Adventures in Streaming: Gary Oldman, John Le Carre and a series worth sitting through ads for
Le Carre was a veteran of MI-5 and knew his stuff, and since the plot was clearly inspired by the infamous real-life defection of English spy Kim Philby, the series is not short on veracity. The slow burn is worth it.
But for the most surprising discovery in the reality-based, anti-Bond espionage genre, go to 1978, the year before TTSS went to air. That's when Brits were treated to the first of three seasons of The Sandbaggers (all seasons are available for free on Tubi).
The action beats are few and far between, but the series, created by Scottish novelist Ian Mackintosh, is absolutely compelling, considering that 80 per cent of the show consists of men talking in nondescript bureaucratic office spaces.
The premise: Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden) presides over the Secret Intelligence Service, a small, specialized cadre of agents who use their skills to take on special assignments, such as escorting defectors out of hostile countries, or neutralizing turncoats using whatever means necessary.
For a modest production, the show is full of surprising moments, shocking reversals, and at least one jaw-dropping betrayal. It's worth sitting through those terrible Tubi commercials. There is no higher praise than that.
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Toronto Sun
9 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
As U.S. bars Bob Vylan from entry, Canada isn't willing to follow suit
English punk duo facing criticism, criminal investigation after leading chants to murder Israeli soldiers during Glastonbury show Bob Vylan performs on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. England, Saturday, June 28, 2025. Photo by Yui Mok / AP OTTAWA — As the U.S. State Department takes action to bar English punk duo Bob Vylan from entering the United States after a hateful performance at a UK music festival, Canadian authorities aren't willing to follow suit. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Calls from across the political spectrum are growing in Canada to exclude the pair from any future visits to this country. 'Death, death to the IDF!' shouted Bob Vylan's vocalist Pascal Robinson-Foster during Saturday's performance at the Glastonbury Festival in southwest England, about 40 km south of Bristol. 'Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be — inshallah — it will be free.' Robinson-Foster also complained on stage about 'working for a f***ing Zionist.' Commonly heard at anti-Israel rallies, the 'From the River to the Sea' chant is a call for the extermination of the Jewish State of Israel and its citizens, forcibly extending the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More The BBC are facing criticism for not cutting the live broadcast, later denouncing the duo's comments as antisemitic and 'utterly unacceptable.' The office of UK PM Keir Starmer said there was 'no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech,' and called on the BBC to explain why Robinson-Foster's hateful comments were broadcast. The fallout from the comments has been swift. Local police opened a criminal investigation while the duo were reportedly dropped by their talent agency. As well, the U.S. State Department revoked their visas, putting a slate of upcoming American shows in jeopardy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That police investigation also includes Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, who took the stage on Saturday after Bob Vylan. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, faces terrorism charges after reportedly waving the flag of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah at a show in London last November. Continued hateful comments and repeated accusations of Israel conducting a so-called 'genocide' in Gaza during their April performance at Coachella prompted the contentious trio to be dropped by their U.S. visa sponsor and American booking agent. Hip hop trio Kneecap perform during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP) Kneecap is scheduled to play three Toronto shows in October. While Bob Vylan have no Canadian shows scheduled, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather are among Canadian politicians calling on the federal government to bar them from future entry to Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Their conduct at Glastonbury should render them inadmissible for entry,' he told the Toronto Sun, adding he's made his views known to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner shared the same sentiments. 'The Liberals should follow the lead of the Labour Party in the UK, denounce their hate speech, and ensure they can't profit off of hate in Canada by denying them entry,' she told the Sun. On Monday, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) joined calls for both Bob Vylan and Kneecap to be barred entry to Canada. 'Kneecap member Mo Chara (Ó hAnnaidh) is facing terrorism-related charges in the UK, and both bands made headlines at the Glastonbury Festival for inciting hate and glorifying violence — conduct that violates Canadian hate speech laws and contradicts our core values,' read a statement posted online. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While inquiries to Public Safety Canada weren't returned by press time, responses from the Canadian Border Services Agency indicated no desire to follow suit. 'The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is not in a position to comment on this specific case,' read a statement, oddly referring the Toronto Sun to the U.S. State Department for comment. 'What we can tell you is the CBSA role is to assess the security risk and admissibility of goods and persons coming to Canada.' Admissibility of travellers, the statement continued, is decided on a 'case-by-case basis' and on information made available at the time of entry. bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume Toronto Blue Jays World World Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bob Vylan rejects criticism and says it's being targeted for speaking up about Gaza at Glastonbury
