issue 997

The Russia Today TV News Channel

Russia Today: News kid on the bloc

Adam Forrest

The Russia Today news channel is establishing itself as a global media force. But is it just Kremlin-backed propaganda, or an alternative viewpoint in today's geopolitics?

James Cracknell: "I was definitely a shy teenager"

Jane Graham

Olympian James Cracknell, aged 39, on being a shy, un-sporty teenager, why women are like cats, and getting naked with Ben Fogle

Charlaine Harris: "The horror genre is very male-centric”

Laura Kelly

The best-selling author on sexism in horror, rival Stephenie Meyer, and inspiring the True Blood TV series

Smile, Jack: Album's Great!

Jack White - Blunderbuss... Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game... Norah Jones - …Little Broken Hearts... Kassidy - One Man Army...

A Close Encounter

"The glamorous Glenn Close is utterly transformed" - Albert Nobbs reviewed... Plus, Damsels In Distress... Classics Reissued: The Complete Humphrey Jennings Vol. 2...

The Rain Drain

England’s green and pleasant landscape is drying up. Can sodden Scotland come to the rescue or are there better solutions on tap?

Rachel Johnson caricature

Rachel Johnson: House-proud? I’ve been chasing my tail…

Rachel Johnson

"I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and the newspaper when I heard a familiar sound. My heart froze..."

The votes are in! And the winner is...

It’s decision time in the 2012 London mayoral election. Who will come out on top? Our Big Issue poll of vendors and Londoners offers the biggest hint yet...

Russ Owen, age 22, Newport, Wales

"Manners are so important in society"