Commodification of Girl Power

The feminist movement feel more fragile than ever despite decades of progress. Cosmetic surgeries are at an all-time high, Ozempic is bringing back “heroin chic” and TikTok trad-wives are on the rise – after four waves of feminism, what went wrong? Pulitzer Prize finalist and Atlantic critic Sophie Gilbert, explains this is not a unique moment. Feminism felt just as fragmented in the early 2000s, when the momentum of third-wave feminists and riot girls was squashed by lad culture and the commodification of Girl Power. Gilbert’s exposé of mainstream TV, film and music that aped pornography to pander male gaze, … Continue reading Commodification of Girl Power

Piastri wins Spanish GP

Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris to a McLaren one-two at the Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit de Catalunya. Verstappen who cross the line fifth but dropped to 10th as consequence of 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Mercedes’ George Russel, was forced on to hard tyres for the final sprint to the flag as they had no softer ones available, and left him lacking grip. Charles Leclerc, finished third. Piastri’s fifth win of the season moves him into a 10-point lead over Norris in the championship, but Verstappen’s eventful few laps left him 49 points behind the Australian. Continue reading Piastri wins Spanish GP

Taylor Swift buys back rights to the master recording of her first six albums

Taylor Swift bought back the right to her first six albums. “ All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me. I have been bursting into tears of joy … ever since I found out this is really happening”, Taylor Swift said in her official website. Back in June 2019, when the music manager Scooter Braun bought Swift’s former record label Big Machine, including all of the songs from Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation. Swift’s objections to the deal, blaming Braun for complicity in the “incessant manipulative bullying” against her by Kanye West one … Continue reading Taylor Swift buys back rights to the master recording of her first six albums

India’s colonial past

A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c 1790 to 1835 curated by DAG Delhi, India, featuring over 200 paintings highlighting the diversity of Indian artists displaying natural history, architecture and Indian customs. Popular paintings highlighting Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Sheikh Salim, Chishti’s tomb at Fatehpur Sikri, Delhi’s Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb. An English company trading enterprise founded in 1600 the East India Company transformed into a major colonial powerhouse. By 18th century they tightened their grip on India, when the company officially commissioned Indian artists many formerly employed by the Indian Mughals to create visual records … Continue reading India’s colonial past

The City that never sleeps

Manhattan Down is a pulse-pounding contemporary thriller which dares to imagine the unimaginable, a leaderless world being held to ransom by forces unknown for reasons unknown. The questions it asks are terrifying- and so are some of the answers. Manhattan the city that never sleeps just said goodnight. On September 10th,  one day before the anniversary eve of the 9/11 terror attack, New York swelters under a a heat dome of record temperatures. Even the global leaders assembled at the UN HQ are forced to admit that the climate crisis has reached boiling point and the world’s time is running out. … Continue reading The City that never sleeps

Portraits of survival and resilience wins the Booker Prize

Indian writer, Banu Mushtaq’s fiction Heart Lamp won the International Booker Prize this week. The 77-year-old writer  said “ I never dreamt it could happen. I don’t know how to express my emotions, except to say it is the greatest experience of my life”. Her translator Deepa Bhasthi 41, said “the honour lies in becoming the first translator of colour to win the annual award which goes to the best work of fiction translated into English. splits the £50,000 prize money equally between author and translator. Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 stories Mushtaq  exquisitely captures everyday lives of women and … Continue reading Portraits of survival and resilience wins the Booker Prize

Future: Race to invent

On 17 November, 2023, Sam Altman (38), the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution and the head of OpenAI, buoyed by release of his company’s ChatGPT, was fired on a video call which quickly made headlines around the world. A week later, Altman was back running the company he had cofounded – and most of the directors who voted to fire him were themselves removed from the board, demonstrating his power to bend reality to his will and of how vicious and personal the rush to create this world-changing technology. He set out on a world tour that brought audiences … Continue reading Future: Race to invent

Blurring of public and personal space, amid social media’s constant scrutiny

Private life is now in mortal danger according to acclaimed cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins, who takes readers on an epic journey, from the strict separations of public and private in ancient Athens to the moral rigidity of the Victorian home, and from the feminists of the 1970s who declared that “the personal is political” to the boundary-blurring demands of our digital age. Strangers and Intimates is both a celebration of the private realm and a warning as social media, surveillance and the expectations of constant openness reshape our lives, Jenkins asks a timely question: Can private life survive the demands … Continue reading Blurring of public and personal space, amid social media’s constant scrutiny

Disney’s Lilo and Stitch record

Disney’s Lilo and Stitch remake and Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible outing have opened as two of the biggest films of year released last week. That made it the second highest opening of 2025 so far after A Minecraft movie. Misson Impossible- The Final Reckoning, the eight film in the franchise, also proved a hit with $190m ( £140m) in ticket sales. Cruise playing agent Ethan Hunt since 1996, and seemingly confirmed The Final Reckoning would be the last instalment. Lilo and Stitch, which revisits the 2002 animated family favourite, has exceeded expectations with taking of $341m ( £252m) around the … Continue reading Disney’s Lilo and Stitch record