LONDON (AP) — Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of antisemitism over onstage comments at the Glastonbury Festival that triggered a police investigation and sparked criticism from politicians, the BBC and festival organizers. The band said in a statement that it was being 'targeted for speaking up' about the war in Gaza. Police are investigating whether a crime was committed when frontman Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of 'Death to the IDF' — the Israel Defense Forces — during the band's set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. The British government called the chants 'appalling hate speech' and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the 'antisemitic sentiments.' U.S. authorities revoked the musicians' visas. Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protests as antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents. In a statement on Instagram, Bob Vylan said: 'We are not for the death of jews, arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. … A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.' Alleging that 'we are a distraction from the story,' the duo added: 'We are being targeted for speaking up.' The BBC is under pressure to explain why it did not cut the feed of the performance after the anti-IDF chants. Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said 'the airing of vile Jew-hatred' by the BBC was a moment of 'national shame.' 'It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it,' he wrote on X. Avon and Somerset Police said it is investigating Bob Vylan's performance, along with that by Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap, whose pro-Palestinian stance has also attracted controversy. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under Britain's Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Japan Forward
3 days ago
- Japan Forward
A World of Generosity
このページを 日本語 で読む JAPAN Forward has launched "Ignite," a series to share the voices of students in Japan in English. How do they see the world, and what insights will they share with us? Individually and collectively, today's students will shape our global future. Let's listen. This second essay introduces another winning work of the Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) high school student English essay contest. In the following essay, high school student Keinosuke Muto shares how living and making friends in a foreign country ignited his open-mindedness and cultural curiosity, and how that has affected his view and perspectives on the world. Second in the Series, 'Ignite' The scorching desert burned my skin, as my body screamed for water and food. Temptations crept into my brain, but I must close my eyes to punish myself for my daily sins rather than refresh my thirst. The word 'Ramadan' initially evoked an idea of strangeness and strictness when I first moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. All of these stereotypes were shattered when Mohammad, my best friend, invited me to Iftar, the grand dinner served after a day of fasting. We were about to eat dinner when Mohammed's mom suddenly asked us to hold a bag. Inside were a myriad of plates, each covered in aluminum foil, each holding in the warmth of homemade food. The mouthwatering smell of saffron rice and kebab rose from it. Mohammed's mother told us to get in the car. She held another bag, hers filled with bottled water. Genuinely confused, I asked Mohammed. "What are we doing?" "We're gonna go around and give food to people," he replied. Giving food to relatives and friends, I thought. Like Japan, in the New Year, where my aunt shares homemade mochi with my family… Mohammed's mom drove the car for a few minutes when we reached our first stop: a construction site. I was flabbergasted. Why are we stopping here? In front of a gray, half-built mansion, men in blue clothes gathered around a small table. Mohammed suddenly rolled down the window. "A-salaam Alaikum," he said merrily. Mohammed and his mother tenderly grabbed the food and water from the bags and handed it to the workers. "Thank you, thank you," they said. The next stop was a small security office. This time, my hands were moving, grabbing the wrapped food from my bag, and handing it to the officers. Broad smiles stretched across their faces. After we went around a few more stops, I asked Mohammed, "Why do you do this?" "Because it's Ramadan, the month of sharing." It was at this moment that my stereotypes about Ramadan were shattered. Ramadan wasn't just the action of fasting, it was a world of generosity and sharing with those in need. It was never a punishment, but understanding the poor and being benevolent. Keisuke Muto, a student at Makuhari Junior and Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture won the Excellence Award and America-Japan Society President's Award. He wrote about living overseas and the excitement of discovering other cultures. (©IIBC) A few weeks after Ramadan, I invited Mohammed to come to my house for a Takoyaki party. It was his first time seeing Takoyaki. He was filled with excitement as we poured the dough into the small holes. "What are we putting in the dough?" he questioned. "It's gonna be octopus," I replied. "What? No way, it's my first time!" He seemed bewildered but also exhilarated at the thought of trying something he'd never eaten before. I was glad that I conveyed to Mohammed my own culture. Fast forward 4 years, and I'm the leader of the Arabic Culture Club. We make videos about the Arab World, visit restaurants, mosques, and embassies to learn about Arabic culture. My Japanese friends ask me numerous times: "Why are you doing this?" I recall how my experiences with Mohammed shattered my biases. On that day, his actions taught me that behind a veneer of stereotypes, there's a world of fascination and beautiful culture. It was a glimpse of a world that drove me curious, one that I wanted to explore even after returning to Japan. Through my friendship with him, I learned the joy of learning and conveying cultures. Conversations at his dinner table taught me traditional Arabic foods that are rarely served in restaurants. Small talk in school immersed me in the wonders of the Arabic World. On the other hand, it was from the fun we had that Mohammed learned about Japanese culture. We had Takoyaki parties, ate at Ramen shops, and engaged in Anime talk. When conveying Japanese culture to him, I quickly learned how enjoyable conveying a culture is. I wouldn't be in the Arabic Culture Club if I were not friends with Mohammed. It was he who shaped my life. Thank you, Mohammed. Keinosuke Muto won the 2023 Excellence Award and the America-Japan Society President's Award for his English-language essay. At the time, he was a second-year high school student at Makuhari Junior and Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture. He explained his thoughts about the essay as follows: "I am very honored to receive the Excellence Award and the America-Japan Society President's Award, I wrote about my experience of iftar at my best friend's house when I was living in Dubai in the Middle East. [And] I tried hard to clearly express how I overcame the prejudices I had about Islam. Through this wonderful experience, I was able to gain a new perspective and felt the power to resolve prejudices and misunderstandings. I would like to continue to deepen my understanding of different cultures and beliefs and build rich human relationships. I would like to thank the teachers who supported me and the judges who selected me." Author: Keinosuke Muto, Student, Makuhari Junior and Senior High School, Chiba Prefecture このページを 日本語 で読む
