Archive: 13 August – 19 August 2012
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Sunday 19 August 2012
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Editorial: Amid the fluorescent tackiness of 80s music, Prince's double album offered sophistication Continue reading...
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20.08.12: Ben Jennings on the Pussy Riot trial
Members of Russian feminist punk band face two years in prison colony after being found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred
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Editorial: Justin King's observation that an extension of trading hours would not be 'a magic answer to economic regeneration' deserves to be heeded Continue reading...
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Jobseekers in Birmingham. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian
Guy Standing: Nowadays we do a lot of work when we come home from work. Yet our outdated statistics don't record any of it
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Nick Griffin launches his party's manifesto at the 2010 elections. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA
Matthew Goodwin: The BNP is in freefall but there is potential for one of its many rivals to move into the space it vacates
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Editorial: Miss A and Miss W are at the heart of this story, however inconvenient it may be for the WikiLeaks founder's supporters
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South Foreland Lighthouse on top of the white cliffs at Dover. Photograph: Stuart Forster/Rex Features
Julian Baggini: Both proud and porous, Dover's coastline could be a perfect symbol for a new kind of patriotism
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Charlie Brooker: Going all-digital is the best thing that could happen to Britain's longest-running comic Continue reading...
Desperate Dan and chums are going all-digital. Photograph: PA
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Chris Elliot: Open door: Despite the views of some readers, rises in newspaper sales and website traffic figures suggest that many wanted the breadth and depth of coverage that the Guardian provided Continue reading...
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'Pussy Riot are an object lesson in what cultural provocation can do, while orthodox politics and protest too often remain impotent'. Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
John Harris: Putin may have more serious critics, but Pussy Riot have shown the west how artistic dissent can still make a difference
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In 1980, CEO pay was 42 times an average worker's wage; today, that multiplier is 380. Photograph: Charlie Skelton
Pratap Chatterjee: A new report finds many top executives are taking home more than their corporations pay in taxes – at our expense
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'Money spent to look after older people needing care is money that can't be spent on schools, or cancer screening.' Illustration: Andrzej Krauze
Jackie Ashley: Capping care costs will ease a terror felt by many. But leaders must beware: disaster lurks in promises the coalition can't keep
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Too negative? The BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders. Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has criticised the BBC's coverage of last week's unemployment figures. Do you think the broadcaster should be more positive in its reporting of economic news?
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France's President François Hollande. Photograph: Philippe Laurenson/Reuters
Philippe Marlière: Socialist President François Hollande vowed to tackle inequality, but 100 days on he is not keeping his word
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Sarah Ditum: My fear is that Catwoman is inflicting long-term damage on her joints, and might go from cat-burgling to walking with a stick Continue reading...
Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros/Sportsphoto
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Mark Vernon: The archbishop and the historian have the elusory character of Christianity on their minds in their new books Continue reading...
Rowan Williams conveys what being a Christian means to him in his new book, The Lion's World. Photograph: Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images
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Over 70,000 volunteer Games makers helped sum up the spirit of a good-hearted, multi-cultural society. Photograph: Adidas/LOCOG/PA
Tim Soutphommasane: All parties will claim the triumph of the Games. Ed Miliband is best poised to turn it into a new national purpose
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Peter Beaumont: The central issue comes down to how combatants are identified and what efforts are made to protect civilians Continue reading...
A US Predator drone over Kandahar air field, southern Afghanistan. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
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Barbara Ellen: Either Benedict Cumberbatch should stop whingeing or flee to America Continue reading...
Eton College: Privilege should be no defence against mockery. Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian
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Nick Cohen: The marriage of the Kremlin and the church in the Pussy Riot affair shows how sinister matters are in Russia Continue reading...
President Vladimir Putin: looking to the heavens for guidance? Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/REUTERS
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Kevin McKenna: The first minister might appreciate the help of an updated cast of Dandy superheroes Continue reading...
Desperate Dan needs to be remodelled to help Alex Salmond's independence campaign. Photograph: DC Thompson/Dandy/PA
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After David Cameron was mocked for wearing his work clothes in Mallorca, Alex Bilmes and Jim Shelley ask what it takes for British men to look stylish on holiday Continue reading...
David Cameron in Mallorca with his wife Samantha. Photograph: Wpa Pool/Getty Images
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Observer editorial: Parliament has a duty to address the issue of assisted dying
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Aid workers unload supplies at October refugee camp in Burao, Somaliland. Photograph: Antonio Olmos
Kristalina Georgieva: On World Humanitarian Day, we should remember those who put themselves in peril for the greater good
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Chris Riddell 19/08/2012 Photograph: Observer
Chris Riddell on the education secretary's 100-metre dash away from the playing fields sell-off row
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Stewart Lee: For two weeks, a cat decomposed in Stoke Newington, watched by the world. Now it has gone, leaving a void in all of our lives
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Observer editorial: The Russian president will appear a tyrant if he persists in the persecution of free speech Continue reading...
