SALT to taste May 13, 2019 It was quite a week, even for a seasoned traveller like me. London to New York; New York to Los Angeles; LA to Las Vegas; Vegas to Los Angeles; then, eventually, home, happy but exhausted. I’ve crossed the Atlantic countless times, and it always makes me excited and full of anticipation; the US really can [...]
Barbies and princesses: The game-changer in gender-stereotyped toys May 13, 2019 "Can I be an astronaut if I’m a girl?” That was the question asked by Katy Alexander’s four-year-old daughter, Zabel. To the New Jersey-born mother, this question came as a surprise. “Until then, I’d never really noticed that the characters in the space books she had been reading and the games she had been playing were [...]
Boost minimum wage for young workers, Labour says May 11, 2019 The Labour Party has revealed plans to abolish the lower minimum wage for those under 18 as it aims to hike the salaries of all of the lowest paid to at least £10 an hour. The new hike would more than double what employers have to pay to their under-18 employees, who currently get a [...]
Britain’s billionaires have become $18bn richer so far this year May 11, 2019 Britain’s billionaires have added another $28bn (£21.5bn) to their coffers since the UK voted the leave the European Union in 2016, new figures show. The 15 Brits listed on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index have added most of the wealth this year, reaching a combined total of $109bn between them. Read more: These are the UK's top [...]
McIlroy tops list of the UK’s top 20 richest young sports stars May 11, 2019 Golfer Rory McIlroy is the UK’s richest young sports star, it was revealed today as the Northern Irishman topped a list otherwise dominated by footballers. McIlroy’s wealth hit £138m in 2019, the Sunday Times Rich List revealed, putting him ahead of second-placed Gareth Bale on £94m. Read more: Sam Torrance: McIlroy is at ease and [...]
A German Life at Bridge Theatre review: Maggie Smith shines in this examination of Nazi fervour May 10, 2019 “Everything that is beautiful is also tainted, and whatever’s horrible also has its bright side. Nothing is black and white.” These words, at first glance a truism, become morbidly fascinating when spoken by Brunhilde Pomsel, the wizened former stenographer to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and subject of the award-winning documentary A German Life. Maggie [...]
Three Sisters at the Almeida: This most Chekhovian of Chekhov’s plays flatters to deceive May 10, 2019 After last year’s superlative Summer and Smoke, the pairing of director Rebecca Frecknall and young star Patsy Ferran is an irresistible proposition. This time they combine to drag Chekhov’s fin de siècle play Three Sisters into an unspecified time and space somewhere between pre-revolution Russia and present-day King’s Road. But despite another fitful, engaging performance [...]
DEBATE: In light of the latest study, have we overreacted about the effect of social media on teenagers? May 10, 2019 In light of the latest study, have we overreacted about the effect of social media on teenagers? Kevin Craig, chief executive and founder of communications agency PLMR, says YES. While the discussion about the impact of social media on young people has been a hot topic at the school gates over recent years, we parents have [...]
Editor’s Notes: Harmony is in short supply in the EU as challenges loom large May 10, 2019 Faced with some major non-Brexit challenges of their own, the leaders of the EU27 and the heads of the EU’s powerful institutions are meeting in Sibiu, Romania for a summit. What’s emerged so far is the Sibiu Declaration, a beautifully vague and vacuous document committing the EU to a range of platitudinous positions such as: [...]
Maro means business: Itoje on Saracens’ European Cup final, England captaincy, his new clothing range and his NBA role models May 9, 2019 There will only be one thing on Maro Itoje’s mind when Saracens take on Leinster this Saturday: claiming a third Champions Cup title and regaining the club’s status as the best in Europe. It is an encounter that will see the England forward line up opposite James Ryan in what is sure to be a [...]