Production company asked for full review after broadcaster ‘completely unaware’ of Levi Hodgetts-Hague’s comments
Over 20 seasons, the Apprentice boardroom has not been short on drama – but one recurrent theme is the UK show’s penchant for problematic contestants.
This season, which airs its first episode on Thursday, is no different. Offensive tweets posted by contestant Levi Hodgetts-Hague from a decade ago have been unearthed since filming, prompting the BBC to urge the show’s production company to carry out stricter background checks on contestants.
Continue reading...Antiheroine, a new film about the musician’s tumultuous life and career, premiered at the festival with some frank admissions but the star not present
A new documentary about the gen X icon and “queen of grunge” Courtney Love caused a stir at the Sundance film festival – without the legendary Hole frontwoman in attendance.
The musician and actor, now 61, was supposed to attend the premiere of Antiheroine, a new retrospective documentary by Edward Lovelace and James Hall that traces her storied life and career, but did not make it for undisclosed reasons. “We’re really gutted that Courtney couldn’t make it tonight to celebrate this moment with us all,” said Lovelace in his introduction for the film’s premiere in Park City, Utah, calling Love “so unfiltered, so truthful”.
Continue reading...Singer says song is in response to ‘state terror’ visiting city, painting image of unrest due to ‘King Trump’s private army’
Bruce Springsteen has released a new song dedicated to Minnesota’s largest city as a response to “the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis” and the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in the city.
In a message shared on social media, Springsteen explained: “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”
Continue reading...The prime minister cannot wish away the contradictions between upholding democratic values and pursuing commercial interests with Beijing
It has been clear for many years that China’s status as a second global superpower poses challenges to the world’s democracies. Donald Trump’s marauding behaviour as president of the first-placed superpower makes those challenges more acute. In the past, the UK’s relationship with Beijing has been anchored, and sometimes dictated, by the alliance with Washington. Mr Trump’s contempt for former allies, expressed as sabotage of Nato and a scattergun imposition of tariffs, scrambles the old strategic calculus.
This is an ominous backdrop for Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing. The prime minister is trying to perform a difficult balancing act, looking for commercial opportunity in a growing powerhouse while protecting national security from an authoritarian behemoth.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...
China’s medieval Tang Dynasty, which spanned 618 to 907 C.E., was something of a golden age in the nation’s long and storied history. The realm’s territory expanded while governmental stability helped to ensure relative peace, and trade routes like the Silk Road were kept relatively safe. And as people enjoyed more exposure to materials and styles from other parts of the world, the arts of this era reflected curiosity about new techniques and forms.
The advent of modern paper can be traced to China a little more than 2,000 years ago, so it’s fitting that a unique archaeological discovery in the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang contained some strikingly well-preserved paper artifacts. The area is also often referred to as the Valley of the Thousand Buddhas, where overland trade between China and the West via the Silk Road led to a commercial and cultural intersection.
Among the Mogao Caves’ nearly 500 surviving chambers and temples, which are filled with statuary and wall paintings spanning a millennia of Buddhist art, one particular space known as Cave 17 revealed some extraordinary objects. It was excavated in the early 1900s by an archaeologist named Marc Aurel Stein.
Some 50,000 documents, textiles, and other objects emerged from the cavern, which had been sealed up some time during the 11th century. Among these were a series of cut and folded paper flowers, several of which are part of The Stein Textile Collection, stored at the British Museum and the V&A in London.
Loosely based on a square format, similar to other architectural rosettes of the period, the paper flowers were likely attached to a wall or some other substrate, as they still have a dab of glue on their reverse sides. And their characteristics vary greatly, from a relatively simple painted composition to layered floral designs made with a range of paper thicknesses.
While the sheer number of Buddhist artworks, relics, and environments in Dunhuang is remarkable unto itself, the existence of the delicate florets, manuscripts, paintings, and other items created with organic materials marked an incredibly rare find. And while the flowers at the British Museum are not currently on display, if you want to take a look yourself, the piece below comprising nine flowers attached to a textile backing can be viewed by appointment at the V&A’s state-of-the-art East Storehouse.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article These 1,000-Year-Old Paper Flowers, Sealed in a Cave, Are a Marvel of Preservation appeared first on Colossal.
Onder jongeren is het vertrouwen in kraanwater significant lager dan onder andere Nederlanders. Drinkwaterbedrijven starten een campagne tegen desinformatie. „Je moet in de wereld heel lang zoeken om beter drinkwater te vinden dan hier.”
/s3/static.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/28121946/280126BIN_2031003392_drinkwater2.jpg)
NIEUWEGEIN (ANP) - Ferry Weertman en Ranomi Kromowidjojo zijn toegetreden tot de International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). Daarmee behoren de voormalige zwemmers tot een select gezelschap Nederlanders dat deze internationale erkenning ontvangt. Maarten van der Weijden, Monique Wildschut, Irene van der Laan en Judith van Berkel gingen hen voor.
Toelating tot de ISHOF is voorbehouden aan sporters met een uitzonderlijke internationale staat van dienst. Daarbij wordt vooral gekeken naar prestaties op het hoogste niveau, met olympische titels, wereldrecords en internationale medailles als belangrijkste maatstaven.
Weertman won in 2016 goud op de 10 kilometer openwaterzwemmen tijdens de Spelen in Rio de Janeiro. Kromowidjojo won tijdens de Spelen van Londen 2012 goud op zowel de 50 als 100 meter vrije slag. Daarnaast veroverde ze zilver met de estafetteploeg. Eerder won Kromowidjojo al olympisch goud met de vrouwenestafette op de 4x100 meter vrije slag tijdens de Spelen van Beijing in 2008.
Weertman en Kromowidjojo zijn in 2022 met elkaar getrouwd.