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Viv Groskop: EuroMillions winners Adrian and Gillian Bayford's friend wouldn't dream of discussing money with them. Wise man, but… Continue reading...
Adrian and Gillian Bayford, EuroMillions lottery winners, celebrate their luck. Photograph: Beretta/Sims / Rex Features
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Catherine Bennett: The Tories seem very forgiving of infidelity these days. Just look at the mayor of London's rising popularity Continue reading...
Man on wire: Boris Johnson now seems above petty criticisms. Photograph: Handout/Reuters
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Victoria Coren: You don't have to feel compassion for junkies. Just accept that punishment is not at all helpful Continue reading...
Russell Brand, who made a documentary about his former drug addiction. Photograph: Karen Robinson /The Observer
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Eva Wiseman: The culture fostered by Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown still blights the lives of too many women Continue reading...
Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown in 1979. Photograph: Susan Wood/Getty Images/Getty Images
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Tristram Hunt: True equality between vocational and academic education calls for a plan for some form of polytechnic-style capacity Continue reading...
Applications for university places are falling. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA
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Saturday 18 August 2012
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Literature likes to see sons as murderous rivals, but those who rediscover love for each other find it the most fulfilling of bonds Continue reading...
Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher shortly before Oasis split up. Photograph: Zak Hussein/PA
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David and Charles Koch – caricatured on a Greenpeace protest blimp – are pouring money into anti-Obama campaign advertising through the group Americans for Prosperity. Photograph: Greenpeace/Gus Ruelas
Dan Gillmor: Until media firms are forced to disclose where the ad dollars for this mendacious propaganda comes from, believe nothing
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Yuan Ren: The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit – but at the moment it's often not worth the hassle Continue reading...
Chinese people 'love the British royal family'. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
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'It is now clear that Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu disagree on Iran.' Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Thomas Rogan: While it is likely Israel will attack Iran in the near future, it is not in either party's interest to allow retaliation to escalate
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Friday 17 August 2012
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Former San Quentin prison warden Jeanne Woodford at a hearing on the death penalty at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, in 2001. Photograph: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Sadhbh Walshe: It's a sign that California is having second thoughts that a former prison warden is leading the campaign against the death penalty
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Mitt Romney campaigning in Greer, South Carolina. The Obama campaign has offered an amnesty on calls for further tax disclosures, if he releases three years of returns. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
MS Bellows Jr: There has been much speculation about why Romney refuses to disclose earlier tax returns. Could it be as simple as an address?
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Peter White: Historically, only a tiny proportion of published books have made it into braille. But now technology means no book is off limits Continue reading...
No longer do printed books torture me with all the things I’m missing, writes Peter White, who is blind
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Jonathan Freedland: Independence lite would not be one thing or the other. But it is starting to have appeal for unionists and nationalists alike Continue reading...
'Chris Hoy, legs permitting, could lead out a team draped in the flag of St Andrew four summers from now'. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters
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Letters: Angling is a pastime that is enjoyed by people of all shapes and sizes and is beneficial for health and well-being, including those recovering from breast cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder Continue reading...
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With the Great British Bake Off's ratings rising nicely again, we ask top chef Henry Harris and food writer Joe Warwick whether they find today's TV cookery palatable Continue reading...
Joe Warwick (left) and Henry Harris discuss the merits of food programmes and cookery on television. Photograph: Frank Bron for the Guardian
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Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett: The hypothetical Cosmo girl is sexy, elegant, ambitious, and – perhaps most importantly – solvent. It makes for a confusing message these days Continue reading...
You thought Sex and the City glamorised the single-girl lifestyle? Wait until you read Cosmo
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Editorial: We need to explore other options for flotations to change this rotten system that has only enriched insiders Continue reading...
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Justice Malala: The shooting at Lonmin's Marikana mine exposes weaknesses at the heart of South African society Continue reading...
Striking workers armed with sticks and machetes at Lonmin's Marikana mine, Rustenburg, South Africa. Photograph: Gallo Images/Rex Features
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Editorial: Nothing is solved and nothing is gained by continuing to investigate this horrible case in this way any longer
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Mark Thompson worked all over the BBC as a producer and executive rising up the ranks virtually unobstructed. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters
Steve Hewlett: New York Times incoming president is hoping to lead a digital revolution, but success there depends on more than charm
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Editorial: The band's trial will not be the last as prosecution becomes the Russian government's weapon of choice against dissent Continue reading...
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Oleg Kashin: You might think an unjust trial would damage Putin, but it fits with his strategy of pitting 'simple people' against the 'creative class' Continue reading...
The punk band Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in jail for hooliganism after performing a protest song in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
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JAS cartoon, 18.08.2012 Photograph: JAS
Police officers claim they killed 34 striking miners in self defence at Marikana platinum mine owned by UK company
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Giles Fraser: Loose canon: Being a believer is not to be in possession of one big theory of everything. Some things are just there and wonderful Continue reading...
