The V&A catalogue row shows China’s censorship now travels through cultural supply chains
The V&A in Kensington. Yau Ming Low/Shutterstock When people think about censorship, they often imagine an obvious ban: a book prohibited, an exhibition closed, or a speaker silenced. But the recent revelation that London’s Victoria and Albert Museum changed exhibition catalogues at the request of its Chinese printer points to something subtler. It suggests that […]
Is mouthwash bad for the heart? Here’s what the research actually says
Don’t give up your mouthwash just yet. years44/ Shutterstock Social media videos are claiming that mouthwash can raise risk of blood pressure – and potentially damage heart health. According to some of these videos, this is caused by mouthwash wiping out “good” oral bacteria that are important for the cardiovascular system. While it’s a striking […]
Departures: this stylish gay love story deftly balances darkness and whimsy
In her 1998 essay What’s a Good Gay Film?, film critic B. Ruby Rich considered what queer audiences were looking for. She wrote that queer cinema-goers were seeking “films of validation and a culture of affirmation: work that can reinforce identity, visualise respectability, combat injustice and bolster social status”. They were tired, she argued, of […]
‘I’m not a politician’: why the clash with Pope Leo could prove dangerous for Donald Trump
“I am not a politician; I speak of the Gospel.” Pope Leo XIV’s recent remarks, made during his apostolic journey to Africa, immediately suggest that his clash with Donald Trump operates on a different level to the US president’s usual political spats. This is not the classic kind of confrontation that Trump has often had […]
Akira returns to cinemas – why the legendary anime demands a rewatch
The classic 1988 anime Akira returns to cinema screens on April 17. Set in a dystopian neo-Tokyo, it is one of the few pieces of cyberpunk manga which has translated well onto the screen. Its ultimate message is disturbing: we are no better or worse than the elites who are using technology to dominate us. […]
From sunsets to the night sky: how technology can help you to notice nature in new ways
Northern Lights were spotted across the UK in 2024. Alyssa Glen/Shutterstock On a chilly yet beautifully clear evening last November, I sat on a video call with colleagues and happened to mention the live feed from the International Space Station – a real-time broadcast from onboard cameras as the station orbits earth. Several people hadn’t […]
The UK is alarmingly unprepared for the threats it faces – security expert explains why
Martin Hibberd/Shutterstock Lord Robertson, former UK defence secretary and Nato chief, has said that the UK’s national security is “in peril”. He is right. There is no secret about what the threats are. In addition to the woeful news from the Middle East and Ukraine every day, stories of sabotage, hacking, Russian reconnaissance of undersea […]
Archaeologists have discovered 12,000-year-old dice – here’s what they reveal about the history of play
Humans have always been playful. But for much of our history, play has left little trace. Unlike tools or bones, games rarely preserve and the fleeting pleasures they produce are even harder to recover. The recent discovery of 12,000-year-old dice, published in American Antiquity, however, sheds new light on the playfulness of human societies in […]
Orbán’s downfall is a positive for EU-Hungary relations – but the reset will not be smooth
Hungary’s Tisza party won parliamentary elections on April 12, bringing an end to the 16-year tenure of Viktor Orbán as prime minister. The result is a seismic one for Hungarian domestic politics. But it is also a major development in the trajectory of Hungary’s relations with the EU. Throughout Orbán’s term, but particularly since the […]
Who is Hungary’s Péter Magyar and how he overturned Viktor Orbán’s illiberal democracy
The day after Péter Magyar ousted Victor Orbán as prime minister of Hungary, he gave a combative press conference. He spoke in Hungarian, but was talking to the world – and particularly to Europe. “We will do everything to restore the rule of law, plural democracy, and the system of checks and balances,” Magyar said, […]