Month: July 2020

Standing in drizzle under a red umbrella near the forested entrance of one of Tokyo’s most famous shrines, Junko Shinohara, 55, an office worker, muses about her country’s soon-to-be empress. "Ah yes, Masako-san. She is very clever but has had a difficult time. It’s been hard for her to shine as she is kept inside a box. But I hope this will change," she says under the torii gates of the Meiji Shrine dedicated to the…

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Celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death has barely begun but it’s already provoked the kind of controversy you’d expect to find inside the palaces of the Medici family who once promoted the Renaissance genius. There have been claims of unpublished documents, newly discovered artworks, and a row over his nationality. Now two Italian historians claim to have discovered a lock of Da Vinci’s hair and put it on display at a…

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Virgil Abloh is working to promote change for the future of the fashion industry. The notable designer has raised 1 million dollars for a new scholarship fund to provide financial support to students of academic promise of Black, African-American or African descent. Abloh raised funds through his own donation and through support of his partners, evian, Farfetch, Louis Vuitton, and New Guards Group. Called the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, the program will be managed…

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He’s back! Fernando Alonso will return to the F1 grid next season, the Spaniard having agreed a deal to race with Renault in the 2021 season alongside Esteban Ocon. Alonso departed Formula 1 at the end of the 2018 after a four-year spell with McLaren that was undermined in the first three seasons by Honda’s inability to deliver a reliable and performing power unit. Racing in the thick of F1’s midfield, the dismal period of…

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Swedish prosecutors may seek extradition of Julian Assange from the United Kingdom in connection with allegations of sexual assault.  The decision means Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, may have to decide whether to extradite him to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted on suspicion of hacking into a Pentagon computer.  Eva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions, said a preliminary investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Mr Assange would be reopened because there…

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Britain has told Iran not to underestimate the resolve of the US, warning that if American interests were attacked then Washington would retaliate. "I would say to the Iranians: Do not underestimate the resolve on the US side," Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, told reporters on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva. "They don’t want a war with Iran. But if American interests are attacked, they will retaliate. And that is something that…

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A rare surviving example of a Second World War cipher-machine developed by Nazi Germany after British forces broke the Enigma code has been sold at auction for €98,000 (£87,000). The SG-41 cipher-machine , known during the war as a “Hitler-Mill”, was bought by an Irish private collector who wished to remain anonymous, according to the Hermann Historica auction house in  Munich. The SG-41 was developed by Nazi engineers after British codebreakers at Bletchley Park succeeded…

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A group of Japanese women Monday submitted a petition to the government to protest what they say is a de-facto requirement for female staff to wear high heels at work. The #KuToo campaign, a play on words from the Japanese word "kutsu" – meaning shoes – and "kutsuu" – meaning "pain" – was launched by actress and freelance writer Yumi Ishikawa and quickly won support from nearly 19,000 people online. Campaigners say wearing high heels is seen as near-obligatory when job…

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Specially composed music, in particular played on an Indian snake charmer’s flute, can improve the development of premature babies’ brains, Swiss research suggests. Around one per cent of babies are born “very prematurely” in the UK, as in Switzerland, meaning before the 32nd week of pregnancy. Despite such incredibly early births, the majority survive due to medical advances of recent years – but around half go on to develop learning or attention difficulties and other…

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Freak storms hurled hailstones the size of ping-pong balls onto crops, orchards and vineyards in southeastern France over the weekend causing widespread damage and prompting authorities to declare a state of “natural emergency”. Meteorologists warn that the phenomenon risks becoming increasingly frequent due to extreme weather conditions linked to climate change. In tears, Aurélien Esprit, a fruit grower in Pont-de-l’Isère in the Drome area filmed the deluge on his apple orchard on Facebook, saying: “The…

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