FluxDash

ObituaryAbdul Aziz Ibn BazSaudi leader who condemned women driversSheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz, who has died of cancer aged 87, was grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, a religious leader with ministerial rank in the government. He was born into a family of traders, peasants and judges. His education was traditional religious, with intensive group tutorials led by a sheikh. His exceptional memory enabled him to learn the Koran by heart before he came of age - in spite of an eye infection which made him completely blind from the age of 16.

World newsBarack Obama's campaign speechThe Illinois senator this afternoon formally announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008. Here is the full transcript of his speechLet me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today. We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be.

ComedyReviewSoho theatre, London An AI comedian cracks jokes tailored to the audience’s internet search history in this spoof corporate presentation Streaming platforms increasingly tailor content to our own, unique tastes. Imagine if a standup could do the same? That’s the promise held out by Richard Eagleton, founder and CEO of Standup Solutions and developer of KENN, the world’s first AI comedian, in this spoof corporate presentation by Conner O’Malley. This US act has cultivated a covetable reputation for his online work, and there’s much to enjoy in this parody of Silicon Valley values and tech utopianism.

Stanford University students give their reaction to the 23-year-old woman’s ‘heartbreaking’ victim impact statement (CBS San Francisco Bay Area) GuardianStanford sexual assault case This article is more than 7 years oldEx-Stanford swimmer gets six months in jail and probation for sexual assaultThis article is more than 7 years oldBrock Allen Turner, who withdrew from the university, was arrested after students saw him lying on top of an unconscious woman outside a frat party

Michael Jackson This article is more than 14 years oldFact and fiction in Michael Jackson's deathThis article is more than 14 years oldThe death of Michael Jackson has prompted an explosion of rumour that has grown more lurid with every day that passes. Now more than a week since he died, there is no let-up in the speculation. But what are the facts, and what the fiction? What do we know for sure about why he died, and about the ungainly scramble for assets that his death has unleashed?

Television & radioReviewWhile there are trying times for late-in-life lovebirds Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi, Sally Wainwright’s family drama remains as warm and familiar as a reunion with old friends When it comes to writing about family, nobody does it better than Sally Wainwright. It has been eight years since Last Tango in Halifax (BBC One) began, and just over three since we caught up with Alan, Celia, Gillian and Caroline.

The ObserverSociety booksReviewFor all her empathy, the psychotherapist doesn’t offer much insight or research into the demands of twentysomething life The term “quarterlife” was coined more than two decades ago by Abby Wilner, co-author (with Alexandra Robbins) of Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties. Although psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock’s Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood credits Wilner with the neologism, it also often gives the impression that the struggle and quest for purpose in early adulthood is something its author has discovered; a therapeutic specialism of her own creation, rather than, say, a juncture of individual human uncertainty you can read about in the Bible.

BooksReviewA private tutor to Russian billionaires observes their lives of ostentation, wealth and withheld love in a compulsive debut Sarah Thomas’s debut immerses the reader in a Kardashianesque world of Russian oligarchs, beige interiors and intimacy issues. Melanie is a private tutor to the children of the extremely rich, lulled into the job because it promises ease. In the Kemerov household, she occupies the coveted position of being just below the family but above all the staff.

Argentina This article is more than 3 years oldArgentinian politician quits after kissing partner's breasts in online legislative sessionThis article is more than 3 years oldJuan Emilio Ameri initially claimed he thought he was offlineMoment went out on lower congressional house’s YouTubeA legislator in Argentina’s lower house of congress has been forced to resign after he was seen kissing his girlfriend’s bare breasts during an online congressional debate. ‘We’re suddenly drowning in people’: Argentinians flock to Uruguay amid pandemicRead moreThe scandalous moment, during a debate about pension fund investments, was transmitted live on the lower house’s YouTube channel and on a giant screen set up in congress for online debates during the pandemic.