'Wonderful mornings are not to be possessed.' Photograph: Peter Lewis/Loop Images
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'All this [misogynistic material] normalises and diminishes violence towards women.' Illustration: Thomas Dowse for the Guardian
Tanya Gold: The misogyny all over the Edinburgh comedy festival isn't comedy, but rage in disguise
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Peter Wilby: The army's Olympic performance challenged the defence minister's private 'ethos'. So why is the government currently negotiating £4bn of new tenders – many in defence? Continue reading...
Soldiers guard the entrance to the volleyball venue at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photograph: Richard Baker/In Pictures/Corbis
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Republican candidate for vice-president Paul Ryan campaigning in the swing state of Ohio. Photograph: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Harry J Enten: Early polling suggests little bounce from Mitt Romney's VP pick. But if Ryan delivers Wisconsin, that could all change
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Robert Douglas and Raymond Massey in the 1949 film version of Ayn Rand's other magnum opus, The Fountainhead. Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive
Don Watkins: Rand's ideas appeal to millions of Americans besides Paul Ryan because they promise freedom from welfare enslavement
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Mark Fisher: Modern football only reflects back the values of neoliberalism: if those values don't appeal, blame the causes, not the symptom Continue reading...
'Football has been transformed by super-rich oligarchs, media conglomerates and the forces of globalisation.' Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images
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Jeremy Clarkson 'profits from dressing badly'. Photograph: Tony Edenden/Sportsphoto Ltd.
Charlie Porter: Men may lose interest in fashion in their late 30s, but a sense of personal style is another matter
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Rafael Correa, Ecuador's president, is likely to gain politically from his decision to offer asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Photograph: Ho/AFP/Getty
Renard Sexton: Ecuador's granting asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is connected with President Rafael Correa's re-election effort
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'Clueless western supporters have glommed on to the Pussy Riot story, making a balaclava look as cute as a hemp tote' Photograph: Action Press/Rex Features
Michael Idov: From their perfectly pitched band name to their academic court statements, these women know exactly what they're doing
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Tony Nicklinson with his wife and daughters. The locked-in syndrome sufferer has lost his high court battle for the legal right to end his life. Photograph: Emma Hallett/PA
Sarah Wollaston: Making assisted dying legal would alter the way society weighs the value of human life forever
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Bim Adewunmi: Taylor Grey Meyer's high-risk rebuttal to a prospective employer may lead to greater heights, but it doesn't work for everyone Continue reading...
'Imagine the insanity of Jean-Claude Van Damme asking for a 67% pay rise. It came at the cost of his career.' Photograph: Stephane Cardinale/People Aven
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Rupert Myers: The prime minister is likely to use the reshuffle to bring in Tory MPs who shun the spotlight and have never rebelled Continue reading...
'MPs being tipped for Cabinet roles are not popping up on TV to cause trouble for the party.' Photograph: Phil Hannaford/NPA
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Ellie Mae O'Hagan: You tell us: Photos of most-wanted fraudsters are fine, but the HMRC must change structures that cause billions to be legally lost in revenue Continue reading...
Protesters demonstrate against Vodafone's alleged tax avoidance schemes in 2010. Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images
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Paul Ryan: a new face on the campaign trail, and someone else for the reporters to dissect. Photograph: Steve Pope/EPA
Workout fiend, a Tea Party hero ... a man with cheese curds in his veins? Our politics writers chat about Mitt's VP at 11.30ET
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Chris Brooke: The final gold medal goes to the commentariat, for the feat of turning the Games into support for every political stance around Continue reading...
Opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/NOPP
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Jonathan Jones: Framing the debate: It is harrowing to watch the anguish of a man who wants to end his life but cannot – yet his message somehow backfires
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'Even well-intentioned parents find it hard to counteract food marketing, poor school lunches and a "grab and go" food culture.' Photograph: Steven Puetzer/Getty Images
Karen Le Billon: Healthy eating starts at home, as children in France learn, but the state has a role in creating a positive food culture for kids
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Dominic Utton: When I shared the pain of my commute, the replies were polite and apologetic – but nothing changed about the bad service Continue reading...
'I composed a letter expressly designed to waste as much of his time that day as he had wasted of mine.' Photograph: SWNS.com
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Samira Ahmed: Fewer students are taking German A-level. Yet it's the language of Europe's powerhouse – and might get you your first snog Continue reading...
'German is the language of the nation that supports the British economy and keeps the eurozone alive.' Photograph: Michaela Rehle/Reuters
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British users tend to care more about looking good with what they share on Facebook. Photograph: Alamy
A survey found that Britons take great care to appear as attractive as possible when posting updates on social media sites, whereas users in continental Europe and the Middle East were more concerned about appearing intelligent and intellectual. Which would you rather actually be?
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Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free
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Rowena Ball for Vagenda: The former Disney star's new pixie crop is not a rejection of femininity, it's not a political statement. It's just a haircut Continue reading...
