Boris Johnson’s lockdown roadmap needs short-term hope and yes, takeaway pints February 23, 2021 In two weeks, we will be legally allowed to sit on a park bench with a friend and have a coffee. In five weeks, two whole households will be given the go-ahead to see one another outdoors. Boris Johnson’s plan to exit lockdown seems completely oblivious to what is happening outside his front door. It [...]
Israel shows how to unlock a lockdown at lightning speed February 22, 2021 While the UK government presented its roadmap for exiting Britain’s third lockdown today, all eyes are on Israel this week as the country’s government has already started to re-open the country’s domestic economy, a process which is expected to be completed within weeks. The speed at which the restrictions are lifted is the most striking [...]
Banksy’s balloon girl and Kate Moss photo up for grabs at London art sale February 22, 2021 A print of Banky’s ‘Girl With Balloon’ and a photograph of supermodel Kate Moss are among the top attractions at a London art sale this week, celebrating 70 years of British art. The auction, which will take place on Thursday 25, will also feature boots designed by Damien Hirst and photos of The Who and [...]
Pubs, restaurants and salons beg for more financial help if reopening delayed by months February 22, 2021 Retail, leisure and hospitality businesses have warned the government that current coronavirus financial aid will not be enough to support the industries if they are to remain closed for several more months. The demands were published after it was reported over the weekend that pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and beauticians and non-essential retailers could be waiting [...]
New UK taxes have raised £48bn in last decade, says new study February 22, 2021 The UK taxman has collected £48bn in revenue through new taxes in the past decade, according to a British accountancy group. UHY Hacker Young said the figures showed that a series of taxes under successive Conservative chancellors have “not fit in with their aim to simplify the UK tax system”. The study showed that the [...]
Two more killed in Myanmar as protests rumble on February 20, 2021 Two more people were killed in Myanmar’s second city Mandalay today when police fired to disperse protesting opponents of a military coup. “Twenty people were injured and two are dead,” said Ko Aung, a leader of the Parahita Darhi volunteer emergency service agency in the city. Opponents of the coup took to the streets in [...]
Framing Britney Spears: A glimpse of the hell of celebrity February 20, 2021 “Choose your own destiny” reads Britney Spears’ t-shirt on a recent Instagram post. You could be forgiven for thinking she did just that. Britney is the working class girl from Kentwood, Louisiana who found fame as a precocious child in the Disney Club before rising to the summit of the pop world with hits including [...]
Businesses need to teach their staff how to have better small talk and ditch weather chat February 20, 2021 Next week, I’ll be delivering the UK’s first university module in navigating small talk and networking at BPP University Law School. A university class on small talk? Do students really need to learn this, can it be taught, I hear you ask? Or perhaps you are shuddering at the idea of having small talk at [...]
Chris Tremlett: India have stolen the momentum but I’m confident that England can win series February 19, 2021 England may have suffered a disappointing 317-run defeat in the second Test in India but they won’t be panicking. Not many people gave the tourists a chance of winning any matches in this four-Test series. Their victory in the first game is as impressive as any England Test result in history and offered so many [...]
Best of travel: A feast for the senses in Zanzibar February 18, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Noo Saro-Wiwa’s extravagent journey to the island of Zanzibar. ••• Visiting tropical islands usually involves sacrificing the richness and depth of continental culture for the simplicity of ravishing sun, sea and sand. Zanzibar, however, [...]