Women burned at the stake in modern-day witch trial ‘epidemic’
Kevin once led a mob to burn nine ‘sorcerers’. The Telegraph went to Papua New Guinea to find out why accusations persist Source link
All posts tagged: modernday
The modern-day blasphemy case that should never have been brought
Today saw a decisive victor for freedom of expression: the High Court rejected the Crown Prosecution Service’s attempt to reinstate Hamit Coskun’s conviction for burning a Quran. It will hopefully mark the end of a case that ought never to have been brought at all. The case raises serious questions, not simply about a flawed prosecution, but about why a fundamentally unsustainable case was pursued with such determination. From the outset, the facts were uncomplicated. Mr Coskun, a Turkish-born atheist and asylum seeker of Armenian and Kurdish heritage, took part in a one-man peaceful protest outside the Turkish consulate, during which he burned a Quran and shouted “Islam is a religion of terrorism” and “fuck Islam”. He threatened no one. He injured no one. He was subsequently arrested, prosecuted and convicted of a ‘religiously aggravated public order offence’. You don’t need to agree with his views or the manner of his protest to defend his right to express himself in the way he did – but it is worth reading his backstory to understand his …
Riz Ahmed hopes his modern-day ‘visceral’ Hamlet will be shown in schools | Ents & Arts News
“He’s powerless, he’s being gaslit… a lot of people feel that way” – Riz Ahmed on why his “fresh” adaptation of Hamlet speaks to our “unfair” times. For Ahmed, “a musical chairs of… studio execs leaving” meant it’s taken 13 years to bring his modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the screen. While the wait has clearly been frustrating for the Oscar-winning actor, he says he’s come to realise “this is the time for this story”. “Hamlet is feeling the way a lot of us are, you know, he’s feeling the world’s an unfair place,” he tells Sky News. “He’s powerless about it. He’s being gaslit about it. He’s complicit in it… and a lot of people feel that way.” Image: Riz Ahmed says he was ‘obsessed’ with Hamlet as a child. Pic: AP Ahmed says he became “obsessed” with the story as a teenager. “I had an amazing English teacher who gave me the play to look at because he saw that I was feeling out of place.” Filmed as an action thriller reimagined in modern …
The modern-day space race is taking over Central California — and not everyone is happy about it
The rolling grasslands and rocky beaches of Vandenberg Space Force Base, home to more than a dozen at-risk species, easily could pass for a peaceful nature preserve — but that’s an illusion. The nearly 100,000-acre base in Santa Barbara County was a testing ground in the 1960s for early-generation ballistic missiles, and today it’s a launch site for satellites, classified missions and other payloads key to a new type of war: one fought far above the Earth. This new era has been marked by a sharp jump in flights from the military facility that started in 2021 when SpaceX began sending into orbit Starlink internet satellites the military considers critical for national security. Now Vandenberg is aiming higher with its Spaceport of the Future initiative. The agency is making plans for a nearly $900-million makeover of the aging base with roads, buildings, launchpads and other facilities to handle an anticipated surge in launches. Seventy-one rockets blasted off last year, most of them by SpaceX. One hundred or more could take off this year, possibly making …
Jason Statham is the modern-day Steve McQueen, says Shelter director
It’s become something of a tradition that every January brings with it a brand new Jason Statham action vehicle – and the latest entry in that ever-expanding canon arrives in UK cinemas this weekend. Shelter follows a fairly similar pattern to a lot of previous Statham flicks; he stars as a reclusive man with a mysterious, violent history who is called back into action when some shady figures from his past show up, teeing up all manner of stunts, car chases and brutal brawls. This time around his character is one-time assassin Mason, who we find living in exile at a lighthouse somewhere in the Outer Hebrides. But when a storm causes a dramatic boat accident that kills his fellow islander and former army pal, he finds himself caring for the friend’s young daughter. And it doesn’t take long after his first venture to the mainland for supplies before his whereabouts are located by his nefarious ex-employers, kicking off a high-octane action romp. The film is directed by Ric Roman Waugh, who has previously helmed …
How royal nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo became the Wales kids’ modern-day Mary Poppins who brings ‘extra sparkle’ to family life – exclusive
Norland nannies don’t float in on umbrellas, but the modern-day Mary Poppinses are magical in their own right. Having undergone substantial training, nannies like Prince William and Princess Catherine’s employee, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, are well-prepared for the demands of the role, and don’t need a magic carpet bag to do the job… just Norland College. Graduates from the prestigious university in Bath have gone on to work for prominent families, including the royal household, from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis‘ nanny Maria to Tiggy Legge-Bourke, former nanny to King Charles‘ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. “High-profile families recognize the high-level of training our students have. It’s three years, it’s practical, it’s theoretical,” Elspeth Pitman, Norland Nanny and Head of Graduates: Placements, Employment and Alumni, exclusively tells HELLO!. “They can support with the psychology elements; they could support with the care of the child. We teach them about working with the whole family, with other professionals. So their training really is quite extensive. So high-profile families would hopefully choose us for that reputation.” She …
Zara Tindall is a modern-day Disney Princess in glittering new puff sleeve dress
Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, have been in Australia for the last few days for the various events hosted by Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, and, as the country is dead in the middle of summer, it means we’ve been getting an early look at the 44-year-old’s iconic warm weather wardrobe. On Friday, 9 January, she attended the 2026 Magic Millions Racing Women supported by TAB Achievement Awards, and wore the most gorgeous puff-sleeved dress with a darker blue shimmering embellishment across the bodice that made her look like the embodiment of a real-life Disney princess. © InstagramZara Tindall at the Magic Millions event on Friday, 9 January As identified by royal style blogger @royalbritishfashion on Instagram, the piece was the ‘Evolet’ puff-sleeved midi dress from her go-to Australian designer, Rebecca Vallance, in a deep blue colour. With a silhouette that hugs the waist and then falls into a pencil shape, it’s a modern, structured style that perfectly flatters Zara’s figure. Laura Sutcliffe, our Fashion and Beauty News Editor here at HELLO! …