'The internet seemed to be unanimous about Miley Cyrus's haircut: you can’t be a woman and have short hair at the same time.'
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The good life … working from home. Photograph: Richard Saker for the Guardian
Stefan Stern: You told us: While a few of us might enjoy the opportunities thrown up by flexi-working, the vast majority aren't so lucky
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Thursday 16 August 2012
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Editorial: It will change life on, and the unique environment of, one of the world's remotest islands Continue reading...
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Editorial: The pattern of results, the total number of college places and its distribution continue to flow from Whitehall decisions Continue reading...
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Editorial: Refugee protection does not apply to the WikiLeaks founder and it is wrong of him to claim it
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Tony Nicklinson, who is paralysed with locked-in syndrome, describes his life as a 'living nightmare'. Photograph: Emma Hallett/PA
Polly Toynbee: The court had no choice but to rule against Nicklinson's right to die. The law must be changed to end such brutal suffering
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Republican candidate for vice president Paul Ryan campaigning in Ohio. Photograph: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Ana Marie Cox: Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked a running-mate who has energised the right and given hope to the left
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Geoffrey Wheatcroft: The Olympic spirit we've just rejoiced in makes the return of football's greed, cheating and racism all the more depressing Continue reading...
Illustration by Satoshi Kambayashi
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Hannah Betts: Poshness is, by its very nature, relative – and toff-bashing often the preserve of people who have led very comfortable lives Continue reading...
Cumberbatch has lamented being 'castigated as a moaning, rich, public-school bastard, complaining about only getting posh roles'. Photo: Stewart Kendall/Allstar
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Supporters of Julian Assange gather outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Photograph: Mike Kemp/Corbis
Karin Olsson: Assange's flight from Sweden, a decent democracy, into the arms of Ecuador's megalomanic president is incomprehensible
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17.08.12: Steve Bell on the diplomatic row over Julian Assange
Dispute between UK and Ecuador intensifies as Ecuador grants WikiLeaks founder's request for political asylum
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We're collecting stories from people who care for loved ones while also taking care of themselves. Photograph: Corbis
Do you act as a caregiver for an aging or sick family member while working and raising children? We want to hear from you
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Ben Morse: The 0.4% decline in top pass rates is a blip for now. Time will tell whether it represents something deeper, and what that might be Continue reading...
Students opening their A-level results. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA
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Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan speaks during a campaign rally at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Photograph: Aaron P Bernstein/Reuters
Amy Goodman: Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick is an anti-choice fanatic
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Andrew Feinstein: The arms trade accounts for about 40% of corruption in all world trade. 'National security' is not a good enough defence Continue reading...
In 2006 Tony Blair forced the SFO to close down a long-term inquiry into the al-Yamamah deal between the UK and Saudi Arabia. Photo: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
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Fatima Whitbread: It's sheer hypocrisy for politicians to claim they are investing in tomorrow's athletes but then cut back PE and playing fields Continue reading...
'Scrapping the two-hour minimum of PE and the minimum size of playing fields does a disservice to the next generation.' Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
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Homa Khaleeli: What's the alternative?: Street pianos and table tennis have got city folk talking, but it will take time and money to turn this into real social networks Continue reading...
Ping! England has put almost 700 table tennis tables in British cities from Bristol to Liverpool. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian
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Ecuador's president Rafael Correa: 'Correa made this decision because it was the only ethical thing to do'. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Mark Weisbrot: The United States would paint itself as a promoter of human rights, but any right to make that claim is long gone
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Arwa Mahdawi: Paralympians don't need Beckham to brand their Games – marketers need to see that disabled bodies can sell themselves Continue reading...
'Oscar Pistorius is a double-amputee, an incredible athlete and a bit of a hottie.' Photograph: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
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Construction on the Crazy Horse memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in 2011, commemorating the Sioux warrior, one of those who defeated General Custer at Little Bighorn in 1876. The Black Hills were seized by the US the following year. Photograph: Reuters
Dana Lone Hill: The Black Hills were stolen from the Sioux in 1877. Now, Indians are in a desperate quest to buy back their sacred sites
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A cigarette pack with plain packaging is displayed in Canberra, Australia. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA
Alex Hoban: Australia's government thinks it's scored a victory with plain packaging, but tobacco firms will realise it's a marketable look
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As a nation we are often criticised for being standoffish, but David Mitchell thinks this is a source of pride and a wonderful thing
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Protest posters on police barriers outside the Ecuadorian embassy where Julian Assange is seeking asylum. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Carl Gardner: By law British ministers do have the power to de-recognise Ecuador's embassy, but not without a serious diplomatic fallout
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JF Derry: Google too frequently matches advertisers with objectionable and unrelated material. Some human discretion is required Continue reading...
