MoviesObituaryLyudmila Gurchenko obituaryPopular Russian film star and entertainer who brought a light touch to the Soviet eraAfter Nikita Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin's "cult of personality" at the 20th party congress in February 1956, political and cultural life in the Soviet Union underwent many changes. One of the first films to benefit from "the thaw" was Eldar Ryazanov's musical-comedy Carnival Night (1956), starring Lyudmila Gurchenko, who has died of cardiac arrest aged 75.
Readers recommendMusicReaders recommend: songs about exile – resultsThis week you suggested songs that bring to life the longing and despair – and sometimes the hope – of displacementIf there is a geographical symbol for exile it is Babylon, where the Jewish people were deported after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians way, way back. The song Rivers of Babylon was, of course, created by Rastafarians, for whom Babylon is a synonym for oppressive systems.
Jay Rayner on restaurantsFoodReviewTracking down great-quality Japanese cooking at a price that won’t make you weep is very hard – until now, that is
Sushi Atelier, 114 Great Portland Street, London W1W 6PH (020 7636 4455). Meal for two, including drinks and service: £70-£110
Good restaurants make us think better of ourselves. They create a mood and then, by granting us a seat, co-opt us into it. Sushi Atelier, on London’s Great Portland Street, makes me feel like a better person.
Turbulent indigos: glorious Joni Mitchell watercolours – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email In 1971, Mitchell gave 100 of her closest friends a handmade copy of The Christmas Book, a collection of early songs, poems and watercolours. It is now being published more than 40 years later by Canongate as Morning Glory on the Vine
France This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldVirginie Despentes’ book Cher Connard pushes problem of sexual harassment back into spotlight
A novel depicting France’s #MeToo movement by the French punk feminist writer Virginie Despentes, irreverently titled Cher Connard – which roughly translates as Dear Arsehole – has become a bestseller, prompting a debate about sexual harassment and equality in the social media age.
Leonard Barden on chessChess This article is more than 2 years oldChess: Howell wins Titled Tuesday as mobile phone saves Short from teenagerThis article is more than 2 years oldDavid Howell scored 10/11 in the 632-player masters online event, while Nigel Short had a lucky break on his return
David Howell scored a rare English victory in high-class international competition this week when the three-times British champion won chess.com’s weekly Titled Tuesday.
FictionCory Doctorow novel pulled from school reading for 'questioning authority'Little Brother has been dropped from Florida high school programme over fears parents might objectLittle Brother, Cory Doctorow's novel about teenagers rebelling against the surveillance state, has been pulled from a school reading programme in Florida this summer following what the author said were concerns from the school's principal over its questioning of authority and its "lauding" of hacker culture.
According to the National Coalition Against Censorship, Little Brother was chosen for a school-wide summer reading programme at Booker T Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida "
Self and wellbeingSiblingsWe both loved music growing up but when he sent me his demo CD I was afraid he would be mocked. Now Interpol is my favourite band – and we’re the best of friends
This story ends at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2018. I’m standing alongside the rest of the sold-out arena, punching the dry ice, roaring along to Lights during Interpol’s sold-out show, as my youngest brother, Daniel, strides across the stage slashing at his guitar, singer Paul Banks leading the throng.
Nicole KidmanNicole Kidman lied about height to secure auditions early in careerThe 5ft 11in actor says she pretended to be shorter after being told she was too tall to have a Hollywood career
Nicole Kidman has revealed she had to lie about her height early in her career, taking half an inch off to secure auditions.
Kidman is 5ft 11in (1.8 metres) but she told the Radio Times she would pretend to be 5ft 10 and a half to get work.
Colorado This article is more than 1 month oldOwners of US funeral home that hid 190 bodies face families in courtThis article is more than 1 month oldJon and Carie Hallford to face charges of theft, forgery, money laundering and approximately 190 counts of abuse of a corpse
Relatives who knew or feared that their loved ones were among the 190 abandoned bodies found decomposing in a Colorado funeral home watched in person for the first time Tuesday as the owners of the business appeared before a judge.