Exit door starts swinging at the New Statesman
The exit door has started swinging at the New Statesman as new editor Tom McTague prepares to take charge, with executive editor Tom Gatti, who has been in charge since the end of last year, bidding farewell.
Gatti announced this week he would be joining the new Tortoise-owned Observer as literary editor in June after 11 years at the Statesman.
Remaining staff and freelancers alike are keen to know what the new editor will mean for the future of the publication – especially the latter, who are nervously waiting to see whether or not McTague, who joins the magazine from right wing opinion website Unherd, plans to get in touch with them before he starts.
Gatti, meanwhile, is just one of a string of new appointees to the Observer as Tortoise splashes the cash ahead of taking over proper. Last week Philip Collins, a well-respected columnist given the heave-ho by the Times in 2020 for not being sufficiently well-connected to Boris Johnson's government, announced he would be joining. He wrote on X: 'For anyone who once really liked The Times you might like the new incarnation of The Observer. I am going to join soon and that's where I will be doing my writing.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Bonnie Blue Instagram mystery as star vanishes hours after Ibiza Final Boss video
Controversial adult star Bonnie Blue vanished from Instagram just hours after posting an awkward video with 'Ibiza Final Boss' Jack Kay - and it's not the first time she's vanished from the platform Bonnie Blue vanished from Instagram just hours after posting a video with 'Ibiza Final Boss' Jack Kay. The controversial adult star - who has so far been banned from OnlyFans, a football stadium and Australia over her extreme and potentially dangerous sex stunts - went dark on the social media platform today, with her once verified account unavailable for hours. It's not the first time Bonnie has disappeared from Instagram. Earlier this year, her account on the Meta-owned platform went dark, as well as her TikTok page. The star's page has now dramatically returned, but it's unclear whether the Instagram account was banned or removed. It comes as 'Ibiza Bob' launches his music career with a cheeky single. The sex worker is notorious for using rage bait as the cornerstone of her marketing strategy, making any move away from social media a shock decision. She recently admitted in a divsive Channel 4 documentary about her life that she uses multiple different accounts on each platform to spam users with content designed to outrage viewers and drive engagement. She also boasted about mocking and belittling women in her posts. PR expert Sophie tells The Mirror of her social media scheme: "Her use of rage-baiting and hostility towards other women may also point to internalised misogyny or a competitive survival strategy in a space where attention equals power. "Publicly belittling others can offer a temporary illusion of control or superiority – especially when self-worth is closely tied to external validation, views, or notoriety." The mystery Instagram snub comes shortly after Bonnie's strange meet-up with viral Geordie raver Jack Kay. In a wince-worthy video from the Ibiza get together, Jack is seen with his arm draped around Bonnie as he faces away from her. Another moment shows the duo awkwardly making conversation, stood noticeably far away from each other. Following their encounter, Bonnie said in a now-deleted clip: "It was my shortest video yet. I was shocked how nervous he was." Bonnie has become notorious for taking part in extreme sex stunts, including sleeping with 1,057 men in the space of just 12 hours. And in recent months, her troubling career ambitions escalated to the point where OnlyFans, the site where she made a name for herself, decided she was no longer a good fit. The final straw came in June, when the 26-year-old announced her plans to hold a human "petting zoo challenge". The stunt would have seen Bonnie locked in a glass cage as strangers came to do "whatever they wanted" to her. In Channel 4 's show '1,000 Men And Me: The Bonnie Blue Story' - which sparked hundreds of Ofcom complaints - Nottinghamshire-born Bonnie boasted: "I am going to be completely helpless, tied down, gagged, choked". OnlyFans had concerns about this stunt, which it claims was in violation of their Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service, and issued a permanent ban. Campaigners and other sex workers have long called for the website to take action against Bonnie's stunts but it continued to platform her until very recently. Confirming the permanent ban in a statement, an OnlyFans spokesperson previously said: "Extreme challenge content is not available on OnlyFans and is not permitted under our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service. "Any breach of our Terms of Service results in content or account deactivation… This is why it has been necessary to take this action. We always act when users breach our terms of service." For Bonnie, who claims to have earned millions through the site, it was a huge blow. Shortly after the ban, she accused the OnlyFans of acting inconsistently and bowing to peer pressure. She claimed: "OnlyFans took unprecedented action by banning me for making content, while multiple other creators are mimicking my entire marketing techniques and events." Adding that she ensures all safety checks are in place at her events, Bonnie continued: "If I didn't have the platform I have for the hard work I've done, I don't think they would have battered an eyelid, as proven with all of these other creators.' This isn't the only time Bonnie has been hit with a strict ban. Earlier this year, Bonnie told the Daily Star that she'd been marched off the premises of Nottingham Forest Football Stadium last October and permanently barred. She alleged: "I didn't understand why, because I'd not actually done anything. Even in my TikToks leading up to the game, I never said I wanted to have sex, do any half-time bonking, nothing. I just said: 'Hey, I'm going to be at the Nottingham game'. "When you go to football, you've got football hooligans, people fighting, drinking, you've got so much bigger things to be concerned about, and they were just like - no, you're banned." Bonnie is also banned from Australia after her plans to sleep with 18-year-old boys for content during 'Schoolies Week' infuriated Aussie parents. A 20,000-strong petition ensued, and her visa was revoked. Whether or not Bonnie has been banned from Instagram has yet to be seen.
