SwayBlog

BristolInterviewBristol’s Sam Jeffries: ‘I had rugby taken away so to return is a privilege’Gerard MeagherA knee injury stopped Sam Jeffries playing for two years but he made his way back for Bristol and then into the England squad It was not until Sam Jeffries had returned home from England’s triumphant tour of Australia in July that he allowed himself a moment to reflect on his journey towards international recognition. On his two-year “retirement”, on all those nights in the gym or in rehab, gradually finding a way to restart a career without the chronic knee pain that had ended it abruptly aged 26 in 2019.

Classical musicBritain's leading baritone, Thomas Allen, grew up in a coal-mining town and started out singing around the piano. He was taken up by WNO, broke through with his Barber of Seville, became renowned for his Don Giovanni and is now playing Sweeney Todd in a production he hopes will encourage new audiencesTwo years ago, Thomas Allen was being interviewed at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. As a member of the board, he was increasingly frustrated that high ticket prices were keeping too many people away from some of the finest opera on show anywhere in the world.

Stylist: Chloe Hartstein. Set design: Andrea Huelse. Hair: John Novotny at Opus Beauty. Makeup: David Razzano at Opus Beauty. Set design assistant: Henry Harper. Dress, byRachel Gilbert. Photograph: Erik Madigan/The GuardianAfter a wild and troubled young life growing up in New York, the actor came out of nowhere to become the breakout star of indie hit Uncut Gems. Then – after a month dating the controversial rapper – her life somehow got even weirder

The ObserverAutobiography and memoirReviewAlan Cumming’s violent upbringing at the hands of his father taught him the value of putting on an act Alan Cumming: ‘I never felt I’d achieved enough because I was always told I was nothing’ Alan Cumming is not smiling on the cover of his memoir. The man who loves to make us laugh is almost unrecognisably serious in black and white, touching one hand to his forehead as if he’s forgotten something.

06.32 ESTKyiv says attack on Russian oil depot in Klinsty part of 'fair' retaliation for Moscow strikes on Ukraine infrastructureUkraine said it was behind a drone strike that sparked a huge inferno at an oil depot in western Russia on Friday, the latest in a series of escalating cross-border attacks. The strike is the second on a Russian oil depot in as many days, part of what Kyiv has called “fair” retaliation for Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Texas This article is more than 8 years oldTexas buffeted by rain, storms and suspected tornado near San AntonioThis article is more than 8 years oldApparent whirlwind deposits truck trailer on to roof of hotelRivers burst banks, roads closed and buildings damagedA trailer from an RV park was whirled on to the roof of a Holiday Inn, buildings were shredded and more than a foot of rain drenched Austin as storms hammered Texas on Friday, killing at least two people.

CitiesFaceless estates. Sprawling suburbs. Soulless financial districts. Discredited elsewhere as fostering the worst kind of urban angst, these are the vogue in China – but change could be afoot You’ll find the original Rancho Santa Fe community nestled between golf courses and tennis clubs in sunny southern California. The version of it that I know best, however, is in the suburbs of Shanghai: this themed Chinese subdivision, modelled on the posh Californian suburb, features the same Mission-style homes with red tile roofs and the same lush green lawns encircling driveways mounted with basketball nets.

BooksReviewWith the panache of a born storyteller, Ben Macintyre explores what drove Kim Philby, the charming master of duplicityThe man with a secret is the man with power, Aristotle observes, and no life could illustrate the truth of the maxim more emphatically than that of Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby, pupil of Westminster School and Cambridge graduate, clubman, cricket enthusiast, bon viveur and tireless party-thrower, ace undercover agent and, as Ben Macintyre would have it, great betrayer.

OpinionTheatre This article is more than 8 years oldAlan Rickman gave the greatest gift to my late daughter, Rachel CorrieThis article is more than 8 years oldCraig CorrieThe actor’s courage and care turned Rachel’s story into an extraordinary play, My Name is Rachel Corrie; all the while treating us with a rare thoughtfulnessMy family and I were saddened on Thursday morning to learn of the death of Alan Rickman – too sad to write our feelings at the time.