Premier Magazine PH Vol. 3 - Issue 3 March 2023 Nature and Technology

Pr emier SAPERE AUDE ISSN2799-0702 Vol. 3.3 MARCH, 2023 ISSUE

ABOUT THE COVER The Church of St Dunstan was built around 1100 and is a Grade I-listed building. It was severely damaged in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. A new south aisle was added in 1391 and was repaired in 1631.

The Church was again severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren's tower and steeple survived the bombing. It was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan's during the re-organization of the Anglican Church after World War II. In 1967 the City of London turned the remains into a public garden, which opened in 1970. - City of London, UK https:// www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ Photo Courtesy of Kyle Bushnell, an Oxford-based photographer

© Natalie Parham, Australia

© Olga Drach , Kyiv, Ukraine

IN THIS ISSUE "If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." ? Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Our March issue is inspired by The Queen's Green Canopy, a tree-planting initiative that marked The Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

It aims to promote planting sustainably. We are also reminded of the forthcoming Coronation of His Majesty The King, which will be on Saturday, 6th May 2023.

The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as announced in October last year. The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look toward the future while rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

W hile A.I. has been the topic of every media platform, we likewise chose to highlight the other side. The fantastic beauty of nature will always remind us of who we are, regardless of the thrill of knowing that our minds alone can create things far more significant than what we can imagine and more. We like to think that nature and technology would be able to complement rather than destroy each other and that one day the need for more justifies our need for less.

Going further, we want to share more stories of our modern-day heroes who have made our lives manageable, especially during times of uncertainty. This issue may seem to delve into the extreme, but we call it a balanced equation.

The Publisher

© Linda Taylor

Lily with Pears "The greatest joy of this past year was to photograph my grand daughter in my studio. She was so excited for this day and she was beyond amazing, revealing her true artistic spirit."

Linda Taylor, USA

With a long career as a Creative Director and Designer in textile manufacturing, photography has always been at the heart of Linda Taylor's creative passion. As a long time foodie, it was just a natural progression that food started showing up in much of her photography. "I have taken cooking classes, food photography and travel photography workshops, both at home and abroad, with some of the most talented photographers on this planet and have created lasting friendships with so many creatives that I have met along the road."

Her story and her work she has dedicated to her ancestors, who were daring immigrants and talented makers. - "especially to my very special grandmother (Ethel), who could make or do anything with passion and perfection."

Our OBC story is one of the Commended piece by Linda Taylor , at the Pink Lady Claire Aho Award for Women Photographers.

The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort

The coronation of British monarchs also called the coronation of English monarchs, is a ceremony whereby a British king or queen is inaugurated into office through several rituals, including receiving the crown upon his or her head. Elements of British coronations can be traced back to Edgar's crowning at Bath Abbey in 973 CE. Because no right of succession existed then, the ceremony was crucial in demonstrating the transfer of power.

Today a coronation is not a requirement for a king or queen to reign, and the United Kingdom is the only European monarchy to retain the ceremony. The formality commemorates the new leader and sanctifies them as head of the Church of England. Though the coronation ceremony is grafted into a religious service, it is a state occasion and is thus paid for by the government of the United Kingdom. It is typically held a year or so after the death of the previous sovereign to allow for a period of mourning.

© Deniz Fuchidzhiev

"OPEN ARMS"

The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort will occur at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6th May 2023.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the Service, reflect the Monarch's role today, and look towards the future while rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

Their Majesties will arrive at Westminster Abbey in procession from Buckingham Palace, known as 'The King's Procession.'

After the Service, Their Majesties will return to Buckingham Palace in an enormous ceremonial procession known as ?The Coronation Procession.?Other Members of the Royal Family will join their Majesties in this procession.

At Buckingham Palace, The King, and The Queen Consort, accompanied by Members of the Royal Family, will appear on the balcony to conclude the day?s ceremonial events.

A new photograph of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort, taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, has been released Tuesday, 4 April.

Photography : Hugo Burnand

Alongside the photograph, Buckingham Palace is pleased to share the invitation for the Coronation, which will be issued to over 2,000 guests who will form the congregation in Westminster Abbey. It is also announced today that eight Pages of Honour have been chosen to attend Their Majesties during the Coronation Service.

The invitation for the Coronation has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator whose work is inspired by the chivalric themes of Arthurian legend. Mr. Jamieson is a Brother of the Art Workers' Guild, of which The King is an Honorary Member.

The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolor and gouache, and the design will be reproduced and printed on recycled cards with gold foil detailing. Central to the invention is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy, and hawthorn and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

© Royal.UK The British wildflower meadow bordering the invitation features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells, and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance, together with wildlife including a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird, a wren, and a robin. Flowers appear in three groupings, signifying The King became the third monarch of his name.

A lion, a unicorn, and a boar ? taken from the coats of arms of the Monarch and Her Majesty?s father, Major Bruce Shand ? can be seen amongst the flowers. Her Majesty?s arms are now enclosed by the Garter, following her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

Throughout the Coronation Service on 6th May, Their Majesties will each be attended by four Pages of Honour. The Pages will form part of the procession through the Nave of Westminster Abbey.

The King?s Pages of Honour will be His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache.

The Queen Consort?s Pages of Honour will be Her Majesty?s grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, and Her Majesty?s great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot.

Driving Mr. Gates in London an excerpt from Gates Notes IBy Bill Gates| March 29, 2023 ?I've always been a car guy. W hen I was younger, I loved driving fast (sometimes too fast). Now, I look forward to my daily commute to work. There?s something so fun yet meditative about driving a car.

Despite that, I?m excited for the day I get to hand over control of my car to a machine.

That day is coming sooner rather than later. We?ve made tremendous progress on autonomous vehicles, or AVs, in recent years, and I believe we?ll reach a tipping point within the next decade. AVs will change transportation as dramatically as the PC change office work when it happens. A lot of this development has been enabled by the progress made in artificial intelligence more broadly. (I recently shared my thoughts about AI on this blog. You can read them here.)

Some background for those who might not know a lot about AVs: The best way to understand where we are today is by looking at the Society of American Engineers, or SAE, classification system. This is widely used to describe how autonomous a vehicle is.

In levels 0-2, a human driver is in full control of the car, but the vehicle can provide assistance through features like adaptive cruise control and lane centering. Level 3 is when the technology starts to move from the driver being in control to the vehicle being in control. By the time you reach the highest level, the car can be fully autonomous at all times and under all conditions? the level 5 vehicles of the future might not have steering wheels at all.

Right now, we?re close to the tipping point? between levels 2 and 3? when cars are becoming available that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and let the system drive in certain circumstances. The first level 3 car was recently approved for use in the United States, although only in very specific conditions: Autonomous mode is permitted if you?re going under 40 mph on a highway in Nevada on a sunny day.

Over the next decade, we?ll start to see more vehicles crossing this threshold. AVs are rapidly reaching the point where almost all of the technology required has been invented. Now, the focus is on refining algorithms and perfecting the engineering. There have been huge advances in recent years? especially in sensors, which scan the surrounding environment and tell the vehicle about what it needs to react to, like pedestrians crossing the street or another driver swerving into your lane. © Patrick Robert Doyle

There are a lot of different approaches to AVs in development. Many vehicle manufacturers? like GM, Honda, and Tesla? are working on models that look like regular cars but have autonomous features. Then there are companies entirely focused on AVs, some of whose products are pushing the boundaries of what a vehicle can be? like a perfectly symmetrical robotaxi or public transit pods. Many others are developing components that can be installed to give an existing vehicle autonomous capabilities.

I recently had the opportunity to test drive? or test ride; I guess? a vehicle made by the British company Wayve, which has a fairly novel approach. W hile a lot of AVs can only navigate on streets that have been loaded into their system, the Wayve vehicle operates more like a person. It can drive anywhere a human can drive.

W hen you get behind the wheel of a car, you rely on the knowledge you've accumulated from every other drive you've ever taken. That's why you know what to do at a stop sign, even if you've never seen that particular sign on that specific road before. Wayve uses deep learning techniques to do the same thing.

The algorithm learns by example. It applies lessons acquired from lots of real-world driving and simulations to interpret its surroundings and respond in real-time.

The result was a memorable ride. The car drove us around downtown London, which is one of the most challenging driving environments imaginable, and it was a bit surreal to be in the car as it dodged all the traffic. (Since the car is still in development, we had a safety driver in the car just in case, and she assumed control several times.)

It's not clear yet which approaches will be the most successful since we're only starting to reach the threshold where cars become truly autonomous. But once we get there, what will the transition to AVs actually look like?

For one thing, passenger cars will likely be one of the last vehicle types to see widespread autonomous adoption. Long-haul trucking will probably be the first sector, followed by deliveries. W hen you finally do step into an AV, it will likely be a taxi or a rental car. (Rental car companies lose a lot of money every year to driver-caused accidents, so they're eager to transition to an AV fleet that is? at least in theory? less accident-prone.)

As AVs become more common, we're going to have to rethink many of the systems we've created to support driving. Car insurance is a great example. W ho is responsible when an autonomous vehicle gets in an accident, the person riding in the car or the company that programmed the software? Governments will have to create new laws and regulations. Roads might even have to change. A lot of highways have high-occupancy lanes to encourage carpooling? will we one day have "autonomous vehicles only" lanes?

W ill AVs eventually become so popular that you must use the "human drivers only" lane if you want to be behind the wheel?

That type of shift is likely decades away if it happens at all. Even once the technology is perfected, people might not feel comfortable riding in a car without a steering wheel at first. But I believe the benefits will convince them. AVs will eventually become cheaper than regular vehicles. And if you commute by car like me, just think about how much time you waste driving. You could instead catch up on emails, read a good book, or watch the new episode of your favorite show? all things that are possible in fully autonomous vehicles. More importantly, AVs will help create more equity for older people and people with disabilities by providing them with more transportation options. And they?ll even help us avoid a climate disaster since the majority in development are also electric vehicles.

