In a few lines, without a single unnecessary word, everything we need to know about the news of the day is from the “New York Times”.
Title: “King Charles has cancer.”
In fewer than 18 months of reign, King of Britain, Charles III, has been diagnosed with cancer.
The announcement came from Buckingham Palace a week after the 75-year-old monarch was discharged from a London hospital following a procedure for an enlarged prostate.
The palace did not disclose the type of cancer Charles has, but a Buckingham official said the cancer he has is not prostate cancer.
Charles will abstain from public duties in public spaces (where citizens are usually present) but will continue to perform other duties, such as his weekly meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The palace stated that Charles “remains entirely positive about his treatment” and expects to return to his public duties.
Background: Charles waited longer than any other British monarch to ascend the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, ruled for seven decades, and he was already well-known to the public when he became king in September 2022. Since then, he has evolved into a confident elderly statesman, traveling widely and speaking openly on issues such as climate change.
Context: Members of the royal family usually reveal very little about their health, and palace officials have made it clear that they will not issue regular updates on the king’s condition.
Following this, I’ll insert a tweet from Vivian Efthymiopoulou, a communication consultant and editor-contributor (!) of FACTnews, one of the best newsletters for me:
“Every year we say we should start talking differently about cancer and not describe it as a battle with winners and losers. All patients fight as much as they can. Our only concern should be universal access to effective treatments. For everyone!”
Russian presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin, who opposes the war in Ukraine and calls for its immediate cessation, stated that a so-called “working group” of the central election commission invalidated 15% of the signatures of supporters endorsing his candidacy.
This number, if confirmed, exceeds the permissible error rate and would provide grounds for Nadezhdin’s exclusion as a candidate against Vladimir Putin.
The relevant committee has used the excuse of “bureaucratic error” several times before to exclude candidates who may pose a threat to Putin. The final decision is expected to be issued today, Wednesday, as Nadezhdin said, without being particularly optimistic that it will allow him to run in the elections. Regardless, their outcome is already known.
Reflection: “A hungry stomach, an empty wallet, and a broken heart can teach you the best lessons in life.” – Robin Williams, American actor, (1951-2014). One of the works we all loved was “Dead Poets Society.”
In Athens, for those interested, the same play has been staged at the Vretania Theater, titled “The Circle of Lost Poets,” with Akis Sakellaropoulos in the role of the non-conformist literature professor and champion of freedom, John Keating.
Indeed, if only we had many educators like that. Who would make their students call them, as in Williams, “Captain, my captain”!
