SwayBlog

World newsChechen rebel leader killed in Russian assaultDeath of former president Aslan Maskhadov ends hope of a negotiated settlement to end the 10-year conflict with RussiaAslan Maskhadov, the leader of the Chechen separatist movement, was killed yesterday during a raid by Russian special forces. General Major Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for the Russian forces in the North Caucuses, told the Guardian Mr Maskhadov died when troops from the elite Alfa and Vimpel units of the Russian security services, the FSB, tried to arrest him in the Chechen village of Tolstoy Yurt, but that he had been killed, apparently by accident, in an explosion.

FilmObituaryChristopher Plummer obituaryStar of stage and screen from the success of The Sound of Music to the powerful performances and Oscar recognition of his later yearsDestined, or doomed, to be remembered as Captain von Trapp in the 1965 film of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, Christopher Plummer, who has died aged 91, was a tremendous actor, and leading star, on stage, screen and Alpine meadow for more than six decades.

Wales(*Wales forever!) The number of speakers is growing fast, while bilingual TV thrillers and Welsh language rock songs are reaching a new audience. What’s behind the resurgence? Welsh speakers are not used to their language and their culture being perceived as interesting or cool. When Welsh does make the headlines, it tends to be in the context of English visitors complaining about restaurant staff and pub clientele speaking it, as though people speaking their own language in their own country were a deliberate act of rudeness.

Edward Albee. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe/The GuardianEdward Albee. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe/The GuardianThe ObserverEdward AlbeeObituaryEdward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? playwright, dies aged 88Playwright, who won three Pulitzer prizes and helped establish the idea of ‘off-Broadway’ theatre, said good plays were ‘constructed as correctives’ America’s leading playwright Edward Albee, the author of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – the bleakest of black domestic comedies – has died aged 88 at his home in Montauk, East Hampton.

27 Nov 202322.18 GMTJacob Steinberg’s report is in, which means we’re done here. Thanks all for your company and comments, sorry I couldn’t get to them all; peace out. Willian’s pair of penalties help Fulham to dramatic late win against Wolves Read more27 Nov 202322.16 GMTOh, and he also says he felt the touch and he was going fast so it took him down. Jamie Carragher, though, reckons it’s harsh because the touch was slight; I’m in disagreement.

Civil serviceObituaryNorman GlassSenior civil servant who was the driving force behind Sure StartAn encounter with Norman Glass, who has died of cancer aged 63, was a ready antidote to both the Treasury "mandarin" stereotype of the senior civil servant and the cynical picture of officialdom propagated by The Thick of It. Witty, intense, Leopold Bloom-like in his range of interests - he shared a Dublin Jewish background with Joyce's hero - Glass was fascinated by what government can and cannot do to ameliorate the lives of its citizens.

Golden Globes 2013 Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have Golden Globes in stitches - video Tina Fey and Amy Poehler prove that hosts of awards ceremonies can be funny, with a string of well received one liners. Fey and Poehler turned on some big showbiz names, including comments about Anne Hathaway not being suited for the porn industry, and claiming that Daniel Day-Lewis played the role ET in the original Steven Spielberg classic Source: ITN

Representative Pramila Jayapal in Washington DC on 18 January. Photograph: Leah Millis/ReutersRepresentative Pramila Jayapal in Washington DC on 18 January. Photograph: Leah Millis/ReutersUS politicsUS should ‘reset relationship of unconditional support’ for Israel, progressives sayMembers of Congress express disagreement after Netanyahu says he opposes creation of Palestinian state after Gaza war Leading progressive and Jewish members of Congress have criticized the US’s “unconditional support” for Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu declared bluntly that he was opposed to a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza and directly rejected American policy.

‘If we want justice, we have to do something. We have to talk about it.’ Sterling Askew Jr in Memphis, Tennessee. Photograph: Lucy Garrett/The Guardian‘If we want justice, we have to do something. We have to talk about it.’ Sterling Askew Jr in Memphis, Tennessee. Photograph: Lucy Garrett/The GuardianTyre NicholsThe recent killing of Tyre Nichols reopens a family’s wounds from the death of Steven Askew 10 years ago at the hands of the Memphis police