STEVEN ANDREW is moved beyond words by a historical account of mining in Britain made from the words of the miners themselves

THE recent death in Spain of the Cuban singer and songwriter Pablo Milanes at the age of 79 represents a great loss to the world of music and song. He was not only revered in Cuba but throughout Latin America and beyond.
Milanes Arias was born in the east Cuban city of Bayamo in 1943, the youngest of five siblings born to working-class parents.
His musical talents were apparent early on. Aged six, he started entering, and often winning, singing competitions on local TV and radio stations, and later studied at the Municipal Conservatoire in Havana. However, he credited the musicians of his local neighbourhood as the real inspiration for his music.

JOHN GREEN recommends a German comedy that celebrates the old GDR values of solidarity, community and a society not dominated by consumerism

JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal

Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place

Peter Mitchell's photography reveals a poetic relationship with Leeds