guardian newsroom tour

• Programmes NewsWise Behind the Headlines Hugo Young Award Scott Trust Bursary Media Makers Incubator for Independent Media Podcasting Guardian News & Media Archive Past Programmes
• About Our team Our board
• Behind the Headlines
• Hugo Young Award
• Media Makers
• Past Programmes

Award-winning news literacy for children aged 7-11

Our schools offer

Sign up for the NewsWise programme

NewsWise webinars

Sign up to our webinars designed for teachers and educators

Learn more about our impact over the last 5 years of NewsWise

News reports from pupils

See what our NewsWise journalists have been writing about!

School resources

Resources for teachers looking to talk about news literacy in the classroom

Family resources

Explore news literacy resources for children in the home

Volunteer and journalist resources

Find out more about volunteering with NewsWise!

SEND resources

Media literacy resources to support children with special educational needs

Library resources

News literacy tips and activities that work in a community setting

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @GetNewsWise

• 0330 333 6090
• Request quote

London Media & Film Studies School Trips & Tours

Media studies trips to London offer a range of exciting opportunities to inspire the next generation of media professionals. London is a great budget destination packed with lots of opportunities for educational value and unforgettable experiences for your group to immersive themselves in the media world. 

There are many experiences in London when booking a media studies trip with NST.  Enjoy the cinematic experience of the BFI IMAX Cinema, indulge in the world of television at ITV Daytime Studios and visit the London Film Academy for a behind-the-scenes look at the film and theatre industry. A theatre trip to the West End show in the evening is also a must! 

Our strong links with renowned organisations – plus expert service and advice from your dedicated Educational Travel Advisor – will make bridging the gap between the classroom and the day-to-day reality of this dynamic industry easier for you.

Why book a media studies trip to London with NST? 

Our expert team will put together a wonderful itinerary for your media studies trip to captivate and inspire your whole group. Students can broaden their knowledge of the media industry, engage their creative side and learn new skills that will elevate their classroom learning to new heights. 

The city of London has a plethora of media and film organisations that love welcoming student groups to help them learn. We have great relationships with lots of companies who will take your group under their wing, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed for them to succeed in their studies. 

Our London media studies trip highlights include…

With so many media and film attractions to explore, there is an abundance of places to visit that can form part of your itinerary. We receive lots of amazing feedback from teachers and students who have sampled the delights of a media trip with NST. Here’s a selection of the best trip highlights that they love: 

Guardian Newsroom

Creative Media Skills Institute Workshops

The Museum of Brands Workshop

Chocolate films media workshops.

• Sky Up Academy 
• City Academy Filmmaking Workshop 

Guardian Newsroom 

Learn about the history of the Guardian newspaper with a workshop that’s designed to complement the National Curriculum and can be tailor-made to suit your learning objectives. Delivered by experienced teachers, workshop topics can include ‘Make a Newspaper’, ‘Editorial Teams’, ‘Podcasting’, ‘Video Editing’, ‘Women and the Vote’ and ‘Civil Rights in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s’. 

You can book this experience directly with The Guardian. This visit is highly recommended and extremely popular, so we advise booking early to avoid any disappointment. 

A specialised workshop at the Creative Media Skills Institute is a great way to introduce your group to a number of techniques and applications used in the media industry.

Choose from: Costume Breakdown, Drafting, FX Makeup, Prosthetics Makeup, Period Hair Styling, Intro into Film Directing, Intro into Set Dressing and Props Making. Based in the heart of Pinewood Studios and surrounded by its original three stages, CMSI brings existing and working film crew directly off the set to lead their courses. After coming through studio security students will walk down Goldfinger Avenue and past the iconic 007 stage to reach the state-of-the-art CMSI studio. 

Your students will be introduced to Pinewood Studios, the media industry as a whole and will hear what working in the industry is really like and the many career opportunities available. Each workshop is run by an instructor who is a specialist in their field and includes a live demo and a practical session.

Delve into the world of marketing with a visit to The Museum of Brands Workshop. Students will learn how famous brands evolve through creative use of packaging and advertising, and the evolution of how the public interacts with brands. 1-hour workshops are available and cover topics such as Branding, Sustainability, Graphic Design & Packaging and Customer Profiling. 

Chocolate Films offer a short, exciting introduction to media and film studies! These hands-on workshops enable students to take their skills, creativity, and imagination to the next level. These workshops are a great way to build skills in research, crafts and media, computing and filmmaking. They will develop teamwork and build confidence and the workshops can be adapted to suit many parts of the national curriculum. Choose from: Animation, Make a Music Video, From Script to Screen and Creative Documentary.

