Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who has been arrested and barred from running for office by opponents, made his name in English county cricket before becoming one of the great all-rounders in world cricket with the Pakistan national team. But some seem keen to forget his sporting prowess. The Pakistan Cricket Board has released a video celebrating the history of the national team. It touts a “legacy that echoes through time”, from the team’s international debut in 1952 through to recent success in the Asia Cup. But Khan does not appear once. A long segment about Pakistan’s World Cup victory in 1992 manages to omit any mention of Khan, who captained the team.
Making history isn't just about one day, it's about the legends we create and the tales we script 💫
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 14, 2023
🏆 Pakistan Cricket Team – a legacy that echoes through time 🌟#BeyondJustOneDay pic.twitter.com/grC0YVC5Xi
Red Lion pub goes unisex
It’s all change at the famous black doors of Number 10 and Number 11. Not the addresses of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, but the other less famous thresholds on Whitehall which all politicos are familiar with: the toilets of The Red Lion, Westminster’s most popular pub. The Ladies are jokingly represented by Number 10 and the Gents by Number 11. But yesterday evening a notice appeared that caused confusion and even anger. Punters were told that the Ladies toilets had been transformed at short notice into a unisex toilet. “Sorry for any inconvenience caused,” read a sheet of A4. The Gents appeared to remain single sex.
The reason for the change is unclear, but SW1A regulars note that the pub has suffered from some odorous plumbing troubles in the past. In 2020, the Ladies went unisex but soon became single sex again. Some politicos are angry at the change. “Shame. Shame. Shame,” remarked Mary Harrington, who writes for the Westminster-based political magazine Unherd. “Hopefully they reverse this again,” added political commentator Emily Hewertson.
Short, sharp shocks make a killer diary
What do Dua Lipa and The Beatles have in common? Apart from being best-selling British artists, it turns out that one Beatle has inspired Lipa, left, to keep a diary. The pop star says she had previously struggled to put pen to paper. “I would sit down and be, like, I don’t want to write a whole thing about my day, and this is annoying”. But a friend pointed her in the direction of George Harrison’s diaries. “It would be the most simple [things], like ‘today I went to the shop, I went to the studio’... it was just a little log,” she said on her podcast, At Your Service. This made Lipa realise that short diary entries are fine — “four words if it has to be”. Harrison’s diary is famously concise. Take the entry from January 10, 1969: “Got up, went to Twickenham, rehearsed until lunch time, left the Beatles, went home.” We wonder if Lipa’s journals will also be released in years to come.
Olivia Rodrigo plays the tourist in London
While Londoners are off on holiday, American pop star Olivia Rodrigo has chosen the capital as her summer destination. Last night she was partying at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone. This morning she shared snaps of quintessential tourist destinations such as a red phone box and Big Ben. London has been Lily Allen’s catwalk recently. She’s changed into a different outfit each night after performing in The Pillowman at The Duke of York’s Theatre. Earlier this week she revealed that getting gussied up in designer clothes has made her feel better after playing a harrowing role. Meanwhile, over the weekend, David and Victoria Beckham had dinner with Lionel Messi and friends in Miami. Stanley Tucci stayed at home playing piano.