Humanity has adapted to new modes of transportation before. I believe we will do it again. For most of our existence, we relied on natural ways of getting around: We walked or rode on horseback or traveled in a boat pushed by the wind. Then, in the 1700s, we entered the locomotion age when mobility was powered by steam engines and internal combustion. Now, we find ourselves in the early days of the autonomous age. It?s an exciting time, and I can?t wait to see what new possibilities it unlocks.

Welcome the New THE ANIMATED FILM WAYVE

DRAMA, ANIMATION | ENGLISH | 100 MIN Based on a collect ion of short stories by Haruki Murakami, BLIND W ILLOW, SLEEPING WOMAN is an animated feat ure film t hat w as produced using a new technique of ?live animat ion? to st riking visual, sound and storytelling result s.

It follow s t he lives of mult iple characters as t hey navigate post-Tsunami existence and t he existent ial repercussions of urban life, including an unambit ious bank employee, his disheartened w ife, a delusional account ant , a lost cat and a giant t alkat ive frog.

The film w as produced using a new technique of ?live animat ion".

W RITER + DIRECTOR Pierre Földes COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION France, Luxembourg, Canada, The Net herlands Preview Screening: Glasgow Film Fest ival | March 2 + 11

© Wayve, London

© Blind Willow Sleeping Woman Film

THE BOOK

Alex Kendall Alex Kendall is the co-founder and CEO of Wayve, a company pioneering AI technology to power self-driving vehicles.

Co-founder & CEO London

?For the first time, we will see machines we trust physically interacting with our world, enriching people?s lives, freeing them to focus on what matters most. This will mark the beginning of a new era of technology that promises to be more transformative than any that came before it.? © Abe Books - UK 1st Edition Cover

VAlex co-founded Wayve in 2017 to reimagine autonomous mobility through embodied intelligence. From his award-winning research at the University of Cambridge, he seized the opportunity to use deep learning to pioneer an entirely new way to solve self-driving. He showed for the first time that it was possible to teach a machine to understand where it is and what?s around it and then give it the ?intelligence? to make its own decisions based on what it sees with computer vision.

As CEO, Alex is responsible for the company?s overall strategy, primarily establishing all necessary ingredients to develop and deploy AV2.0 globally. He also works closely with their partners and investors to ensure that Wayve's technology is commercially viable and can be widely adopted.

The end goal is the autonomy that propels the world forward. Under Alex?s leadership, Wayve is fast becoming one of the most exciting companies in the autonomous vehicle industry.

Before founding Wayve, Alex?s passion for autonomous vehicles began as a research fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he earned his Ph.D. in Computing Vision and Robotics. His research has received numerous awards for scientific impact and significantly contributed to computer vision and AI. He was selected on the Royal Academy of Engineering?s SME Leaders Programme and named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 innovators list.

AV2.0 Bringing the next wave of self-driving technology to market.

Putting AI in the Driver?s seat Artificial intelligence is already changing everyday aspects of our lives, transforming industries and creating new ones. The next great leap will come from deploying AI in real-world machines ? including self-driving vehicles.

At Wayve, their mission is to reimagine autonomous mobility through embodied intelligence. Their solution uses deep learning to solve self-driving challenges, eliminating the need for expensive and complex robotic stacks that require highly-detailed maps and programmed rules. The result is a data-driven algorithmic solution that learns from experience to drive in any environment, even new places, without explicit programming. They call this next-generation AI-centric approach: AV2.0.

Teaching cars to drive with deep learning Deep learning has achieved significant breakthroughs in solving many complex decision-making problems. At Wayve, they use deep knowledge to train our AI software to recognize and predict how people and objects will move around the vehicle and to reason the best path forward.

Wayve's data-driven AI Driver can convert data inputs from cameras and radar into driving outputs, like turning the wheel or slowing down, seamlessly through one neural network thoroughly tested for performance and safety and robustly integrated into a base vehicle.

FREE REGISTRATION Now Open for Cine Gear LA 2023!

Cine Gear Expo is the premier event for professionals engaged in the film and entertainment technology industry. June 1st - 4th with exhibits June 2nd - 3rd at The Studios at Paramount, Cine Gear features exhibitions, new product and service introductions, complimentary seminars led by industry leaders, and ample opportunity to network with peers, all within an exciting studio environment.

Badge registration is now open for Cine Gear LA 2023. All attendees must complete this FREE registration process to obtain their credentials.

Registration is free until 11:59 p.m. PDT, May 27th, 2023.

Cine Gear Expo LA 2023 Location: The Studios at Paramount

Exhibits & Seminars Friday, June 2nd

Hours: 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 3rd Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Film Competition Screenings Thursday, June 1st, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Master Classes Sunday, June 4th Lighting Master Class 1:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Check back regularly for show updates. www.cinegearexpo.com REGISTER NOW: https:// www.cinegearexpo.com/ la-expo/ registration/

Cine Gear Expo LA 2023 Register Today!

Freya Riding's Song for t he King, a new album called Blood Orange and a Batman quote t hat lingered.

Freya Ridings has revealed she will perform a song about the environment at the Coronation concert as it is "a cause close to the King's heart."

The singer is part of an all-star line-up for the Sunday, May 7 event that will take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The BRIT School graduate, known for her hit singles Lost Without You and Ghost, said she was performing a cover of the yet-to-be-announced song along with a 74-piece orchestra. She teased that the track would highlight the environment, "which is a cause close to the King's heart."

The result of Ridings' time in quarantine was Blood Orange. Based on her love of 1970s music and David Bowie, Freya took the reins on this record in a way she previously lacked the experience to create something entirely hers. Her sophomore album was inspired by her engagement, subsequent marriage, and a desire to dig deeper into who she is. All these she revealed in an interview with 1883 Magazine. And though she shared much more about her life, the most memorable for us is the part where she said that she's been writing in her diary since she was 16.

"One day, I was sitting in my parents' garden. It was a boiling hot Summer's day. I had no friends then and was about 10 Stone heavier than I am now. I looked at my life and told myself, "You have a choice. Today can be like every other day, or you can start day one of your full transformation. You can write your stories and dance in the kitchen at night. You can turn this around." I've kept that promise to myself. Every day I turn up for myself. Every night I write my one-page entry. It's helped me so much as a person. What I'm most proud of is that I didn't let go. I had the grit. My mom says, "The grit makes the pearl." I have the grit and determination to hold on even when there was no guarantee anything would change. I wrote Lost Without You five years before it became a hit. I played it around open mic nights and pubs in North London for years. That's why I have so much respect for artists trying to break through now. No one knows how painful it is to have your soul out there and get no recognition for it. I want to lift other up-and-coming artists because that was the hardest time. When things are going well, that's easy. Holding on in the darkness is difficult. My favorite quote is from Batman: "It's what you do in the darkness that puts you in the light." I always remember that." https:// www.facebook.com/ freyaridings/ © Freya Ridings

£4BN FOR ?UK PLC?: ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS ? THE GREAT BRITISH SUCCESS STORY

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveils results of landmark Economic Impact Analysis Total contribution to the UK economy since 2003 stands at more than £4 billion Annual contribution to economy now exceeds half a billion pounds Sterling Rolls-Royce is one of the largest employers in West Sussex, supporting 2,500+ full-time equivalent jobs A further 7,500 jobs are supported in the wider supply chain Major intangible and spill-over economic and community benefits Includes training and education, knowledge and skills transfer within supplier companies and support for local charities and social enterprise Independent study undertaken by London School of Economics (LSE)

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

As Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks two decades of production at Goodwood, a landmark survey reveals the company?s full and extraordinary impact on both the local and national economies.

?Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a Great Brit ish success story. As we mark 20 years of product ion at our Home in Goodwood, we do so in t he know ledge t hat not only have we produced some of t he world?s most significant super-luxury product s, we have also made a major economic cont ribut ion to t he English count y we are based in and, crucially, ?UK PLC?. Today, I am delighted to unveil t he except ional result s of t he first ever independent survey of our company?s economic impact locally in Chichester, in t he surrounding area and nat ionally.

Conducted for us by t he London School of Economics, t he st udy confirms t hat Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a major economic cont ributor and one of t he largest employers in West Sussex.

As t he nat ion enters a new era w it h t he coronat ion of His Majest y King Charles III, we are proud to represent t he very best of Brit ish excellence and endeavour. Through our rare craft s and craft smanship, internat ional customer base and product s admired and cherished worldw ide, we are sust aining t housands of skilled jobs and playing a key role in promot ing t he UK's reput at ion as a hub of creat ivit y and innovat ion.?

Torsten Müller-Öt vös, Chief Execut ive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

?Rolls-Royce Motor Cars represents some of the very best of British design and manufacturing, and the Goodwood success story has been a proud part of Chichester and West Sussex?s heritage and local economy.

We?ve seen a whole generation of quality jobs and cutting-edge skills created over the past 20 years, and I can?t wait to see what the next 20 will hold as Rolls-Royce continues to expand and grow.?

The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan, Member of Parliament, Chichester As Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks two decades of production at Goodwood, a landmark survey reveals the company?s full and extraordinary impact on both the local and national economies.

The independent study, the first commissioned by Rolls-Royce in its history, was led by Dr Alexander Grous of the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) and includes figures up to and including 2022. Furthermore, this study is clear proof that, by putting exceptional products into the hands of the world?s most influential people, Great Britain secures its place as a centre of design, craft and engineering excellence on the world stage and, by extension, the nation benefits.

OVERALL ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION The LSE report shows that since production began at Goodwood in 2003, Rolls-Royce has contributed more than £4 billion to the UK economy, serving as a flagship of the nation?s luxury and automotive sectors and, crucially, ?UK PLC?. This contribution is long-term and sustainable.

Rolls-Royce invests around £10 million every year in its facilities and operations to support its production, reflected in a series of ?record years?peaking to date in 2022 at over 6,000 motor cars sold worldwide. Rolls-Royce is also able to confirm its standing as one of the largest employers in West Sussex, England.

SUPPORTING JOBS LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY More than 2,500 people are employed at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, including 150 jobs created in 2022 alone. The company also supports more than 7,500 additional full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs within its wider national supply chain. Importantly, Rolls-Royce did not make a single redundancy during the Covid-19 pandemic ? one of very few UK manufacturers to maintain its workforce entirely intact.

