Why London's bridges are more than just pieces of engineering

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The story of London is the story of river conquests.

From the first Roman pontoons, through the congested first London Bridge to the gothic splendour of Tower Bridge and onward to the prospect of a new Garden Bridge, these crossings are a reflection of a people and their times that carry more significance than mere engineering.

Book review: The Farm, by Tom Rob Smith

The Farm
Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)
★★★★✩

Tom Rob Smith's contribution to the Scandi noir canon is born of authenticity. His mother was Swedish although not, one presumes, the model for Tilde who turns up on his son's London doorstep one day with a story straight from the dark heart of that troll-ridden country.

London should plan for more heatwaves

London can expect more extreme weather events over the next few years with the number of "uncomfortable" days of heatwave likely to double.

The rise of intensely sunny days should prompt architects and planners to start including "cool culture" design features to make life more bearable for overheated residents and workers, say experts.

Book review: Flash Boys, by Michael Lewis

BOOKS

Flash Boys
Michael Lewis (Allen Lane)
★★★★✩

Everything changes in the blink of an eye, they say. That's about 300 milliseconds.

Film review: Three Days To Kill (12A)

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Three Days To Kill
(12A) 117mins
★★✩✩✩

Sometime soon, a bright young thing will find a revivalist project for Kevin Costner, who appears to drag himself forlornly around the fringes of the big time wondering where it all went wrong.

Film review: TS Spivet (12A)

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TS Spivet
(12A) 105mins
★★★✩✩

The Young And Prodigious TS Spivet was an instant success as a book - with a 12-year-old mini-genius telling a tale of his cross-country adventure to pick up a scientific award told with digressions, subplots, marginalia and footnotes.

Film review: Benny & Jolene (15)

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Benny & Jolene
(15) 86mins
★★✩✩✩

Filmmaker Jamie Adams seems to have been especially keen to make his debut. He called in favours from friends and pulled together this mumble core micro-budget mockumentary in a matter of days.

Exhibition: Mammoths - Ice Age Giants, Natural History Museum

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Lyuba led a short life. But she has become endlessly significant.

At around 35 days, the infant mammoth tumbled into soft clay. Her trunk and oesophagus were clogged with mud and she suffocated.

Stage review: Bakersfield Mist, Duchess Theatre

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Bakersfield Mist
Duchess Theatre WC2
★★★✩✩

Maude is the bourbon-swilling, plaid-wearing, tub-thumping ex-bartender surrounded by gaudy knick-knacks and urgent ashtrays.