Sky Up Academy

Sky Up Academy Studios is an immersive learning experience that places young people centre stage as media creators.  

At their bespoke TV studios, your students will use cutting-edge digital technology to create their own content. Students will work in small teams, taking on real-life media roles to create a news report or trailer. Working alongside a team of experts, they will see their ideas come to life.

A visit to Sky Up Academy Studios will give your class a VIP peek behind-the-scenes at Sky, helping develop their confidence and build essential skills like Creativity, Communication and Collaboration. 

Please note, visits must be booked directly with Sky Up Academy.

City Academy Filmmaking Workshop

This 90-minute filmmaking workshop allows your students to explore their inner-Spielburg. During this fascinating workshop, students will gain an insight into what it’s like to work in the film industry. All tutors are working industry professionals and can instruct on storyboarding, cinematography, camera, lighting and sound. This is a hands-on, practical teaching session, however, each student will have limited access to equipment during a 90-minute session. 

Prices start from £169 pp

Specialist Workshops

Price Shown includes

• 1 night's B&B accommodation 
• Executive coach transport from and to school and throughout your stay
• Group travel insurance
• 1 in 8 free place ratio

Price shown is based on 40 paying passengers departing from selected departure points and is subject to availability.

On-tour support

On-tour support includes...

• Pre-booked meals at great group prices
• Pre-booked and pre-paid London Underground tickets
• A choice of packed lunches for your group throughout your stay

Accommodation

Popular options in London

• YHA London Thameside
• Premier Inn London Hanger Lane

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter

Step onto authentic sets, discover the magic behind spellbinding special effects and explore the behind-the-scenes secrets of the Harry Potter™ film series. Tread the original stone floor of the iconic Hogwarts Great Hall, encounter animatronic creatures and wander down Diagon Alley. Located at the Studios where all eight films were produced.

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS :

A programme of educational lessons has been created to complement the Studio Tour. These lessons are delivered in purpose-built classrooms by qualified teachers and use the Harry Potter™ film series as an example of the wider context and theories surrounding filmmaking and design. You’ll even get access to free downloadable pre and post-visit resource packs to use in the classroom.

Lesson options include :

• Screenplay Stories 
• Costume Characterisation 
• Costume Distressing 
• Pitching 
• Instructional Writing 
• Movie Graphic Design 
• Careers in the Creative Industry
• Script to Screen 
• Camera Choices 
• Set Design 
• Movie Business 
• Movie Marketing

Chocolate Films – Full day or Half Day Media & Film Workshops

At their bespoke TV studios, your students will use cutting-edge digital technology to create their own content. Students will work in small teams, taking on real-life media roles to create a news report or trailer. Working alongside a team of experts, they will see their ideas come to life.

Madame Tussauds

The world of the Media is a creative and inspiring one, where ideas combine with drama, excitement and humour to keep us entertained and engaged. A fully interactive experience, Madame Tussauds will inspire, enthuse and immerse pupils in celebrity culture and modern media as they walk among the stars!

Learn about the history of the Guardian newspaper with a workshop that’s designed to complement the National Curriculum and can be tailor-made to suit your particular requirements. Delivered by experienced teachers, workshop topics can include ‘Make a Newspaper’, ‘Editorial Teams’, ‘Podcasting’, ‘Video Editing’, ‘Women and the Vote’ and ‘Civil Rights in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s’. Workshops must be booked directly with the Guardian. Book early to avoid disappointment!

The Museum of Brands - visit and workshop

What makes us buy certain products? Discover how well-loved brands have evolved through creative use of packaging and advertising and how we, the public, have evolved with them.

1 hour workshops are also available and cover topics such as Branding, Sustainability, Graphic Design & Packaging and Customer Profiling.

West End Shows

A West End show is a magical and unforgettable experience and a must for groups visiting the city! Catch a show at one of the capital's famous theatres with tickets to an array of award-winning plays and spectacular musicals, including the Lion King and Wicked! 

There are so many popular options to choose from and we can book any show for your group. Plus, our dedicated in-house theatre team and our links with the best ticket providers means we’ll be able to reserve your first choice tickets.

Wembley Tour

Visit the new stadium and take a 90-minute tour. See England’s changing rooms, the players’ warm-up zone, VIP reception area, the Royal Box, dugouts, the post-match interview area, press conference room, treatment rooms and the Bobby Moore Statue. You can even ‘Lift the Cup’!

Educational workshops are also available for Business Studies, English and History.

Thames River Cruise

Take in London’s best-loved sights on this enjoyable cruise. Your students will gain an insight into the many layers of history that have built up along the river, from the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge to the 'lastminute.com' London Eye.

