Latest news with #CharingCross
India.com
26-07-2025
- India.com
Going Solo In Ooty? 8 Life-Changing Things You'll Only Discover Alone
Ooty is located in the beautiful Nilgiri Hills of South India. A serene place with a captivating appeal that attracts solo travellers from all over the world. It's famous for its expansive tea gardens, open botanical gardens, calm lakes and pleasing weather conditions. Ooty provides solace as well as thrill for the lone traveller who wants to go about it safely and enjoyably. Your Solo Adventure Thorough planning is necessary before you leave for Ooty so that you have a smooth time while there. Start by finding out when the best time of visit is, which usually occurs between October to June when weather is pleasant and outdoor activities can be carried out easily. You may also want to book your accommodation early enough since there are a variety of options ranging from cosy home-stays to budget hostels or luxurious resorts depending on your preferences and budget. There and Getting Around It is an adventurous journey getting to Ooty whether one decides to take a ride in Nilgiri Mountain Railway which is listed as UNESCO World Heritage site or drive along windy roads surrounded by green hillsides. The town itself can be navigated on foot but hiring a scooter or a local guide can make long journeys convenient if one intends exploring its surroundings. Considerations Even though the general atmosphere here largely affirms safety particularly for travellers, it's wise for those travelling alone to act normally while taking certain measures that could guarantee them untroubled experiences during their stay here. Stick to well-lit crowded areas majorly at nightfall and avoid isolated places or paths whose location you cannot point out without assistance of locals around you. Have emergency numbers at hand not forgetting to update your family members concerning where you have reached each moment upon arrival back home. the Natural Wonders The natural beauty of Ooty is beyond comparison and it's no wonder there are so many outdoor activities for solo tourists. Start your adventure by taking a stroll to the Government Botanical Gardens which covers 55 acres and accommodates various plant species. Walk amidst an aromatic rose garden as well as massive trees that provide shade and bring calmness. For panoramic views of the surrounding hills and valleys, take a trip to the Ooty Lake Boat House where you can either row silently through the still waters or just relax along its edges. Doddabetta Peak, considered the highest in Nilgiris, provides captivating views especially during sunset or sunrise for photography purposes. and Culinary Delights In order to fully enjoy the rich cultural tapestry in Ooty you must visit local markets like Charing Cross and Tibetan Market, which sell handmade crafts, spices with aroma, souvenirs among other things that can help one remember about his or her trip. You should also go native by sampling traditional South Indian food at some local eateries or street vendors where varieties like dosa, idli and aromatic filter coffee are delicacies known in this part of India. Adventures Ooty has several off-the-beaten-path adventures for solo adventurers who love thrill. Glenmorgan is a paradise for trekking enthusiasts looking forward to explore abundant green trails with tea plantations all around and cascading waterfalls waiting on their way. Alternatively, Mudumalai National Park is not far from Ooty but a short drive away if one wishes to see elephants-deer or even big cats living in their natural area while on a wildlife safari. with Natives Solo travel has one of the most worthwhile experiences, which are connecting with natives and learning their lifestyle. At local craft villages such as Sholur and Thalakunda, engage with craftsmen and discover that traditional pottery-making and weaving techniques have been handed down through generations. Participate in cultural events like the annual Tea and Tourism Festival to understand more about Ooty's rich heritage and community outlook. and Relaxation Spend your days exploring before rejuvenating your senses at one of Ooty's well-known wellness retreats or spas. You can get an Ayurvedic massage or a yoga class done from inside Nilgiris; this will improve your body health together with mental fitness. Conclusion Finally, Ooty is the best destination for solo travellers who yearn for natural beauty, cultural diversity, and adventure. Meticulous planning, caution in dealing with numerous experiences it presents as well as being ready for anything can result in beautiful memories for solo adventurers in this lovely hillside town. Solo travelling may involve walking through quaint streets or sipping tea amidst mist-covered hills or taking part in thrilling excursions; no wonder Ooty guarantees a safe voyage full of adventure to solitary travellers. As you set off on your lone expedition into Ooty, let yourself be enchanted by its serene landscapes, warm hospitality, and sense of peace that pervades the surroundings of this hill station. Enjoy the freedom to wander around slowly being certain that every moment spent here in Ooty will add onto what you know about yourself and what you perceive about everything around you.
Times
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Nigel Farage's party fits in a taxi — but can he afford one?
