13 h. ago ‘It allowed us to survive, to not go mad’: the CIA book smuggling operation that helped bring down communism

From George Orwell to Hannah Arendt and John le Carré, thousands of blacklisted books flooded into Poland during the cold war, as publishers and printers risked their lives for literatureThe volume’s glossy dust jacket shows a 1970s computer room, where high priests of the information age, dressed in kipper ties and flares, tap instructions into the terminals of some ancient mainframe. The only words on the front read “Master Operating Station”, “Subsidiary Operating Station” and “Free Standing Display”. Is any publication less appetising than an out-of-date technical manual?Turn inside, however, and the book reveals a secret. It isn’t a computer manual at all, but a Polish language edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell’s famous anti-totalitarian novel, which was banned for decades by communist censors in the eastern bloc. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Boden sale sees 'comfortable' leopard print dress 'selling fast' as price reduced

The Tabitha Tiered Jersey Dress, which comes in four different prints, is described as 'comfortable and fun' and you can now buy it with a discount

Economics

3 d. ago Clever gardening hack can make sad and wilted roses last 'forever'

If you're considering binning your Valentine's Day roses because they're wilting, then you might want to watch this gardening trick first. According to an expert, you can make them last forever

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Society makes us invisible’: Black Ecuadorians fight to defend their culture

Afro-Guayaquileños mostly live in the impoverished belts of Guayaquil and have been made to believe their customs are ‘the worst’, say activistsPainted with the support of the city council in 2017, a mural spanning the entire side of a six-story building in Guayaquil’s financial district went largely unnoticed for more than a year in Ecuador’s most populous city – until it triggered outrage.The painting showed two men grappling over money: one dressed in a suit, tie and shoes, with fair skin; the other shirtless, in shorts, flip-flops and a stocking mask. He was dark-skinned. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Woman shares 'correct' way to tie dressing gown to stop it slipping down

Whether you call it dressing gown or house coat, one style influencer has shared a new hack showing how to tie your gown in order to prevent it from slipping down and opening against your will

Politics

5 d. ago You're tying your dressing gown wrong – clever hack stops it slipping down

A style influencer has shared a fashion hack, proving how simply changing the way you tie your dressing gown can prevent it from slipping down while wearing it - but not everyone is impressed

Politics