Even Breanna Stewart’s grit couldn’t stop Liberty from letting golden chance slip away
As Labour flounders and dabbles in the politics of hatred to gain a point or two, it is those far from power who will suffer most
In the days since the largest far-right rally in British history, I keep hearing the same phrase. Friends will talk about those scenes, how London was packed with more than 100,000 day-trippers chanting “send them back”. Then they’ll say: “It’s the 1970s all over again.” I can almost see their minds playing the old reels of Enoch Powell and the National Front.
Being of similar vintage, I too know about abuse in playgrounds and getting chased by skinheads and the house-warming gift of a brick through the window (which the police didn’t deem racist because the motive wasn’t sufficiently explicit – guys, next time wrap it in a memo!). We’re still some way from those days, thankfully, but one important aspect is much worse. Back then, racism was a furtive, guilty pleasure: deep down, even bigots knew their bigotry was ugly. No more.
Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...© Illustration: Sebastien Thibault/The Guardian
© Illustration: Sebastien Thibault/The Guardian
© Illustration: Sebastien Thibault/The Guardian
A meat-free version of the classic layered pasta dish made with good strong cheese and a few essential details you may not have thought of
When I was writing a book about pasta, an acquaintance from Naples who lives in Chișinău, Moldova, with his Welsh wife suggested that the first step with lasagne is to approach it like a town planner. That is, first work out the size of the dish in relation to the size of the pasta sheets (this applies to both fresh and dried), then decide how many layers you want, not only to establish how many sheets you need, but also to proportion the various fillings accordingly. We also decided that the construction of a lasagne should be like that of a bricklayer combined with a Jackson Pollock approach to the sauces.
My ceramic lasagne dish is 30cm x 20cm, and three 10cm x 25cm dried lasagne sheets make a single layer in it, so a five-layer lasagne requires 15 sheets. Most dried lasagne sold today doesn’t require pre-cooking or soaking, but those sheets depend on the sauce being liquid enough to provide enough moisture to hydrate and cook them. Dry sheets also require a relatively long cooking time, so, in the case of today’s lasagne, which involves a dense and creamy, rather than a liquid sauce, I dip the sheets into boiling water for 30 seconds, then in cold water and then lay them on a tea towel to dry, which gives them a head start. It also reduces the total cooking time, which suits the delicate texture of the courgette and ricotta in the sauce.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Rachel Roddy/The Guardian
© Photograph: Rachel Roddy/The Guardian
© Photograph: Rachel Roddy/The Guardian
Lawyers say pro-Palestinian activist remains protected from immigration enforcement while separate federal court case proceeds
An immigration judge in the US state of Louisiana has ordered the deportation of pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria, ruling that he failed to disclose information on his green card application, according to court documents filed on Wednesday.
Khalil’s lawyers said they intended to appeal against the deportation order, and that a federal district court’s separate orders remain in effect prohibiting the government from immediately deporting or detaining him as his federal court case proceeds. The lawyers submitted a letter to the federal court in New Jersey overseeing his civil rights case and said he will challenge the decision.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Debra L Rothenberg/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Debra L Rothenberg/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Debra L Rothenberg/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
About 800,000 people to demonstrate against budget plans, putting pressure on new prime minister
France is braced for one of its biggest strike days in recent years, as trade unions make a rare show of unity to put pressure on the new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to rethink budget cuts and act on wages, pensions and public services.
About 800,000 people are expected to take to the streets in marches across the country on Thursday, according to police, while schools, rail and air transport will all be affected. A total of 80,000 police will be deployed.
Continue reading...© Photograph: Jean-François Badias/AP
© Photograph: Jean-François Badias/AP
© Photograph: Jean-François Badias/AP