Words | Virginia Blackburn After languishing in the doldrums for decades, silver, previously the Cinderella of the collecting world, is now coming back into its own NOT SO LONG ago, silver was dismissed as old-fashioned and heavy Victoriana. But no more. No longer produced on an industrial scale in London, Sheffield and Birmingham, silverware has become the province of the artisan, with silversmiths [...]

Voodoo lounge EDINBURGH-BASED CHEF Dario Pacifici has cooked for the likes of Hugh Grant and U2, and now he wants to feed you… crocodile. Served with pork crackling and baby quail, it’s one of the more eye-catching ingredients on the menu of his Creole-influenced The Voodoo Rooms. You might baulk at that, but surely you can’t knock the [...]

Turtle power NOT ALL THE guests at Petit St Vincent, a private island resort in the Grenadines (closest airport Barbados), are people. The hotel is now breeding its own turtle colony in an effort to boost dwindling numbers. It’s a draw for tourists too, so everyone’s a winner. The wild turtles choose for themselves to stay at the [...]

Explore…. Speed through Yerevan or Amman, rent someone’s spare room and more Email from… Hip Amsterdam [...]

First he played for England and now he hosts one of TV’s most popular shows. Former footballing hero Gary Lineker reveals how he became a national treasure Interview |Jeremy Taylor IT MAY SEEM SURPRISING now, but when Gary Lineker first swapped his football boots for a BBC microphone and television studio, many wondered whether the baby-faced former striker could handle the pressure. [...]

There is Hollywood, Bollywood and even Pinewood – but now, the latest addition to the global silver screen is Ethiollywood Words | Michel L’Huillier / TCS TRUE, IT MAY NOT rival Hollywood just yet, but Ethiopian cinema has undergone an unexpected growth spurt of late – so much so that it is now to have its own film academy, the Blue [...]

Full Speed Ahead Words | Sophy Grimshaw Sport In The 21st Century is the latest sumptuous photography tome from news agency giant Reuters. More than 500 images tell the captivating stories of today’s sporting champions and of the multimillion-pound global industry that has sprung up around them, not to mention the heartbreak of some crushing defeats. Whether you support a [...]

words | Robina Dam Shopping used to be a rush job that you added on to the end of a holiday or business trip. Now, mini-breaks in style are coming courtesy of a new wave of designer shopping outlets which are fast becoming the destinations themselves CHRISTIAN DIOR, Salvatore Ferragamo and Jimmy Choo – only to be found in the likes of [...]

How to complete US entry forms Everyone entering the US (or one member of a family) must complete a customs declaration form. Depending on your circumstances, you’ll also be given either a white or green immigration form. You DO NOT need to complete an immigration form if you are a US or Canadian citizen, a Green Card holder or a new immigrant. Who needs to [...]

Baku is getting all jazzed up thanks to its rich oil reserves, so now is a great time to visit this boomtown, where culture and industry collide Words | Piers Gladstone WHEN YOU HEAR mention of Baku city, you most probably think of oil. What you may not realise is that the Azerbaijan capital and the largest metropolis in the Caucasus is also [...]

Words | Celeste Neill-Duvoisin BROTHERS MARKUS, 37, and Daniel Freitag, 36, both graphic designers from Zurich, were looking for a functional and watertight robust bag to carry their designs in. Inspired by courier bags, they decided to make one themselves. They gathered up the bits and pieces they could find by the motorway near their flat – remnants of old seat belts, truck [...]

So you’re thinking of owning property in the following bmi destinations? We present a few facts and figures to assess the investment potential Words: Graham Norwood Antigua Eric Clapton and Giorgio Armani may have staked their claim here some time ago, but to many, Antigua remains unknown territory. If you are looking for a new-build apartment, those under construction around the [...]