Society
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Lipman attacks ‘silly’ Rylance for BP protest
Are celebrity resignations a waste of time? Oscar-winning Mark Rylance has left the Royal Shakespeare Company over BP funding. Maureen Lipman says he will live to “kick his own britches”.
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Groundbreaking trial for male contraceptive gel
Will male birth control transform gender relations? For six decades, women have borne the responsibility of long-term contraception, but a hormonal gel for men is finally on the horizon.
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USA accused of running concentration camps
Are the detention centres along the southern US border “concentration camps”? Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has sparked a row over language and history by saying that they are.
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Now Facebook wants to create its own currency
Is the social media giant turning into a shadow government? This is the warning from some experts, today, after Facebook announced ambitious plans to launch a new global currency called Libra.
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Trump launches $100m campaign for second term
Was his first victory a one-off or can Donald Trump win again? Tonight, in Florida, he will launch the biggest election machine in American history backed by the biggest ever pot of cash.
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The sinister rise of deepfake videos
Will deepfakes destroy democracy? In a viral video, Mark Zuckerberg lays out his scheme for world domination using stolen data. But the footage isn’t real — it was created with AI technology.
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The struggle for the true meaning of Pride
Should Pride be a protest or a party? We are halfway through LGBT Pride Month. But alongside the parades and celebrations, there are fears that hard-won gay rights are under threat.
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Hong Kong in shock after worst violence in years
Are we witnessing the last gasp of democracy in Hong Kong? The city’s streets are a battlefield between police and protesters who accuse their leaders of caving in to the might of China.
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Nike mannequin wars: ‘Obese’. ‘Inspirational’.
Should all shops display plus-sized mannequins? Nike has led the way. But it has started a bitter row with some saying it is glorifying obesity and others praising the move as inspirational.
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Anne Frank: Portrait of an icon as a young woman
Should we all keep a diary? An important part of Anne Frank’s writing is that she captures so much of what it is to be a teenager, even with secret pages musing on puberty and prostitutes.
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Calls for Gove to quit over cocaine hypocrisy
Should Michael Gove abandon the race to be PM because he took cocaine 20 years ago? According to his party’s policy, he should go to prison for seven years. But who hasn’t made mistakes?
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1984 at 70: Still relevant says Orwell’s son
Even after a lifetime, can a classic still have a message? Few novels have had such an effect, with ‘Big Brother’, ‘newspeak’ and ‘thoughtcrime’ now firmly embedded in the English language.
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Women’s World Cup: nearly 1m tickets sold
Could women’s football be as good as men’s? Launching tonight, this year’s Women’s World Cup is the biggest ever — with fans claiming women are more resilient and more exciting to watch.
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Free world salutes ‘the greatest generation’
Do we need to relearn the importance of resolve, courage and sacrifice? The Queen described the heroes of D-Day as “my generation” — the “resilient” old men and women who saved the world.
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Death, fame and the lure of the mountains
Is the heroic mountaineer who takes on superhuman challenges really just a selfish misfit? As this year’s toll mounts, climbers themselves admit that it is a dangerously addictive pleasure.