As one of the largest employers in West Sussex, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has a substantial positive impact on the local economy. Around 20% of its total annual contribution is generated directly within West Sussex and bordering counties, including salaries and wages of staff employed at the Home of Rolls-Royce. In addition, the company also operates its Technology and Logistics Centre (TLC) eight miles away in Bognor Regis, which supports a further 1,000 direct and indirect jobs.

INDIRECT AND INTANGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS Rolls-Royce contributes to the local and national knowledge economies through its leading-edge R&D in fields including hardware, software, electrification, digitalisation and vehicle connectivity.

These activities are growing rapidly in both scale and importance, with Rolls-Royce committed to all-electric propulsion by the end of 2030.

The LSE study notes that Rolls-Royce encourages significant innovation, development and improvements within its wider supply chain. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have adopted new technologies, processes and practices to meet Rolls-Royce?s exacting requirements, raising standards and boosting competitiveness across a wide swathe of the UK?s manufacturing base.

Rolls-Royce also produces important intangible benefits for the local economy and population.

For example, every year it supports more than 100 apprenticeship, graduate and intern positions, in partnership with local further and higher education institutions, leading to well-paid and highly skilled employment opportunities. The company enjoys close ties with surrounding communities: recent projects include developing a dedicated new car park for The March CE Primary School which adjoins the Goodwood site, and supporting local mentoring and work-based initiatives. In addition, employees nominate their House Charity each year, raising significant sums for local good causes.

A CONTINUING SUCCESS STORY Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has formally announced proposals to expand the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. It has acquired land to the east of the current site and planning permission will be sought later this year.

The project?s primary objective is to upgrade the manufacturing plant; some facilities and equipment are now 20 years old and require replacement and upgrading. The company is also looking to increase capacity for its Bespoke and Coachbuild operations, as well as preparing for its new generation of electric vehicles. The first customer deliveries of the all-electric super-coupé, Rolls-Royce Spectre, are due in the fourth quarter of 2023: all new Rolls-Royce models will be electric by the end of 2030.

The expansion does not, however, signal any shift in the marque?s fundamental approach or values: Rolls-Royce is not, never has been and never will be a volume-driven business. The new facility will reflect the fact that the marque is no longer simply an automotive manufacturer, but a true luxury house creating the world?s best, most recognised and highly prized Bespoke products.

ROLLS-ROYCE CELEBRATES LONDON CRAFT WEEK: FROM GOODWOOD TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA

To celebrate the ninth year of London Craft Week, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will debut a remarkable exhibition of craftsmanship at the marque?s flagship residence in Mayfair.

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showcases glorious Bespoke craft at this year?s London Craft Week Inspiration for London Craft Week taken from the French Riviera Remarkable pieces of craftsmanship will be on display at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London, for the duration of the event, from 8 to 14 May 2023

?As a brand that has always been synonymous with luxury, refined elegance, and exacting levels of craftsmanship, London Craft Week is an important event in our annual calendar. I am delighted to unveil our portfolio of stunning Bespoke craftsmanship, which will be on display at our flagship residence in Mayfair for the duration of the event. These beautiful examples of craftsmanship are indicative of the marque?s Bespoke capabilities. The inspiration behind these magnificent works of craftsmanship, created in honour of the event, comes from the French Riviera, a destination many miles away from the Home of Rolls-Royce but a location synonymous with luxury, beauty, and elegance, just like a Rolls-Royce.?

Boris Weletzky, Regional Director ? UK, Europe, and Central Asia To celebrate the ninth year of London Craft Week, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will debut a remarkable exhibition of craftsmanship at the marque?s flagship residence in Mayfair. For this year?s event, the marque has selected the theme of Location, with a spotlight on the iconic, breathtaking, and lavish strip of coastline that is the French Riviera.

Having previously sought inspiration for London Craft Week directly from the Home of Rolls-Royce, on the Goodwood Estate, in West Sussex, this year, Rolls-Royce designers have sought inspiration from a place further afield, but still highly relevant and synonymous with Rolls-Royce: The French Riviera.

Part of the marque?s ongoing success rests on a deep understanding of the unique world in which the illustrious community of Rolls-Royce clientele live.

Internationally renowned for its glamourous events, super luxurious lifestyle, stunning scenery, unrivalled views and sparkling hues of the Mediterranean, the French Riviera has long been a popular destination for Rolls-Royce clients, making it a befitting choice as the theme of this year?s event.

The French Riviera has also been associated with Rolls-Royce since the early part of 20th Century, when the Côte d?Azur established itself as the favoured haunt of actors, artists, musicians, and other wealthy leading lights of the Belle Epoque.

There is also a highly potent connection between the marque and the area: in 1912, Sir Henry Royce built his villa, La Mimosa, in the village of Le Canadel, where he subsequently spent every winter until his death in 1933.

SHORELINE INSPIRED FASCIA For this year?s event, artisans from the marque?s Interior Surface Centre have drawn inspiration from the beautiful beaches of The Riviera, to meticulously craft a special shoreline inspired Fascia. To replicate the idyllic golden sands, the lightest in the marque?s portfolio of veneers, Ash Burr, was selected. A special ?candy?paint ? a light translucent paint that gradually builds up to appear darker in colour ? was created specifically for the exhibition by the marque?s in-house colour experts and was chosen to mimic the deep hues of the Mediterranean waters. To showcase the movement, myriad of colours, and depths of the sea, one talented individual sketched the outline of the waves, and then carefully spray-painted layers upon layers of paint at different angles and lengths. A delicate brush was then used to gently draw on the finer details of the waves. Once the hand painting was finished, this magnificent piece of artwork was lacquered multiple times before being meticulously hand polished to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.

RIVIERA INSPIRED HEADLINER Drawing inspiration from the local Riviera architecture, the talented Collective of artisans at the Home of Rolls-Royce have created a true work of art as the headliner. One highly creative artisan hand painted a beautiful image of a coastal town in the French Riviera onto Turchese leather, before this one-of-a-kind headliner was embroidered with stitching in four different colours ? Lemon, Iceland Moss, Sheida Pink and Fame Green ? to replicate the vivacious hues typical for the region. To finish this masterpiece, 3D flowers, made entirely from thread, were hand sculpted and individually embroidered onto the main canvas piece. Delicate beads were then added to the centre of the flower before being sewn onto the headliner.

This magnificent headliner, with all its delicate and intricate details, took the marque?s team of talented artisans over 100 hours to create.

COACHLINE MOTIF Continuing the Riviera theme, Rolls-Royce?s highly skilled artisans working in the Exterior Surface Centre have created four Coachline motifs: a sailing boat, gently bobbing up and down on the water; waves; a parasol; and a Riviera-style town.

These beautiful Coachline motifs are presented on an Arctic W hite panel, with an additional clearcoat, infused with a combination of shimmering champagne and blue glass crystals.

© Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

BESPOKE UMBRELLA To complete the exhibition, the world?s leading luxury marque has created a one-off Bespoke umbrella for the occasion. Presented in two-tone Turchese and Arctic White, this Bespoke umbrella is a truly befitting addition to this year?s exhibition.

These unique pieces are indicative of the marque?s fluency in Bespoke and will be displayed in the window of Rolls-Royce?s flagship showroom, Berkeley Street, Mayfair, from 8 to 14 May 2023.

New World Citizenship Report 2023 shows HNW Is and mass affluent in search of freedom: CS Global Partners London, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSW IRE) -- The second edit ion of t he annual World Cit izenship Report , reveals how high-net-wort h-individuals (HNW Is) and t he mass affluent are in search of greater freedoms ? w het her t hat means being able to enjoy bet ter social safet y and securit y for oneself and family, increased access to bet ter employment prospect s and business opport unit ies or being able to live in territories w it h higher social and inst it ut ional st abilit y ? t he post-Covid ?normal? has global cit izens looking beyond t he confines of t heir ow n borders w hen t hinking about t heir ow n fut ure, and t he fut ure of t heir families.

W it h so much change happening so rapidly around us ? inflat ion, broader macroeconomic volat ilit y, geopolit ical inst abilit y, energy uncert aint y ? it can be challenging to keep up w it h how all t hese disparate factors coming to bear on t he prevailing at t it udes tow ard global cit izenship.

The World Cit izenship Report is t he world?s first-ever endeavour in invest igat ing t he value of cit izenship t hrough t he lens of t he global cit izen. It answers how can we keep abreast of t he shift ing kaleidoscope of cit izenship values and priorit ies using t he World Cit izenship Index, an innovat ive tool t hat t akes a holist ic approach to rank t he world?s cit izenships across mult iple dimensions.

The World Cit izenship Index is t he product of a research-driven approach t hat goes beyond ordinary concept s of passport st rengt h by placing greater emphasis on t he diverse at t it udes regarding key facet s of cit izenship. Unlike ot her rat ing tools, t he World Cit izenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a cit izenship?s value t hrough t he lens of t he newest generat ion of global cit izens: t he mass affluent populat ion.

Biggest mot ivators to invest in alternat ive cit izenship include qualit y of life, safet y and securit y and financial freedom The World Cit izenship Report measures 188 count ries across five mot ivators t hat are most relevant among t he newest generat ion of global cit izens ? Safet y and Securit y, Economic Opport unit y, Qualit y of Life, Global Mobilit y and Financial Freedom.

This year, t he Qualit y of Life ranked in first posit ion of t he five pillars, overt aking bot h Physical Safet y and Financial Freedom.

Qualit y of Life looks at territories?abilit y to provide it s cit izens w it h essent ial services required for a good st andard of living, including higher st andards of educat ion and healt hcare facilit ies.

Monaco, Denmark and Hong Kong took t he top t hree spot s in t he Qualit y of Life pillar.

The United St ates came in at 29t h posit ion. African count ries took t he bot tom 10 posit ions, w it h Somalia t aking 185t h place.

We are unfort unately living t hrough a period w here t he st andard of living is falling at t he fastest rate in over a generat ion.

© Matteo Catanese

At t he end of 2022, t he UK Office for Budget Responsibilit y reported t hat UK households are set to suffer a 7.1 per cent fall in living st andards over t he next t wo years, t he largest decline in six decades.

