Новости за 26.05.2015

Where lies the greatest potential for disaster in this ever more disordered world? In Russia’s efforts to rebuild its former empire? In the chaos of the Middle East, or the chronic instability of a nuclear-armed Pakistan? Conceivably, none of the above. A case can be made that the biggest danger is represented by a semi-submerged archipelago in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, object of a confrontation between China and the US and America’s regional allies that without wisdom and restraint could escalate beyond control. Читать дальше...

The appointment of Glyndebourne general director David Pickard as the new head of the Proms has surprised many. Widely expected to be a BBC insider – possibly one ready to wield an axe – instead, Pickard’s appointment appears to signal a willingness to be open to the new, the forward-looking, and the creative.

A group of graphic designers meet outside their studios for flat whites. Two teenagers pose for a selfie in front of some street art. A couple stroll through a gallery, before tucking into a dirty burger from a food truck. This could be any hipster neighbourhood, anywhere in the world, from Shoreditch to Brooklyn. But instead of fixed-gear bikes parked outside, you're more likely to find Maseratis, and people are probably sipping mocktails in their jam jars. This is the Dubai Design District, or d3... Читать дальше...

In Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, any attempt to introduce shock-of-the-new architecture triggers dogfights between trads and mods. And so it was no surprise that when Zaha Hadid produced her sinuous steel-clad design for the new £11m library and archive building for the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College, it was attacked. “Looks like a beached whale,” fumed one objector. “A giant ear trumpet,” said another. “No, a crashed airplane” – and so on.

Men value intelligence over breasts, long legs and other supposed attractive physical features, according to a study by a University of Cambridge academic.

Whether you're pounding pavements, parks or hill passes, keep your eyes protected in all weathers