Tory Leadership Contest 2022 In the TV debate on Friday evening on Channel 4 hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the candidates did not distinguish themselves, and there was bickering between the candidates jostling for the attention of the floating voters in the audience.  In the event, when they were asked if they were more likely to […]

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Olena Zelenska This week, it will be four months since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24th February.  It is being said that we are beginning to suffer “Ukraine fatigue”, so here I am keeping the flag flying, with a blog about the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.  When I wrote about her […]

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Eurovision Song Contest 2022 “I’m incredibly excited to make some friends, chat some music, and just take in every moment of this beautiful, wild bonkers thing.” – Sam Ryder Long-term readers of my blog will know how much Eurovision means to me!  And I have to declare last night’s Eurovision Song Contest the best ever […]

Categories: Celebrities · News · Space Travel

Antonio Gutteres Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, visited both Russia and Ukraine this week, in an effort to defuse tension in the region.  As an institution, the U.N. is dedicated to the maintenance of international peaceful relations, and as its head the Secretary-General has the diplomatic responsibility […]

Categories: News · Peacemakers

Female War Reporters I am always amazed at the bravery of war reporters, but in this current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, two female war reporters stand out: Orla Guerin and Lyse Doucet.  They share a few similar aspects in their charts, not always the aspects you would expect for war reporters. Orla Guerin I […]

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe released In the midst of another week of unbearable news from Ukraine, a miracle happened.  Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe, who had been detained in Iran, most of that time in prison, was allowed to come home and be reunited with her daughter and husband.  Heartwarming photos ensued of the three of them together again.  At […]

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Roman Abramovich Roman Abramovich, erstwhile and longterm owner of Chelsea Football Club, was among the seven Russian oligarchs sanctioned this week by the U.K. government.  He has been part of the fabric of our football scene since 2003, almost twenty years.  But he has also been a close friend of Vladimir Putin (although he has […]

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Invasion of Ukraine Added to the pandemic, and climate change, the world has a new threat: that of war between Russia and the Ukraine.  Wary of involvement after what transpired from the Iraq War, Syria and Afghanistan, NATO is trying to support Ukraine by other means than military forces.  Rhetoric has been ramped up against […]

Categories: News · Peacemakers

Boris, again It has been an unprecedented week for resignations and votes of no confidence in Boris Johnson, after weeks of scandal over parties held at Downing Street while the rest of the country observed his rules.  Will he stay or will he go?  If so, when?  Ian Blackford of the SNP was asked to […]

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Review of the Year 2021 It’s that time again…Time for the Review of the Year!   Year two of the pandemic, we would hope the last.   Containing selections from the blogs, as usual… January 10th: Gerry Marsden (1942 – 2021) Singer Gerry Marsden, frontman for Gerry and the Pacemakers, died last week.  He and his band […]

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