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Remembering MI5’s first female boss and author Dame Stella Rimington
The former head of the British Intelligence service and author Stella Rimington was the first female (and publicly-named) MI5 chief, as well as the inspiration for Dame Judi Dench’s M in the James Bond films. She died aged 90.
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Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal’s 5-year prison sentence
The novelist’s case has united European lawmakers, who have demanded Sansal's release. His case has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria, and his supporters now hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day.
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Stephen King puts Trump vs Musk feud into perspective with savage post
The celebrated author adds his name to a long list of celebrities commenting on the very public feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The fallout between the two former allies has also led many online to draw a comparison with one cult 2004 movie...
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Celebrated Kenyan author and dissident Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o dies aged 87
Widely regarded as east Africa's most influential writer, Ngũgĩ’s fiction and nonfiction books traced his country's history from British imperialism to home-ruled tyranny and challenged not only the stories told but the language used to tell them.
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Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie faces sentencing in New York
A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. He is expected to be sentenced today, with Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt saying he will request the maximum 25 years in prison for the 2022 attack that left Salman Rushdie blind in one eye.
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Algeria issues two arrest warrants for Gouncourt winner Kamel Daoud
The author is accused of having used the story of a survivor of a massacre during the Algerian civil war without her consent – an accusation he denies. Daoud’s publisher denounced the “violent defamatory campaigns orchestrated by certain media close to a regime whose whose nature is well known.”
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Pulitzer Prize 2025: Who are this year's winners?
Acclaimed novelist Percival Everett, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and composer Susie Ibarra have won Pulitzer Prizes this year in the arts, while the Washington Post wins for coverage of Donald Trump's shooting. Here are the winners in full.
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French rape victim Gisèle Pelicot’s book to be adapted by HBO?
Pelicot won international acclaim last year for her courage during the trial of her former husband, Dominique Pelicot. Her upcoming memoir "A Hymn to Life" will be published next year and reports indicate that HBO will adapt the book.
