ADAM & EVE - Jeffrey Archer writes to his readers

 "After fifty years of story telling, I have decided the time has come to write my final novel.

Adam & Eve has now proved to be my most satisfying writing endeavour and I can only hope you will feel the same way.

Please allow me end by thanking all my readers from around the world in 119 countries.

It has allowed this simple story teller the privilege of spending so many hours in your company.

I should have been Prime Minister, Captain of the England Cricket team or won an Olympic Gold for the Hundred metres, but then we can all dream.

As Marcel Proust reminded us:

'We always end up doing the thing we're second best at'

I can only hope that you've discovered what you're second best at.

Farewell and thank you

Jeffrey Archer"

Excerpts from the forward in Adam & Eve by the author 

HARRY KANE - Ballon D'Or, 2026 - Men's Football

 It's about the journey.

Work hard when nobody is watching.

I wasn't the kid who went straight to the top.

I had to experience the downs.

I had to find my way

To be the very best right now.

ALEXIA PUTELLAS - Ballon d'Or Feminin 2026 - Women's Football

 Don't listen to those who tell you no. 

Just do it.

If you have a dream, pursue it, even if you have to start from Zero. 

The most important thing is to do it with love and passion

NAGGING COUGH

Nagging Cough even after infection has gone?
Antibiotics won't solve it

Airways could still be inflamed, pollution could make it worse or it could point to other respiratory conditions.

Solution

1. Find cause

a. Persistent cough needs assessment. Treatment differs for allergies, asthma, COPD and viral infections.

b. Get checked for tuberculosis if cough comes with fever, weight loss, breathlessness, wheezing, chest pain or blood in sputum

c. Sometimes asthma and vocal cord dysfunction can together cause  voice loss - (Please consult an ENT doctor or a Pulmonologist at the earliest)

2. Treat nasal allergies

If there is a running nose or post-nasal drip, anti allegy tablets or nasal sprays may be prescribed.

3. Use Inhalers

For wheezing or cough-variant asthma where cough can be the only symptom - (But only under the doctor's supervision)

4. Cut pollution exposure

Avoid outdoor exercise on high pollution days. Wear N95 masks outside.

5. Soothe Throat

Warm water may ease irritation. Cough syrups offer temporary relief at best.

6. Avoid self prescribed antibiotics

They do not treat pollution triggered cough. Unnecessary use leads to antibiotic resistance.

Source

The Times of India, 28 October 2026

AUTHORITARIANISM

Dhananjay Nahapatra reports Justice Ujjal Bhuyan's speech at the convocation ceremony of of University of Science and technology, Meghalaya in The Times of India of 1st November 2026        

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan

"Authoritarianism sets in when society fears questions.

A society that fears questions becomes vulnerable to authoritarianism.

A society that treats tradition as beyond scrutiny may fail to reform unjust practices.

Article 51A of the Constitution of India  does not merely ask us to acquire scientific knowledge. 

It asks us to cultivate a temperament which is based on reason. It tells us to question, to examine and where necessary, to reform.

I believe, scientific temperament lays the foundation for the rule of law. This is because arbitrary power thrives on ignorance, fear and unexamined belief. A society that accepts claims without evidence is susceptible to superstitious beliefs and becomes vulnerable to misinformation.

Willingness to  reason together through a meaningful debate alone can make a society stronger.

Circulation of information and scrutiny by public reasoning becomes part of the due process by which democratic society resonates with justice.

For a more just and humane society, it is important that we move away from the destructive binary of 'us' and 'they' and embrace the idea of oneness. 

Not for nothing, the Preamble  to the Constitution of India starts with the expression - 'We, the People of India'. The Constitution speaks to all citizens of India as equal members of the constitutional order. Therefore, "we' represents a larger idea of belonging in which our individual identities  or group  identities do not diminish our shared constitutional unity."

Though Justice Bhuyan's exhortation is  to the citizens of India as a whole, it is hoped the leaders of a Church based in South India and its members would thoroughly imbibe its spirit. For the Church has been embroiled in controversies and litigation for more than a decade.