Doubts hang over UK's Johnson though bid to oust him fails
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson scrambled to patch up his tattered authority after surviving a no-confidence vote that exposed his shrinking support in a fractured Conservative Party and raised serious doubts about how long he can stay in office.
Biden, Johnson strike warm tone in first meeting
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used their first meeting Thursday to highlight a commitment to strengthening their nations’ historic ties while setting aside, at least publicly, their differences both political and personal.
Deposed Myanmar leader warned of possible army obstruction
The military detained Suu Kyi and other senior politicians on Monday and said it would rule under a one-year state of emergency. Her homeland, meanwhile, was under the control of a military leader, Ne Win, a former comrade of her father who had seized power in 1962. Protests against the military government had been growing before Suu Kyi returned to Myanmar in 1988 to nurse her dying mother. Placed under house arrest in 1989, Suu Kyi was detained for 15 of the next 22 years, mostly at her dilapidated lakeside home in Yangon. Asked once in a BBC interview about her once-saintly reputation, Suu Kyi replied: “I am just a politician.
Netflix rejects calls to add disclaimer to The Crown
LONDON – Netflix has “no plans” to add a disclaimer to “The Crown” stating that its lavish drama about Britain's royal family is a work of fiction. In a statement Saturday, Netflix said it has always presented the drama, as just that — a drama. “We have always presented The Crown as a drama — and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events," it said. “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan, whose work also includes recent-history dramas “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon,” has defended his work, saying it is thoroughly researched and true in spirit. Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother, was one who called on Netflix to add a disclaimer.
Event organizer drops BookExpo, annual publishing convention
The annual publishing convention and trade show, a decades-old tradition, may be coming to an end. ReedPop, which has managed BookExpo for a quarter century, announced Tuesday that it was dropping the event, along with the fan-based BookCon. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK – The annual publishing convention and trade show known as BookExpo, a decades-old tradition where guest speakers have ranged from Bill Clinton to Margaret Atwood, may be coming to an end. “Among the many traditions we greatly missed this year was having an industry event that brings together booksellers, authors and publishers," he said. "ABA is exploring new ways to bring booksellers, publishers, and authors together in the future.
Fact or fiction? UK govt says 'The Crown' should be clear
LONDON – Britain’s culture minister thinks the Netflix TV series “The Crown” should come with a disclaimer: It’s a work of fiction. “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction. So as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” Dowden told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. “Mixing historical fact and fiction has been around since Shakespeare. “Nobody’s bothered if fact and fiction are all mangled up, so long as it’s saying nice things,” he added.
Douglas Stuart hopes Booker win helps working-class writers
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 file photo, Douglas Stuart speaks at The 2020 Booker Prize Awards Ceremony, at the Roundhouse in London. The Scottish writer was at home on Manhattans Lower East Side when he was announced as the winner of the 2020 Booker Prize last week. The Scottish writer was at home in Manhattan when he was announced as the winner of the 2020 Booker Prize last week. Glasgow-born Stuart is only the second Scottish Booker winner in the 51-year history of the prize, open to English-language novels from around the world. Stuart thinks it’s important — and overdue — that a working-class writer has won the Booker Prize.
Virus curbs widen England's north-south rift, stir animosity
John Ambrose, a guide with the Beatles-themed Fab4 Taxi Tours, wears a face mask as he walks past a statue of the Beatles in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Now, the coronavirus is putting Liverpool's hard-won revival in jeopardy, and raising tensions between the north of England and the wealthier south. Now, the coronavirus is putting the city’s hard-won revival in jeopardy, and raising tensions between the north of England and the wealthier south. However, Liverpudlians retained their mistrust of London politicians, and the virus pandemic has brought it to the surface. Authorities in northern England agree on the need to act.
Mayors vow to launch guaranteed income programs across US
Mayors in at least 25 cities — from Los Angeles to Paterson, New Jersey — have pledged to support such programs as part of the group Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. They are led by Michael Tubbs, the 30-year-old mayor of Stockton, California, who launched one of the country's first guaranteed income programs last year with the help of private donations from Silicon Valley. The idea of guaranteed income programs has been around for decades, but it got a lot of attention in the U.S. as the centerpiece of Andrew Yang's failed bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. “We understand that a guaranteed income is not a panacea for everything (but) is a powerful tool that provides a floor for everyone." But some of the other programs outlined Wednesday by mayors at a news conference would rely on a mix of public and private money.
EU chief says UK cannot change EU-UK withdrawal agreement
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the plenary during her first State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will set out her vision of the future in her first State of the European Union address to the EU legislators. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)BRUSSELS – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the United Kingdom cannot unilaterally change the EU-UK bilateral withdrawal agreement without destroying global trust in the country. It would be bad for Britain, bad for our relations with the rest of the world and bad for any future treaty on trade," von der Leyen quoted from Thatcher. Von der Leyen said, however, that the EU will always respect its signature — “We will never backtrack on that."
Writer Gail Sheehy, author of Passages, dies at 83
Sheehy, widow of New York magazine founder Clay Felker, died Monday of complications from pneumonia in Southampton, New York, according to her daughter, Maura Sheehy. She would continue with The Silent Passage (menopause), New Passages (life after 50), Understanding Mens Passages (a midlife resource for men) and Passages in Caregiving (caring for family members). Sheehy told her own story in the 2014 memoir Daring: My Passages.When not writing books, Sheehy was a popular lecturer and television commentator and a well-traveled journalist specializing in psychological portraits of public figures. For New York magazine, Vanity Fair and other publications, she interviewed everyone from Bill and Hillary Clinton to Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev. (Sheehy and Felker later adopted a girl, Momh).
Gillian Anderson will play Margaret Thatcher in 'The Crown' Season 4
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images(CNN) - Gillian Anderson will play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in season four of "The Crown," Netflix confirmed Saturday. "I am so excited to be joining the cast and crew of 'The Crown' and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman," Anderson said in a tweet. Thatcher, who died in 2013, was Great Britain's first female prime minister and served from from 1979 to 1990. Netflix announced in April Emma Corrin also will join the Season 4 cast as Lady Diana Spencer, the eventual first wife of Prince Charles. The fourth season of "The Crown" is in production.