North Korean Hackers steal £1.76bn this year

North Korean hackers stole this year  £1.76bn ($2.2bn) in Cryptocurrencies according to research firm Chainanalysis. Some theft appear to be linked to North Korean hackers posing as remote IT workers to infiltrate crypto and other technology firms, amid nearly doubling of the bitcoin prices, as incoming US president Donald Trump is expected to be more crypto-friendly. The majority of crypto stolen this year was due to compromised private keys- which are used to control access to users’ assets on crypto platforms. But the most significant incidents this year included the theft of the equivalent of $300m, in bitcoin from Japanese crypto … Continue reading North Korean Hackers steal £1.76bn this year

Finding new love

Marine and Michael, two protagonist find themselves together on a 190-mile  coast-to-coast walking trail across northern England, after being brought together through a mutual friend. A love story develops between the two divorcees as they battle the great British weather to find their way home, finding new love and second chances along the way, exploring the relationships in a way that reflects real life and the search for human connection.  At first Marine is interested in another group member, Conrad, but as he soon drops out along with the others, leaving Marine and Michael to continue to walk together, starting from … Continue reading Finding new love

Post Office spent over £132m of taxpayer money defending itself

The Post Office has spent over £132m of taxpayer money ( £82m in the 12 mon ths to 31st March 2024, £38m the previous 12 months, and £12m in the year prior to that, defending itself at the inquiry into the wrongful conviction of 900 sub-postmasters who were prosecuted wrongly for shortfalls in their accounts caused by bugs in Fujitsu’s Horizon IT system in what has been described as one of the most widespread miscarriages in British legal history. Most sub-postmasters wrongly convicted lost their livelihoods or were forced to make up shortfalls from their own money, while some former sub-postmasters … Continue reading Post Office spent over £132m of taxpayer money defending itself

Royal Mail £3.6bn takeover approved by the UK Government

Daniel Kretinsky (49), Czech low-key billionaire entrepreneur, whose net worth is £6bn, is the new owner of Royal Mail, the historic British company, after the £3.6bn takeover sale of its parent firm was approved by the UK Government. His EO Group is ready to make Royal Mail successful. His investments are in Eustream, Central and Eastern European energy via a labyrinthine structure of companies, which transports Russian Gas via pipelines that run through Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  He build up well-known brands through Vesa Equity Investment, a private firm which is Luxembourg, also holds big stakes in Sainsbury’s … Continue reading Royal Mail £3.6bn takeover approved by the UK Government

“Tabla King in whose hands, rhythm became magic,” dies aged 73

Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s greatest tabala players has died aged 73, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco. Hussain, the Indian classical music icon, was a four-time Grammy award winner  ( seven Grammy nominations, and has received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award. Using the table – a pair of drums used in Indian classical music an accompaniment to the main performance, he transformed the tabla into a globally loved solo instrument. Tributes have began pouring in, as the news of Hussain’s death broke. Nayan Gosh, a sitar and table player said. … Continue reading “Tabla King in whose hands, rhythm became magic,” dies aged 73

Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

Chilean poet Alejandro Zambra, in Childish Literature, writes a collection of poems, essays and tales exploring the ups and downs of fatherhood especially orbiting around the theme of fathers and sons. Written in a state of attachment or under the influence of fatherhood, Childish Literature is an eclectic guide to rookie parents, revealing how the birth and growth of a child changes not only the present and the future, but also reshapes our perceptions of the past.   He ponders his unpreparedness: “Our fathers tried, in their own ways, to teach us to be men, but they never taught us to … Continue reading Our fathers never taught us to be fathers…

A new crime series by super-sleuth Angela Merkel

Forget Miss Marple, as Angela Merkel, ex-German chancellor, who after a stint dealing with transnational financial meltdowns or erratic US presidents, once the most powerful woman in the world, now a super-sleuth after retiring to the idyllic village of Kleinfreudenstadt-on-Dumpfsee on a dull lake with her quantum-chemist husband Achim, her bodyguard Mike  and her pug Putin, named after the Russian President who once surprised her with a massive Labrador to play on her canine phobia, solving crime. In Murder at the Castle, a local aristocrat, Baron von Baugenwitz, has been murdered with vintage suit of armour in a castle dungeon locked … Continue reading A new crime series by super-sleuth Angela Merkel

How can be broaden our minds

Academic philosopher, Simon Critchley explores why Mysticism is about existential ecstasy – an experience of heightening one’s senses and self into a sheer feeling of aliveness and provides a fascinating overview of Christianity’s great outliers. Mystical experiences offers us a practical way to open out thoughts and deepen the sense of our lives, whether through a mainstream connection to God or by taking part in mind-altering experiences. Whether so-called “mystical” experiences are felt to be religious, spiritual aesthetic or something else, people have been trying to report, describe, and make sense of this strange kind of ecstasy for a thousand … Continue reading How can be broaden our minds

Turkey: foul factory fowl

Most of know almost nothing about today’ special bred, commercially produced Turkeys. Renowned ethicist and eminent philosopher Peter Stringer gives a striking indictment of humanity’s treatment of other animals. Poultry industry marketing would have us believe that we purchase happy and humanely raised and slaughtered turkeys for Thanksgiving and also the default British Christmas centrepiece and takes you through the birth, life and death of the Turkey by warming our hearts towards what we often assume to be among the dumbest of beasts. He explains us that they are smart, self-aware and sociable creatures  that like to cuddle up with their … Continue reading Turkey: foul factory fowl

18-year-old Gukesh is the youngest ever World Chess. Champion

Gukesh Dommaraju, Chennai  (India) born prodigy, defeated defending champion China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest ever world champion in Singapore at the age of 18. The 14-game match was tied with two wins each after 13 games and looked as through the 14th game was heading towards a draw. Gukesh born in May 2006, playing black, won from a dead-drawn position in the final contest of their best of 14 games when Ding unexpectedly made a blunder on move 55 by trapping his own bishop with his rook. Gukesh entered the FIDE World Chess Championship as a challenger which carries a … Continue reading 18-year-old Gukesh is the youngest ever World Chess. Champion