These are excerpts of the current news articles. For a full list and full stories click the News link above.
John Lennon – dreams, destiny and death
John Lennon was gunned down forty three years ago on 8 December 1980 in New York by mentally disturbed Mark Chapman who also had a hit list including David Bowie, Johnny Carson, Paul McCartney, Ronald Reagan, and Elizabeth Taylor. Having shot Lennon he sat quietly and waited to be arrested. No one has managed to … Read more
European Royal weddings – pomp and no privacy
Life in the Royal goldfish bowl comes with wealth and privilege at the cost of lack of privacy with rumours constantly swirling, some true some not, about the state of Royal marriages. King Felipe and Queen Letizia are latest in line with lurid tales of her alleged affair continuing after her marriage with a man … Read more
Royal weddings – the dream and the reality
Wedding charts can be surprisingly informative about the course and nature of the marriage that follows. Charles and Diana’s wedding, 29 July 1981, bizarrely six days before Meghan Markle was born, had the same flamboyant Leo Sun conjunct the North Node but also the emotionally volatile Mars in Cancer conjunct Moon square Saturn Jupiter … Read more
Dave Hollis – a social media obsession gone rogue
The bizarre and tragic tale of Dave Hollis, who quit his job as a high-flying Disney executive to join a self-help empire with his influencer wife Rachel, ended when he spiralled into depression as she collected more fans. He struggled with her over-sharing about their inadequate sex life and her role as breadwinner. His social … Read more
Hall & Oates – a messy divorce
Hall & Oates, the most successful musical duo of all time, has ended up in a heap on a Nashville court room floor as Daryl Hall sued John Oates for breaching their half century partnership by trying to sell half of their joint operation. The aim was to make long term gains from streaming royalties, … Read more
Ukraine – stalemate causing cracks in support
War weariness has hit Ukraine with the counter-offensive not producing the expected results and international backers being distracted by their own internal problems. EU leaders are facing deadlock over a promised €50bn lifeline for Kyiv with Hungary digging in its toes and Germany being forced to curb borrowing. At a time when the flow of … Read more
Sandra Day O’Connor – a Justice of the old school
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman Supreme Court Justice and regarded generally as a shining example of a past that has gone, has died. She was a trailblazer not only in rising to the top but in giving the casting vote to the Roe v Wade ruling, and she was also believed to be pivotal … Read more
John Byrne – wit, art and dark family secrets
Playwright and artist John Byrne, who wrote the BBC series Tutti Frutti, Your Cheatin’ Heart and plays including The Slab Boys, has died. He had a prolific career, writing comedy as well as painting and designing; and married actress Tilda Swinton whom he met while she was performing in one of his series. He … Read more
Europe – embroiled in a clash of cultures
Growing concern in Germany and France about an influx of immigrants from cultures at odds with western democracy and individual freedom especially for women have led one German national newspaper to print a list of house rules of how to behave, in the wake of violent pro-Hamas, anti-Semitic demonstrations. In France Michel Houellebecq’s novel … Read more