Nigel Farage didn't chip in his share for his taxi ride with Janet Street-Porter JONATHAN BRADY/PA Some months ago, Sir Keir Starmer hit out at Nigel Farage, saying he couldn't even 'lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi'. Turns out the Reform MP might also struggle to pay for one. Speaking to Fi Glover on Times Radio, the journalist Janet Street-Porter recalled meeting Farage at a dinner at Evgeny Lebedev's house. As she was getting up to leave, Farage came over and asked: 'Can I share your cab to Charing Cross?' Street-Porter begrudgingly agreed, though she did wonder why, as a former City trader, he didn't have his own driver. Did Farage pay his share of the fare? 'Of course not. Doesn't that say everything?' The Lib Dems have a new leader in the House of Lords: Lord (Jeremy) Purvis, formerly member of the Scottish parliament for Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale. That proved too much of a mouthful for the Speaker of the Massachusetts state assembly during a visit to Boston. He panicked when asked to introduce Purvis to an audience and announced: 'Jimmy Purve from Twiddle, Ettick and Louder'. Happy 50th to Liz Truss, whose age in years now surpasses the length of her premiership in days. The latest item in the 'news' section of her website is a speech to a think tank in Rome, where she mentioned that Britain's 'history of being a stable political system' was in danger, telling her hosts that some people at home were 'saying that we are becoming Italian'. No details yet of the social media platform Truss announced in April in response to the way the media 'suppressed' some issues. Not that she was averse to the occasional suppression of her own. When a No 10 housekeeper took tea into the meeting that had just learnt of Queen Elizabeth's death, she was asked to stay in the room until the news was announced. Couldn't risk her giving journalists any PG Tips. Our story this week about a cricketer punching a fielder who dropped a catch off his bowling during the MCC's 1937 tour of Germany reminded one reader of Myrtle Bennett of Kansas, who in 1929 called her husband a 'bum bridge player' for failing to make their contract of four spades. The argument became so heated that Mr Bennett fetched a suitcase, saying he was off to spend the night in a motel. He told Myrtle to get him the gun he typically carried for protection. She did indeed get it, and used it to shoot him dead. For Prommers who feel that eight weeks of daily concerts just aren't enough, the BBC now has an all-night event. From Dark Till Dawn, curated by the TikTok organist Anna Lapwood, includes a Nordic Alehouse Session of Scandinavian drinking songs performed by the Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene, to keep even the most somnolent concert-goer raving from 11pm until 7am. 'You will not be able to bring blankets or pillows as this is not a sleeping event,' the Royal Albert Hall advises audience members. Those who want their shut-eye are directed to Alexandra Palace, which is staging an overnight performance of Max Richter's eight-hour masterpiece Sleep. It promises: 'Upon entry, please find your allocated bed and get comfy, ready for the show.'
The Guardian
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lessons for Young Artists by David Gentleman review – secrets from the studio
You know the art of David Gentleman even if you don't know you know it. Anyone who's passed through London's Charing Cross tube station has seen his life-filled black-and-white mural of medieval people, enlarged from his woodcuts, digging, hammering, chiselling to construct the Eleanor Cross that once stood nearby. His graphic art has graced everything from stamps to book covers to Stop the War posters in a career spanning seven decades. He says he's been making art for 90 years, since he was five. His parents were also artists, and in his latest book he reproduces a Shell poster by his father to show he follows in a modern British tradition of well-drawn, well-observed popular art. Perhaps it is because he learned from his parents as naturally as learning to speak – 'Seeing them drawing tempted me to draw' – that Gentleman dislikes pedagogy. He's proud that he never had to teach for a living, always selling his art. So his guide to the creative life, Lessons for Young Artists, is anything but a how-to manual or didactic textbook. Instead, it's like a visit to his studio where you sit at his shoulder, watching him work, while he shares tips, wisdom, anecdotes. If you have ever wished to take up pencil and paper, whatever your age, this book will sharpen your ambition by demystifying the process, making it feel the most natural and important thing in the world to draw that tree outside the window. The book's beautiful illustrations deepen his laconic advice. As he chats, the artist rifles through drawers to show views of London, Paris, New York. 'Rifling' is possibly the wrong word, for it suggests a chaotic workplace, of which Gentleman does not approve. You should keep your brushes in good nick and your studio tidy. Then again there are no rules, he admits, remembering how Edward Ardizzone used to work at the kitchen table surrounded by his family. The artist's workspace may seem a secondary issue but he's not alone in stressing it: Leonardo da Vinci paid attention to what an artist's room should be like in advice to young hopefuls written more than 500 years ago. In one of Gentleman's engrossing, calming drawings, his studio has a big window looking out on the city, designs on clipboards neatly hung up, a row of brushes, a couple of glasses of water (for watercolours). It's a workplace to envy, peaceful yet connected with the world. This is really a guide not just to the technical skills an artist needs but achieving an artistic state of mind. Gentleman lures you into his day-to-day work. 