Fifty years after the Mexico Olympics, when African-American medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a Black Power salute to protest at discrimination, all three men on the podium that day have been recognised for their courage. On 16 October, 1968, two American sprinters made a symbolic gesture that became an iconic image of fight … Continue reading “Black Power at the 1968 Olympics Fifty Years On”
The Invictus Games, initiated by Prince Harry for injured service people, is in Sydney, Australia for its fourth edition from 20 to 27 October. It is especially poignant in the weeks before the commemoration of the end of the First World War. Prince Harry served in the British Armed Forces for ten years. In 2013, … Continue reading “Game On Down Under”
One of golf’s biggest competitions is coming to France for the first time: the Ryder Cup will take place from 25-30 September. The competition pits the twelve best male golfers in Europe and the U.S.A. against each other every two years. And the Junior Cup is for the 12 best under-18-year-old players from each continent, … Continue reading “Golf 101”
250 years ago, Captain James Cook led the first of three expeditions to the Pacific which led to the colonisation of Australia and New Zealand. An exhibition at the British Library looks at the legacy of those expeditions, for Britain but also for the populations in the territories Cook visited. Cook was a Royal Navy … Continue reading “Captain Cook: Voyages to the Pacific”
Emily Brontë was born 200 years ago on 30 July. She is the most mysterious of the famous Brontë family and little is known about her. What’s more, the manuscript of her only novel, Wuthering Heights, has never been found. A bicentenary project invited 12,000 visitors to the Brontë Museum to recreate the manuscript, line … Continue reading “Emily Brontë 200”
Being buried in Westminster Abbey is the highest honour a British person can be given. And yet, like so many British traditions, it has developed in an organic way, with no real rules or system. It is sometimes described as Britain’s Pantheon or Valhalla. The Abbey itself, in London, is a thousand years old and … Continue reading “Westminster Abbey: Britain’s Pantheon”
As Canada Day approaches on 1 July, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been in international headlines, though not for the reasons the golden boy of Canadian politics has attracted publicity for in his three years in office. This time it was for crossing swords with Donald Trump over trade tariffs at the G7 … Continue reading “Prime Canadian”
The United Nations has declared June 12 the World Day Against Child Labour. It is estimated that 152 million children have to work for a living, and lose out on education and well-being as a result. Many of them work to produce food or consumer items that we find on our high streets. The number … Continue reading “World Day Against Child Labour”
Nelson Mandela was born a hundred years ago, on 18 July 1918. In 2009, the United Nations declared his birthday International Mandela Day, when people around the world are encouraged to give service to their communities, as he gave service to the people of South Africa. Rolihlahla Mandela was born into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, … Continue reading “Nelson Mandela Centenary”
It’s Fairtrade Fortnight, la quinzaine du commerce équitable, in France from 12 to 27 May. Products with Fairtrade or Max Havelaar certification have been produced by workers who receive a fair price for their products. These are essentially basic food commodities: the top six are bananas, sugar, cocoa, coffee, other fresh fruit, and tea. However … Continue reading “Join the Fairtrade Movement”