The lastminute.com London Eye

A classroom with a moving view! Standing 135m tall on the South Bank of the River Thames, nothing says iconic like The lastminute.com London Eye.

Since 2000, this world-famous structure has taken over 75 million people on a journey into London’s skyline. Be inspired with our Skyline Workshops. At an additional cost, these enhanced in-pod experiences are delivered by our education hosts and include interactive activities and interesting facts on London's iconic skyline.

Developed in collaboration with education specialists, teachers can book either a KS2/KS3 version.

The View from The Shard

The View from The Shard offers a unique education experience – it is the only place where students can see the entire city at once; both old and new! Two high speed kaleidoscopic lifts will transport your group to the viewing platforms on Level 69 and Level 72 where you can encourage your student’s fascination with the history of London and enjoy the unparalleled 360 degree views.

Educational visits can support learning across both the National and London Curriculum, including History, English, Maths, Geography, and Art and Design.

Highlights of London Blue Badge Guided Tour

See the major sights of the city. An expert Blue Badge Guide will join you on your coach and bring the Capital to life for your group. Sights may include Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.

London Film Academy

Our three hour and full-day programmes offer a wide selection of practical filmmaking topics. Recommended workshops, covering the key areas of cinematography and storyboarding, include: Workshops:

• Cinematography
• Acting for Directors
• Writing a Short Film
• iPhone Film Making

Harry Potter London Walking Tour

Take a Harry Potter Walking Tour into the magical world of wizardry in London! Learn about London’s rich muggle and wizarding history, amazing facts about the books and films and see many of the Harry Potter film locations used in London, including the Ministry of Magic and the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. The tour features familiar Harry Potter film locations as well as iconic London landmarks and attractions including St Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, Borough and Leadenhall Markets and Monument.

London Film Locations Walking Tour

This guided London film locations walking tour is action-packed with sites from Comic Book movies. You will follow on screen heroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Jack Ryan and the Thunderbirds as they fight to protect London and defeat the forces of evil.  You’ll see how London has been used by movie makers from all over the world to represent both the British capital – home to on screen heroes such as James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, but can also stand in for numerous other locations from across the globe including St Petersburg, Switzerland and even Gotham City!

Choose from: Costume Breakdown, Drafting, FX Makeup, Prosthetics Makeup, Period Hair Styling, Intro into Film Directing, Intro into Set Dressing and Props Making.

Based in the heart of Pinewood Studios and surrounded by its original three stages, CMSI bring existing and working film crew directly off the set to lead their courses. After coming through studio security students will walk down Goldfinger Avenue and past the iconic 007 stage to reach the state of the art CMSI studio. Students will be introduced to Pinewood Studios, the media industry as a whole and will hear what working in the industry is really like and the many career opportunities available. Each workshop is run by an instructor who is a specialist in their field and includes a live demo and a practical session.

Evening activites

London is renowned for being a city that never sleeps, so enjoy the abundance of nightlife activities available to keep your students engaged and excited throughout the evening. Explore the streets of Whitechapel with a thrilling but chilling guided Jack the Ripper tour, or opt for a leisurely evening bowling or ice skating.  

• Jack the Ripper Tour
• Evening Ghost Walking Tour
• Ice Skating

Available from any location in the UK, our executive coaches are fitted with seatbelts, toilet facilities, air conditioning, DVD and reclining seats.

Rail is a convenient travel option for small groups, ideal for connections to Eurostar, major airports and travel to many city destinations.

Giving you full support throughout

Before your tour

• Your own dedicated NST contact
• Bespoke tour itineraries
• Unrivalled local knowledge & expertise
• Curriculum linked visit programmes
• Great value for money - no hidden costs
• Free group leader inspection visits
• Risk assessment guidance
• Safety assured, transport, accommodation and visits

Whilst you're away

• Free educational resources
• Group-friendly accommodation
• Exceptional standards of coaching
• On-tour support from our reps on the ground
• Support & assistance from our specialists throughout your tour
• 24/7 support just a call away
• Extensive group travel insurance

On your return

• Priority rebooking services
• Rewarding your loyalty with our reward scheme
• You say, we listen - we're committed to continuously improving our tours
• School travel company of choice since 1967

“Everything for our tour to London was organised perfectly. I would highly recommend NST to other schools. They made my first trip with students easy and fun. Staff are very friendly and helpful and are always available to discuss things. I will be booking with NST again.” Sam Macpherson, Worden Sports College

Guardian Newsroom: Crisis in the Middle East

Our panel of journalists will discuss the current crisis in the Middle East, in this livestreamed event Date: Tuesday 30 April 2024 Times: 7pm-8.15pm (BST)

Book tickets

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email

Six months into the Israel-Gaza war, the reverberations of the conflict are being felt across the region. An escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, involving both sides trading fire across the border with Lebanon, has raised the threat of a new war. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking ships in and around the Red Sea, while in Iraq, armed militias also linked to Tehran have attacked bases hosting US forces.

