An Indian cafe staffed entirely by acid attack survivors.
And impact entrepreneurs in Ukraine.
In today’s letter: a new carbon credit scheme, a cafe staffed by acid attack survivors in India, impact entrepreneurs in Ukraine, coffee pod makers have been greenwashing (shocking), hotels run entirely by women, Kamala’s Met Gala dress, and much more.
I’m not quite sure where I land on the minimalist-to-maximalist spectrum. I spent years living out of a suitcase (though let’s be honest, it was never exactly a carry-on), and learnt I need very little to be happy. And yet, I have a soft spot for beautiful, quirky things. Sometimes I crave the clarity of empty space; other times, I find myself justifying the purchase of another antique vase or a delicate piece of thrifted glassware because, well, it speaks to me.
There’s an ebb and flow to it. I don’t like clutter. I don’t want duplicates. But wall art? Irresistible. A vintage teacup? Yes, please. A carved wooden bowl that has clearly lived a life? Into the tote it goes. I like objects that carry stories, those with weight and whimsy, texture and time.
“But what if this old ceramic duck is the missing piece?”
The moment I watched this new house tour from The World of Interiors, I immediately sent it to my old flatmate-slash-thrifting co-conspirator. We both know, deep down, that this house is our shared fantasy. When I showed it to my boyfriend, his reaction was… different. “This woman can’t go anywhere without buying something,” he said—perhaps about her, perhaps about me. (It’s not lost on me that I returned from a church sale this weekend with a questionable number of vases, glasses, and baskets.)
Maybe the truth is that we’re all collecting something: comfort, beauty, memory, meaning. Some of us just do it with objects.
Anyway, if you do one thing this weekend, please watch this:
Three random things I’m into right now:
Antler’s new heritage collection (love that they are made to order, but sad that they won’t ship until autumn, I need new suitcases asap)
Pope Francis nudged open a few doors (appointing women to senior Vatican roles and granting them a vote at synods) but stopped well short of tackling the Church’s holy grail: ordination. Two commissions, several hopeful headlines, and a firm “no” later, the question remains officially “open,” yet practically unanswered. Now, after the cardinals (all men, of course) have huddled in Rome and chosen the next pope, the faithful wonder if Leo XIV will move things forward or quietly slide back into tradition.
While Ukraine’s frontlines dominate global headlines, a quieter movement is underway in the country's recovery: an army of impact entrepreneurs is rebuilding from the ground up with community-first capitalism at its core. A new report from The Possible outlines how these locally rooted ventures (65% led by women) are tackling everything from infrastructure and veteran care to social enterprise and environmental renewal. With €3.5 million deployed and 8,000 businesses supported since 2023, the momentum is clear, even as access to capital and policy frameworks lag behind. As EU accession talks gain pace, Ukraine may well emerge as Eastern Europe’s blueprint for sustainable, inclusive growth. Or, as one local leader put it, this isn’t just reconstruction—it’s reinvention.
The Trump administration has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit aiming to curtail access to the abortion pill mifepristone, marking the second time in recent months it has defended the FDA’s regulatory authority. In a rare point of bipartisan continuity, the Trump White House, much like Biden’s, argues that the states bringing the suit lack the legal standing to challenge the drug’s approval.
Just ten minutes from the Taj Mahal, Sheroes Hangout in Agra offers more than a good cup of chai; it serves resilience by the plateful. Staffed entirely by acid attack survivors, the café opened in 2015 as part of the Chhanv Foundation’s mission to create safe, dignified employment for women that society tried to erase. The space, painted with vibrant murals and filled with handcrafted wares, operates on a pay-what-you-can model. But this is no feel-good novelty. It’s a platform for change: offering medical aid, housing, legal support, and training to dozens of women who have gone from silence to self-determination.
The Rockefeller Foundation has launched a carbon credit scheme to help retire coal plants early in developing countries, aiming to sign up 60 projects by 2030—a move it says could unlock $110 billion in finance. With formal rules now in place, the South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation in the Philippines will be the first to adopt the methodology, generating credits by closing ahead of schedule and replacing capacity with renewables. The initiative, which targets only profitable plants in nations with "no new coal" pledges, seeks to balance market credibility with environmental urgency. This approach could, if successful, ripple across the region.
Two coffee pod makers have been told to tone down their green credentials. Lavazza and Dualit must stop labelling their capsules as “compostable,” says the UK’s advertising regulator, since the pods require industrial processing, hardly the stuff of backyard bins. A reminder that not all eco-labels brew up as cleanly as they claim.
Abandoned oil wells and coal mines are emitting methane at such a scale that, if they formed a nation, they'd be the world’s fourth-largest polluter, trailing only China, the US, and Russia. The International Energy Agency’s latest data reveals that these ghost sites are leaking a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide, all while the world largely looks the other way. Cleaning them up would cost around $100bn—not pocket change, but a bargain compared to the cost of inaction. As satellite imagery makes these emissions harder to ignore, experts are calling for more than polite pledges: what’s needed is regulation with teeth and the political will to finally stop pretending abandoned means harmless.
Wonsook Kim, All In Me, 2016. Image via Artsy.
London’s Imperial War Museum is breaking new ground with Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UK’s first major exhibition on the subject, running from 23 May to 2 November. With a curatorial lens spanning from the First World War to today, the exhibition unpacks the weaponisation of sexual violence in times of war, from the systematic abuse of “comfort women” during WWII to the atrocities committed against Yazidi women by ISIS. Through a mix of case studies, personal testimonies, and NGO spotlights, Unsilenced tackles the power imbalances and propaganda that fuel such crime. It’s a bold, unflinching effort to illuminate what many would rather overlook—and a call to action for justice, accountability, and the dignity of survivors.
“The precise simplicity of this black and cream look for Kamala D. Harris complements her own strength and confidence, two qualities I consider to be the core of dandyism,” IB Kamara, creative director of Off-White. I absolutely love her dress.
In countries where hospitality has long been male-dominated, a handful of pioneering hotels run entirely by women are opening doors for female talent. These businesses recognize that women bring a distinct and desirable sensibility to hospitality, which is rooted in empathy, resilience, and community, and which guests increasingly value.
Thank you for reading! Please share with an interesting and interested person in your life. xxx