
Hay Festival 2018: Salman Rushdie, Shashi Tharoor in line up
Salman Rushdie and Shashi Tharoor dwelling on their latest books feature in the star-studded line up for the 2018 edition of the Hay Festival in the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye, known as the “town of books”.
One of the most anticipated annual literature events, the festival programme announced on Monday features 600 of the world’s most known writers, policy makers, and innovators in 800 events over 11 days from May 24 to June 3.
Speakers include historian Simon Schama, novelists Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan, health campaigner Chelsea Clinton, Britain’s environment secretary Michael Gove, Hollywood star Rose McGowan — one of the first actors to speak out against producer Harvey Weinstein — and former British prime minister Gordon Brown.
Rushdie is due to speak on his latest book The Golden House, while Tharoor will expound on his Why I am A Hindu. Poet Tishani Doshi will launch her third collection of poems Girls Are Coming out of the Woods at the festival.
Other Indian speakers at the event include University of Cambridge historian Shruti Kapila on the origins of modern anti-terror legislation in India’s struggle for independence and their reverberations today, and novelist Anuradha Roy on her career.
Jaideep Prabhu, the Jawaharlal Nehru professor of business and enterprise at the Judge Business School, Cambridge, will present the idea of “jugaad” in a talk on Frugal Innovation: How to do Better With Less.
Sujit Sivasundaram, another Cambridge-based historian, will discuss the history of islands and their impact on the modern world in a session on Islands: Witnesses to the Rise of the Modern World.
Hay Festival director Peter Florence said: “We are facing alarming insecurities and crises. We need to approach the complexity of those challenges with all the hope and courage we can muster. We need to hear the wisest voices, not the loudest.
“And we need the gift that novelists and poets give – the ability to imagine the world from someone else’s point of view. There has never been a time when we were in such urgent need of empathy. It’s a time for serious thought and serious work, and so too, it’s a time to laugh and a time to dance and a time to feast.”

Ready to sit in Oppn: Pak PM before key vote
- The opposition currently has 53 seats in the 100-member Senate, while Khan’s ruling alliance has 47 seats.

US Capitol: Law enforcement on alert after warning of likely breach
- The threat appears to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly promoted by supporters of QAnon, that former president Trump will rise again to power on March 4 and that thousands will come to Washington, DC, to try to remove Democrats from office.

UN tells military: Stop murdering protesters
- At least 700 people were detained on Wednesday alone, with many of them reportedly swept up as forces conducted door-to-door searches.

Joe Biden pledges deeper ties in Indo-Pacific in national security plan
- It has been taken to a different level by the Biden administration, accorded the same significance as Europe, which has dominated US diplomatic and military thinking and spending for more than a century now, starting with World War I.

EU reviews Russia’s jab amid fresh spike
- The regulator said the review is based on results from research in adults, which suggests the vaccine may help protect against the coronavirus.

Italy blocks Astra Covid vaccine export, risks backlash against EU

UK police won't probe journalist over 1995 Princess Diana interview

World’s first space hotel with artificial gravity expected to open in 2027
- With over 11,600 square metres of habitable space, the commercial station will have many features expected in a cruise ship.

Italy sees sharpest fall in energy demand since WWII due to pandemic: Report

Police request 60-day extension of Guard at US Capitol

Strong quake shakes New Zealand, but no damage reported and tsunami threat eases

White House says relief checks to go to most who got December payment
- Under the Senate bill, anyone earning up to $75,000 qualifies for the full $1,400 with the payment being cut off entirely at $80,000.

Waive Covid vaccine patents to benefit poor nations, activists say

Iraq beefs up security for pope amid rising violence, pandemic

‘If I lose, …’: PM Imran Khan’s emotional pitch ahead of trust vote this week
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan insisted that he wouldn’t abandon his campaign against corruption even if loses the trust vote.