And, according to t he latest United Nat ions Development Programme (UNDP) report published at t he end of 2022, living condit ions in 90 per cent of t he world?s count ries deteriorated in 2021 ? somet hing t hat hasn?t been seen since t he height of t he previous global recession caused by t he financial crisis in 2007. Moreover, it marked t he first consecut ive year of decline in t he 32-year history of t he Human Development Index (HDI).

This dat a show s w hy qualit y of life is so highly coveted among global mass affluent s, and indeed all individuals.

The Safet y and Securit y mot ivator assesses how people in a cert ain count ry have t he abilit y to enjoy greater social safet y and securit y for t hemselves and t heir families and w het her t hey have a safet y net against being t rapped in a territory w it h civil disorder.

Iceland took first place in t he Safet y and Securit y mot ivator, New Zealand came a close second place and Sw it zerland took t hird place. Afghanist an scored t he lowest in t his pillar.

Safet y and Securit y remains an obvious top priorit y for t he average mass affluent global cit izen. This comes as no surprise given t he uncert ain st ate of t he world ? one need to look no furt her t han t he w ar in Ukraine as a painful reminder of t he relat ive fragilit y of peace. Western nat ions now have a grow ing preoccupat ion or sense of danger around t he prospect of w ar, having an act ive w ar so close to home compared w it h conflict s in Asia, Africa, and ot her part s of t he world.

The Financial Freedom mot ivator measures t he abilit y of a count ry to provide a favourable and st able regulatory climate for t he est ablishment and funct ioning of businesses, as well as t he holding of personal and business asset s.

Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore took t he first t hree spot s in t his pillar.

The grow ing desire for cit izens to conduct t heir ow n financial affairs such as wealt h management and est ate planning w it hout undue surveillance and burdensome regulat ions appears to be a feat ure of t he current economic climate. W hile 43 per cent of World Cit izenship Report survey respondent s placed t he heaviest emphasis on t he employment opport unit ies t ypically associated w it h economic performance, t hose t hat placed import ance on invest ment s, est ate planning, and wealt h planning combined for a tot al of 37 per cent .

These sent iment s reflect t he grow ing percept ion t hat t he rising cost s of living and broader economic uncert aint y are being accompanied by a creeping t ax burden as st ate expendit ures cont inue to escalate due to rocket ing debt-servicing cost s brought on by a t ightening monet ary landscape, rapid demographic changes, and ot her factors.

It must also be noted t hat government s t hemselves are being st ressed by t his t ightening fiscal landscape due to t he rising cost s of servicing t heir debt ? a factor t hat is fuelling t he t rend of rising t ax burdens globally. ?In t he 2022 edit ion of t he World Cit izenship Report , we only surveyed high-net-wort h individuals (HNW I), t his year, we expanded t he survey to include a w ider audience in order to gain a bet ter perspect ive of w hat people priorit ise in terms of t heir ow n nat ionalit y. The expanded audience of over 1000 part icipant s included bot h HNW Is and t he mass affluent from across t he globe. Findings from t he survey showed t hat w hile t he research part icipant s came from varied backgrounds and cult ures, all w it h different needs and pain point s, t hey all had one common goal: freedom,? concludes Micha Emmet , CEO of CS Global Part ners.

The Clock of the Long Now

An immense mechanical monument, installed in a mountain, designed to keep accurate time for the next 10,000 years.

It is still being assembled deep inside a mountain in West Texas.

The Clock provides a rare invitation to think and engineer at the timescale of civilization. It offers an enduring symbol of our connection to the distant future.

The Clock will mark time with specially-designed dials and a chime generator ? designed with Brian Eno ? that can produce over 3.5 million unique bell chime sequences daily.

The Clock will be visited for the next 10,000 years.

Work on The Clock continues at present. No completion date has been set.

The Long Now Foundation is a nonprofit established in 01996 to foster long-term thinking.

Their work encourages imagination at the timescale of civilization ? the next and last 10,000 years ? a time span they call the long now.

TThe foundation is home to a select group of projects that foster long-term thinking. Many of their projects engage deep questions about preservation and continuity on long timescales.

Their Rosetta Project has compiled an archive of thousands of human languages and fabricated an artifact, The Rosetta Disk, which can preserve that information accessibly for thousands of years. In 02016, they helped land one onto a comet for safekeeping. In 02018, they helped put another onto the moon. A few hundred copies have been distributed around the globe.

Other Long Now projects include Long Bets (their long-term predictions betting arena), the Manual for Civilization (our civilization-rebuilding library), and their monthly Talks (seminars and interviews with long-term thinkers). They have also successfully incubated organizations with long timescales, like Revive & Restore (genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species).

A community of practice is essential for long-term thinking, so they gather regularly to learn, share, and connect. Everyone is welcome to join them on the journey.

Long-term thinking benefits from diversity and discussion. They share this media with their global audience via social channels and member newsletters. Each month their Talks series invites a domain expert to explore their work in the context of the following and last 10,000 years.

Their local community gathers in San Francisco, California ? where the administrative offices of The Long Now Foundation double as an award-winning public space called The Interval.

This lively ?third space? features craft cocktails, artisan coffee and tea, a library that stretches from floor to ceiling, and large-scale prototypes from the 10,000-year Clock project.

Everyone everywhere is invited to join them on this journey. Their global membership program connects over 11,000 individuals across more than 65 countries to a whole world of long-term thinking.

Source:: The Clock of the Long Now Foundation

The Clock of the Long Now A monument-scale mechanical clock built inside a mountain is designed to keep accurate time for the next ten millennia.

The Clock is hundreds of feet tall, engineered to require minimal maintenance, and powered by mechanical energy harvested from sunlight and the people visiting it.

The Clock will mark time with astronomic and calendric displays and a chime generator designed with the help of Brian Eno that can produce over 3.5 million unique bell chime sequences ? one for every day the Clock is visited for the next 10,000 years.

Ten thousand years is about the age of modern civilization so The Clock will measure out a future of civilization equal to its past. This assumes our civilization is in the middle of whatever journey we are on ? an implicit statement of optimism.

To see The Clock, you must start at dawn, like any pilgrimage. It will require a day?s hike to reach its interior gear.

It is still being assembled, deep inside a mountain, in West Texas.

The Clock provides a rare invitation to think and engineer at the timescale of civilization.

It offers an enduring symbol of the creator's connection to the distant future.

W hy would anyone build a Clock inside a mountain, hoping it will ring for 10,000 years?

Part of the answer: just so people will ask this question and, having asked it, prompt themselves to conjure with notions of generations and millennia. If you have a Clock ticking for 10,000 years, what kinds of generational-scale questions and projects will it suggest?

If a Clock can keep going for ten millennia, shouldn?t we make sure our civilization does as well?

If The Clock keeps going after we are personally long dead, why not attempt other projects that require future generations to finish?

The larger question is, as virologist Jonas Salk once asked, ?Are we being good ancestors?? ? Kevin Kelly, from Clock in the Mountain Ten thousand years ? the life span I hope for The Clock ? is about as long as the history of human technology. We have fragments of pots that are old. Geologically, it's a blink of an eye.

W hen you start thinking about building something that lasts that long, the real problem is not decay and corrosion or even the power source. The real problem is people. If something becomes unimportant to people, it gets scrapped for parts; if it becomes important, it turns into a symbol and must eventually be destroyed. The only way to survive over the long run is to be made of materials large and worthless, like Stonehenge and the Pyramids, or to become lost.

We build The Clock to imagine new ways to survive without becoming lost. ? Danny Hillis, from The Millenium Clock

The winding platform, viewed from above Photo Courtesy of The Clock of the Long Now Foundation

"Ten thousand years from now: can you imagine that day? Okay, but do you? Do you believe ?the Future? is going to happen? If The Clock works the way that it?s supposed to do ? if it lasts ? do you believe there will be a human being around to witness, let alone mourn its passing, to appreciate its accomplishment, its faithfulness, its immense antiquity? What about five thousand years from now, or even five hundred?

Can you extend the horizon of your expectations for our world, for our complex of civilizations and cultures, beyond the lifetime of your own children, of the next two or three generations?"

? Michael Chabon from The Future WIll Have to Wait

For Bezos, the clock symbolizes the power of long-term thinking. His ultimate dream is that the clock will change how humans look at time. ?Over the lifetime of this clock, the US won?t exist? W hole civilizations will rise and fall. New systems of government will be invented? in the year 4000, you?ll see this clock and wonder, ?W hy on Earth did they build this???

After $42m and over half a decade of construction, Amazon?s Jeff Bezos and a team of engineers have finally begun installing a gargantuan clock deep inside a West Texas mountain.

The clock is all mechanical, stands 500 feet tall, and is supposed to run for 10,000 years. That?s right: one thousand decades.

A timepiece nearly 30 years in the making Bezos got involved with the clock's construction in 2011 ? but the idea was conceived in 1989 by Danny Hillis, an American inventor, and entrepreneur.

In the mid-?90s, Hillis formed the Long Now Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at disrupting today?s ?fast/ cheaper? culture, and began work on an actual functioning version of the proposed clock shortly after.

1st Prototype of the Clock of the Long Now Science Museum, London

Civilization is revving itself into a pathologically short attention span. The trend might be coming from the acceleration of technology, the short-horizon perspective of market-driven economics, the next-election perspective of democracies, or the distractions of personal multi-tasking. All are on the increase. Some sort of balancing corrective to the short-sightedness is needed ? some mechanism or myth which encourages the long view and the taking of long-term responsibility, where 'long-term' is measured at least in centuries.

The Clock presents both mechanism and myth.

It would be charismatic to visit, interesting to think about, and famous enough to become iconic in the public discourse. Ideally, it would do for thinking about time what the photographs of Earth from space have done for thinking about the environment.

Such icons reframe the way people think. ? Stewart Brand from The Clock of the Long Now

Kate Wyler wearing a Chiara Boni La Petite Robe White Cape-Effect Midi Dress.

