the downside of geek culture Related: Duncan Jones: 'Warcraft will right the wrongs of game movies' You’ll believe an orc can cry. There are many difficult things Duncan Jones’s new $100m movie is trying to pull off – from launching a fresh Hollywood franchise to making that rarest of things, a half-decent computer game movie – but getting an audience of both kids and adults to empathise with massive g
  
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• A Walk in the Park: The Life and Times of a People’s Institution by Travis Elborough – review

  30-05-2016 10:00
  
  There’s plenty to look at in this enjoyable stroll through the history of our public parks, despite a few omissionsIn 1850, Frederick Law Olmsted, an American journalist and farmer, arrived in Liverpool from New York. Perturbed to find some of the other guests at his temperance hotel smoking, he and his companions soon moved on to Birkenhead, then a genteel but rapidly expanding new town. There, he tried to buy some buns, only to be told by the baker that he should on no account leave Birk
  
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• Sugar Tax 'Will Hit The Poorest Hardest'

  30-05-2016 09:40
  
  The sugar tax will be an arbitrary burden on the poor which does not take account of the actual content of drinks, critics have said. The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) said some beverages full of sugar will be exempt from the "bungled" levy, which was announced in the Chancellor's most recent Budget. The TPA is calling for the measure to be scrapped after it carried out a comparison of 49 different drinks, including fizzy and energy drinks that will be taxed, and milk-based ones and coffees that wil
  
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• Iceland plans Airbnb restrictions amid tourism explosion

  30-05-2016 09:28
  
  Move to tax people who rent out properties through website as officials and residents express concerns over visitor impactIceland is poised to curb an Airbnb explosion as it tries to balance record tourist numbers with the protection of its spectacular unspoilt landscape and traditional lifestyle.Proposed legislation, which could become law this week, seeks to restrict the number of days residents can offer Airbnb rentals in their properties to 90 days a year before they must pay business tax.Co
  
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• Cindy Sherman: clowning around and socialite selfies – in pictures

  30-05-2016 09:09
  
  Highly influential New York artist Cindy Sherman made taking selfies an art form before the word even existed. Throughout her career she has experimented with costume, prosthetics, makeup and digital photography to create highly exaggerated and ofttimes grotesque character studies. A new exhibition at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane includes more than 50 large-scale works by Sherman. The images draw from her series Clowns (2003–04), made in the aftermath of the 2001 US ter
  
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