'The responsibility is with Google and YouTube, to regain control of their machines.' Photograph: Alamy
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Economics professor Costas Lapavitsas argues that a world after capitalism would see money and credit move from being instruments that reinforce inequality into being tools for genuine public service
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Daniel Bear: A scheme to recruit 'civilian investigators' to assist officers may save money but UK policing will be tainted by such privatisation Continue reading...
'This is about cutting officers from the ranks and then hiring them back through a private company, without the same benefits.' Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
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Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free
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'A more uncomfortable picture of modern Britain: a privileged audience served by a poorly paid urban working class.' Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
Mark Perryman: Home Counties ticket holders, overblown legacy claims – let's not be blind to where the London Games didn't deliver
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Wednesday 15 August 2012
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Editorial: Mark Thompson deserves the accolade he has just been given by the publisher of the Times Company Continue reading...
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© Steve Bell 2012
FirstGroup wins the bid to to take over the running of the west coast mainline from Virgin Trains
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A boat carrying suspected illegal immigrants is photographed in Australian waters. Photograph: Ho/Reuters
Judith Ireland: The bitter politicking goes on, but in some ways, it is a victory to have any form of agreement on an issue costing so many lives
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Editorial: The flipside of this diminished productivity is much less unemployment than one would expect with this sort of slump Continue reading...
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David Willetts: Don't listen to the cynics and the grumblers. Opportunities are being opened up in higher education like never before Continue reading...
A-level results day: 'The coalition is in no doubt about the ability of higher education to transform lives.' Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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David Hirst: Syria may now have become the main arena in a Middle East proxy war, but the threat posed to the Lebanese is no less real Continue reading...
Flashpoint: two boys with the old Syrian flag, which has been adopted by anti-Assad activists, in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
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Tom Cruise as John Anderton in the futuristic film Minority Report, where the advertisements use recognition technology to call out to the shoppers. Photograph: Allstar/20th Century Fox
Naomi Wolf: If you think that 24/7 tracking of citizens by biometric recognition systems is paranoid fantasy, just read the industry newsletters
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Editorial: By awarding the contract to the highest bidder, the government is signalling that running trains will no longer be 'a licence to print money' Continue reading...
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Ever so 'umble: but then at least Usain Bolt really is better than everyone else. Photograph: McClatchy-Tribune/Getty Images
Oliver Burkeman: Now everyone is bragging on Facebook and Twitter, the really smart people are developing new ways of promoting their magnificence
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Zoe Williams: What do EL James' trilogy, Cosmopolitan and cosmetic surgery have in common? They seem to be about sex, when really they are about shopping Continue reading...
'The real tragedy of this body-beautiful agenda is that narcissism, ever the advertiser's best friend, just spurs consumption.' Illustration by Matt Kenyon
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Paul Ryan is not a vice-presidential candidate to be underestimated. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP
Martin Kettle: The candidate is no Sarah Palin, and should he come to office he could be a tough foil to an indecisive president
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Bert Massie: Much of what today we take for granted about disability rights can be traced back to Morris's initiatives, now being undermined Continue reading...
Alf Morris, the world's first minister for disabled people. Photograph: Michael Stephens/PA
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(Above) Roget's Thesaurus and electronic Oxford concise dictionary; (below) #PoliticalThesaurus. Photograph: Frank Baron
Harry J Enten: To decode today's murky political discourse, it can be very handy to have a dictionary of synonyms. Or do I mean euphemisms?
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Tourists gather in St Peter's Square. A Vatican judge has ordered that the pope's butler and a fellow lay employee should stand trial over leaked documents. Photograph: Gregorio Borgia/AP
Catherine Pepinster: What Catholics need to see now is an investigation into the truth of allegations in documents allegedly leaked by Paolo Gabriele
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Colin Farmery: Our football club is at the heart of Portsmouth life, so let's hope fans can rise enough money to buy it back from the brink Continue reading...
'Pompey Supporters Trust has raised almost £5m to make a bid for the club.' Photograph: Chris Ison/PA Wire/Press Association Images
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The New York Times announced that Mark Thompson, the outgoing director general of the BBC, will be the New York Times new president and chief executive. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Michael Wolff: The BBC director general can't expect much power at the New York Times. Better yet, he won't have much responsibility either
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Matthew Moran: Hollande is tackling the riots with more security, but police can be part of solution only if police-public relations change Continue reading...
French police officers take position during clashes with youths in Amiens, northern France. Photograph: Guillaume Clement/EPA
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Eating breakfast at your desk? Photograph: Marcus Clackson/Getty Images
Oliver Thring: Breakfast cereal makers blame falling sales on workers eating at their desk. That may be better than a bowl of salty, sugary junk
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Stephen Joseph: Other countries such as France and Germany recognise the wider benefits of railways and fund them accordingly Continue reading...
