35 h. ago Same River, Twice: Putin’s War on Women by Sofi Oksanen – review

This harrowing study of the Russian leader’s weaponising of sexual violence argues that misogyny goes hand in hand with imperialismIn 1944, the Red Army pushed the Germans out of the Baltic state of Estonia. Soon afterwards, Soviet officers took away Sofi Oksanen’s great-aunt for interrogation. It was night. When she returned the next morning Oksanen’s young relative appeared unscathed. In fact, she had been raped. She could only mutter a few words: “Jah, ära”, or “Yes, please don’t”.The consequences of her unspoken ordeal were lifelong. As Oksanen relates it, her great-aunt became mute. She never married, had children or a relationship. Nor were the men who abused her punished. After the Soviet reoccupation – which saw Estonia erased from Europe’s map – she lived quietly with her ageing mother. Black-and-white family photos and the stories that went with them were hidden.Same River, Twice: Putin’s War on Women by Sofi Oksanen is published by HarperVia (£16.99). To support the Guard...

Politics

3 w. ago Inside eerie British 'town' abandoned for years after 12,000 inhabitants left

The town was built by the British government at the height of the Cold War and housed thousands of servicemen and women – but now it stands completely deserted

Politics

3 w. ago War Paint – Women at War review – female conflict artists get their moment in the spotlight

From quilting in Japanese prisoner camps to graffiti in Sudan via Rachel Whiteread, Maggi Hambling and Lee Miller, this documentary covers myriad artistic responses to warMargy Kinmonth’s latest feature documentary represents the third in a trilogy of films about artists and war, following Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War, which focused on the second world war artist of the title, and the more first world war-skewed War Art with Eddie Redmayne, which showed on ITV. This time the focus is on female artists and war – as the title suggests with its cringe-inducing pun on a slang term for makeup.It’s a perfectly valid and potentially fruitful subject, but the analysis here is often frustratingly superficial. Kinmonth puts herself front and centre as the onscreen interviewer and narrator, so one has to blame her directly for the daftness of some her questions. For instance, she asks sculptor Rachel Whiteread: “I’m wondering, is there a difference in the perception of female artists to men, a...

Events

3 w. ago Met’s war on 100 most dangerous predators targeting women and girls on London’s streets

Police vow ‘relentless’ focus on men like child snatcher Adam Baillie and knifepoint rapist Louis Collins

Events

4 w. ago Tens of thousands attend rallies in Yemen after deadly US airstrikes – Middle East crisis live

Huge demonstrations in Houthi-controlled areas come as more than 50 people die in strikes responding to Red Sea attacksMore than 200 people, including women and children, have been killed in Syria in incidents involving war remnants in the three months since the fall of the Assad regime, as bomb disposal experts warn that “no area in Syria is safe”.The number of casualties has risen as approximately 1.2 million people return to their former homes and lands after being displaced by the country’s brutal civil war.The US and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are both vowing escalation after the US launched a wave of deadly airstrikes on Saturday with the stated aim of deterring the rebel group from attacking Red Sea shipping. Updating an earlier death toll, Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anis al-Asbahi said 53 people had been killed including “five children and two women”, and that 98 people had been injured.Iran will respond to US president Donald Trump’s invitation to talks after pro...

Events

4 w. ago Landmines in Syria kill hundreds of civilians returning home after fall of Assad

Children particularly vulnerable to unexploded war remnants scattered throughout country as more than a million people returnMore than 200 people, including women and children, have been killed in Syria in incidents involving war remnants in the three months since the fall of the Assad regime, as bomb disposal experts warn that “no area in Syria is safe”.The number of casualties has risen as approximately 1.2 million people return to their former homes and lands after being displaced by the country’s brutal civil war. Continue reading...

Events

last month Should women be conscripted in the event of a world war? Take our poll and have your say

Army chiefs have warned that the UK must consider conscription to be ready for war with Russia, however, the government has never called up women to serve in direct contact

Events