Photo Credit: Netflix

The Cinder ella Thing

Filming for the series took place in April 2022, with the shooting happening predominantly in the UK, particularly in and around London and the Cotswolds. Photo: is the Winfield House, the ambassador's official residence. Photo Credit: Netflix

The last time we saw Kerri Rusell this exciting was during Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III, where the character she portrayed was killed less than halfway through the film. And it's not only her but the well-thought-out story which is rare to come by. The last time we remember watching a movie on repeat was The Queen's Gambit. Nevertheless, the film was full of detail, the wardrobe, the set, the cast, and the story. The cinematography was likewise moving. The build-up of character per episode was perfectly well presented but never lacking in mystery. So we'll take on some of the highlights we loved about The Diplomat.

The number one winning factor - Debora Cahn. The name behind our longtime classics like The West W ing, Homeland, Grey's Anatomy, and many more beloved television dramas where she served as writer and producer. But now she has a new title: creator. Her just-dropped series, The Diplomat, is a high-stakes, contemporary political drama about the transcendence and torture of long-term relationships between countries and people. She speaks with musician and podcast creator Hrishikesh Hirway (who co-hosted the West W ing Weekly podcast) about coming up as a screenwriter, the "dream" of working with star Keri Russell, and why ambassadors are superheroes.

W hen asked about the characters they played, Keri Rusell and Rufus Sewell shared an interesting exchange during a Netflix one-on-one interview. Here are a few interesting parts.: Keri Russell: W hat I loved is t he const ant discomfort and sweat iness and nervousness and just overall unpolished qualit y of her ?? matched w it h t he bossiness to everyone, w hich I t hink is funny. And t he t hing I don't like is how much she has to say. I would love not ever to have to speak. I could mime my scenes.

Rufus Sewell: From t he first moment I read t he script , I knew it would be [Russell]. I learned a bit about Debora [Cahn] and w as a big fan of t hem bot h. W hen I read it , it w as so funny and so quick. W hat I w as looking forw ard to w as t he scrappiness and t he banter, and t he rhyt hm t hat t hey had. And I love t hat slight ly screw ball energy of t hat . The t hing t hat 's a bit more frightening is having to deliver on someone w ho's t alked up so much to be t his guy.

Debora Cahn. Creator of The Diplomat, The name behind our longtime classics like The West Wing, Homeland, Grey?s Anatomy, and many more beloved television dramas where she served as writer and producer.

Photo credit: Netflix

You mentioned the tone, Rufus, which is quite a blend of thriller, comedy, drama and romance. How was it threading that needle?

Sewell: There?s not a lot like it. It was the humor that got us.

Russell: It was absolutely there in the writing. The scripts read so well. So well, in fact, that I thought, ?Ooh, how are they going to pull this off??

Was the chemistry there right away between you two?

Sewell: It was immediate.

Russell: We didn?t meet ahead of time. We just kind of?

Sewell: I met her in makeup. We?re like, ?What?s up?? And I walked away from that and thought, ?Oh, she?s nice.? Which is a big part of it. In fact, it might even be all of it. Just to meet someone and think, ?Oh, they get jokes. They?re nice, they?re quick.? You don?t have to finish your sentence.

They know where you are.

Was there something that you read that was particularly helpful in figuring out the world of diplomats?

Russell: Yes. Debora talked to a lot of people and we just cheated off of her. And then we also read a book called The Ambassadors by Paul Richter. Another film that I found really useful was called The Human Factor, the documentary about the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It?s about all those negotiators who were behind [the Camp David Summit in 2000], who started at this young age within the Clinton administration, which is very apropos to our show.

Sewell: And I did the same and I read the Richard Holbrooke book because he was one of the references [for Hal]. But you think, ?Okay, that?s useful up to a point.? Your little blips of inspiration or the little flashes that come to you could be from a teacher, or a guy on the street or something like that. The moment that I remember from The Human Factor is Bill Clinton tickling Yasser Arafat outside Camp David and kind of cuddling him, trying to cajole him. It was an incredibly human moment. It was just an incredible, incredible moment of people connecting.

That?s diplomacy.

How was the lake where, shall we say, Rufus doesn?t have much on to keep him warm?

Sewell: It was wonderful, actually. They were pumping warm water into it. But they didn?t need to, because the temperature was amazing and it was deep and dank and green. Very Victorian kind of color. Everyone was going there and swimming in the mornings.

Kate Wyler wearing a Galvan Red Satin Halter Back Sash Gown Location: Louvre

Photo Credit: Netflix

The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David 1805-1807 Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte The original is on the first floor, Room 702 of the Denon wing in the Louvre. A copy by David is in The Coronation Room of the Palace of Versailles. officially entitled The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and the Crowning of the Empress Joséphine in Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804.

A large number of almost life-size figures are present in the Notre-Dame Cathedral for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. This painting (979cm x 621cm) is one of the largest works in the Louvre.

Napoleon is the person in the middle holding the crown, and the painting shows the moment that Napoleon is about to place the crown on the head of his wife Joséphine who is kneeling on a pillow.

1967 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Roadster Series I car in red driven by Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) in The Diplomat (S01E05)

© DeFacto

© Sotheby's

Established in 1744, Sotheby?s is the world?s largest, most trusted, and most dynamic marketplace for art and luxury.

They empower the international community of collectors and connoisseurs to discover, acquire, finance, and consign fine art and rare objects.

Sotheby's reputation for trust and authenticity is backed by its unparalleled global network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 44 departments, which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, jewelry, watches, wine and spirits, and interiors, among many others. Guided by a forward-thinking spirit of innovation, they host over 600 auctions annually and offer a cross-category selection of items available for immediate purchase via digital and physical shopping experiences and private sales.

AT SOTHEBY'S September 2023 / London

This summer, Sotheby's honored Freddie Mercury through A World of His Own with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the private realm of a global icon.

Alongside his legendary public persona, Freddie Mercury was a deeply educated collector with a connoisseur's eye. He was honed over years of careful research and exploration of the artists and movements that sparked his intellectual and aesthetic curiosity.

This collection has remained at Freddie's beloved Garden Lodge for over three decades. It displays the quality and diversity of works that testify to his passion and brilliant mind.

This rich legacy will now be shared for the first time through a series of auctions at Sotheby's London, preceded by a public exhibition unlike anything seen before.

© Sotheby's

THE REGALIA OF A GLOBAL ICON, FREDDIE MERCURY?S INCREDIBLE STAGE-WORN CROWN AND ROBE WERE A COMMISSION BY HIS FRIEND AND COSTUME DESIGNER DIANA MOSELEY. INDELIBLY LINKED TO FREDDIE, HE WORE THESE FOR THE RENDITION OF ?GOD SAVE THE QUEEN? DURING HIS FINAL TOUR WITH QUEEN IN 1986, ?THE MAGIC TOUR?.

ESTIMATE £60,000?80,000.

Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own | The Evening Sale Live Auction: 6 September 2023-17:00 BST London

© Sotheby's

"I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter."

FREDDIE MERCURY

© Sotheby's

Sotheby's believes that a Martin D-35 acoustic guitar from 1975 is the same instrument that Freddie Mercury utilized to compose and record Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Later this year, a significant quantity of Freddie Mercury's personal belongings will be up for auction, as declared by Sotheby's.

For about three decades since the untimely demise of the Queen's lead vocalist in 1991, a remarkable assemblage of personal attire, stage costumes, artwork, and other music-related items remained undisturbed primarily and in good condition at Freddie Mercury's former residence in London. However, a substantial number of his prized possessions, with the approval and supervision of his trusted friend and confidante, Mary Austin, are now being offered for sale.

One of the articles included in the sale is a Martin D-35 acoustic guitar from 1975 that Sotheby's believes is the same instrument that Freddie Mercury utilized to compose and record Queen's inaugural number-one hit in the United States, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Freddie Mercury was renowned for his skills on the piano, but he was also a proficient guitarist.

?I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.?

At Home gives us a glimpse into the remarkable world Freddie created at Garden Lodge. Behind that famous green door, visitors were met with an unrivaled collection of fine and decorative arts, porcelain and glass, all lovingly assembled over the years through his careful selection of works. W ith his intimate knowledge of the objects he acquired, the curation and display of these objects were of great importance to Freddie. His ability to seamlessly pair styles and movements, from 19th Century European Furniture to Japanese ceramics, demonstrates his sophistication, talent, and vision as a collector. Guests to the house witnessed this celebration of craftsmanship, with many pieces being the finest examples of their kind.

The last work of art Mercury bought was this portrait by James Jacques Tissot (estimate £400,000-600,000)

© Sotheby's

Great E xpectati ons © The Telegraph UK ©Nuvei

The London Library's first female President.

Helena Bonham Carter CBE In November 2022, The London Library announced Helena Bonham Carter CBE as its first female President. Proposed by the Library's Trustees, members formally confirmed the appointment at the Annual General Meeting on 15 November 2022, marking the end of incumbent President Sir Tim Rice's five-year term.?

The new President has been a Library member since 1986 and has been chosen for her creativity and connections with literature and stories, high profile, and potential to advocate among new audiences.??

Bonham Carter has a passion for books and deeply appreciates the importance of writers to the acting profession. Much of her career links with London Library members who have drawn on the Library's rich cultural heritage, extensive resources, and unparalleled atmosphere. She rose to prominence by playing Lucy Honeychurch in the film adaptation of the novel A Room with a View (1985), written by former Library Vice President E.M. Forster. Later, she played Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (2012); Charles Dickens was a founding member of the Library, and more recently, Eudoria Holmes in the Enola Holmes films based on characters created by Library member Arthur Conan Doyle.?

Open to all, the Library has had innumerable female artists, writers, and thinkers in membership throughout its 181-year history. Early members included pioneering women such as social theorist Harriet Martineau, suffragette Christabel Pankhurst and the first woman to qualify in Britain, and physician and surgeon, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Great writers in membership have included Virginia Woolf, Angela Carter, Daphne du Maurier, Muriel Spark, and Beryl Bainbridge, and other creatives such as actress Diana Rigg and artist Vanessa Bell.??

The Library Presidency is an honorary position with fundraising and advocacy at its core; the Library is a charity that receives no regular public funding. Bonham Carter's first foremost duty was to host The Library's Christmas Party. Still, she is particularly interested in the Library's highly regarded Emerging Writers Programme, its growing school program, and the Library's various types of supported membership for those unable to meet the full annual fee.??