Virgin Rail lost its west coast main line franchise to transport company FirstGroup. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA
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Holding hands: according to Tennessee legislators, a 'gateway sexual behavior'. Photograph: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images
Katherine Stewart: Congressional haggling over Obamacare meant conservatives won funding for faith-based sex education curriculums in schools
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Paul Ryan: senior voters, even 'staunch conservatives', are scared of his Medicare reform proposals. Photograph: Robert Ray/AP
Peter Beaumont: Amid greater polarisation, winning centrist independent voters is more vital than ever. Which makes Romney's VP pick so baffling
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Grenada's Kirani James celebrates after winning the men's 400m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photograph: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
Richard Drayton: Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake are the product of three generations of reformist politics and improved social conditions
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Soros and Bolton, who met in spring 2008, have formally announced their engagement. Photograph: Reuters
The people's panel: Guardian readers share their views of big age gaps in couples following news George Soros, 82, will marry Tamiko Bolton, 40
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Andrew Brown: Devout parents of terminally ill children hoping for a miraculous cure are putting their faith in modern medicine, not God Continue reading...
'If devout Christians truly believed in miracles wrought only by faith, they would never take their child to hospital.' Photograph: Julian Abram Wainwright/EPA
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A woman receiving a treatment at a cosmetic surgery practice. Do you think there should be tighter regulation on cosmetic surgery advertising? Photograph: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images
The government has launched a review into the cosmetic surgery industry. Should there be stricter regulations placed on cosmetic surgery advertising?
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Angela Merkel: 'a blank sheet on to which they can project their personal idea of their leader'. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP
Jochen Hung: The German chancellor's private personality and cautious economics have led to astonishingly high approval ratings
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'There is no way my love-starved, trauma-addled mother was in a position to raise a child.' Photograph: Craig Lassig/AP
Lynn Beisner: This is no 'I wish I'd never been born' howl of angst. I love my mother, and having an abortion would have given her a better life
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Kailash Chand: The world's largest democracy can best tackle corruption by changing its parliamentary system to a presidential one Continue reading...
The president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, on the eve of India's celebration of 65 years of independence. Photograph: Office Of The President/AFP/Getty Images
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Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates with second and third placed Yohan Blake and Warren Weir after winning the men's 200m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images
Helen Lewis: Athletes enjoyed a surge of new followers during the Olympics and their sponsors will be keen to capitalise
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Sharif Nashashibi: I understand my mother's suspicion of foreign interference in the Arab world, but I still believe in the need for Assad to go Continue reading...
A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his sniper rifle from an abandoned family home in Aleppo. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
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Tuesday 14 August 2012
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Editorial: Which has gone up more in the five years since the financial crisis began: wages or food prices? Continue reading...
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Editorial: The disabled person's car blue badge stands as an icon in the slow civilising of British society Continue reading...
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Illustration by Belle Mellor
Seumas Milne: The melodrama of Bo Xilai's fall has been used to press for privatisation, but the global crisis demands an alternative
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Editorial: The enthusiasm of Israel's prime minister and defence minister for an air strike on Iran appears to have united their country's defence and security establishment against them
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Simon Jenkins: If the Games taught us anything it is that daring to be different can work. Let's take the same approach to stimulus Continue reading...
'The Oympics threw a large amount of money at a small number of people who were set a simple goal. They delivered. But can such delivery be generalised across the political economy?' Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA
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'White supremacists are all too frequently declared to be psychotic loners, where others are seen as part of organised ideological networks'. Photo: Heiko Junge/AP
Priyamvada Gopal: From Cameron's 'Indian dance' remark to the discussion of Breivik's motives, the invisibility of whiteness distorts debate
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Paul Harris: A Romney ad's complaint against the Obama Super Pac spot is right: it was mean and unfair. Welcome to US politics 2012, Mitt
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Steve Bell cartoon, 15.08.2012 Photograph: Steve Bell
The company responsible for the Olympic security fiasco are looking for 'civilian investigators' to work on police cases
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You don’t need to be white, male and bearded to enjoy the national drink. Photograph: Image Source/Getty Images
Naomi McAuliffe: Drink up, sisters! Say no to generic lagers and sample the delights of a delicious real ale instead
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'Most recently, the bishops have set themselves against proposals to extend civil marriage to include same-sex couples'. Photo: Jupiterimages/Getty/Comstock
Jeffrey John: The Anglican church is on a path to acceptance of gay marriage. What a shame such disunity has to be caused along the way
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Lebanese police guard the entrance of former government minister Michel Samaha's home in Beirut last week after he was arrested on suspicion of plotting assassinations in co-ordination with Syria. Photograph: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images
Patrick Galey: Syria called the shots in Lebanon for more than three decades. Now it may have been caught trying to carry out assassinations
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Roy Greenslade: No wonder the Guardian is the most bought newspaper at the BBC. Both are imbued with a public interest ethos Continue reading...