'Take a sketchbook with you everywhere you go,' he says, again like Leonardo, adding that it should be pocket-sized and the accompanying tools minimal. Too heavy a kit will 'become an excuse not to take it with you'. He adds watercolour to his drawings, either in the studio or in the open. A Suffolk church is seen through overgrown late summer weeds, with watery blotches in the sky. It started to rain as he worked: 'I like the way the spatters of rain are visible on the paper.' Another happy accident is a drawing of his son playing the piano that acquired an extra foot: a burst of motion in an otherwise tranquil scene. You find yourself not just wanting to be an artist but to be David Gentleman. 'Becoming an artist,' he says, 'is about learning to look at the world with a very sharp eye. When you walk down the street, try to pause and notice your surroundings.' On the facing page is a watercolour shot through with sunlight of the now-gone King's Cross gasometers, by a trashy canalside, ducks floating on the silver-touched water. Finding beauty in the neglected, unnoticed moments that pass us by is a lesson that can be applied to anyone's life, 'Young Artist' or not. This is diamond advice, lightly given. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Lessons for Young Artists by David Gentleman is published by Particular (£20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at
The Guardian
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lessons for Young Artists by David Gentleman review – secrets from the studio
You know the art of David Gentleman even if you don't know you know it. Anyone who's passed through London's Charing Cross tube station has seen his life-filled black-and-white mural of medieval people, enlarged from his woodcuts, digging, hammering, chiselling to construct the Eleanor Cross that once stood nearby. His graphic art has graced everything from stamps to book covers to Stop the War posters in a career spanning seven decades. He says he's been making art for 90 years, since he was five. His parents were also artists, and in his latest book he reproduces a Shell poster by his father to show he follows in a modern British tradition of well-drawn, well-observed popular art. Perhaps it is because he learned from his parents as naturally as learning to speak – 'Seeing them drawing tempted me to draw' – that Gentleman dislikes pedagogy. He's proud that he never had to teach for a living, always selling his art. So his guide to the creative life, Lessons for Young Artists, is anything but a how-to manual or didactic textbook. Instead, it's like a visit to his studio where you sit at his shoulder, watching him work, while he shares tips, wisdom, anecdotes. If you have ever wished to take up pencil and paper, whatever your age, this book will sharpen your ambition by demystifying the process, making it feel the most natural and important thing in the world to draw that tree outside the window. The book's beautiful illustrations deepen his laconic advice. As he chats, the artist rifles through drawers to show views of London, Paris, New York. 'Rifling' is possibly the wrong word, for it suggests a chaotic workplace, of which Gentleman does not approve. You should keep your brushes in good nick and your studio tidy. Then again there are no rules, he admits, remembering how Edward Ardizzone used to work at the kitchen table surrounded by his family. The artist's workspace may seem a secondary issue but he's not alone in stressing it: Leonardo da Vinci paid attention to what an artist's room should be like in advice to young hopefuls written more than 500 years ago. In one of Gentleman's engrossing, calming drawings, his studio has a big window looking out on the city, designs on clipboards neatly hung up, a row of brushes, a couple of glasses of water (for watercolours). It's a workplace to envy, peaceful yet connected with the world. This is really a guide not just to the technical skills an artist needs but achieving an artistic state of mind. Gentleman lures you into his day-to-day work. 'Take a sketchbook with you everywhere you go,' he says, again like Leonardo, adding that it should be pocket-sized and the accompanying tools minimal. Too heavy a kit will 'become an excuse not to take it with you'. He adds watercolour to his drawings, either in the studio or in the open. A Suffolk church is seen through overgrown late summer weeds, with watery blotches in the sky. It started to rain as he worked: 'I like the way the spatters of rain are visible on the paper.' Another happy accident is a drawing of his son playing the piano that acquired an extra foot: a burst of motion in an otherwise tranquil scene. You find yourself not just wanting to be an artist but to be David Gentleman. 'Becoming an artist,' he says, 'is about learning to look at the world with a very sharp eye. When you walk down the street, try to pause and notice your surroundings.' On the facing page is a watercolour shot through with sunlight of the now-gone King's Cross gasometers, by a trashy canalside, ducks floating on the silver-touched water. Finding beauty in the neglected, unnoticed moments that pass us by is a lesson that can be applied to anyone's life, 'Young Artist' or not. This is diamond advice, lightly given. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Lessons for Young Artists by David Gentleman is published by Particular (£20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at
Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with police in London — as it happened