Amid this volatile environment, how will the tensions play out and can a broader conflict in the Middle East be averted? What might the potential consequences be on the global stage? And what impact will the situation in the Middle East have on the forthcoming elections in the US and the UK?

Join Devika Bhat , the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, as she chairs a panel, with Peter Beaumont , the Guardian’s senior international reporter, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad , Guardian reporter, and Emma Graham-Harrison, senior international affairs correspondent. They will discuss this fast-developing story and the increasingly challenging situation in the Middle East in this livestreamed event.

Date: Tuesday 30 April 2024 Time: 7pm–8:15pm BST Location: Livestream only Or see this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

If you miss this live event, a recording will be sent to you. It will be available for two weeks so you can catch-up or revisit the event in your own time.

About Guardian Live events

Guardian Live brings you closer to the big stories, award-winning journalists, and leading thinkers in livestreamed and interactive events that you can access from wherever you are in the world. To stay informed, sign up to our newsletter .

You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram .

{{topLeft}}

{{bottomLeft}}

{{topRight}}

{{bottomRight}}

{{heading}}

• Guardian Live events
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on WhatsApp
• Share on Messenger

{{#isVideo}} {{/isVideo}}{{#isGallery}} {{/isGallery}}{{#isAudio}} {{/isAudio}} {{#isComment}} {{/isComment}} {{headline}}

• {{ title }}
• Sign in / Register

Switch edition

• {{ displayName }}

Guardian Newsroom Workshops

These workshops specially cater to secondary school education, and explore many aspects of the media frenzy world. Your students can write up the world’s news as it happens in a newspaper, or even get to grips with designing and making their own personal website.

City Tour Detroit uses cookies to give you the best possible service. If you continue browsing, you agree to our use of cookies.

• [email protected]
• (313) 757-1283
• Open Facebook account in a new tab.
• Open Instagram account in a new tab.
• Open Tripadvisor account in a new tab.
• Open Twitter account in a new tab.

Souvenir and Gift Shop hours: 11 am to 5 pm daily, noon – 5 pm on Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Insider's Guardian Building Tour

Guided tour

Special access

Great views

Discover and explore the Guardian Building!

Tour what many consider to be Detroit’s most beautiful building and enjoy access to several areas not open to the public.

Discover the fascinating history behind this exquisite Art Deco skyscraper christened the Cathedral to Finance

Receive special access to areas not usually open to the public

Enjoy panoramic views from the 32nd floor

Click the tabs to find out more

Trip details.

Price: $6 Adult / $3 Youth / Free: Ages 12 and under

* 6% booking fee assessed on tickets booked online (you can avoid the booking fee by purchasing tickets via phone).

Departure time

12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 6 PM (Thursdays)

Meeting point

City Tour Detroit, 500 Griswold Street, Suite 250, Detroit MI 4822

Click here to see the map

Availability

Saturdays, Sundays and  Thursday evenings (April 18- October 24)*

*Special events take precedence so tours may not be available on all Saturdays and Sundays

25 people maximum, 1 minimum

Narrated tour. 

10% discount in the City Tour Detroit Souvenir & Gift Store

Not included

Guide gratuity. While tipping isn’t mandatory, it is customary and always appreciated for a job well done

What to bring

Enthusiasm to learn

Tour led by an experienced and knowledgeable guide

Good to Know

The Guardian Building is considered by many to be Detroit’s most beautiful building. It appears on many Detroit things-to-do and must-see lists.

Prepare to be wowed when you enter this iconic landmark considered by many to be Detroit’s most beautiful building. You’ll marvel at the different types of marble, colorful tiles, intricate mosaics, soaring painted ceiling, grand mural, and other elaborate characteristics that define this Art Deco masterpiece.

The Guardian Building, located in the heart of the city’s financial district, is a late 1920s skyscraper steeped in history and architectural detail. It’s one of Detroit’s most-visited buildings.

At City Tour Detroit, we’re honored to be given the privilege of showing off this magnificent edifice to visitors and sharing the Guardian’s story from its inception to its significance today. Our 45-minute tours held on select weekends* provide visitors with a great overview of the building’s design and history in addition to special access to a few floors not usually open to the public.

Although the Guardian Building tours are free, advance registration is required. Click on the “Book Now” button to find available tour dates and make your reservation.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about Detroit’s architectural wonders, this Guardian Building tour promises to be an enriching experience for all.

