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Ernest Hemingway This article is more than 14 years oldHemingway revealed as failed KGB spyThis article is more than 14 years oldNotes from Stalin-era intelligence archives show 'agent Argo' as a willing recruit in 1941Up till now, this has been a notably cheerful year for admirers of Ernest Hemingway – a surprisingly diverse set of people who range from Michael Palin to Elmore Leonard. Almost every month has brought good news: a planned Hemingway biopic; a new, improved version of his memoir, A Moveable Feast; the opening of a digital archive of papers found in his Cuban home; progress on a movie of Islands in the Stream.

Oklahoma City Thunder This article is more than 1 month oldPolice investigate claims Thunder’s Josh Giddey had relationship with underage girlThis article is more than 1 month oldNewport Beach police look into allegations around OKC playerGiddey, 21, was booed aggressively by opposing fans on TuesdayPolice in Newport Beach, California, are looking into allegations that Oklahoma City Thunder player Josh Giddey had an improper relationship with an underage girl in their jurisdiction, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Syria This article is more than 11 years oldProfileThis article is more than 11 years oldBashar al-Assad's brother-in-law may have fallen foul in the past but his importance within regime's inner circle is unquestionablePresident Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, was also the deputy defence minister. He was one of an inner circle of security chiefs focused on the Assad family, one of the top three in the regime, alongside the president's younger brother Maher although he was not always in favour.

TV reviewTelevisionReviewThe Tavistock centre’s gender identity service has been embroiled in court cases and criticism. This balanced look at its closure talks to those it helped – and those it failed “How did you go bankrupt?” a character is asked in Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. “Two ways,” he replies. “Gradually, then suddenly.” So it is with medical scandals, too. Disquiet builds and eventually, suddenly – often when someone goes to the press – a reckoning falls.

The fight for democracyRon DeSantis This article is more than 8 months old‘Impossible to hold him accountable’: DeSantis signs laws to ease 2024 runThis article is more than 8 months oldMeasures would let him campaign while serving as Florida governor and shield travel records from public Ron DeSantis is using the final weeks before he reportedly launches a presidential campaign to modify Florida law to allow him to run while serving as governor and reduce transparency over political spending and his travel.

Argentina This article is more than 12 years oldLegendary Buenos Aires cafe to make way for Nike shopThis article is more than 12 years oldThousands sign petition against opening of Nike branch on site of Cafe Richmond, once frequented by Greene and BorgesIt has been described as the most British corner of Buenos Aires, a landmark once frequented by writers such as Graham Greene and Jorge Luis Borges. But the grand old Cafe Richmond where until recently powerful politicians mingled with laid-back bohemians is being replaced by a Nike shop.

FictionReviewLonglisted for the Women’s prize, this intergenerational saga set in a US Chinese restaurant is full of insight into immigrant families’ lives The tireless staff of the Beijing Duck, a Chinese restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, form the cast of this Women’s prize-longlisted intergenerational family saga. The oldest is Ah-Jack, a veteran of the restaurant who can wrap duck in his sleep but no longer carry heavy dishes from kitchen to dining room.

Photo via Cult Kits.Photo via Cult Kits.Guardian Sport NetworkFiorentinaThe Mario away shirt is one of the holy grails for collectors, but dig deeper and not all is what it seems By Emmet Gates for The Gentleman Ultra During the explosion of the vintage football shirt scene over the last decade, certain shirts have emerged as holy grails: the Arsenal “bruised banana shirt” of 1991-93, the away shirt USA wore at their World Cup in 1994, the home shirt in which the Netherlands won Euro 88, West Germany’s home entry for Italia 90, and pretty much any Napoli shirt from the Diego Maradona era.

The ObserverClassical musicReviewRoyal Exchange, Manchester Philip Glass makes a surprise appearance at Phelim McDermott’s astonishing tribute show Without fanfare, the composer Philip Glass stepped out on stage last week, just as a deeply personal homage to him from the writer, director and actor Phelim McDermott was drawing to a close. It was an electric moment. For two hours we had heard of Glass’s influence on McDermott’s life and work and listened to a dozen of his newly minted pieces, and suddenly here he was, moving silently towards the piano.