'There are so many similarities between the BBC and the Guardian aside from assumptions about politics.' Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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Dame Helen Ghosh, who is standing down next month as permanent secretary at the Home Office. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
Jill Rutter: Whitehall needs to draw on and encourage as wide a talent pool as possible – and to be seen to be doing so
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'More than 5 million people in the UK are thought to be financially excluded, with 1 million households believed to be without even an everyday bank account.' Photograph: Mark Richardson/Alamy
Hilary Osborne: What's the alternative?: Customers of social enterprise Fair Finance are used to being excluded from banking and left to rely on payday loans
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Paul Ryan: a new face on the campaign trail, and someone else for the reporters to dissect. Photograph: Steve Pope/EPA
Ruth Spencer: Add your recommendations to this ongoing collection of analysis of Romney's vice-president pick, using #smarttakes on Twitter
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Siân Herbert: A campaign offering DNA testing to underline the world is 99.5% genetically identical looks set to reinvigorate debates over race Continue reading...
'The campaign offers free DNA testing to the public to prove there is only one race – the human race.' Photograph: Silvia Izquierdo/AP
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Bob Garfield: When John Kerry was defamed in 2004, Democrats cried foul. Now, they're soiled by their own lies over Obama's Super Pac ad
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Helen Gurley Brown, author of 'Sex and the Single Girl', in her New York apartment in 1965 – the year she began her 32-year tenure as editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis
Emma Brockes: Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl seemed a relic from the past, but a Cosmo subscription changed this teenager for ever
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Mike Small: The collapse in British identity witnessed over the past 30 years will not be vanquished by some strong sculling at Eton Dorney Continue reading...
Andy Murray celebrating his Olympic successes. Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Press Association
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Open thread: Mitt Romney's running mate has warned of state healthcare being a threat to democratic capitalism. Tell us your response Continue reading...
Paul Ryan has said state healthcare dramatically alters citizens' attachment to government. Photograph: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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Jason Farago: In the case of the anti-gay writer outed by a male lover, exposing his sexuality is right as it delegitimises his message of bigotry Continue reading...
'Outing is an imperfect weapon, but what destroys lives is intolerance, hatred, and the shame of the closet.' Photograph: Lenora Gim/Getty Images
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Dave Hill: Maybe Boris Johnson is right about an investment bonanza – but the Olympic legacy is meant to benefit ordinary East Enders Continue reading...
'Some will always feel they’ve been sold a false dream.' Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
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Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. Photograph: AP
Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch has said that 'all the posh-bashing that goes on' made him consider leaving Britain to go to the US. Is Cumberbatch right – has posh-bashing gone too far?
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Marxist sociologist John Holloway argues that a world after capitalism is already being imagined in struggles around the world. Students from Central Saint Martins college provide an animated accompaniment
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Penny Anderson: Students are easy prey for unscrupulous landlords, who are cashing in by charging huge rents for shabby properties Continue reading...
'Utilitarian to the point of bleakness.' Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian
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Firemen work to extinguish fire during fighting between Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya communities in Sittwe, northwest Myanmar. Photograph: Reuters
Azad Essa: A fake photo that went viral online has drawn attention to the genuine plight of the Rohingya Muslims refugees in Burma
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Stars Earn Stripes, from NBC. Photograph: PR
Open letter: As Nobel Peace Prize laureates, we call on NBC to cancel this reality TV show that likens military combat to Olympic athletics
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An investigator uncovers a body at the scene where a gunman opened fire on a police officer serving an eviction notice near the Texas A&M University on Monday, 13 August 2012, in College Station, Texas. Photograph: Mayra Beltran/AP
Alex Hannaford: The grim regularity of US shooting tragedies like Monday's at Texas A&M seems only to entrench the self-defence rationale
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Monday 13 August 2012
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Editorial: The selectors, in dropping Kevin Pietersen – man of the match in the last Test – put the team first Continue reading...
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Editorial: The former PM has woken up to the damage that Labour's 'insider' status in Scottish politics has done the party
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Editorial: As the smoke clears from the last of the fireworks at Stratford, this suddenly looks awfully like a government in want of a purpose
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US singer Beyonce performing at the UN general assembly for World Humanitarian Day, on 19 August 2012. Photograph: Cliff Watts/Parkwood Entertainment/UN/EPA
Michael Wolff: If the Thunderclap viral marketing tool works, it may save social media's business model. But for suffering humanity … very little
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Andrew Smith: The latest Google scandal may see the firm's slide into the dark side become irreversible in the eyes of the public Continue reading...
