Understandably, you might wonder what relevance a Japanese poet from the 1600s still has today, or why we should read centuries-old haiku when Anglophone writers like Chaucer or Shakespeare are often hard enough to understand. Matsuo Bashō’s Japan was feudal and deeply isolationist, while we live in an age of...
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North Korea, also known as DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) has shielded itself in secrecy, through a closed-off economy and the fact that a tourist can only visit if they are partaking in a ‘guided tour’. While the regime itself has been set on internationally projecting a good image...
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University vice-chancellors have pressed for further annual tuition fee increases in line with inflation after the Office for Students (OfS) warned that 75% of institutions would be running deficits by 2026. Earlier this month, the government announced a one-off increase in fees of 3.1% for 2025, but university leaders have...
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American poet, Mary Oliver, was famous for her writing centred around the quiet and mundane occurrences in life, particularly within the natural world. Born and raised in Cleveland, in the early stages of her pursuit of writing, Oliver would build huts of sticks and grass in her local woods and...
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After criticism from FIA President (Mohammed Ben Sulayem) with regards to swearing during Grand Prix weekends, the Grand Prix Drivers Association have issued a statement directly addressing the FIA, asking them to reconsider their view, requesting that the drivers be treated like adults. This comes after Max Verstappen and Charles...
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Fashion icons, as previously discussed in my column, are defined by their individuality, authenticity, and creativity. These characteristics are the necessary principles of drag – a form of art, self-expression, or performance where one dresses up or presents differently. This is often in highly stylized ways with exaggerated gender signifiers,...
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Meera Nair reviews Wasia Project's recent gig at the O2 Academy2 in Birmingham.
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If you have been into a bookshop recently, you will have probably seen displays of identical looking books. Modern adult romance books – the likes of which circulate frequently on BookTok, TikTok’s resident book club – often feature a similar design: two cartoon people on a simplistic colourful background, most...
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Writing is difficult. Writing a novel is infinitely more so. But no one tells you that. In fact, many people say it’s easy. Establishing a plot, writing interesting characters and finding the right words doesn’t sound too difficult. In theory. Then you begin and come to the startling realisation that...
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Assessment systems at Oxford and Cambridge may disadvantage female students who are more risk averse and can suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a report has suggested. The research, published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), found that female students are less likely to achieve first-class degrees at the Universities...
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It was announced on Nov 11 that Gary Lineker is set to step down as Match of the Day presenter at the end of this season. Following an illustrious career as a striker for England, Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton, and his home team Leicester, Lineker first presented the show in 1999....
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Emilia Sullivan reviews Rag'n'Bone Man's concert at the O2 Academy in Birmingham.
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A day when the sun cast its indifferent light over Beijing, yet the flag outside the Japanese Embassy stood mournfully at half-mast, draped in the weight of unspoken grief. Yoshiko Kijima, the Japanese consul-general in Guangzhou, revealed that...
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