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Disturbing truth behind 'video of trainer Jessica Radcliffe being savaged by orca'
A video has been widely shared online which alleges to show a marine animal trainer named Jessica Radcliffe performing in a tank with an orca before it drags her beneath the surface A recent viral video was believed to show a marine park trainer named Jessica Radcliffe being fatally attacked by an orca, but it turns out it's the product of AI. In fact, there is no credible source confirming a trainer named Jessica Radcliffe was ever attacked - or that she even exists. The clip spread rapidly on TikTok and other social media outlets. It showed the 'fake' whale trainer being killed by an orca in front of a live audience during a whale show at Pacific Blue Marine Park, but it didn't really happen. The entire ordeal was cooked up by artificial intelligence, with no news reports or official records showing Radcliffe ever existed. According to the International Business Times, the hoax video was created using 'fake voiceovers' and 'unrelated footage', while 'borrowing elements from real incidents to appear believable'. In the video, Radcliffe was said to have been killed during a performance with an orca then alternate versions of the footage claim the attack was triggered by menstrual blood. However, there's no scientific or supporting evidence of this being a factor in shark or whale attacks. The viral clip shows a blonde woman gripping the sides of an orca's mouth before the whale dives below the surface with her. The video then cuts to showing the orca rising out of the water with what looks to be human remains in its mouth, as the water turns red. It's a jumpy, distorted clip with the stunned audience in the background often 'glitching', a tell-tale sign of AI. IBT reported fact-checkers from outlets including Vocal Media 'found no mention of Radcliffe in marine park employment records, public databases or legitimate news coverage'. It added: 'Searches of official marine safety reports also returned no results.' While it is deeply disturbing how easy it is for fake or AI videos to sweep social media so rapidly, this one may have been deemed more believable due to instances that have occurred in real life. Over the years, SeaWorld and other marine parks have been plagued by controversies, with more people concerned about the ethics of keeping marine life in captivity. Hit documentary film Blackfish covered some of the more serious events in which animals attacked their captors. In 2010, SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by an orca named Tilikum. The whale, who spent most of his life in a tank in Orlando, Florida, after being captured in Iceland in the 80s, was also involved in the deaths of Keltie Byrne in 1991, as well as Daniel P. Dukes in 1999. In 2009, Spanish trainer Alexis Martínez was killed by SeaWorld-owned orca, Keto, at Loro Parque's Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands. In the wild, there are no documented cases of orcas intentionally killing or seriously injuring humans as prey. In a post on Reddit, one social media user queried why that might be. One person surmised: 'Humans don't have much body fat compared with a seal, which is what orcas really need. We are quite bony and don't taste very good to whales or most sharks. 'Sometimes humans may get bitten as a 'what is this?' exploration from big sharks, but even if this kills the person their body is rarely eaten.' They added: 'We don't taste good to most marine predators.'
Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
The Honey Well
The Honey Well is a heartbreakingly cool, proudly Black-owned, super-inclusive cocktail bar tucked just beneath the West Harlem streets. From the team behind neighborhood favorites At the Wallace and Harlem Public, this spot harnesses old-school styling to produce savvy mixology. It's the kind of place that feels like a secret you want to share—but only with people who'll make you look good. The space is retro-inspired: lava lamps, shag carpet, and wood-paneled walls bathed in golden light. It channels a '70s basement party in the best possible way. There's a backyard, too—a rare treat for an underground spot—making it easy to settle in and stay awhile. The warm, welcoming, and effortlessly stylish atmosphere also extends to the tone-setting playlists. Cocktails here are pure pleasure. Every drink is highly photogenic, but more importantly, they're all genuinely delicious. And the menu is sizeable, so cocktail dabblers don't need to feel put on the spot. The Dave's Lookin' Ass, for example, is a citrusy rum stunner that's as fun to order as it is to sip. If you're overwhelmed, don't worry: the excellent bartenders are happy to help; just tell them what kind of drink you're feeling and they'll take care of the rest. The food is no afterthought: tasty, satisfying, and perfect for soaking up the booze without slowing the vibe. There are options for pescatarians, vegans, and anyone with a sweet tooth. Not one, but two posted happy hours sweeten the Honey Well: daily from 4–6pm and late-night Fridays and Saturdays from midnight to 2am. The Honey Well is, undoubtedly, one of the coolest bars in Harlem. It's so cool, in fact, that you'll probably need a reservation. But once you're in, chill out. You're in great hands.
