Fela Kuti: Africa’s Bob Marley – or an African Handel?

(Lewton Cole/Alamy) Fela Kuti found fame in Africa in the ‘70s – but at the time it eluded him elsewhere. As new audiences discover his music, Peter Culshaw looks back at the complex character. When I met Fela Kuti, the self-styled “Black President”, he was in a London hotel wearing only a pair of red underpants, smoking a massive joint, surrounded by three of his wives (he notoriously married 26 in one day) and his personal...

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Short but sweet: The miniskirt

Natalie Wood (Globe Photos/Rex) The shortened garment emerged in the 1960s as a symbol of rebellious youth culture – and endures to this day. Katya Foreman looks back at the style icon. s Among the many revolutions of the Swinging ’60s, from The Beatles to the first man on the moon, the miniskirt remains one of the era’s most enduring icons. While opinions differ on who invented the abbreviated garment, with Mary Quant,...

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Movie review: Pacino returns to form in The Humbling

Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig in The Humbling (Millennium Films) The Humbling stars Al Pacino as an actor confused between fantasy and reality. But despite some great performances, Nicholas Barber is left bemused by the film. Two days after the Venice Film Festival opened with Alejandro Gonzáles Inárritu’s Birdman, along comes an uncannily similar comedy drama about a Broadway actor who’s having trouble distinguishing between ...

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Roald Dahl draft spills Charlie and the Chocolate Factory secrets

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory went through several drafts before its 1964 publication Little-known characters and incidents that could have featured in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been revealed by the Roald Dahl estate. An unused chapter from a 1961 draft of what was then Charlie's Chocolate Boy takes the reader to the Vanilla Fudge Room in Willy Wonka's factory. It also includes two new children and...

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To live is to jog

Once upon a time these people would be regarded as more than a little eccentric Out there, pounding the hard yards, losing weight, getting fit, ready for the run, joggers owe it all to one man who died a quarter of a...

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Hijab for a day: Non-Muslim women who try the headscarf

Jess Rhodes, with and without her hijab World Hijab Day calls on non-Muslim women to try out life under the traditional head scarf. Can it lead to more religious tolerance and understanding? "Because I'm not very skilled I'm wearing what you could call a one-piece hijab - you just pull it over your head. But I've discovered the scope is endless. There are all sorts of options." So says Jess...

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Pakistan protesters clash with Islamabad police

Download Flash Player now You need to install Flash Player to play this content. Protest leader Dr Tahirul Qadri says the demonstration was "peaceful" Pakistan police have fired tear gas at anti-government protesters marching on the official Islamabad residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The city's two main hospitals have told BBC 264 people have been injured, including at least 26 policemen. Demonstrators...

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Ross County: Patrick Kluivert a surprise candidate for vacancy

Former Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert and ex-Barca youth coach Sergio Lobera have emerged as candidates for the Ross County vacancy. Kluivert, 38, was assistant to Louis van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup as the Netherlands finished third in Brazil. He has yet to manage a club in his own right but did spend a year with...

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Indian woman kills leopard that attacked her

Kamla Devi spoke to the media from hospital, where she is stable An Indian woman armed only with farm tools is stable in hospital after killing a leopard that attacked her. Kamla Devi, 56, sustained multiple bites, cuts and fractures during the half-hour battle. She had been fetching water in northern Uttarakhand state when the leopard pounced on her from nearby bushes - she fought back...

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Nigeria launches national electronic ID cards

President Jonathan said the e-ID scheme would be the primary database for all government departments Nigeria's president has formally launched a national electronic identity card, which all Nigerians will have to have by 2019 if they want to vote. Goodluck Jonathan received the first biometric card which can also be used to make electronic payments. MasterCard is providing the prepaid payment element and it hopes millions...

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India's economic growth hits two year high

India's economy grew by 5.7% in the three months to June, its fastest pace in two-and-a-half years, according to an official estimate. The economy was helped by strong growth in electricity, gas and water supply, and financial services, the Ministry of Statistics said. The growth figure was higher than analysts had been expecting. India's new government has launched policies designed to encourage business investment,...

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How much of the science in Breaking Bad is real?

Breaking Bad is into its final few episodes, with fans already speculating how the story of a teacher-turned-drug-producing-criminal-mastermind will reach its denouement. But how many of the frequent science scenes reflect reality, asks chemist and physicist Dr Jonathan Hare. Spoiler warning: Multiple plot details revealed below "The chemistry must be respected." So says Walter White. Walt is a brilliant research...

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Philippine peacekeepers rescued in Syria's Golan Heights

There has been heavy fighting in the Quneitra area of the Syrian Golan Heights in recent days Thirty-two Philippine peacekeepers trapped by rebels in the Syrian Golan Heights have been rescued, the UN says. A UN spokesperson said the "situation on the ground is calm but tense", without providing further details. Another group of 40 peacekeepers escaped a seven-hour siege by rebels after returning fire in self-defence,...

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Lockdown on US base after soldier turns gun on herself

An Army official described the soldier as "enraged" but did not specify what about A soldier barricaded herself inside an office on a Virginia Army base before shooting herself in the head, Army officials have said. The unnamed soldier was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital on Monday. The US Army's Fort Lee base was put on lockdown for part of the morning after a report of an "active shooter". Maj Gen Stephen...

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Google tests drone deliveries in Project Wing trials

Download Flash Player now You need to install Flash Player to play this content. WATCH: Google filmed this footage of its prototype drone Google has built and tested autonomous aerial vehicles, which it believes could be used for goods deliveries. The project is being developed at Google X, the company's clandestine tech research arm, which is also responsible for its...

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Man Utd: The key questions facing Louis van Gaal after Burnley draw

Louis van Gaal has extended the scale of his Manchester United reconstruction to suggest it could be a year before the rewards of his work are witnessed. No-one was challenging the former Netherlands coach's assertion after an uninspiring afternoon in Lancashire brought a goalless draw against Premier League newcomers Burnley - who more than merited their point. United only have two points from what many would regard as kind opening...

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