*Special events booked by building management take precedence over tours. Since we do not own or manage the building, occasionally we may have to cancel scheduled tours when given notice from management. Also, we reserve the right to cancel tours due to other considerations such as power outages and severe weather conditions.

Please enter the building and walk up the steps to the Promenade Level. Look for the City Tour Detroit office/store (Suite 250). Check in there.

Tour length is approximately 45 minutes.

Although we’d love to show the entire building, the tour usually covers the lobby, promenade, exterior, 6th floor, 32nd floor, and lower former vault area.

Occasionally areas of the building are rented out for private events – especially in the Summer & Fall, so we aren’t able to offer tours on those days.

In most cases, we’ll ask you to wait for the next tour.

If you can find nearby street parking, you’ll need to download the ParkDetroit app. The Buhl Garage, located across the street, usually offers weekend parking for $10. That price is subject to change when there are special events. Online parking aids such as www.parkwhiz.com can help you find parking.

The lobby, exterior, 6th, and 32nd floor are handicapped accessible. Unfortunately as of now, the promenade or banking hall and basement former vault area are each accessed by approximately 25 steps.

We can offer private group tours of the building on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday tours are restricted to the lobby, promenade, and exterior. There is a small fee for private tours.

Check out what our guests are saying

Akmeek | august 2019.

Thank you Nancy from City Tour Detroit! 3 adults & 4 tweens spent a wonderful morning learning about Detroit. A native, who repatriated after 8 years away, I wanted some how to show my guests this amazing city, and Nancy was spot on! Read more

Charles B. | August 2019

On behalf of Eden’s Garden Club, I would like to thank Karin Risko and City Tour Detroit for organizing the Aug 8 “Gardens of Detroit” bus tour which served as a fundraiser for our organization. Read more

likane77 | July 2019

Entered and shot the interior of buildings we would have never found on our own. Well worth the money and time. Photographers’s heaven! Read more

Rebecca G. | September 2019

To be honest, I didn’t have the best impression of Detroit before visiting but Pat at City Tour Detroit changed all that! She was a wonderful tour guide that had so much passion and love of Detroit…it was definitely contagious! I learned so much from her — she had great facts about all the locations we visited. 10/10 Read more

heideu | October 2019

We had an informative and entertaining tour “See the D”. Nancy was our tour guide. She is very enthusiastic about Detroit and presented just the right mixture of history, stories, places to eat and general information. If you decide to go to Detroit, this is the right way to get to know about the city. Read more

You may also like...

Incredible journey to midnight: detroit underground railroad walking tour, private & custom group tours of detroit.

• Get in touch
• Other ways to support

How do we move on from Brexit?

Bureaucratic headaches, surging inflation, NHS staff shortages, and endless lorry queues. What has Brexit done for us?

It has been three years since the United Kingdom left the European Union – and over seven since it voted to do so. The UK/EU relationship remains a subject of bitter debate, with ‘leave’ and ‘remain’ identities persisting to this day. The 2024 general election will be the first post-Brexit election – but no major political party is fully acknowledging the negative impact of our exit from the EU. Will a new government mend relations with the EU or simply continue with the current chaos?

The Guardian’s special correspondent Heather Stewart will be joined by Guardian columnists Rafael Behr and Polly Toynbee , and Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe and professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London, to dissect the real legacy of Brexit. What needs to happen for the UK to finally move on? They will also be answering your questions in this livestreamed event. Patrons can sign up for complimentary tickets below. If you are not a Patron and would like to purchase a ticket, you can do so here .

Register to attend this event

Thank you for submitting your form.

We will be in touch with you shortly.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Russia could begin full mobilisation after 2024 presidential election, Kyiv official says – as it happened

Secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council says Russia has increasingly put its economy onto war footing. This live blog is now closed

• Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 635
• 20 Nov 2023 Closing summary
• 20 Nov 2023 At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being detained at 43 re-education camps across Russia, says MoD
• 20 Nov 2023 Russia may begin full mobilisation after 2024 presidential election, says senior security official
• 20 Nov 2023 Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch meets Zelenskiy in Kyiv
• 20 Nov 2023 Ukraine sacks two high-ranking cyber defence officials, says government official
• 20 Nov 2023 US defense secretary vows support to Ukraine 'for the long haul' on surprise trip to Kyiv
• 20 Nov 2023 Morning summary
• 20 Nov 2023 Two killed by Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukrainian authorities say
• 20 Nov 2023 US defence secretary visits Kyiv
• 20 Nov 2023 Opening summary

Nato supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity and is concerned by “malign foreign interference,” including by Russia , in the volatile Balkans region that went through a devastating war in the 1990s, Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg , has said.

