Bike blogEnvironmentA proletariat era symbol gets a modern makeover as a nostalgic nation warms up to its iconic bike brand In communist Romania, almost every child had a Pegas bicycle. In a country cut off from the outside world, the state-owned company’s distinctive bikes were all people knew. However, with the violent end of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s reign in 1989, all that changed. Foreign brands flooded in, and Romanians ditched their Pegas bikes along with other vestiges of the communist-era, and the company shut its last production lines in 2001.

MusicTaylor Swift’s people shut down speculation about her sexuality – but risked rebuking her LGBTQ fansLaura SnapesThe star’s team slammed an editorial that compiled theories about her queerness. But Swift constructs stories about herself – why shouldn’t they compete with other interpretations? In every sense, Taylor Swift is an outlier. This week her Eras Tour film became the highest-grossing concert film in box office history, taking the record from Michael Jackson’s 2009 movie This Is It.

RereadingWilliam BurroughsOn the centenary of William Burroughs' birth, Will Self on why he was the perfect incarnation of late 20th‑century western angst – self-deluded and narcissistic yet perceptive about the sickness of the worldEntitled Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict and authored pseudonymously by "William Lee" (Burroughs' mother's maiden name – he didn't look too far for a nom de plume), the Ace original retailed for 35 cents, and as a "

Berta Cáceres: an outspoken voice for the environment is silenced GuardianWomen's rights and gender equalityConflict and armsBerta Cáceres, the environmental advocate shot dead in her home in March, told friends of a hitman boasting about his plans as she ‘worked frantically’ In her final days, Berta Cáceres was bombarded with texts and calls warning her to give up the fight against the Agua Zarca dam, or else. The Honduran indigenous leader told trusted friends and colleagues that some of the death threats were from a suspected sicario – or hitman – who was terrorizing community members near the dam and openly boasting of his intention to kill her.

UK newsBrief Encounter theme is UK's top classicRachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 has been named Britain's most popular piece of classical music. The haunting work, heard in the movie Brief Encounter, has won the accolade for the last five years. This year, the concerto narrowly beat The Lark Ascending, by the English composer Vaughan Williams in the Classic FM poll. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A came third, followed by Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5 in the annual chart.