Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the past seven days
Last weekend we launched The Birth Keepers, Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne’s year-long investigation into the Free Birth Society (FBS), a US-based business that promotes giving birth without midwives or doctors present. Sirin and Lucy identified 48 cases of serious harm (including late-term stillbirths and neonatal deaths) involving mothers or birth attendants who appear to be linked to FBS, which experts say gives women “dangerous” misinformation. (Since we published, the FBS which says its content is for “educational and informational” purposes, rather than medical advice, dismissed the criticism as inaccurate “propaganda”.) Keep an ear out for The Birth Keepers podcast, too, coming soon on the Guardian Investigates feed.
Even though he’s partial to hideous noise, free jazz – “arguably the most challenging and far-out music one can listen to” – is mostly unknown to the Guardian’s pop critic Alexis Petridis. Could a new guidebook from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore change his mind? (Very much so, it turned out.)
She’s the emerging star of this year’s dance show, wowing judges with her pasodoble. In this revealing interview, the pundit and former footballer spoke to Emine Saner about gentleness, bullying, her love of the Lionesses and why she’s never been so happy.
