The remains of Stalin's gulag railroad a photo essay | World news
The remains of Stalin’s Dead Road. Photograph: Amos Chapple/RFE/RLIn Russia’s Arctic wilderness, the remnants of one of the Soviet Union’s most notorious gulag projects lie largely forgotten
by Amos Chapple/RFE/RLFrom 1947 until 1953, tens of thousands of prisoners, many of them “politicals” convicted for “anti-Soviet acts”, were shipped to northern Russia to lay a railroad through some of the harshest terrain on Earth.
The remains of Stalin’s Dead RoadThe railroad would have connected Russia’s Arctic waters with its western railway network.
Ann Beach obituary | Television
TelevisionObituaryAnn Beach obituaryActor who made her name with Joan Littlewood and went on to play the nosy neighbour in the 1980s sitcom Fresh FieldsNot many performers have appeared in The Archers on radio, starred opposite Ginger Rogers in a Drury Lane musical, sung in an award-winning children’s choir at the Llangollen Eisteddfod and played Hugh Grant’s mum. But Ann Beach, a resourceful and lovable character actor, who has died aged 78, did all of these things, and more.
Goodbye silicone? A new era of breast reconstruction is on the horizon
The ObserverBreast cancerTissue-regrowing implants, which will enter human trials next week, could provide comfortable and accessible alternatives to silicone
Having an ice pack strapped to your chest – that’s how some describe the experience of taking a walk in cold weather when you have breast implants. Silicone only slowly reaches body temperature once out of the cold, so that icy feeling can persist for hours. As well as being uncomfortable, for breast cancer survivors it can be an unwelcome reminder of a disease they would rather put behind them.
In the footsteps of giants: the ultimate Ulysses walk around Dublin
Dublin holidaysOn the centennial of James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece, we offer a pilgrimage you can fit into a single day
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses, by Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company. It’s also James Joyce’s birthday; he was born on 2 February 1882 – 140 years ago.
Ulysses is contemporary with the Irish Free State, established on 6 December 1922; historians love to pore over its dense, riddling text for clues about the national psyche at the time.
Iraq vows to take Iran to UN after attack on Israeli spy base | Iran
IranIraq vows to take Iran to UN after attack on Israeli ‘spy base’Civilians killed in strikes on Erbil include millionaire Kurdish businessman and his family, medical sources say
Iraq has vowed to take Iran to the UN security council after the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed they had attacked an Israeli “espionage headquarters” in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Iran said it was acting in defence of its sovereignty and as a counter-terrorism measure in response to an Islamic State suicide attack in Kerman this month that killed more than 80 people.
Its impossible to celebrate: Gaza war opens fissures among US Christians
ChristianityWith Christmas canceled in the Holy Land, how are US Christians viewing the war?
In Bethlehem in the West Bank, the birthplace of Jesus, Christmas has been canceled. There will be no trees, no lights, no choirs or celebrations.
Instead of a manger, at the Lutheran church in Bethlehem, the baby Jesus lies swaddled in a keffiyeh, half buried in a pile of rubble.
“It’s impossible to celebrate when there’s a massacre, a genocide, taking place in Gaza with our people,” Pastor Munther Ishaq, told Al Jazeera.
Ku Klux Klan man dies four years after jailing for 1964 murders | US news
US news This article is more than 12 years oldKu Klux Klan man dies four years after jailing for 1964 murdersThis article is more than 12 years oldJames Ford Seale was brought to justice 43 years after tying blocks to the feet of two teenagers and throwing them in riverJames Ford Seale, who in 1964 committed one of the most gruesome acts of the segregationist South when he tied blocks to the feet of two black teenagers and threw them still breathing into the Mississippi river, has died – for the second time.
Liberace: the 10 things you need to know | Liberace
Music blogLiberaceLiberace: the 10 things you need to knowOff to see Behind the Candelabra this weekend? Get up to speed with our Liberace primerLiberace was always going to be in showbizHe became a pianist, vocalist, actor and WWF announcer (more on that later), but Liberace was born Władziu Valentino Liberace (or just "Lee" to his friends), which is a slightly more showy name than, say, Reginald Dwight.
Mind you, his older brother was called George, signalling that his parents knew they had to step it up name-wise if they wanted a showbiz breakthrough.
Mystery of decades-old plane wreck in Canadian backcountry solved | Canada
Canada This article is more than 2 months oldMystery of ‘decades-old’ plane wreck in Canadian backcountry solved This article is more than 2 months oldPolice were stumped when ‘crashed’ plane was found in British Columbia, but it was placed there last summer for rescue training
When a hunter in British Columbia stumbled upon the crumpled remains of an airplane fuselage on 3 November, he reported the grim findings to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Senegals highly prized ladoum rams in pictures | World news
Senegal’s highly prized ladoum rams – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Sheep are an important commodity in Senegal, where more than half the population lives in the countryside and many city dwellers retain a close connection to their native villages. Sylvain Cherkaoui took his mobile studio to meet some of the proud owners who posed with their animals