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‘I cannot move move my arms and legs’, says author
The author and playwright Hanif Kureishi has said he is in hospital in Rome following a fall on Boxing Day, and is unable to move his arms or legs. The 68-year-old playwright, novelist and filmmaker – best known for his works The Buddha Of Suburbia, My Beautiful Laundrette, Intimacy and Mother – said he was being treated at Gemelli University Hospital in the Italian capital.
Kureishi said he was in the city on 26 December when he fell during a walk. He said: “I had just seen Mo Salah score against Aston Villa, sipped half a beer, when I began to feel dizzy. I lent forward and put my head between my legs; I woke up a few minutes later in a pool of blood, my neck in a grotesquely twisted position, my wife on her knees beside me.”
Kureishi said he saw “a scooped, semi-circular object with talons attached scuttling towards me” before realising it was his hand. He added: “It occurred to me then that there was no coordination between what was left of my mind and what remained of my body. I had become divorced from myself. I believed I was dying. I believed I had three breaths left.”
Kureishi said his wife heard his “frantic shouting”, adding: “She saved my life and kept me calm. For a few days I was profoundly traumatised, altered and unrecognisable to myself. I am in the hospital. I cannot move move my arms and legs.” He continued: “I cannot scratch my nose, make a phone call or feed myself. As you can imagine, this is both humiliating, degrading and a burden for others. I’ve had an operation on my spine and have shown minor improvements in the last few days.”
Kureishi said he has “sensation and some movement” and will soon begin physiotherapy and rehabilitation. He added: “At the moment, it is unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen, if there is any assistance that I would be grateful for, it would be with regard to voice assisted hardware and software, which will allow me to watch, write and begin work again, and continue some kind of half life.”
Pegg sends Sunak mathematics message
Simon Pegg has shared a furious response to Rishi Sunak’s plan to make pupils study Maths until the age of 18. The actor, whose credits include Spaced and the Mission: Impossible franchise, couldn’t hide his anger while addressing the subject in a video he shared on Instagram. “So Rishi Sunak, our unmandated, unelected prime minister twice removed, has decided it should
be compulsory for children to learn Maths up until the age of 18 – what a prick,” he said.
“What about arts and humanities and fostering this country's amazing reputation for creativity and self-expresison?” he asked, adding: “What about that? What about the kids that don't want to do Maths? I hated Maths. I dropped Maths as soon as I could and I’ve never needed it other than the skillset I acquired at the age of 12.” Pegg continued: “But no. Rishi Sunak wants a fucking drone army of data-entering robots. Fuck the Tories.”
Delayed drones project costs soar by £500m
The cost of the troubled project to procure next generation RAF drones has soared by more than half a billion pounds, official figures show. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) also conceded the Protector programme will now be delivered five years late. Its whole-life cost will hit nearly £1.35bn, up from the initial budget of £816m in 2016. They had been expected to be in service in 2018, but the MoD now concedes this will not be the case until near the end of the year. The admissions came in response to questions from shadow defence secretary John Healey. "The Conservatives are failing British troops and failing British taxpayers," the Labour MP said.
Man arrested on suspicion of kidnap
A man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap after the disappearance of a vulnerable pensioner. Timothy Hatcher, 69, was last seen almost three weeks ago on 18 December at the Coop in Meadgate Avenue, Essex Police said. Mr Hatcher, who has dementia and receives support from carers, was reported missing two days later. A 50-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap, the forced added. He has since been released on bail. Detective Superintendent Scott Egerton, who is overseeing the investigation, said that police are “incredibly concerned” for Mr Hatcher's welfare.
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