Last week a London art dealer, Mr Edward Spellman thrilled a New York audience by bidding for a picture on the transatlantic telephone line. The picture was the ‘Merry Lute Player’ by Franz Hals and the price he paid was 600,000 dollars. The next day it was announced that the … Read More
On his return from his controversial visit to Karachi and New Delhi last Monday the Commonwealth Relations Secretary, Mr Duncan Sandys, did not make any statement to the press. He avoided questions at the airport. Unlike at the time of his previous visit to the sub-continent he has not invited … Read More
The publicity build-up that preceded the marriage of Princess Alexandra earlier this week was truly breathtaking. Since the announcement of the date of the engagement a couple of months ago, there was hardly a day when one or the other national daily did not carry either a picture of Princess … Read More
The effectiveness of the unilateralist campaign for nuclear disarmament in this country had become doubtful long before the sixth annual Aldermaston march during the Easter. It had become institutionalised and was beginning to be regarded as a harmless, even if rather bizarre, part of the Easter ritual. Now doubt has … Read More
The unemployed in this country (excluding the seasonal figure) number less than 700,000 out of a total working force of nearly 25,000,000. They all get National Assistance on such a level that there is hardly any real hardship in the sense we understand it in India. Still the conscience of … Read More
The cautious character of the budget has strengthened the prevalent impression that the Prime Minister, Mr Macmillan, has firmly decided against a general election this year. Ministers have dropped hints that May, 1964, is the most likely date for the polls. This is, however, not likely to set at rest … Read More
Only six weeks ago a group of Quakers published a pamphlet “towards a Quaker view of sex” sharply challenging the validity of the traditional approach towards sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual, and marriage. Though they did not say anything other reformers had not said before, the publication was an event … Read More
The imprisonment of two “silent” reporters for refusing to disclose their sources of information has touched off a fierce debate on the concept of liberty in general and the role of the press in a democratic society in particular. The failure of the authorities to detect a spy in the … Read More
This has been exciting even if a little confusing fortnight. Two reporters went to jail because they placed their professional ethics and personal conscience above the interests of the State. They refused to disclose the source or sources of their information in connection with the Vassal espionage case. The BBC, … Read More
The news of the Syrian coup last week received a single column treatment on page one in the mid-day edition of a leading evening paper here. In the evening edition it was safely tucked away on an inside page. It was allotted the fourth place in the mid-day news bulletin … Read More
