Monthly Archives: September 2010

Pope Benedict XVI visit: A religious motorway pile-up

Oh dear. What is it about the pope’s visit that has attracted such a gallery of oddballs, exhibitionists and grotesques to intrude upon it? Cardinal Walter Kasper’s magnificently misjudged comment on godless, third-world Britain is only the latest contribution to … Continue reading

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French pop music finds its voice with English language lyrics

When the band Pony Pony Run Run went to music awards Les Victoires de la Musique  in Paris this year, they won “best newcomer” as voted by the public. The other two newcomer awards went to rock vocalist Izia and … Continue reading

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Behkabad makes strong Arc case

one of the most persuasive trends in a sport that thrives, indeed depends, on interpretation of facts and figures is the recent influence of the afternoon of dress rehearsals staged at Longchamp three weeks before the curtain goes up on … Continue reading

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China’s internet king eyes world domination

one was a former champion bodybuilder and unstoppable cyborg on the big screen. The other is a diminutive former teacher turned China’s small screen wunderkind. Who now packs the bigger punch is open to question. Jack Ma, the founder of … Continue reading

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Bring in More Cattle

To many, the Western grasslands still reflect the essence of this country: the vast plains that begin with prairie and bump up against the Rockies, home to herds of cattle and the cowboys that run them. Yet this indelible image … Continue reading

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French ‘anti-Gypsy policy’ denounced by European parliament

Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused by the European parliament of stirring up racism through his anti-Gypsy campaign in a highly unusual vote against a leading EU country that has humiliated the centre-right dominating the politics of Europe. A parliament resolution … Continue reading

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Prison reformer whose Fine Cell scheme enables inmates to earn money from needlework

Lady Anne Tree was a member of the upper echelons of the aristocracy, mixing easily during her 82 years with the nobility and cultural luminaries such as Cecil Beaton, John Betjeman and Lucian Freud. She moved in a world of … Continue reading

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Paul O’Grady’s dog Buster dies

TV host Paul O’Grady is mourning the death of his faithful sidekick, Buster. The pet, who was 14 and a half years old, had been a regular on O’Grady’s Channel 4 show, perching on the desk throughout the programme. Buster … Continue reading

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Santa Cruz open to future Lazio move

Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz has not given up hope of playing in Serie A in the future. The Paraguay striker came close to joining the Lazio only for the deal to fall through on the final day of … Continue reading

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9/11: Nine years on…

Throughout our marriage, Tom and I always had this feeling that, one day, we were going to be caught up in something significant. I feared Tom was going to be in a plane crash – we’d even discussed what would … Continue reading

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