The Library is a world-class center of creativity and inspiration. Around 700 books are published each year by Library members, and over 460 film scripts, TV screenplays, or theatre scripts are also produced by Library members annually, estimating an annual value of £21.3m generated for the UK economy (Nordicity and Chartered Accountants Saffrey Champness Impact Report, 2020).??

Helena Bonham Carter, CBE, said: "I am delighted to become The London Library's first female President and champion an institution open to all. The Library is truly a place like no other, inspiring and supporting writers for over 180 years, many of whom have in some way informed my career and those of actors everywhere. The Library's unique resources, history, and membership help connect the literary greats of the past with those of the future. I am proud to support this incredible and vital establishment."??

Philip Marshall, Director of The London Library, said: 'We are all thrilled to welcome Helena Bonham Carter as our new President. W ith a passion for books and stories and a long-standing love of the Library, Helena is ideally placed to promote this tremendous resource for the creative and curious.'?

© NEOM

NEOM LAUNCHES NEW SOUND STAGE & HOSTS INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY SHOWCASE

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, [April 17 2023]: NEOM recently attracted 140 global leaders from across the TV and film industry to its showcase event. Its truly global offering of stages, production support facilities, talent and crews and highly attractive production incentives (generous 40%++) were on display, cementing its reputation as a leading production destination and industry hub for the Middle East and North Africa region.

The two day event was a rich and varied program as was the participation, with guests from KSA, North America, Europe (UK, France, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal), UAE, Turkey, India and Morocco. It is believed to be one of the largest ever single industry gathering to visit the country. It commenced with all experiencing NEOM?s extensive production facilities and then the stunning array of breathtaking locations across its vast and varied landscapes.

The second day focused on the future and the challenges the industry is facing. The Future of Storytelling and Production was the conference theme, with a diverse background of participants from across the industry including TV and film producers, major global production companies, investors, industry financiers and service providers. It made for lively and dynamic sessions and proved to be truly thought-provoking and stimulating. Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, said: ?This event was a huge success. The response from industry attending was overwhelming. Our ability to attract the numbers and caliber of industry leaders we had at NEOM for our event demonstrates our offering is resonating and is competitive on the world stage. W hether it?s our world class facilities, our amazing crews, or our globally competitive 40%++ production cash rebate incentive, the package is in place and working. Everyone experienced firsthand our rapid and dramatic buildup in capacity and capability reflecting the seriousness of our intent and ability to compete across the value chain internationally.?

The showcase also celebrated the opening of NEOM?s second purpose built, industry standard, 2,400m² sound stage at its Media Village ? the only ones of their kind in the region. This brings the total of operational stages to four, offering a total of 12,000 sqm of production space in addition to support and backlot facilities. A further six stages offering 10,000 sqm of production capability, including a volumetric stage, are under development and set to open by the end of 2023.

NEOM?s facilities include resort style accommodation for 350 cast and crew rising to 500 by the end of the year. Guests got to experience firsthand this sumptuous accommodation as cast and crews would. Collectively NEOM?s facilities rank as the largest in the region reinforcing their position as the leading TV and film production hub in the region.

The one and only Collector's Edition for the 80th anniversary of The Little Prince Only 3,000 numbered copies published

by Gallimard!

Available on The Little Prince Collection http:// bit.ly/ 3KJmdR8

Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc makes a surprise musical debut with a dramatic piano piece.

The 25-year-old Monacan Ferrari driver discussed his interest in a musical side career. He?s even suggested taking up a career in music after his racing days come to an end.

Several times, Leclerc has shared his piano-playing talent on Instagram. He?s finally released his first song, and the track has risen to the top 10 in several territory?s iTunes charts.

The four-minute instrumental, titled ?AUS23 (1:1)?, showcases the motorsport racer?s artistry with ranging arpeggios accompanied by transcendent strings. ?I dare not define myself as an artist in any way. At the time, as you know, I like playing the piano. This is how my first song was born,?Leclerc wrote on his Spotify page. ?I?m excited to share a piece made on the piano. It?s a project I was working on, born out of a passion for music and the desire to get away from the races or between one GP and another.?

He continued: ?I created this piece on the Australian GP, and that?s why it?s called ?AUS23 (1:1)?. A denomination adopted with my team. I thought it was a nice connection to the world of racing.?

Leclerc is not the first F1 star to utilize his platform as an entry point into music.

Fellow Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton was featured on Christina Aguilera?s 2018 song ?Pipe? and collaborated with DJ trio Major Lazer last year on a piece yet to be released.

F1?s 2023 World Championship is underway, with round five?s Azerbaijan Grand Prix beginning Friday (28 April).

Currently, Red Bull?s Max Verstappen leads the competition, coming in first place in rounds one and three and second in round two.

Source: The Independent

© Giorgio Armani

© Ferrari Scuderia

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP THE VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD

by ZANE HWANG

Having previously been to the United Nations (UN) as a tourist, stepping into the facilities with a badge around my neck that read "Press" was a surreal experience. W hile I expected a highly organized, academic conference, the chaotic nature on the ground surprised me? journalists asking other journalists if they could "borrow" their passes into certain rooms, many (including myself) relying on the goodwill of UN guards for entry, and elevators being commandeered with no warning for heads of state. W hile I managed to get into many of the events and witness historic commitments from prominent figures of governments and the private sector, much of my learning occurred outside of the conference rooms.

I spoke to royalty from halfway across the world over slices of pizza, met acclaimed activists and journalists while waiting in line, and bumped into and exchanged contacts with leaders out of sheer coincidence. W hile I had initially decided to write about the water conference from the perspective of an American college student, these conversations made me realize how narrow of a view I had on water issues. In recognizing the limits of my perspective, I sought the help of three additional voices to supplement gaps in my understanding: Bonnie Barclay, a representative from International Rivers, an established NGO focused on the environment, water, and human rights.

Rani Ukhengching Marma, the ceremonial queen of Mong Circle from Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, representing "The Mong Circle Chief's Office," an indigenous government institution Shomy Hasan Chowdhury, a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh and Co-Founder of global youth-led org Awareness 360 Through conversations with these three and others at the conference, I gathered six critical takeaways regarding the water conference and the global water crisis at large:

© UN Water Conference

In March this year, we set out a young Zane Hwang to cover the Water Conference in New York. We wanted her to broaden her horizons and experience an important event crucial to our environment - the state of water in a global arena, with the guidance of Dr. Patricia H. A. Perez, Ph.D. Associate Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Zane was able to experience and express her thoughts as a youth representative at the United Nations for Premier Magazine. Here's her piece, which we do not often read about, the voice of a future adult tracing her steps toward an uncertain yet hopeful future.

Zane Hwang is a Vanderbilt University senior studying political science and human and organizational development. They have studied the interaction between governments, businesses, individuals, and the environment, particularly in water and clean energy infrastructure.

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The w ater crisis is inext ricably linked to t he climate crisis. Not only does climate change directly impact water sources through droughts and flooding, but it also has secondary impacts. Natural disasters, aggravated by a changing climate, destroy crucial water infrastructure. Water pollution, in addition to changing climates, causes massive losses in biodiversity.

Combating climate change is combating the water crisis.

Inequit able access to w ater has a disproport ionately negat ive effect on women. Girls and women collectively spend over 200 million hours walking to fetch water. This greatly burdens their ability to get an education, join the workforce, and care for their children. W hile they make this trek daily, they put themselves at risk of violence. Increasing ease of access to clean water can be liberating to many women.

Indigenous communit ies are a key part of addressing t he w ater crisis.

Indigenous people have long since protected biodiversity and indigenous knowledge has been monumental in conservation efforts. At the same time, indigenous people disproportionately lack access to clean water and have been displaced from their homes. Not only does the rest of the world have much to learn from them, but we must also consider their rights respected. " Water w ars" are not a realit y? yet . W hile issues surrounding access to water have certainly aggravated conflicts in places like Syria and the countries surrounding the Nile, experts I spoke with say there are many other factors at play. To attribute any conflict or tensions, we see solely or even primarily to water would be reductive. On the other hand, these same people stressed the need for cooperation and solidarity between countries dependent on the exact water source to prevent any conflicts that may arise as water becomes more scarce.

Sanit at ion and hygiene should be considered as component s of t he w ater crisis. Many preventable deaths stem from an available water source being unsanitary or not readily available enough to be used for washing, or both. The water crisis is just as much about ensuring an environment that will allow for proper sanitation and hygiene through purification and infrastructure as it is about addressing water scarcity.

The yout h is crucial to building global solidarit y and solving t he w ater crisis. Millennials, particularly Gen Z, have been monumental in bringing attention to and demanding action on the climate crisis. In doing so, they have built a movement that transcends nations for a crisis that transcends nations? the same type of movement being constructed for the water crisis.

Zane Hwang with Rani Ukhengching Marma,(above) the ceremonial queen of Mong Circle from Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, representing ?Mong Circle Chief?s Office?, an indigenous government institution Photo Courtesy of zane Hwang

Bonnie Barclay, a representative from International Rivers, an established NGO focused on the environment, water and human rights Photo Courtesy of Zane Hwang

© UN Water Conference

Bonnie, Ukhengching, and Shomy all want to see a change in the world. In my last conversations with them, I asked if they had a message they wanted to share. Here are their responses: Bonnie: "I think that, well, because we're an International Rivers group, we focus on policy action around the rivers, and we do have a universal declaration for the Rights of Rivers. And it would be great for people to check that out, and you can also sign on to that and share that. It does talk about, like you said, changing a mindset about valuing our ecosystems to have the same rights that we value for ourselves as human species. So I think that's a call to action, to understand that, share it, and sign on. I also think that it's essential for young people and all people, decision-makers, but young people too. Understand and call for the connection of our tackling the global crises together. So the biodiversity we're in is struggling with a bio biodiversity crisis. We are seeing biodiversity plummet around the world, especially the freshwater species. We are also tackling the climate crisis. We are also tackling the suppression and oppression of people's human rights. So we have to intertwine those goals together and see the connectedness of those issues and why they feed into each other. Because they do, there's a lot of connection therebetween. You know, the different types of power dynamics and corruption when someone, when we, we think about how the climate crisis came to be. So think about all those crises together and how we achieve intertwined, connected goals for all of those major crises. So to me, that's, uh, people need to understand that and then call for that. So we're not pursuing a policy. You know, it may be beneficial to climate emissions, but it harms communities and our biodiverse ecosystems. That doesn't make sense for us to pursue. There are aligned ways to do this, and we have to do it."

