With Chekhov and Tolstoy, Russia sets the standard of narrative. All writers of fiction place themselves on the continuum with Chekhov and Tolstoy, starting with one and ending with the other. Chekhov's flawless little stories, the master of the shorter form, invites us into some corner of a household at some discreet hour in which the entire human condition is suddenly within reach, and heart-breakingly so. Is there a work greater in scope than War and Peace which moves so d

Parasitoid Wasp, on Ivy flower, Conamara In 2007 57% of UN casualties in Afghanistan were caused by IEDs. The Irish Defence Force (IDF) counter-IED group were recommended by the British to take up their role in Afghanistan due to their dealing with threats from paramilitaries during the Troubles. IDF training to deal with IEDs focused on checking for roadside bombs and noticing local people clearing the streets as the UN force arrived in an area. Most IEDs were crude and mass