Defence secretary rejects Boris Johnson’s claim suspension of some arms sales means UK ‘abandoning Israel’ Good morning. The Hamas massacre of Israelis on 7 October last year, and Israel’s brutal war in Gaza that has been going on ever since, has had very little impact on the internal politics of the Conservative party, but it … Read more
Multimedia artist Futura 2000’s new career retrospective at the Bronx Museum of the Arts has been decades in the making – and has only come about due to years of intense perseverance. While Futura has reached the heights of his chosen medium, now boasting high-level collaborations with the likes of Virgil Abloh, Uniqlo and Nike, … Read more
There is a famous satirical tweet that goes something like: “Last night I asked my landlord to increase my rent. That’s how much I believe in my grind/hustle.” Well, last week, Chelsea asked one of their biggest rivals to take one of their best players for no fee, with no obligation to buy and with Chelsea … Read more
Kyiv says international law dealt ‘heavy blow’ by Mongolia’s failure to arrest Putin during visit Vladimir Putin is visiting Mongolia with no sign that the host country will bow to calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes stemming from the invasion of Ukraine. Mongolia’s failure to arrest Putin dealt a … Read more
It’s not often journalists are invited into football players’ promotion parties but Sol Bamba made a beeline for me. It was May 2018 and Cardiff City had just made history, promoted to the Premier League in Bamba’s first full season at the club. He had just helped the Bluebirds grind out a draw at home … Read more
Languishing on the dole on an East Kilbride council estate in the early 80s, neither the Jesus and Mary Chain’s William Reid, nor his younger brother, Jim, could grasp why no one had yet combined 60s girl-group melodies, the nihilist drones of the Velvet Underground and top notes of screeching feedback. It seemed an obvious, … Read more
Introduction: Cathay Pacific cancels flights over RR engine problem Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. A problem with a Rolls-Royce engine has forced Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific to cancel 24 return flights. Eight of Cathay’s nine flights from Hong Kong to Singapore have … Read more
It’s time again for Bangkok’s biggest cultural extravaganza, and for the next two months, the city will be in a frenzy of high-powered musical and dance shows from around the world. There are many “remarkable firsts” this year, managing director of the festival, Rasina Uberoi, daughter of the well-known Thai-Indian cultural czar, Kukoo Uberoi, said. … Read more
“We’re all waiting with bated breath. This is a fateful election,” a friend from Leipzig told me on Sunday. It was polling day in her state of Saxony and in neighbouring Thuringia. The atmosphere was tense, even fearful. Much more was at stake than just a reshuffle of seats in two of Germany’s regional parliaments. … Read more
It is raining. Heavy drops hit so hard they bounce back into the air. Cloud hangs over the highest peak, today’s destination. I gather with the small group of women in larger bodies, all facing the same challenge as me, with similar demons whispering into their ears, “You’re too fat, you’re not fit enough, you … Read more