Lot 18: "The happiest man in the world" The Scheherazade Foundation Auction - 25 November to 02 December 2021. Link to bumblebee auction page + full stories: jumblebee.co.uk/athousandandon… #auction #fundraiser #nonprofit

Lot 19: "The King, the dog and the bowl" The Scheherazade Foundation Auction - 25 November to 02 December 2021. Link to bumblebee auction page + full stories: jumblebee.co.uk/athousandandon… #auction #fundraiser #nonprofit

Lot 20: "When the sun forgot to rise" The Scheherazade Foundation Auction - 25 November to 02 December 2021. Link to bumblebee auction page + full stories: jumblebee.co.uk/athousandandon… #auction #fundraiser #nonprofit

Just over an hour to go before this auction ends. Some amazing bargains still to be had! jumblebee.co.uk/athousandandon…

The debate is over. In a nutshell ... Lord Carey said the the tabots should go back to Ethiopia ... The government stalled, saying it was a matter for the British Museum. What was notable was the number of lords who agreed with Carey - five or six. Quotes to follow...

Lord Carey: "In the light of the fact that the tabots entered the collection of the British Museum after British troops ... looted them ... would he (the minister) not agree that Her Majesty's government bears some basic moral responsibility ... ?"

Load Boateng: "...wouldn't it be the right thing to do, the moral thing to do, wouldn't it enhance the moral position of ... the British government in their discussions with the Ethiopian government about human rights, if they were to be returned and returned without delay."

Bishop Worcester: "What sets these artefacts apart ... is that they are sacred and they relate to a living faith, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church ... Would the minister not agree that they should be returned to those who understand them to be holy and will cherish them as such?"

Lord Bassam Steve Bassam: "These highly significant religious artefacts have resided unseen in the British Museum stores for the best part of 150 yrs. My Lords, this can’t be right. Can (the minister) give some comfort to Ethiopia by encouraging the trustees to find a solution."

Lord Foster: "Recognising that only a handful of priests from the Ethiopian Orthodox church in the UK ... can view them, would it not help the trustees of the British Museum to come to the right decision, if the government indicated its support for the return of the tabots?"

House of Lords debates the campaign initiated by The Scheherazade Foundation for the return of Ethiopia's sacred altar tablets from the British Museum, with brilliant intervention from Paul Boateng. Samantha Knights KC Leigh Day hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2022-03-…

A whirling dervish of a midsummer festival. This clip from our flamenco evening with dancer Salud Botella and writer Jason Webster at the UK launch of his new book The Spirit of Duende.

It's publication day for my latest, THE BOOK OF DUENDE, an in-depth look at the magical & mysterious force at the heart of flamenco. Out now in hardback and as an ebook.

Pretty damned thrilled to see THE BOOK OF DUENDE already at number 5 in this Amazon bestseller list!

Pearls of Spanish Genius are back! mailchi.mp/0a3e8f71e3f0/p…

Discovery of the original 'white house' that gives Casablanca its name ft.com/content/1eda06…

Pearls of Spanish Genius 30 is out now! This week: - the amazing dance of Israel Galván, - the extraordinary voice of Fernanda de Utrera, - and the importance of dressing slowly. mailchi.mp/b640fa2f4b80/p…

"I think there is something fundamentally surreal about life in Spain if you are open to it." Jason Webster on the best books on Spain. fivebooks.com/category/world…

Join #ShuteFestival Thursday 27 July 7 pm with AndrewHeavens and Jason Webster on the extraordinary life story of Prince Alamayu told for the first time in The Prince and the Plunder! Tix on door £8.

Special announcement: Salud's last gig - Bridport Arts Centre 15 July mailchi.mp/0c14182b74c9/s…