Sport for young people wins sustained investment – why not the arts? | Letter

Your article (‘A safe space to come and just be’: the longed-for radical utopian return of Britain’s youth clubs, 19 February) powerfully captures what is at stake in the slow erosion – and urgent renewal – of youth provision across the country.Against that backdrop, the launch of the Young Creatives Commission could not be more timely. For too long, access to arts and culture has been shaped by postcode and privilege. Creative subjects have been progressively squeezed out of state schools, while youth clubs, local theatres and grassroots arts organisations have weathered years of funding cuts. The consequences are stark: millions of young people, particularly those from working-class and underrepresented backgrounds, are excluded from opportunities that build confidence, support wellbeing and develop employable skills

Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s State of the Union: ‘A nutjob wannabe king’

Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump’s interminable State of the Union address and the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, using taxpayer money to travel for her alleged affair.Jimmy Kimmel took a break from Trump’s 107-minute State of the Union address – the longest ever, breaking his own record – to record his show on Tuesday evening.“What a speech it wasn’t,” he summarized of the meandering address. Still, “the theme of tonight’s speech was ‘all foreigners are murderers’. And Trump said zero illegal aliens have been allowed into the United States on his watch, but the door is always open to those who come in legally to be his next wife

Jon Stewart on politicization of USA hockey win: ‘Is Kash Patel a Make-a-Wish man?’

Late-night hosts reacted to Republicans claiming USA hockey Olympic victories as their own and the US supreme court declaring Donald Trump’s tariffs unconstitutional.Jon Stewart returned to his Monday-night Daily Show perch just a day after the US Olympic men’s hockey team beat Canada in overtime to win the country’s first gold medal since 1980. “This country is in such emotional turmoil right now,” he said. “A feeling that we are one nation divided, under siege. That perhaps we have crossed a Rubicon of this great American experiment, and that we, slowly and inexorably, are sliding into the abyss of fallen and broken democracies

Maxi Shield, beloved Australian drag queen and Drag Race Down Under star, dies aged 51

One of Australia’s best-known and loved drag queens, Sydney’s Maxi Shield, has died after being diagnosed with throat cancer, prompting tributes from around the world.Kristopher Elliot, who performed drag under the name Maxi Shield, was 51. Shield was a mainstay of the Sydney drag scene and brought Australian drag to the world as contestant in season one of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.Shield revealed she had throat cancer in September, which forced her to step down from performing in a Kath & Kim show at Edinburgh fringe with a fellow Drag Race Down Under season one alum, Art Simone.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailShe returned to performing at the Oxford Hotel and Palms on the gay strip of Oxford Street in Sydney this month, and was set to host a sold-out Mardi Gras viewing party at the Oxford Hotel on Saturday

Kenneth Williams and racist attitudes | Brief letters

While appreciating Kenneth Williams’ humour, I felt uneasy that your article (‘He loved showing his bum. Loved it’: the subversive genius of Kenneth Williams, 20 February) didn’t simply state he had racist attitudes. Referring to a dislike of Sid James and people of colour seems to water down unacceptable views.Catherine UtleyLondon When I can’t sleep because my brain is too busy, I have my own method of “cognitive shufflng” (I tried the latest sleep trick – and my husband and I were up all night, 18 February). I choose a subject and try to think of an example for each letter of the alphabet

Philippe Gaulier obituary

In 1980 the École Philippe Gaulier opened its doors in Paris to help performers find and celebrate their “inner idiot”. The school quickly became the prime destination for clown training, attracting theatre students, actors and curious others from around the world.Philippe, who has died aged 82 following a lung infection, made the concept of le jeu – play – central to his teaching. For him, comedy was not about jokes but about danger: the moment when a performer risks failure or ridicule in pursuit of delight. His clowns were not sentimental innocents but mischievous creatures who loved the audience and longed to be loved in return