Ukhengching: "Indigenous people [will] suffer the most in the ongoing climate and water crises. Suppose the government or the other stakeholders initiate development projects. In that case, they should definitely include the voices of the indigenous people, as indigenous people have been the solvers of the climate crisis and defenders of biodiversity for thousands of years. For their daily livelihoods and social, cultural, and spiritual well-being, water is precious to indigenous communities. I belong to the Marma community; water is very sacred to us. Our people have developed our community and civilization for hundreds of years near the water. Without water, we cannot survive. Our people have suffered from the ongoing climate and water crisis for decades. We want solutions to these crises, and we need to adapt to these crises, and we definitely need support from the government or the international community. A lot of funding needs to be contributed for the betterment of indigenous communities as well, not just for water but also for the adaptation to [the] climate crisis, health, education, and [our] livelihoods."

Shomy: ?A lot of people ask me, what is the first step? In order to become a leader or a change maker or an entrepreneur, I think the first step is to find your passion and you can find your passion in what bothers you. A lot of times we associate passion with things that give us joy or happiness or a sense of fulfillment, but I think we can also find our passion in things that bother us, think that we want to change, really badly. So in that sense, I was bothered by the fact that people don't have access to wash and people are dying from preventable diseases and, which is why I took action. So I think you can also start out by finding what, out of the million causes that are out there, uh, what is it that bothers you the most? And then do your research, educate yourself about that. Do a community mapping. Find out what are the existing solutions, existing campaigns, existing organizations, existing people who are already addressing that cause. Join hands with them, share your ideas with them, help them, do not in, in order to. I think that's important because we should not duplicate efforts. It is time to collaborate. It's not like a one person or a one man army. It is supposed to be a collective effort. We don't have much time to work alone anyways. So, I would encourage everyone to just find your passion, find the right people on board, join them, and we can all, hopefully, make this world a better place.?

Beyond these learnings, seeing just how many governments and private sector members came together in discussion filled me with hope. Acknowledgment of the problem is an essential first step, and we have seen in the past with the Montreal Protocol how surprisingly effective the UN can be. On the other hand, while hearing about Starbucks committing to ensure clean water for its farmers and hearing government after government commits millions upon billions of dollars to "tackle the water and climate crisis," First ly, and most obviously, t he reason t he w ater crisis and t he climate crisis exist to t his extent is mainly because of act ion by t he private sector and inact ion by government s. Local w ater sources are often bled dry or cont aminated beyond human consumpt ion by t he private sector, part icularly in agricult ure and manufact uring. Climate change, primarily brought on by t he fossil fuel indust ry, makes exist ing w ater issues far worse.

Government s have allowed t hese t hings to occur or, in some cases, developed law s to priorit ize t he w ater needs of t hese companies over t he communit ies t hat share t heir w ater source w it h t hem. Secondly, none of t hese commit ment s made at t he UN Water Conference, or any UN conference, are binding. There is no legal enforcement system, and t here have been many inst ances in t he past w here government s or private sector ent it ies have refused and ignored t he public's out rage, calling t hem out . Many of my conversations, particularly with delegations and representatives from the Global South, revolved around this lack of accountability. Some even recanted personal experiences in which their country was promised investment from wealthy nations or corporations only to have been turned back on. For these reasons, when I was walking out of the UN headquarters on the conference's final day, I could feel nothing more than tentative optimism.

Shomy Hasan Chowdhury, a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh and Co-Founder of global youth-led org Awareness 360 Photo Courtesy of Zane Hwang

© UN Water Conference

Fashion Reimagined: Themes and Variations 1760s-NOW is generously presented by Zane Hwang is a Vanderbilt University senior studying political science and human and organizational Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management and the Mint Museum Auxiliary. development. They have studied the interaction between governments, businesses, individuals, and the environment, particularly in water and clean energy infrastructure.

MEET THE SDG ADVOCATES

SDG Advocates Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados (Co-chair) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada (Co-chair) Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, 14th Emir of Kano BLACKPINK, K-pop Group Richard Curtis, Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director Hindou Ibrahim, Activist for Climate Action and Indigenous Rights Grac?a Machel, Founder and Chair of the Board, Grac?a Machel Trust Dia Mirza, Actor, UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador Valentina Mun?oz Rabanal, STEM Activist Edward Ndopu, Public Intellectual, Humanitarian and Founder of A BILLION REASONS Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children?s Foundation Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Corporation Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani, Founder of Tent Partnership for Refugees

© Mathias Reding

Co-Chairs of UN Secretary-General?s SDG Advocates Prime Ministers Mia Mottley and Justin Trudeau convene SDG Advocates ahead of the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda

NEW YORK, 27 April 2023 ?Co-Chairs of the UN Secretary-General?s SDG Advocates, H.E. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados and H.E. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada convened a special meeting with the group today to discuss the priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the years ahead.

The world has seen compounding crises and conflicts, and the COVID pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities. Within this context, the group explored ways to accelerate action to meet the urgent needs of people and planet as the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda approaches. ?The world is in a polycrisis situation and needs oxygen to invest in the SDGs. Survival is not enough,?stated Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley.

From the SDG Studio at UN Headquarters, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau called on the group to use their platforms and networks to mobilize action. ?The Sustainable Development Goals show how interconnected we are and how interconnected each issue is.

We must work towards the Goals together,?he stated.

Ahead of the SDG Summit in September, the Secretary-General has called upon the world to deliver game-changing strategies for the second half of SDGs implementation. Through their diverse roles and expertise, the SDG Advocates have the reach to bring sustainable and transformative change across the globe.

The SDG Advocates are influential leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising ambition and action to keep the promise of the SDGs. The Advocates are supported by the UN Office for Partnerships.

Copyright © 2023 UN Department of Global Communications, All rights reserved.

© UN -SDG Advocates

The Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados CO-CHAIR OF THE SDG ADVOCATES Mia Mottley is the 8th Prime Minister of Barbados. She became the first woman to occupy the high office, following General Elections on May 24th 2018, in which she led the Barbados Labour Party to an emphatic victory, winning all 30 seats in the House of Assembly by the largest margin ever seen in the electoral history of the country.

An Attorney-at-Law and Queen?s Counsel, Prime Minister Mottley has been active in the political life of Barbados for almost three decades. First elected in 1994 she is presently serving her sixth term as Member of Parliament for the constituency of St. Michael North East.

Between 1994 and 2008 Miss Mottley served in the Cabinet of three successive Administrations, first as Minister of Education and Culture; then as Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs; and then as Minister of Economic Affairs. In 2003 she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Mottley currently also holds the portfolios of Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Miss Mottley has served as the Chair of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) between January 1st and June 30th, 2020. Notwithstanding that, Miss Mottley, as Prime Minister of Barbados, serves as the Lead Head of Government within CARICOM, bearing responsibility for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Prime Minister Mottley also serves as Co-Chair of the Americas Cruise Tourism Task Force for the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America markets.

Prime Minister Mottley is also Co-Chair of the Development Committee (DC) of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (November 2020 to October 2021).

Prime Minister Mottley is also Co-Chair of the World Health Organization?s Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada CO-CHAIR OF THE SDG ADVOCATES Justin Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is Canada?s 23rd Prime Minister. Justin?s vision of Canada is a country where everyone has a real and fair chance to succeed. His experiences as a teacher, father, leader, and advocate for youth have shaped his dedication to Canadians ? and his commitment to make Canada a place where everyone has the opportunities they need to thrive.

The oldest of three boys, Justin grew up with the profound influence of his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and his mother, Margaret Trudeau. He was raised speaking both French and English and has family roots in both Eastern and Western Canada. This background helped spark his passion for public service and shaped his conviction that diversity is Canada?s strength.

Justin studied literature at McGill University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 1994. He went on to complete the University of British Columbia?s education program, and spent several years teaching French, math, and other subjects in Vancouver. Teaching allowed him to make a positive impact in the lives of young people. He remains committed to hearing the voices of young Canadians, from the classroom to Parliament Hill. Before entering politics, Justin served as the Chair of Katimavik, on the board for the Canadian Avalanche Foundation, and as an advocate for young people and the environment. As a speaker at events and conferences around the country, he encouraged young people to engage with the issues important to them and participate as active citizens. These experiences made it increasingly clear to him that the issues young Canadians care about ? education, the environment, and their generation's economic prospects ? needed a stronger voice.

Justin entered politics to make change that would better serve all Canadians. In 2007, he built a community-based, grassroots campaign to win the Liberal Party nomination in the Montréal riding of Papineau. He was elected in 2008, and re-elected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.

Justin was elected Leader of the Liberal Party in April 2013. His leadership campaign focused on building a new, truly national movement of progressive Canadians, bringing hundreds of thousands of Canadians into politics, most for the first time. He worked closely with his team to build a plan to create jobs, grow the economy, protect the environment, and strengthen the middle class. W ith Justin?s leadership, the Liberal plan emphasized fair economic opportunity for everyone, respect for and promotion of freedom and diversity, and a more democratic government that truly represents Canadians.

On October 19, 2015, Justin led his party to victory, winning a majority government with seats in every province and territory across the country. He was sworn in on November 4, 2015. On October 21, 2019, Justin led the Liberal Party to re-election, earning a second mandate from Canadians.

As Prime Minister, Justin leads a government that works hard every day to continue moving Canada forward. His team is focused on creating good middle class jobs, making life more affordable, keeping Canada?s communities safe, fighting climate change, and moving forward on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. A proud feminist, Justin appointed Canada?s first gender balanced Cabinet.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

© (DoD Lush UK photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

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© Belgische Monarchie Monarchie belge Belgian Monarchy

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde Her Majesty the Queen was born in Uccle on 20 January 1973. She is the daughter of Count and Countess Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz.

