Red Arrows fly past for VE Day

The King and Queen wave from the Palace’s balcony alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three children, as the Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace leaving behind red, white and blue vapour trials, to mark 80 years since World War Two ended in Europe.  The fly over was watched by the prime minister and thousands of spectators who lined the street of central London. Continue reading Red Arrows fly past for VE Day

Eternal City, that bring its people to life

Rome for centuries was an essential stop on the Grand Tour, part of the education of well-born visitors such as the great chronicler of Gilded Age, Edith Wharton.  A collection of short stories, set in Italy, France and America, with powerful portraits of women who live in “the world of propriety” at the turn of century, displaying emotions women feel in love, in jealousy, when they long for children or seek independence – and when their passions lead them to overstep the bounds laid down by exacting conventions. We see too what happens to those strong enough to break the … Continue reading Eternal City, that bring its people to life

Combine curiosity, irreverence, power of calmness and warmth to deal with difficult people

Paul Dolan, a professor of behavioural economist at the London School of Economics, defines Beliefism as a discrimination against those with different beliefs to us. In today’s civil discourse, one exacerbated by the anger-stoking effects of digital doomscrolling and the perverse incentives the media has constructed for political discourse (Anyone who changes policy in response to criticism, for example, is gleefully reported to have performed a “humiliating U-turn”.) The citizens of the US and UK are becoming more polarised and inclined to avoid altogether those who aren’t their ideological comrades. Do you really avoid people who are strongly against immigration? … Continue reading Combine curiosity, irreverence, power of calmness and warmth to deal with difficult people

Our fate flows with that of rivers

Rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings- who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? is a a passionate, immersive and revelatory story which will open hearts, spark debates and lead us to the revelation that our fate flows with that of rivers – and always has. Renowned nature writer Robert Macfarlane takes us on several exhilarating journeys across the globe, including the Ecuadorean cloud forest and the head forest of Rio Los Cedros, onto the wounded creeks, lagoons and estuaries of the dying waters around the city of Chennai in … Continue reading Our fate flows with that of rivers

Consequences of our choices

A brother and sister lost and found, in a novel from the author of the Patrick Melrose series, Edward St Aubyn’s Parallel Lines, the novel seizes your heart and enthrals your mind. “We set off in opposite directions and walked around the world until we met, and I’m very pleased we have…”. It is summer. Sebastian is in treatment following a breakdown that has left him with a fragile hold on reality and a bigger to connect with the mother who abandoned him. His therapist, Martin Carr, also faces challenges, including his adopted daughter Olivia’s tenuous relationship with her biological … Continue reading Consequences of our choices

Suryavanshi (14) youngest player to smash 35-ball century in men’s T20 IPL

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old batsman made history as the youngest player to smash a fastest century from 35 balls in men’s T20, in the Indian Premier League (IPL).  Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month was signed at last year’s auction for £103, 789 (Rs 1.1 crores), smashed seven fours and 11 sixes before he was bowled for  101 from 38 balls, as the Rajasthan Royals claimed an eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans, chasing 210. Suryavanshi put on 166 with India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who ended unbeaten on 70 from 40. Gujarat’s Shubman Gill made 84 from 50 balls and … Continue reading Suryavanshi (14) youngest player to smash 35-ball century in men’s T20 IPL

Albatross loses its bearings to turn into an unmoored wanderer

Mexican author Guadalupe Nettel’s novel Still Born, about motherhood, shortlisted fort the 2023, International Booker Prize, “Being a mother means being worried about someone else all the time”, mused its narrator Laura, explaining why she preferred to remain childless. Her latest book The Accidentals feature Mothers and labours of parenthood, where conventions of family life are examined, challenged and subverted. The protagonists of these eight stories each find the ordinary courses of their lives disrupted by an unexpected event are pushed into unfamiliar terrain: a girl encounters her uncle in hospital, who was cast out of the family for reasons unknown, … Continue reading Albatross loses its bearings to turn into an unmoored wanderer

World’s first Agony Aunt column about love, sex and relatonships

The Athenian Mercury – a London-based broadsheet, one-page, two-sided periodical, brainchild of John Dunton, a printer, not a therapist whose main aim was to make money. Walking in a London park one day, it occurred to him that the (male) patrons of London’s fashionable coffee houses might like to gin up their intellectual discussions with questions posed to a panel of experts – just Dunton and his brothers-in-law- and would pay to see the answers. Published and advertised as “Resolving all the most Nice and Curious Questions Proposed by the ingenious of Either Sex”, in 1690s London which included the … Continue reading World’s first Agony Aunt column about love, sex and relatonships

Prada buys Versace for $1.4bn

Luxury fashion brand, Prada Group has acquired crosstown Milan fashion rival, Versace from the U.S. luxury group, Capri Holdings Ltd, (parent company of Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo) for $1.38 billion. Capri Holdings is restructuring after a failed merger with Tapestry (owner of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman), which was blocked by the US Federal Trade Commission in last November. The deal includes Versace’s debt, is a big discount to the $2.15 billion debt that Capri, then known as Michael Kors, paid for Versace in 2017 when the Versace family and Blackstone sold it.  The acquisition strengthens Italy’s position in … Continue reading Prada buys Versace for $1.4bn