The Denmark of Hans Christian Andersen, with the Tivoli amusement park and the iconic “Little Mermaid” statue, redolent of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses has in modern times become a beacon for progressive policies. It was the first country to grant legal recognition to same-sex unions in 1989, has supported women’s rights, minority rights, and … Read more
Rwanda, site of one of the bloodiest genocides in modern times, presently run by a man described as “an evil genius” and a “despot”, accused of assassinating his opponents, is the surreal choice for a refugee dump of those who arrive on UK shores illegally. Denmark and Israel are also in discussions to follow suit. … Read more
Turkey is in an unprecedented financial crisis, wilting under hyper-inflation reckoned at 142%, five times higher than other countries. Food prices are rocketing with the Ukraine crisis adding to challenges. A series of policy mistakes and ambitious expansionary projects against the advice of experts, as well as revolving doors at the central bank with four … Read more
A cripplingly shy teenager and school dropout is changing the world of war reporting and espionage using open source videos, maps and pictures and social media for investigations. Eliot Ward Higgins a British citizen journalist and former blogger, founder of Bellingcat, caught media attention when he investigated the chemical weapons used in Syria, then focused … Read more
Battling on at 101, “Hurricane Hazel” McCallion, former mayor of Canada’s seventh largest city for 36 years, has extended her directorship of the Toronto airport authority for another three years and stayed on as adviser at the local university as well. ‘Known for her blunt demeanour and pugilistic style of governing, McCallion has loomed large … Read more
Three weeks of squalid muck-raking is promised for the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard $50 million defamation trial. He has already lost one UK libel trial before a judge and this is his second go in front of a Virginia jury with the intention of showing ex-wife Amber Heard’s lurid tales of domestic violence at his hands … Read more
Jon Batiste, singer, songwriter, bandleader from an astonishingly wide and talented New Orleans musical family was nominated for 11 Grammy’s and won five including the prestigious Album of the Year. This follows on from the Academy Award plus plus which he won for co-composing the score to the Pixar Soul movie. Born 11 November … Read more
The Boris brigade lurch from one political sinkhole to the next. While Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, may wail about No 10 leaks spreading entirely true but damaging tales of his wife’s non-dom tax status, it reflects just as badly on the PM since the information had always been to hand. ‘Don’t fire him, fire the … Read more
Memory and the ability to recall or re-picture past events is associated with several signs and planet. Mercury and Gemini/Virgo rules short term memory. But Scorpio has a reputation for being the elephant who never forgets, followed closely by Taurus. Cancer, a sentimentalist about the past, also clings on. The Water signs which also includes … Read more
The ultra-rich play on heedless of a cruel world well below their gaze. A billionaire’s daughter marrying a multi-millionaire footballer’s son this Saturday in Palm Beach is a HELLO dream of obscene consumption. Actress Nicola Peltz with a financier father is getting hitched at the parental 44,000 square foot $100 million oceanfront home to Brooklyn … Read more