The Queen went to primary school in Bastogne and completed her secondary education in Brussels. She studied speech therapy at the Haute École Léonard de Vinci, earned a Master's in Psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in 2002, and worked as a speech therapist from 1995 to 1999.

On 4 December 1999, She married His Royal Highness Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant. They have four children, Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (born in 2001), Gabriel (born in 2003), Emmanuel (born in 2005), and Eléonore (born in 2008).

The Queen assists His Majesty the King in his duties as Head of State, making frequent visits to institutions and organisations, meeting regularly with members of the public, and attending ceremonies at home and abroad. She takes part in state visits, receives representatives of various civil society groups, and makes numerous field visits.

In addition to the activities She engages in alongside His Majesty, the Queen is active in issues close to her heart, such as parenting and education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in our society, financial literacy, and mental health.

She regularly visits social organisations and healthcare institutions. Through these contacts, Her Majesty stays informed of the needs and requirements of the population, as well as the many initiatives that are taken in Belgium to help others. This direct contact with the people is of the utmost importance to the Queen.

Through the Queen's Assistance Fund], Her Majesty offers help to citizens who are unable to meet their daily needs because of financial problems. For many of them, it is a last resort. The Fund also supports vulnerable young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who have spent their youth in institutions or with foster families, helping them find their way to independence.

The Queen is Honorary Chair of the King Baudouin Foundation, and regularly takes part in public debates on issues of concern to the people. Her main focus is always on the most vulnerable. As Honorary Chair of the Queen Mathilde Fund(link is external), the Queen supports initiatives taken by young people for young people.

The Queen is Honorary Chair of Child Focus(link is external), too, a foundation that works to prevent the disappearance and sexual exploitation of children. She attaches fundamental importance to children?s welfare and is committed to combatting all forms of violence against them.

In addition, Her Majesty is Honorary Chair of UNICEF Belgium(link is external), and has granted her Royal Patronage to Breast International Group(link is external), which supports research on breast cancer.

The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition(link is external) has enjoyed Her Majesty?s Royal Patronage since 2014. The Competition was founded in 1937 on the initiative of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth and the well-known Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe.

In 2016, the United Nations Secretary-General invited the Queen to become one of the Advocates for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(link is external). This group of eminent personalities assists the United Nations Organization in mobilising the international community, business and civil society to achieve the goals by 2030.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates / monarchie.be

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has played an active role in spearheading social and education reforms in Qatar and around the world for many years through her national and international development initiatives in education and youth development.

Internationally, Sheikha Moza works with the United Nations to support global education and other key areas of development for marginalized children and youth. Since 2016, Sheikha Moza has been an Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and was previously a member of the UN Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group with a special emphasis on Goal 2 ? universal primary education.

Sheikha Moza serves as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, through which she launched multiple projects including the International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq.

In response to growing global needs, Sheikha Moza launched two initiatives that aim to foster development and stability for a better future. In 2012, Sheikha Moza launched Education Above All (EAA) to deliver quality education to the hardest to reach children and generate a global movement, with a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster. In 2018, EAA?s Educate A Child program secured commitments to educate 10 million marginalized children.

In 2008, Sheikha Moza founded Silatech to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond. Silatech aims to help youth in the most challenging environments and circumstances take control of their lives and their future, and lead change in the region. Through economic and social empowerment, Silatech creates meaningful employment opportunities and programs in enterprise development, career training, and microfinancing, among many others.

Domestically, Sheikha Moza currently serves as Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), a private non-profit organisation founded in 1995. Its flagship project is Education City, which serves as a hub of academic excellence and houses branch campuses of renowned international universities and institutions. QF is also engaged in numerous scientific research and economic and social development projects.

Among Sheikha Moza?s honours are the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service. In 2009, she was inducted into the Academie des Beaux Arts de l'Institut de France. In 2007, Sheikha Moza was presented the prestigious Chatham House Award for her contributions to improving international relations.

Sheikha Moza holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Public Policy in Islam from Hamad bin Khalifa University?s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, and graduated from Qatar University with a degree in sociology.

She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Virginia Commonwealth University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London and Georgetown University.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

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© Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Official FB Page

BIO OF HIS HIGHNESS MUHAMMAD SANUSI II, CON (14th Emir of Kano) His Highness (HH) Muhammad Sanusi II is the Khalifa of the Tijjaniya group in Nigeria and the 14th Emir of Kano. Prior to ascending the throne, HH was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He was also at a time the Chief Risk Officer and Group CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. He was awarded Central Bank Governor of the year in 2011 due to his laudable anti-corruption campaign which salvaged and reformed the crumbling financial sector.

HH Muhammad Sanusi II started his career as a Lecturer of Economics at the Ahmadu Bello University but began his banking career in 1985 at ICON Ltd. Merchant Bankers, a subsidiary of Morgan Guaranty Trust and Baring Brothers and then joined United Bank for Africa, running its credit and risk management division and then rising to the position of general manager.

His Highness is passionate about the welfare of the girl-child, quality education, women empowerment, economic growth and good governance. He was appointed by the UN Secretary General as one of the 17 SDG Advocates in 2019 and has been focused on advancing the global goals with a focus on SDG 4, 5 & 8 (Quality Education, Gender Equality, Decent Work & Economic Growth).

He also serves as the Chairman, Advisory Board of 1Million Teachers (a Canada based social enterprise that provides access to high quality teacher education to underserved communities around the world).

In 2020, His Highness launched the Muhammad Sanusi (MSII) SDG Initiative which focuses on empowering teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa to generate innovative and inclusive grass-root solutions to improve education for all ? particularly the girl child. His Highness has been awarded various honorary doctorate degrees from reputable Universities across the world and is a recipient of numerous global awards.

He currently serves as Chairman and member on various national and international boards which include, Babban Gona (an agricultural social enterprise), The MTN Group, Black Rhino Group to mention a few.

His Highness holds a degree in Islamic studies from the Africa International University in Khartoum, Sudan and currently holds Islamic lectures every Sunday.

He is currently a research fellow at the African Study Centre and an academic visitor at St. Antony?s College in the prestigious Oxford University in the United Kingdom for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The quartet consists of JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ, and LISA. In 2019, BLACKPINK became the first female K-pop act invited to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S. In 2020, BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to surpass 1.3 million in album sales. Additionally, BLACKPINK?s official YouTube channel recently surpassed 65 million subscribers, making them the most subscribed artist on the platform. The band's global influence keeps growing and each of the members have been active global ambassadors for renown luxury brands.

BLACKPINK was appointed as Advocates for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in 2020 and has been delivering powerful messages to the world ever since.

? We truly believe in the importance of collective action. We will only be able to make a difference when we come together, for the good of everyone. Now is the time to act for a safer tomorrow and a better future? ? BLACKPINK

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

© Xtrafondos

© IMDb

RICHARD CURTIS Writer, Director, Co-Founder of Red Nose Day and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate Richard Curtis is a screen writer and director, responsible for films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Mr. Bean, Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked, About Time and most recently Yesterday.

In the other half of Richard's life, he is the Co-Founder and Vice-Chair of Comic Relief, which he started after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine. In 1988, Comic Relief launched its Red Nose Day fundraising initiative, including a live TV broadcast for the BBC, which brought together some of the biggest celebrities of the day. Since then, Richard has produced 16 live nights of television and Red Nose Day has raised more than £1.3 billion for projects in the UK and around the world.

In 2015, Richard launched Red Nose Day in the United States, dedicated to ending child poverty at home and abroad. It included a live telecast on NBC and raised over $23 million. Red Nose Day returned to the US in 2016 and every year since ? raising over $150 million so far.

Richard was a founding member of the Make Poverty History in support of the UN?s MDGs and worked both on that campaign and on Live 8 in 2005. As part of his contribution to the campaign Richard wrote The Girl in the Café for HBO and the BBC ? a television drama based around the G8 Summit, which won three Emmys. In 2012, Phillip Noyce directed Richard's TV movie Mary and Martha, a film about two mothers losing their sons to malaria. It has been shown in 50 countries around the world and used as a campaigning tool by many organizations committed to ending malaria.

In 2014 Richard founded Project Everyone. Working alongside the United Nations, Project Everyone helped to launch and promote the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, a series of ambitious targets to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and combat climate change by 2030. In 2015 as part of this endeavour Richard co-produced the Global Citizen Festival, live from Central Park, which was broadcast in over 100 territories worldwide. He also helped establis the World?s Largest Lesson which helps children learn about the Goals in 150 countries worldwide.

In January 2016 Richard was formally appointed as a UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate alongside 16 others including Paul Polman and Graça Machel. Richard and Project Everyone are involved in the Global Goals Week partnership with the UN Foundation and others, and 2019 will also see the second ?Goalkeepers?event with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim As an indigenous woman from Mbororo pastoralist community of Chad, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim advocate since more than 15 years for the rights of indigenous peoples and the protection of the environment. She is leading a communitybased organisation in Chad, AFPAT, which is active in most of SDG fields, such as education, health, climate change and biodiversity. She lead several concrete projects that improved access to basic need of indigenous peoples, while promoting their unique contribution to the protection of the environment. 3D participatory mapping, for instance, helps to prevent resources-based conflicts in one of the poorest and most vulnerable region of the world. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim has also been participating for over a decade in high-level international policy discussions advocating for environmental protection for indigenous peoples through the Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification Conventions. She was co-chairing the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and coordinator of the world indigenous peoples?initiative and pavilion for COP21, COP22 and COP23.

In 2016, she was selected to be the speaker representing civil society at the 2016 signing ceremony of the historic Paris agreement.

Hindou is an expert in adaptation of indigenous peoples to and mitigation of climate change, traditional knowledge on the adaptation of pastoralists in Africa, as well as indigenous women empowerment. She is very active in various forum and network to advocate for the cause of indigenous peoples.

In 2016, she has been recognized as a National Geographic Explorer. Since 2018, she is Senior Indigenous Fellow for Conservation International.

"For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment, which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it's time to protect their unique traditional knowledges that can bring concrete solution to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change." Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

Source: UN -SDG Advocates

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Pr emier SAPERE AUDE MARCH, 2023 ISSUE ISSN2799-0702 Vol. 3.3