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A Blair Wannabe or Britain’s New Architect? In a campaign bid to ‘rebuild Britain,’ Keir Starmer set out his six priorities in Essex on Thursday. The economy, health, migration, education, and tackling anti-social behaviour are on the agenda if voters pick Labour.
Off with Her Head! The influencer and model, Haley Kalil, suffered a digital malfunction at the Met Gala after posting a TikTok video (now removed) that muttered ‘let them eat cake.’ One social media user called for a ‘digitine’ — a digital guillotine to block rich celebrities who misbehave and do nothing to help the poor. Some have argued that this is ‘cancel culture 2.0.’
Are You a ‘Hedonic Consumer’? From overindulging in food to buying things we don’t necessarily need; hedonic consumption is all about attaining more pleasure. Research finds that those who overconsume tend to generally be distracted, creating a need to compensate for the reduction in pleasure at a later time. The takeaway: pay attention to what you’re doing to avoid feeling dissatisfied.
Will Azerbaijan be the First to Reach Net Zero? Ahead of hosting COP29 in Baku, later this year, Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, revealed plans to make the recently acquired and heavily disputed Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding provinces a ‘green energy zone,’ complete with hydropower plants and new towns and villages running primarily on clean energy by 2026. Anna Ohanyan, a senior scholar in the Russia and Eurasia programme at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that this is ‘greenwashing of an ethnic cleansing, pure and simple.’
Fools if we Think it’s Cheaper: Lidl and Aldi are firm consumer favourites when it comes to getting lower prices. But non-budget brands such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s are now using price-matching indicators and copycat yellow labels to appear cost-conscious. As the era of luxury is replaced by one of rigid budgeting, supermarkets are pulling out all the stops to persuade us to stay loyal.
The Case of the Curious Intruder: A rescue team, complete with a vet, was called in at South Essex when a curious fox cub was discovered with its head trapped and poking out of a garden sink plughole. After some careful ‘ear folding’ the cub was extracted with only minor injuries.
Should Loot be Returned for Good? In an emotional ceremony in Ghana, looted artefacts from the Asante culture that were taken by British soldiers in 1874 finally made their return after 150 years. While some of the artefacts will remain for good, others are only on loan for the next three years. England’s 1963 National Heritage Act prevents British museums from permanently removing items from their collections.