Prince Philip has died just short of his 100th birthday in June. Born 10 June 1921 Corfu, Greece, time maybe 10am, into the Greek and Danish royal families he had a peripatetic childhood with the family exiled when he was an enfant and he was educated in France, Germany and the UK. He served … Read more
Boris Johnson is still benefiting in the popularity polls from the vaccine bounce and the unaccountable failure of Keir Starmer, the Opposition leader, to sparkle into gear. This despite his Government chart wilting with the undermining tr Neptune square the Sun since late last month, which suggests there is more uncertainty and dither behind the … Read more
Matt Gaetz, the headline-grabbing Florida Republican congressman, a rabid pro-Trumper and eager conspiracy theorist, is embroiled in a sex scandal that carries real legal jeopardy. It started with reports of sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl and paying for her to cross state lines. (Interstate trafficking of underage children for sex is a federal offence.) … Read more
Emmanuel Macron has managed to top the domestic unpopularity polls of EU leaders which is no mean achievement given the carnage of reputations of the leading players – Merkel, Rutte, van der Leyen etc. Macron’s Sun King/Superman/Jupiterian image has not stood up well to his botched management of the Covid crisis with daily cases … Read more
Brazil is being ravaged by the pandemic which President Bolsonaro underplayed resulting in the country having a quarter of all Covid-19 deaths in the world last week. The national health system is on the verge of collapse with intensive care units across the country overstretched and one study estimated in April/May the death toll could … Read more
Myanmar’s bloodiest day since the military seized control last month has left at least 114 people across the country dead, including children, some killed at protests, others in their own homes. Opponents of the 1 February coup call the dead “fallen stars”. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the military of “a reign of … Read more
Royal babies are tumbling out at speed, most notably Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, who delivered on the bathroom floor since her number three wouldn’t wait. Followed five days later by Princess Sofia of Sweden’s number three son. And last month Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s youngest, produced her first, another boy. Lucas Tindall, 21 … Read more
The Suez Canal ground to a halt because of a stranded container ship is preventing goods worth an estimated $9.5billion per day from passing either way through the canal. Avoiding the canal by sailing around Africa, a 14-day 5,000 nautical mile journey, can add $450,000 in costs. A prolonged blockage could drive up the price … Read more
Nawal El Saadawi, the outspoken Egyptian feminist, writer and campaigner has died. Born into a traditional family she underwent female genital mutilation when six and at ten refused to marry, eventually qualifying as a doctor. She rose to professional prominence but lost her position because of her criticism of female circumcision, honesty about peasant health … Read more
Elsa Peretti, the jewellery designer who revolutionized the industry with sculptured pieces based on shapes found in nature, such as beans, scorpions and snakes, has died. She also drew inspiration from human skeletons, an early childhood fascination from trips to Italian chapels crammed with the bones of Capuchin friars. Her pieces accounted for 10% … Read more