Google has been fined $22.5m by the US Federal Trade Commission. The firm was judged to have misled Apple users as to the efficacy of the privacy protection settings on Safari browsers. Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty
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Mitt Romney greets supporters after speaking during a campaign rally at Flagler College in St Augustine, Florida. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Harry J Enten: What that tells us is that Romney's VP choice was a high-stakes political gamble rather than a cool electoral judgment
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'Politicians trying too hard to capitalise on the fleeting Olympic surge of happiness should tread wearily.' Illustration by Helen Wakefield
Polly Toynbee: The Olympics was about collective action and state support. Sport, and Britain, suffer under Cameron and Clegg
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A Free Syrian Army fighter in the Damascus suburbs. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters
Luke Harding: The grinding 17-month war is being fought by many different factions, but the battle lines are not as clear as many think
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Mo Farah (back right), lines up with Pele (foreground), Haile Gebrselassie (front right), Brazilian vice-president Michel Temer (back left) and David Cameron for the 'hunger summit' photocall. Photograph: Steve Back
George Monbiot: Sports stars like Mo Farah at No 10 will not change a simple fact: people are starving because of the west's thirst for biofuels
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Steve Bell 14.08.2012 Photograph: Copyright Steve Bell 2012/All Ri for the Guardian
Boris Johnson declares London 'capital of the world' while David Cameron says Olympic Games could kickstart economic recovery
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Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: the Thompson family. Photograph: PR
Megan Carpentier: In spite of the 'rednexploitation' reality TV show's implicit audience snobbery, the Thompson family keeps it real
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Mitt Romney jokes with Paul Ryan after announcing him as the 'next president of the United States'. Photograph: Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
Dean Baker: The failings of the Republicans' economic plan may be stark, but Democrats need a trade policy that follows through their critique
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Giles Fraser: Mitt Romney's running mate may be Catholic but his admiration for an author hostile to Jesus's teachings risks losing him votes Continue reading...
Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan greets supporters during a campaign event in Wisconsin. Photograph: Darren Hauck/Getty Images
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David Hearst: In ousting Mubarak-era military chiefs the president has, some fear, accrued too many powers. But he is no Vladimir Putin Continue reading...
Morsi supporters celebrated in Tahrir Square on 12 August after the president annulled the constitutional power grab Scaf made during the election. Photo: Amr Nabil/AP
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Lynsey Hanley: What's the alternative? Liverpool's Homebaked community land trust is a model for local rebuilding in the wake of failed regeneration projects Continue reading...
Venice Street, Liverpool, earmarked for a regeneration scheme that is now at risk of cancellation because of funding cuts. Photograph: Colin Mcpherson
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The people's panel: So, George Soros is to marry Tamiko Bolton, 42 years his junior. What do you think of large age gaps in couples? Continue reading...
Billionaire investor George Soros with his fiancee Tamiko Bolton. Photograph: Reuters
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Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free
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Paul Ryan (left) and Mitt Romney talk to reporters on board their campaign plane. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Only time will tell what Mitt Romney's choice of running-mate means for his chances of winning the presidency. Continue reading...
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Louis Barfe: I deactivated my account when my reports of images of child sexual abuse on the site weren't acted upon Continue reading...
'By saying nothing, Twitter is running the risk of appearing incompetent or worse.' Photograph: M4OS Photos/Alamy
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Homa Khaleeli: A plan for cities of female workers will not increase women's independence. It is akin to US-style Jim Crow racial segregation Continue reading...
'How can further segregation be expected to solve the problems caused by discrimination?' Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AFP/Getty Images
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Nicholas Tott: No wonder small businesses can't get credit when the UK is the only G8 member not to have a body dealing with such finance Continue reading...
A British investment bank could help finance small businesses. Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
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Storm Theunissen: My mission to sell various bits of my body threw up some interesting buyers – and thoughts about donor shortages Continue reading...
Storm Theunissen trying to sell herself in What’s My Body Worth?
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Chloe Angyal: The pervasive romcom narrative that single women are unhappy women is an infuriating falsehood, perpetuated by the press Continue reading...
Actor Jennifer Aniston and fiance Justin Theroux. Photograph: James Devaney/WireImage
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'Capoeira has two distinctive claims: it is a martial art not Asian in origin and it is performed to music.' Photograph: Vittorio Sciosia/alamy
Peter Nichols: The addition of two more western sports is missing a perfect opportunity to bring more global diversity to the Olympics
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Andrew Brown: The first societies were organised around religious ideas, but religion is more than just an adaptation to 'groupishness' Continue reading...
Buddhist monks pray while promoting world peace at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Thailand. Photograph: Sukree Sukplang/Reuters
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Adam Price: It would be depressing if the legacy of these Games was a new triumphalism about London's position of absolute preeminence Continue reading...
The London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony lights up the sky of western Europe's biggest capital. Photograph: Aflo/Rex Features
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Madonna shows support for Pussy Riot during her concert in Moscow. Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA / Rex Features
Jane Clare Jones: The credibility of a woman's voice is often undermined by sexual slurs – as rape victims, Madonna and Pussy Riot well know
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Pankaj Mishra argues that curriculums should not be changed in such a way that the Asian and African response to colonialism is overlooked
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Editorial: These 17 days may have changed this country, if not for good, then certainly in a lot of good ways Continue reading...
Comment from the paper
Robin Morgan: International Women's Day: In defence of feminist dissent
Jonathan Freedland: As the Ukraine debate rages, both sides are getting it wrong
Tim Farron: Parliament has failed to do its digital duty. We need a bill of rights