Bertha Porter sits with her husband Terry, right, and their friend Darrell. She and her husband have been using since they were young teenagers. Photograph: Chris Arnade/The GuardianBertha Porter sits with her husband Terry, right, and their friend Darrell. She and her husband have been using since they were young teenagers. Photograph: Chris Arnade/The GuardianAddiction in AmericaDrugsResponse has been slow to the turmoil overrunning parts of central Appalachia – is the premise of addiction as a moral failing partially to blame?
Danica Novgorodoff wins Kate Greenaway medal for graphic novel Long Way Down | Children and teenager
2024-05-03
Children and teenagers This article is more than 1 year oldDanica Novgorodoff wins Kate Greenaway medal for graphic novel Long Way DownThis article is more than 1 year oldJudges praise ‘incredible’ version of Jason Reynolds’ novel while Katya Balen wins the Carnegie medal for her ‘evocative’ second book October, October
Danica Novgorodoff’s “innovative” graphic novel adaptation of Jason Reynolds’ novel Long Way Down has won the Yoto Kate Greenaway medal, making it the first graphic novel to win the illustration prize since Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas in 1973.
RaceA lot of straight white men seem to think so – but others point out they’ve just never had their privilege questioned
Last Friday, Josh Denny, a Food Network host and comedian, tweeted: “Straight White Male has become this century’s N-Word. It’s used to offend and diminish the recipient based on assumption and bias. No difference in the usage.”
Denny followed this statement up by arguing that “when you call someone [straight white male] in conversation – you know exactly what you’re doing: attempting to devalue their POV based on negative cultural stereotypes.
Theatre This article is more than 7 years oldHoward Davies, theatre director, dies aged 71This article is more than 7 years oldTributes are paid to Olivier award winner acclaimed for his work for National Theatre
Howard Davies, one of the greatest British theatre directors of his generation, has died aged 71 after a short battle with cancer, his family have said.
Davies directed extensively in London and New York and had a 28-year relationship with the National Theatre, directing a remarkable 36 productions.
World newsNo motive found as Italy's worst serial killer gets lifeA compulsive gambler who hated to be alone has been given 13 life sentences for murdering 17 people in a six-month rampage that terrorised the Italian riviera.
Donato Bilancia, 49, shrugged and sucked on a cigarette after a court in Genoa ordered that he never be freed for a blood lust that consumed friends and strangers and baffled psychologists.
His victims included four prostitutes, a newly-wed couple, two jewellers, two security guards and two women attacked in the toilets of moving trains.
Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin claims Kyiv pulled out of peace talks last year at Britains insist
2024-05-03
04.59 ESTKremlin says Ukraine pulled out of 2022 peace talks 'at Britain's insistence'The Kremlin has said there is no current basis for talks between Russia and Ukraine as none of the prerequisites are in place, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Ukraine withdrew from the negotiation process in 2022 “at Britain’s insistence” and the UK “forbade” negotiations with Russia.
Ukraine says peace can only based on a full Russian withdrawal from all the territory it has seized since the war began in February 2022.
TV reviewTelevision & radioReviewThe plot of this trouble-in-suburbia thriller might be flimsy – but who cares when there’s so much sexual tension between our flirtatious foursome?
There are two extraordinary features to note about Channel 4’s new six-part drama series The Couple Next Door, which examines the combustible effects of a hot, swinging couple on a pair of conservative young things who move in next door. The first is that it succeeds in being sexy rather than cringemaking.
Thrse Raquin by Emile Zola
2024-05-03
Classics cornerEmile ZolaReviewZola's 1867 tale of murderous lovers is a work of enduring fascination, says Anna WinterZola's Thérèse Raquin (1867) is a story of lust, madness and destruction set within the dingy backstreets of Paris. The eponymous protagonist – a repressed and silently resentful young woman – is married off according to her aunt's wishes to her sickly cousin Camille. When Thérèse meets Camille's robust and earthy friend Laurent, a turbulent passion is unleashed that drives them ultimately to violence and murder.
You're not poor. You're broke
2024-05-03
‘I made everything from scratch, sold all we didn’t need’. Illustration: Franziska Barczyk‘I made everything from scratch, sold all we didn’t need’. Illustration: Franziska BarczykLife and styleMy heart breaks when my friends conflate the two terms: understanding the difference between ‘broke’ and ‘poor’ is the first step toward building a more equitable society
I used to have money. Not a lot, but enough. I went straight from school into a full-time profession and did everything I was supposed to: I set up an emergency fund (six months of income put aside for a rainy day); I didn’t use a credit card; I paid into my company pension.