We in the west should think we’ve become more responsible about our waste and the way it’s managed. In Britain, government pats itself on the back for reducing the amount of thrash going to domestic landfill sites by more than half over the past quarter century.  Millions of tonnes of garbage generated every day have given rise to waste wars, cons and cover ups across thousands of mile and multiple oceans, as dumps and landfills around the world are overflowing. Running across five continents, Alexander Clapp delves inside the world of Javanese recycling gangsters, cruise ship dismantlers in the Aegean, … Continue reading Toxic side of the global recycling trade

Diana Evans who was catapulted overnight into the role of culture editor, going on to interview a roster of stars like Lauryn Hill, Viola Davis, Alice Walker and Edward Enninful. We watch as she dances on stages in London and travels through Cuba. We walk by her side as she navigates the world- her family and the midlife sandwich, reflections on fashion, yoga, the British monarchy and lockdowns, and the lasting impact of George Floyd and Grenfell. Evans’s “All the Notes”, where she demonstrates just how far she departed from that minimalist utopia to which she has aspired. As artists … Continue reading Hot-air balloons, drifting through a dazzling harlequin sky

Close Brothers is among the most exposed banks to car loans, as they have set aside £165 million, as their mis-selling of car loans triggered a 8 per cent fall in shares yesterday and 2 per cent down this morning, after judges including Supreme Court president Lord John Reed,  prevented the government from supporting the industry in a looming court case. The Supreme Court is due in April to hear an appeal brought by car loan providers challenging a ruling last year from the Court of Appeal, which sided with consumers who complained about “secret” commissions on car loans. The judgement … Continue reading £44bn mis-selling Bank scandal

According Peter Beinart, one story has long dominated Jewish communal life: that of persecution and victimhood. It is a story that erases much of the nuance of sacred Jewish tradition and history, and also warps our understanding of modern history.  After Gaza, where Jewish texts, history and language have been deployed to justify mass slaughter and starvation, and he argues, Jews must tell a new story. After this war, whose horror will echo for generation, they must do nothing less that offer a new answer to the question: What does it mean to be a Jew? This is the story in … Continue reading Horrors of Gaza will echo for generations

Garrett Carr’s first novel for adults is set in his hometown in County Donegal the Atlantic coast of Ireland.  West Coast Ireland’s fishing community is the backdrop where a baby is found abandoned in a barrel found on the shore, as if it had come in with the tide, one day in 1973. Named Brendan by Ambrose Bonnar, the fisherman who adopts him, after convincing his wife Christine to adopt the infant and raise him alongside their son Declan, the boy will become a source of fascination and hope for a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing … Continue reading Ireland caught in a storm of rapidly changing world

Over 100 people have been evacuated after a fire broke out at a luxury Chiltern Firehouse hotel, as 20 fire engines and 125 fire fighters were deployed near London’s Baker Street at 2:52pm. The upmarket Marylebone, £760-a-night venue was due to host Netflix’s BAFTA Awards party on Sunday. According to London Fire Brigade the fire started on the ground floor and spread to the roof, and their statement said, “ The fire was in ducting which leads from the ground floor to the roof and that a plant room at roof level is also alight. We know in fact one … Continue reading Chiltern Firehouse on fire