Police are instructing protesters to leave the road, with the majority moving and traffic beginning to flow through from Charing Cross Road to Trafalgar Square. Some individuals were detained by police, appearing to resist their instructions. A small crowd and police vans remain on Duncannon Street. A protester with a megaphone has thanked everyone for coming. At 3pm, the Met Police conditions, which restricted the demonstration to a three-hour slot from midday, ran out. Those leading the chants encouraged protesters to leave together, cover their faces and to not answer to the police. Protesters are trying to gradually push back the line of police on Duncannon Street. A crowd has also gathered on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields church. One protester remained cross legged in the road. Protesters have tried to board the 29 bus which police were attempting to let through. Bus drivers, who started working at 5.30am and were still stuck on Charing Cross Road at 2pm, criticised the location of the protest, saying its impact on ordinary people did not lend sympathy to their cause. In one instance, a protester stopped the path of a black cab trying to do a U-turn in order to collect his children. The crowd has restarted chants of 'shame on you' as police carried away two more protesters near Trafalgar Square. They swarmed around officers carrying the protesters, with one officer shouting: 'Stop resisting!' Protesters have formed a circle around individuals detained by the police and are chanting 'let them go' and 'police go home'. A Just Stop Oil supporter who had been imprisoned on remand for the climate activist group but refused to be named, said he had seen about 15 others from the group at the protest. 'If they're coming for Palestine Action, who are they going to come for next? That's why I'm showing up, I support other movements as well,' he said. 'Last year Just Stop Oil were doing airport actions and some of them got remand and stuff but they didn't proscribe Just Stop Oil. 'We've been curtailed … how come we're not allowed down at Parliament Square?' The home secretary's move will make it illegal to be a member or invite support of Palestine Action with a punishment of up to 14 years in jail. It will require a vote in both Houses of Parliament, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday next week and if passed, the group will be proscribed by the end of next week. Cooper listed a series of attacks committed by Palestine Action since its inception in 2022 which have led to her decision to proscribe the group. She also pointed to its media output that promotes its attacks involving 'serious property damage, as well as celebrating the perpetrators' as evidence that has led to the decision. The home secretary said: 'In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the government.' Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terror group by the end of next week subject to a vote in both Houses of Parliament, the home secretary has announced. Yvette Cooper said she had decided to ban Palestine Action after a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage' committed by members of the group. She said its 'disgraceful attack' on RAF Brize Norton on Friday was the latest example of its threat to Britain's national security and said the government will 'not tolerate those that put that security at risk'. Cooper will publish secondary legislation next Monday to add Palestine Action to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations alongside the likes of Al-Qaeda, Isis and Hamas. Miriam Scharf, 75, a pensioner of Jewish heritage from Newham, east London, said: 'It is extremely important to me that it is not done in the name of Jewish people. 'It is extremely important that those who stand up for what is just and for humanity, are allowed to protest about it. 'I think from the beginning under the previous government, they've always wanted to shut us up. The Labour government had gone along with it. They don't like any protests against their policies because our government is … complicit in a genocide, complicit in what's happening.' Diana Neslen, 85, a 'regular' at marches in support of Palestine, attended the protest on two crutches but left after altercations between protesters and the police. 'I'm here today to support democracy, to support free speech and to support our right to peaceful action,' she said when protesters were gathered before Nelson's Column. 'Look at this, we should have the right to stand in front of parliament and show our faith until the MPs see why we think what they're doing is wrong. 'Instead we're herded into little tiny spaces so that hardly anyone can see us, and certainly not the politicians.' Palestine Action has lashed out at the Metropolitan Police's 'draconian response' to the protest at Trafalgar Square, in which several protestors were dragged off by police. 'They want to ban us, they banned our protest at parliament and now they attack us,' the group said on X. 'The people will not be intimated. We are all Palestine Action.' The protesters now spread across the junction of Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross Road and Duncannon Street. Pushing in the crowd has now stopped although there remains a heavy police presence. Pedestrians are able to pass although traffic is blocked. In one corner, protesters who brought young children have put down picnic blankets. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, earlier said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at the planned demonstration, as the group is soon expected to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. The Met has placed restrictions on the protest, including an exclusion zone around parliament, and stipulating that it must end by 3pm. Organisers had changed the location of the protest to Trafalgar Square after police enforced an exclusion zone around parliament. The protest has now spread into the road, blocking traffic. One protester handed out cards with instructions on what to do if arrested. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action and will lay an order before parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. Disorder has broken out at a protest in support of Palestine Action in London, as the group is expected to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Police appeared to lead away some protesters, while the crowd chanted 'shame on you' and 'let them go' and tried to pull activists away from officers.
