How do we organise a safari with good accommodation?
Q I am thinking of going on safari from the end of June through to mid-July with my sons, aged 21 and 23. That said, we want good, comfortable accommodation. Some say it is best to avoid a package and organise the safari once out there. Our budget would ideally be £12,000, but we could possibly stretch to £15,000. Jo Thomas, via emailA While you could turn up and organise a safari in low season, in high season months such as July you’d probably only be able to arrange stays in camps that no one else wants.
Source:The Times
December 15, 2018 00:00 UTC
Most of UK cabinet believes Theresa May’s Brexit treaty ‘is dead’
Leo Varadkar said there were limitations to any assistance the EU could offer to the UK prime minister Theresa May as she struggles to get her Brexit deal passed. Page 2 JULIEN WARNAND/EPAA majority of the British cabinet view Theresa May’s Brexit deal as dead and are openly discussing other options including a second referendum, The Times has learnt. As the UK prime minister faced fresh humiliation in Brussels, most of her ministers have concluded that there is little hope of her deal getting through parliament. They are split, however, on the way forward, with rival groups planning to ambush Mrs May with opposing demands at a meeting next week. The cabinet has fractured into three camps, with one, composed of five ministers, including Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, and Philip Hammond, the chancellor, leaning reluctantly towards a second referendum if all other options are exhausted.
Source:The Times
December 15, 2018 00:00 UTC
Irish among Europe’s biggest users of cocaine
The increased preference for cocaine across the Continent stems from the availability of high-purity cocaine and its normalisation for many young people ALAMYAn estimated one in 40 Irish people has used cocaine in the past year, according to the EU drugs agency. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction listed Ireland alongside Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK as where cocaine use is most prevalent. “The European drug market appears to be experiencing a surge in the availability of high-purity cocaine. As a consequence, the stimulant of choice for many drug users, which in recent times used to be of moderate purity and sold at varying prices, has now become an affordable commodity with high purity levels,” the agency said. According to the report, the increased preference for cocaine across the Continent stems from the availability of high-purity cocaine and its normalisation for many…
Source:The Times
December 15, 2018 00:00 UTC
Fugitive jailed for hit and run after return to Ireland
David Marcinkiewicz was jailed at Dublin circuit criminal court for an assault in 2007 JULIEN BEHAL/PAA Polish man who fled Ireland a decade ago has been jailed for six years for a hit-and-run incident that left a former champion kickboxer severely injured. David Marcinkiewicz, 34, drove his car into three men after instigating an unprovoked fight with them at a petrol station in 2007. He returned to Poland in 2008 and in 2016 legally changed his identity so he could re-enter Ireland. Marcinkiewicz, a father of two with a former address at Thornfield Square, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin circuit criminal court to assaulting Padraic O’Hennraich, causing him harm on the N4 Palmerstown bypass in Dublin. He also admitted two charges of endangerment involving Mr O’Hennraich’s friends Eoin Walsh and Daniel Byrne.
Source:The Times
December 15, 2018 00:00 UTC
Three-day wait for abortions must go, rights chief demands
The historic vote in the Oireachtas follows May’s referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment GETTY IMAGESEurope’s human rights chief has called on the government to drop the mandatory three-day wait for abortions. Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, was speaking as she welcomed the law to legalise abortion up to 12 weeks passing the Oireachtas on Thursday. Ms Mijatovic, who also oversees women’s sexual and reproductive rights across Europe, said that she welcomed the legislation. “This is a great step forward for women’s rights and access to healthcare. Next step should be full implementation and removal of the wait period,” she said.
