Bringing leprosy under control was the lifetime achievement of German doctor and nun, Ruth Pfau, known as Pakistan’s Mother Teresa. She has died aged 87, leaving behind 150 clinics treating the disease which she set up over her 50 years in the country, and was given a state funeral. Born 9 September … Read more
Big Ben, the iconic symbol of London, is to fall silent for four years from noon tomorrow for repairs. Health and Safety have managed to accomplish what five years bombing by the Nazis failed to do in WW11. It was the first subject addressed by Theresa May as she arrived hot-foot from a … Read more
The madhouse drama that is Trump’s administration continues to eject flames and debris in all directions. His latest toddler tantrum against being bullied into decent, grown-up behaviour has led to alarm amongst a wide range of hitherto quiescent supporters – and even better has caused several large charities to pull their functions from Mar-a-Lago, which … Read more
Civil wars do leave their mark, sometimes for centuries. The English Civil War 1642-1651 pitted authoritarian Royalists against democratic progressives. Though underlying it, was the bitter Roman Catholic v Protestant battle which had been waged since Henry V111 baled on Rome (Vatican) a century before. And that antipathy carried on into the … Read more
Actor Tom Cruise is thought to have broken his ankle in two places after smashing into the side of a building when a roof top leap went wrong as he was filming Mission: Impossible 6 in London. He is famous for insisting on performing all his own stunts and according to reports has gone back … Read more
“She died doing what was right,” were the words of Heather Heyer’s mother, the Virginia paralegal, who died when a car rammed into a group of people protesting against a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. Heather’s Facebook cover photo read: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention”; she was active in … Read more
In theory Brexit happens at midnight between March 29th and 30th 2019 – if it sticks to schedule. Though there may be an extension if negotiations drag on, or even an earlier pull-out if there’s an impassable deadlock and crockery goes flying. It’s not too interesting a chart though there’s an angry … Read more
Glen Campbell, the fresh-faced country singer whose soulful lyrics – Wichita Linesman, Galveston, Phoenix on My Mind, Rhinestone Cowboy – made him a smash hit in the late 1960s and 1970s, has died of Alzheimers. Born 22 April 1936 8.14pm Delight, Arkansas, he was the seventh of 12 children with a sharecropper father, started guitar … Read more
Mike Pence is denouncing as “disgraceful and offensive” suggestions that he is financing-up to prep for the 2020 presidential election. Well he would say that, wouldn’t he, especially within spitting range of the Donald. Just to run over his political CV. On social and cultural issues, he is to the right of … Read more
Chris Pratt, 38, the face of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic Park” has announced he is separating from his wife of 8 years Anna Faris, star of “Mom” for five seasons and the voice of the Jailbreak character in “The Emoji Movie.” And this after years of trilling and coo-ing in interviews … Read more