Sarajevo is the first stop on Stoltenberg’s tour of western Balkan countries that will also include Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia, the Associated Press reports.

“The Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Stoltenberg told reporters. “We are concerned by the secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

There are widespread fears that Russia is trying to destabilise Bosnia and the rest of the region and shift at least some world attention from its war in Ukraine .

Morning summary

The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, arrived in Kyiv on Monday for a visit. “I’m here today to deliver an important message: the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future.”

Two people were killed early on Monday after Russian forces shelled a parking lot in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, authorities said. Regional prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation into the artillery strike, which occurred at about 9am (7am GMT) and injured one other person, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

A Ukrainian soldier and a woman have died after a grenade exploded in a Kyiv apartment, police in the Ukrainian capital have said, but the cause of the blast, which injured a second man, was not immediately clear. Explosives technicians and investigators were working at the scene of Sunday’s explosion in the Dniprovskiy district, Kyiv police said in a statement.

The Ukrainian army said it had pushed back Russian forces “three to eight kilometres” from the banks of the Dnipro River, which if confirmed would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive . Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in the southern Kherson region for more than a year, after Russia withdrew its troops from the western bank last November.

A Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving earlier this year has returned to Ukraine . Bohdan Yermokhin, who turned 18 on Sunday, appealed to Zelenskiy this month to help bring him back to Ukraine. “I believed I would be in Ukraine, but not on this day,” Yermokhin told Reuters while eating at a petrol station after crossing the border.

About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks, including those carrying fuel and humanitarian aid, were stuck on the Polish side of the border on Sunday due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said . Polish truckers earlier this month blocked roads to three border crossings with Ukraine to protest against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the city late Sunday, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said . Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east had intercepted the drone. No casualties or damage were initially reported. Air defences had also thwarted a drone attack on the Russian capital overnight to Sunday, authorities said earlier.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones targeting Kyiv and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions overnight into Sunday, the Ukrainian military said, of which 15 were shot down . The overnight strikes on Kyiv were the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said the city’s military administration spokesperson, Serhii Popko.

Five people including a three-year-old girl were injured in Russian artillery shelling of Kherson on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian interior minister, Ihor Klymenko , said . “All of them sustained shrapnel wounds. The child and the grandmother were walking in the yard. Enemy artillery hit them near the entrance,” Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

The pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin , who is in custody awaiting trial for inciting extremism, said he wanted to run for president even though he understood the March election would be a “sham” with the winner already clear . Girkin, who is also known by the alias Igor Strelkov, has repeatedly said Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless President Vladimir Putin’s military top brass fight the war in Ukraine more effectively. A former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who helped Russia to annex Crimea in 2014 and then to organise pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, Girkin said before his arrest that he and his supporters were entering politics.

The Kremlin, facing the prospect of a European Union ban on imports of Russian diamonds, said on Monday that EU sanctions tended to have a “boomerang effect” on those who applied them, Reuters reports.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was commenting on a proposed EU ban on diamond imports from Russia as part of a new sanctions package against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine .

Russia is the world’s biggest producer of rough diamonds by volume. Peskov told reporters such a move had been anticipated for a long time, but was likely to backfire.

“As a rule, it turns out that a boomerang effect is partially triggered: the interests of the Europeans themselves suffer. So far, we have been able to find ways to minimise the negative consequences of sanctions,” he said.

EU diplomatic sources said last week the proposal under discussion was to ban direct diamond imports from Russia from 1 January and from March to implement a traceability mechanism that would prevent imports of Russian gems processed in third countries.

The Kremlin said on Monday that president Vladimir Putin will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit.

Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both Putin and western leaders.

According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.

The Kremlin said on Monday it regretted Finland’s decision to shut crossings on its border with Russia , saying it reflected Helsinki’s adoption of an anti-Russian stance, Reuters reports.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov , speaking at a regular news briefing, also rejected Finland’s accusation that Russia is deliberately pushing illegal migrants towards the border and said that Russian border guards were following all instructions.

Finland, a member of the European Union and – from this year – also of the Nato military alliance, closed four crossings on its border with Russia on Saturday as Helsinki seeks to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says was instigated by Moscow.

The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, arrives in Kyiv on Monday morning.

Two killed by Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukrainian authorities say

Reuters reports that two people were killed early on Monday after Russian forces shelled a parking lot in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, authorities said.

Regional prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation into the artillery strike, which occurred at about 9am (7am GMT) and injured one other person, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

The Kherson governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said the two dead were drivers for a private transport business.