Source:The Times
December 15, 2018 00:00 UTC
Demis Hassabis interview: the brains behind DeepMind on the future of artificial intelligence
For the CEO of a half-billion-pound company, Demis Hassabis’s working day begins very moderately. There is no 5am kale smoothie with The Wall Street Journal, no intensive workout followed by breakfast board meeting. There he is able to relax and put the kids to bed before, at 10pm, beginning what he calls his “second day of work”. And that is when things get a little less moderate. “Sometimes 4.30, depending how it’s going.”If the first “day” of his working…
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 23:59 UTC
Idris Elba interview: the star of Luther (and our dream 007) talks sex appeal and MeToo
Idris Elba – the Hackney-born Hollywood megastar who broke through in The Wire, consolidated on Luther, scored an OBE in 2016, and categorically refuses to answer any more questions about whether he’ll be the next James Bond – has a cold, which is why (he says) he’d rather not shake my hand when we meet. Elba’s just flown in to London from New York, where he attended US Vogue’s glitzy fashion shindig, the Met Gala, in a tuxedo he helped Givenchy custom-design for him. He thinks he picked up a virus on the plane. “When I got off, I was a bit, ugh. I hardly ever get sick, but today I’m suffering.”We’re interviewing over lunch, in a genteel tearoom in the Langham hotel, London.…
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 23:59 UTC
Farah Pahlavi interview: on marriage to the Shah, her unseen art collection and the future of Iran
Andy Warhol’s portrait of the Empress of Iran adorns the cover of a massive new art book in the Paris home of Christie’s auction house. Then the icon herself walks in and her admirers stand in respect. Forty years after the overthrow of the shah and the couple’s flight into exile, Farah Pahlavi is as regal as ever as she accepts the reverence of her former subjects. There also to greet her is her longtime friend, Frédéric Mitterrand, a television arts presenter who served as culture minister for Nicolas Sarkozy. Her Majesty, as the Paris Iranians still call their former queen, is tall and elegant in beige trousers and cream tunic with Persian motifs.
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 23:59 UTC
On the trail of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor who became queen of Europe
I first felt the wrath of Angela Merkel in a Berlin sushi bar a decade or so ago. On the line was the petulant spokesman of the chancellor. “I was sure the British would stick to the principles of fair play,” he yelped. “The chancellor, the Bundeskanzlerin, is so deeply disappointed.” The previous day, we had conducted an on-the-record interview with the German leader; she had been distracted, fiddled with her phone and said little. Under the pernicious process of “authorisation”, German politicians give themselves the right…
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 23:59 UTC
Anna Murphy on why sequins are essential this Christmas party season
I am never going to have to join AA or NA, thankfully. That said, everyone has their soft underbelly. Is Sequins Anonymous a thing? The term “daytime sequins” has been bandied around a lot this season. I was wearing them 20 years ago, and in a newspaper office, no less.
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 23:59 UTC
Noah: 'Law and order' becomes 'break the law in order to become president'
From Michael Cohen’s sentence to a tabloid figure gone rogue, late-night hosts sifted a tumultuous week for the White HouseNoah: 'Law and order' becomes 'break the law in order to become president'Late-night hosts broke down the meaning of “law and order” and “catch and kill”. Trump’s alleged presence “is a big deal”, said Noah, “because remember, he wasn’t even in the room when his own son was hatched”. More ridiculous than most of the National Enquirer’s headlines, Noah continued, were Republicans’ twisted defense of Trump. If he were the Godfather, he’d be much better at getting away with the stuff he’s been doing,” Meyers interjected. “It’s like when you know you’re about to get fired so you stop caring if you’re bad at your job.
Source:The Guardian
December 14, 2018 18:45 UTC
The toll of Yemen’s crisis
The human costCivilian casualties have been caused by all parties in the conflict, with the United Nations warning that all may be guilty of war crimes. UN experts attribute the bulk of civilian casualties to airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. November this year was the deadliest month of the entire conflict, with a combined civilian and military death toll of more than 3,000. BombardmentAirstrikes began in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition intervened on the side of ousted President Hadi against Houthi rebels. There have been airstrikes on civilian infrastructure such as water supplies, hospitals and…
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 17:10 UTC
Sorry, Santa, I’m a sexist, racist cheese lover
Dear Santa,You ask if I have been “good”. A simple question on the face of it, but one which, as 2018 draws to a close, is fraught with new complexities. I am tempted to answer with a simple, “yes”. I have worked hard all year to provide for myself and my family. I have committed no major crimes, not stolen anything or hit anyone.
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 17:03 UTC
Watchdog fines consultant for conflict of interest
The Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the City’s financial sector, was criticised in the courts over the case TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/GETTY IMAGESAn experienced investment adviser has been fined and banned from being a company director after giving advice that may have been biased. Angela Burns was chairwoman of the investment committees of two mutual societies, which sought her expert advice about which investment manager to pick. She talked to them about Vanguard Asset Management, the large American operation that had just opened offices in Britain. At the same time, she was seeking work with Vanguard, using her non-executive director positions at the mutuals as a selling point, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. Ms Burns has been penalised by the City watchdog for not acting with integrity towards the mutual societies, which were Teachers Provident Society and Marine and General Life Assurance Society.
Source:The Times
December 14, 2018 17:03 UTC