They had waited 100 years for it and the French, mostly, were determined to love their kitsch, crazy, subversive, waterborne and very rain-drenched Olympics opening ceremony. Less happy were far-right figures, who spied “wokeist” propaganda. A thoroughly unscientific poll on the rue de Rochechouart in Paris – where the far right have never had so … Read more
Friday prayers are often seen as the most important event in the weekly calendar for Muslims. But in Rochdale last week, they were more vital than usual. Three days on from the video that shocked the world, many feared the town was teetering on the brink of serious unrest. The footage showed an armed officer, … Read more
Aerospace giants have been accused of putting profits ahead of safety as officials consider cutting the minimum number of pilots required on commercial flight decks from two to one. The move, which is currently being evaluated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), would weaken standards to the “lowest common denominator”, the world’s largest … Read more
What a difference an election can make. There’s a new atmosphere at the BBC Proms this year, one of tentative hope and, yes, relief. With divisive culture wars over and the licence fee declared safe, hearts must have been lighter in the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus on the first night. Joining them were the … Read more
Tiffany Sciarrillo/thesocialwedit Tiffany Sciarrillo is one of a growing number of wedding content creators From the venue and the flowers to the DJ to the cake – there’s so much to organise when planning a wedding. Now a growing number of couples are adding something else to their unwieldy to-do lists – book a content … Read more
On 8 July, the eve of Nato’s 75th anniversary summit, a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, destroying, among other sections, its cancer center, hematology lab and surgical transplant unit. Russia launched 40 missiles at cities across Ukraine that day, killing more than 40 people, wounding numerous others, and demonstrating yet again that there … Read more
There are two wars going on between Israelis and the Palestinians. The one with the global spotlight is of course between Israel and Hamas raging in Gaza. But, there is a second, longterm, lethal war – as Israel continues to hold on to the occupation of Palestinians in the West Bank. No mention was made … Read more
The dog was already on the scene when Jane and her partner got together – this was a man-plus-dog package. But Jane, a Brit living in Barcelona, didn’t foresee the problems. “I’m not a dog person, but I’m not averse to them,” she says, speaking to me from Catalonia. “I innocently thought they were a … Read more
Earlier this month, a popular lifestyle magazine introduced a new “fashion and lifestyle editor” to its huge social media following. “Reem”, who on first glance looked like a twentysomething woman who understood both fashion and lifestyle, was proudly announced as an “AI enhanced team member”. That is, a fake person, generated by artificial intelligence. Reem … Read more
Humans have been drawn to the idea that alcohol may have health benefits for almost as long as they have been drinking it. In ancient China, rice wine was widely used for medicinal purposes, while Hippocrates, the ancient Greek “Father of Medicine”, advocated moderate amounts of alcohol for the mind, body and soul. Later, proponents … Read more