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OperaObituaryErin Wall obituarySoprano whose heartfelt performances through a wide repertoire made her a favourite with audiencesThe Canadian-American soprano Erin Wall, who has died aged 44 of complications resulting from metastatic breast cancer, was highly regarded for her heartfelt performances in repertoire ranging from Mozart through Richard Strauss to Britten and Barber. Diagnosed with cancer in 2017, she maintained a demanding operatic schedule and by a poignant coincidence her death is memorialised by the simultaneous appearance of two major recordings, Massenet’s Thaïs and Britten’s Peter Grimes, both recorded last year.

UK news This article is more than 5 years oldExplainerThis article is more than 5 years oldWhen did it begin, is it a religion, and are its members’ identities kept secret? When did Freemasonry begin?The first grand lodge, established to govern Freemasonry in England and Wales, was formed in 1717, during a meeting at a pub in the City of London called the Goose and Gridiron. At that time there were four lodges in the city.

XTCInterview‘My dream had died’: XTC’s Andy Partridge on mental illness, battling the music industry and losing his museFergal KinneyForty years ago, XTC were riding high when Partridge had a breakdown and quit touring. As he releases a new archival EP, he discusses the troubled childhood and addiction that triggered it, finding refuge in the studio – and why he’s stopped writing songs Andy Partridge knew that he would never perform live again as he lay on a stretcher in a Los Angeles emergency room between two gunshot victims.

Donald Trump This article is more than 1 month oldSupreme court declines to expedite decision on Trump’s immunity claim in 2020 election caseThis article is more than 1 month oldDecision gives Trump a crucial victory as he seeks to delay as much as possible his trial, currently scheduled for next March The US supreme court on Friday rejected a request by the special counsel to expeditiously decide whether Donald Trump has immunity from federal prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, before a lower appeals court issued its own judgment.

Internet This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldJosep Maria García got the shock of his life when he found his image associated with the phrase online Soon after the pandemic plunged Spain into confinement, Josep Maria García received a panicked call from his brother-in-law. “He told me not to worry, but that I should google the phrase ‘the worst person you know’,” said García.

US healthcareAfter AOL’s CEO told employees he was cutting retirement benefits partly because of the cost of two ‘distressed babies’, one mother fought back Deanna Fei is not a healthcare expert. She is also not a privacy expert. According to her, she is just a mom – a mom forced to defend the decision to save her daughter’s life. Fei came into the spotlight in February 2014 when Tim Armstrong, AOL’s CEO, sparked an nationwide debate about healthcare and privacy when he told employees that he was cutting their retirement benefits because of Obamacare and costs associated with two “distressed babies” born to the tech company’s employees.

BooksReviewNever mind the twists, just savour the joy of the prose in Ann Patchett's Run, says Patrick NessRun by Ann Patchett 295pp, Bloomsbury, £14.99 Warmth is an underrated literary quality. So readily does it congeal into schmaltz, so quickly can it become as insufferable as those wretched Mitch Albom books about the people you'd hope to avoid when you died, that its absence has become almost a prerequisite to be taken seriously as a literary writer.

FilmReviewVenezuelan documentary follows three aspiring young classicists over a decade as they look to escape their crime-ridden circumstances At the start of this excellent film about El Sistema, the revolutionary music-education programme from Venezuela, founder José Antonio Abreu testifies to the “spiritual richness” music brings those from impoverished backgrounds. Of course he is right, but as we follow three students from 2009 to 2019 while Venezuelan society crumbles, Marianela Maldonado’s documentary tests that liberal piety in the face of daily hardships that grow to crushing proportions.

Comedy Q&AStageThe standup on the best advice he’s ever been given, performing on the London Eye and becoming a viral sensation How did you get into comedy? I’ve always enjoyed making people laugh and I was in drama groups during my teens. In the late 80s I went to a couple of alternative comedy clubs, which were sprouting up in rooms above pubs around London, and thought, ‘I would love to do this.