Images posted on Telegram showed firefighters dousing cars that had been blasted apart, one day after a separate strike on the city wounded five people, including a three-year-old girl.

Russian forces have regularly shelled Kherson from across the Dnipro River since the regional capital was reoccupied by Ukrainian troops last November.

Ukraine said last week it had secured a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro and that its troops were trying to push Russian forces further back.

US defence secretary visits Kyiv

The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, arrived in Kyiv on Monday for a visit, he said on the X social media platform, Reuters reports.

“I’m here today to deliver an important message: the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future.”

The visit comes amid increasing division over Ukraine aid in the US legislature. A joint Ukraine-US military industry conference in Washington is due to take place next month.

That event, due to be held on 6-7 December, is intended to boost Ukraine’s domestic arms production as its fight against a full-scale Russian invasion nears the two-year mark.

Reuters reports that a Japanese delegation led by senior industry and foreign ministry officials and including business representatives is visiting Ukraine on Monday for talks ahead of a reconstruction conference that Japan will host, the industry ministry said.

Japan, which has been supporting Ukraine with funds and by accepting refugees since Russia invaded in February 2022, has also been promoting support for Ukraine at the level of the G7, which Japan chairs this year.

Kazuchika Iwata , the state minister of economy, trade and industry (METI), and the state minister for foreign affairs Kiyoto Tsuji , are visiting together with representatives of Japan companies, METI said in a statement.

In Kyiv, the delegation, which includes members of Keidanren, Japan’s biggest business lobby, in charge of a committee on Ukraine’s reconstruction, plans talks with the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal , government officials and companies.

Shmyhal said this month Ukraine would need budget support of about $42bn this year and next year to plug a massive deficit and aid reconstruction from the devastation caused by Russia’s invasion.

METI said the visit was an opportunity to hear about Ukraine’s needs and to discuss specific projects and accelerate public and private efforts to help.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy – who visited Japan in May during a G7 summit – and the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, agreed this month to hold a Japan-Ukraine Conference for promotion of Economic Reconstruction in Tokyo on 19 February.

Opening summary

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine .

A Ukrainian soldier and a woman have died after a grenade exploded in a Kyiv apartment, police in the Ukrainian capital have said, but the cause of the blast, which injured a second man, was not immediately clear.

Explosives technicians and investigators were working at the scene of Sunday’s explosion in the Dniprovskiy district, Kyiv police said in a statement.

“A citizen contacted the police with a report that an explosion rang out in a neighbouring apartment,” they added.

The news came as Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the commander of the military’s medical forces , Maj Gen Tetiana Ostashchenko, and said “new priorities had been set” in the operations of Ukraine’s military after a meeting with the defence minister, Rustem Umerov.

“There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes,” the Ukrainian president said in his evening video address.

In other key developments:

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Sha hed drones targeting Kyiv and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions overnight into Sunday, the Ukrainian military said, of which 15 were shot down . The overnight strikes on Kyiv were the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said the city’s military administration spokesperson, Serhii Popko.

Five people including a three-year-old girl were injured in Russian artillery shelling of Kherson on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said . “All of them sustained shrapnel wounds. The child and the grandmother were walking in the yard. Enemy artillery hit them near the entrance,” Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

The pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who is in custody awaiting trial for inciting extremism, said he wanted to run for president even though he understood the March election would be a “sham” with the winner already clear . Girkin, who is also known by the alias Igor Strelkov, has repeatedly said Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless President Vladimir Putin’s military top brass fight the war in Ukraine more effectively. A former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who helped Russia to annex Crimea in 2014 and then to organise pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, Girkin said before his arrest that he and his supporters were entering politics.

• Ukraine war live

Most viewed

Classic film lovers: See James Dean’s apartment and more on new TCM tour at Warner Bros.

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

In 2021, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour created new interactive exhibits focused on the company’s recent history, unveiling areas dedicated to the DC Comics universe and the “Harry Potter” franchise.

This week, the popular Studio Tour in Burbank is doubling down on its more distant past.

Warner Bros. is now offering a Turner Classic Movies-branded version of its studio tour that will bring guests to previously off-limit areas of the lot, including vintage animation buildings, a mini rose garden and an apartment that once housed James Dean. The 90-minute tram portion of the jaunt — about 30 minutes longer than the studio’s standard tram excursion — will allow guides to go deeper into the history of the studio’s catalog to deliver factoids related to such films as “Casablanca,” “My Fair Lady,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Auntie Mame” and many more.

“We’re off the leash,” says Brad Taylor, a 15-year tour guide veteran with Warner Bros., noting that the TCM excursion will include time for guides to chat with visitors about their favorite films.

