3 h. ago No Abba, no meatballs? Sweden’s new cultural canon is a listicle that will soon be forgotten | Gabriel V Rindborg

We should always be suspicious when states try to define a national culture – especially when the arts are in crisisSweden is often associated with a large and efficient bureaucratic apparatus. It is also often associated with minimalist interiors furnished by simple pale woods such as birch and pine. It was therefore fitting that, after two years of preparation, the Swedish cultural canon committee presented – in an anatomical theatre from the 17th century – its list of 100 works, ideas and brands that define Swedishness. In direct contrast to the anonymous grey conference rooms usually favoured by Swedish government officials, this unusual list was unveiled in a rather un-Swedish fashion. The contradiction is striking. It says something about how we think about culture, nationhood and identity today – not just in Sweden, but across the west. It also tells us why this canon is doomed to fail and yet for its creators, unfortunately, it has already succeeded.Originally a pet project ...

Politics

20 h. ago Wednesday's iconic stained glass window had to be rescued from Romania after set was 'scrapped'

Wednesday’s world on Netflix is an award-winning production thanks to its creatively dark and imaginative set with Nevermore Academy at its heart

Events

22 h. ago Ghost of Yōtei: a determined outsider seeks revenge in feudal Japan

The makers of the forthcoming open-world adventure explain how new gameplay features and an extra-resourceful sword-wielding protagonist set it apart from 2020 predecessor Ghost of TsushimaAtsu is no samurai. The lead character in Ghost of Yōtei is a wandering sellsword from a lowly family. Her sex and lack of status mean that, following the murders of her family, she has no fixed place in 17th-century Japanese society, and there is no permitted path for her to tread if she is to get revenge on the Yōtei Six, the men who killed her loved ones. As the game’s co-director Nate Fox puts it, “Atsu is not somebody who walks in to a room and people pay respect to.”Yōtei’s predecessor, Sucker Punch Productions’ 2020 sprawling open-world game Ghost of Tsushima, is the story of a samurai, Jin Sakai, who shreds his honour to defend his homeland. Jin can’t repel the Mongols attacking Tsushima as a noble warrior, but as “the Ghost”, a fear-inspiring legend willing to use any dirty tactic to gain...

Politics

3 d. ago Vermeer or not? New display lets visitors decide who painted almost identical artworks

Two versions of the Guitar Player to hang alongside each other at Kenwood in London for first time in 300 yearsTwo almost identical paintings have been at one time attributed to the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer – but what is the relationship between them?Visitors to a new display at Kenwood in London will be invited to draw their own conclusions on this intriguing question when two versions of a 17th-century painting, titled the Guitar Player, hang alongside each other for the first time in 300 years.Double Vision: Vermeer at Kenwood runs from 1 September 2025-11 January 2026 at Kenwood in London. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Funding for mass shooting prevention programs in Minnesota pulled before killings

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

Events

5 d. ago Scotland's oldest bagpipe chanter among 100 great Gaelic objects

The chanter was owned by 17th Century Am Pìobaire Dall - the blind piper.

Politics

5 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Robin Westman’s father reveals new details about attacker to police

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

Events

5 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Robin Westman ‘wanted to watch children suffer’ as officials probe motive

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

Politics

6 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Robin Westman ‘wanted to watch children suffer’, officials say

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

Politics

6 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Parents of two murdered children share emotional pleas to prevent future attacks

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rounds through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School, trying to kill as many children as possible

Events

6 d. ago Minneapolis school shooting latest: Suspect’s manifesto reveals plan to target ‘large group of kids in big assembly’

Police say 23-year-old Robin Westman fired indiscriminately through the stained-glass windows of a church next to Annunciation Catholic School

Events

6 d. ago Minneapolis shooting latest: Police trawl through Robin Westman’s ‘manifesto’ for motive after two children killed

Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through stained-glass windows at Annunciation Catholic School as students celebrated the first Mass of the school year, police say

Events

6 d. ago Minneapolis shooting latest: Police investigate suspect Robin Westman’s video ‘manifesto’ after two children killed

Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through stained-glass windows at Annunciation Catholic School as students celebrated the first Mass of the school year, police say

Events

7 d. ago Minneapolis shooting latest: Robin Westman named as suspect after Catholic school attack kills 2 children

Shooter Robin Westman opened fire through stained glass windows of church as students celebrated Catholic Mass at start of school year

Events

7 d. ago Who is the Minneapolis school shooter? Robin Westman identified as sick obsession with child killers is revealed

Robin Westman, 23, shot through stained glass windows at children sitting on the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School's church Wednesday morning.

Events

7 d. ago Minneapolis mourns traumatizing Catholic school shooting: ‘We’re so tied together’

Tight-knit community rallies around church where assailant opened fire, killing two children and injuring 17Minneapolis shooting – latest updatesA young man carrying white flowers approached a police line a block away from the church and school on Wednesday where hours earlier an assailant opened fire on schoolchildren, blasting bullets through stained glass windows and killing two kids.Arthur Louie grew up a few blocks away from Annunciation church in south Minneapolis, Minnesota. The church throws a fair before school starts, he said, describing it as a “staple point in this community”. He was devastated to hear about the shooting, holding back tears as he said he wanted to bring flowers to pay his respects. He did not attend the school, but has many friends connected to it and described the neighborhood as tight-knit. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Minneapolis shooting suspect identified as Robin Westman who was former student at Catholic school: Latest updates

Shooter opened fire through stained glass windows of church as students celebrated Catholic Mass at start of school year

Events

7 d. ago What we know about the Minneapolis Catholic school shooter after church attack

The still unidentified shooter shot through stained glass windows as they unleashed the attack at Annunciation Catholic School's church this morning.

Events

1 week ago Historian finds 17th century will which sparked Shakespeare family row

The document was drawn up by Thomas Nash on August 25 1642.

Politics

1 week ago When girls married aged 12 and became the property of their husbands: Rare book lays out the 'rights' of women in 17th century Britain

The landmark legal tomb, titled The Lawes Resolutions of Women's Rights, gives an extraordinary insight into the laws that shaped women's lives in 17th century Britain.

Culture