“We get to talk to the guests and really hang out with people who have the same passion that we do,” Taylor says. “I find that ‘classics’ guests are less about behind-the-scenes and more, ‘I can’t believe this is where we are.’ It’s just the look on their faces when they realize ‘Casablanca’ filmed here, or James Dean stood right here.”

The launch of the TCM tour arrives during the network’s 30th anniversary and close to 12 months after classic film fans were given a scare. In June, Warner Bros. announced that layoffs would hit TCM, including some of the network’s top executives, prompting concern from prestige directors such as Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese. After garnering national attention, key cuts were reversed and Warner Bros. sought to assure fans that TCM would continue to be handled with care.

Long live TCM! Our culture would be worse off without movies on TV

Without Turner Classic Movies and other channels for movies on TV, we’d lose the instructive pleasures of the happy accident, the unexpected discovery.

Aug. 1, 2023

TCM network hosts — Eddie Muller, Jacqueline Stewart, Ben Mankiewicz, Alicia Malone and Dave Karger — recorded new video segments for the outing. The tour will take guests into the lot’s Property House, an area not visited by the standard tour. Here, visitors can get glimpses of materials for a full set, including items for a complete Oval Office setting, but expect guides to highlight vintage items, such as a throne from the Errol Flynn pirate film “Captain Blood.”

Danny Kahn, vice president-general manager of the studio tour, says there have been numerous requests over the years from guests to delve a little deeper into the studio’s animation history. That’s why the TCM tour will for the first time take visitors to an area of the lot once known as “Termite Terrace,” which from 1955 to 1964, says Taylor, housed the animation department, a building with a sloped roof designed to capture sunlight. Animation legend Chuck Jones, says Kahn, had an office in the Termite Terrace area in the 1990s despite Warner’s moving animation production elsewhere.

Entertainment & Arts

How the Universal Studios tram tour defined the modern theme park

The most important theme park ride ever created? It may just be the Universal Studios tram tour, which dates to the silent film era. Once primarily a behind-the-scenes tour, the trek has evolved to define the modern theme park.

Aug. 3, 2023

Another unique tour locale is the exterior of the Dean apartment. When Dean resided there during filming of “East of Eden,” it was actually across the street from the lot, the apartment nesting above a pharmacy. But gradual studio expansion has led to the area now being on Warner Bros. property.

“That was an actual drugstore with apartments, and the studio rented it for him,” Kahn says. “I think it was to keep an eye on him and keep him on a short leash.”

The tour will also give tram riders a look at executive life at the studio, allowing them to briefly walk around a rose garden. The manicured spaces once held a tennis court as well as offices and personal screening rooms for the likes of studio mogul Jack Warner, with many of the structures dating to the 1920s. “It’s a really historic area of the lot that hasn’t really changed a lot in all these years,” says Kahn, noting the area is still in use by studio principals. “Jack Warner, when he ran the studio, privatized the first floor. That was a massage parlor that he had beneath his office.”

TCM Classic Films Tour

Where: The Warner Bros. Studio, 3400 Warner Blvd., Burbank 91505

When: Most days, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $95 for adults; $82 for children. A SoCal resident discount is available for $75

Info: (818) 977-8687 or wbstudiotour.com

Staples of the tour, such as a journey around the backlot city streets, a visit to the “Friends” set and cafe and recent additions highlighting the studio’s modern franchise films are included in the TCM trek, as is a pre-tour reception with beverages and pastries. All told, expect the tour to last about 3½ hours. A tour spokesperson says the first TCM-branded outing is scheduled for Wednesday, with trams expected to depart daily after that date. Adult tickets are $95, but there is a Southern California resident discount available for $75.

“It feels so good to have TCM here,” Kahn says. “People understand that the TCM brand is synonymous with classic film.”

More to Read

Jason Reitman and a group of directors have bought Westwood’s iconic Village Theater

Feb. 21, 2024

Tom Cruise teams with Warner Bros. in a deal to make new movies

Jan. 9, 2024

TMZ’s new ‘selfie’ tour of Hollywood isn’t just for Gen Z

Nov. 16, 2023

Sign up for The Wild

We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Todd Martens joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and covers a mix of interactive entertainment (video games) and pop music. Previously, Martens reported on the music business for Billboard Magazine. He has contributed to numerous books, including “The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time.” He continues to torture himself by rooting for the Chicago Cubs and, while he likes dogs, he is more of a cat person.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Fore! Perfect your swing at these 9 pleasant L.A. public golf courses

Travel & Experiences

This must be Larchmont

What to know about California’s new state park, a scenic green space where two rivers meet

April 23, 2024

This must be Topanga Canyon

April 19, 2024