A disaster ‘as ever’

In the news Meghan Markle logo disaster, plus the plane crash in Toronto, a sinkhole in Kent and Pete Doherty in Switzerland

Meghan has a huge support team so it’s strange that these clashes weren’t discovered earlier. | EFE

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It seems that Meghan Markle has yet again managed to put her foot in it. This time, she and her marketing team have created a new logo to accompany a rebrand of her lifestyle website called, As Ever. Frankly, I’m not sure that’s such a clever name given how many wags will contrive to distort it, as I have done in my title. So, Meghan’s new logo of two hummingbirds flying next to a palm tree unfortunately closely resembles the ancient heraldic coat of arms of Porreres in Mallorca. The logo dates back to 1370 so in fairness, the small and picturesque town has every right to claim that they got there first. I do think the two logos are similar but not identical. However, it would be up to a copyright lawyer to decide whether there was any serious infringement. That’s not all. A fashion brand in the States is also unhappy with Meghan’s new business as it shares the same name ‘As ever.’ Two disasters in one fell swoop.

Meghan has a huge support team so it’s strange that these clashes weren’t discovered earlier. Surely a simple trawl of existing logos and businesses would have cleared up these misunderstandings and averted such adverse publicity.

As Xisca Mora, mayoress of Porreres says, it would be night impossible for the town council to find the funds to fight the potential infringement. All the same, the jolly mayoress is certainly capitalising on the town’s sudden fame. She may not be able to stop the Duchess using her logo, but she can expect a mountain of curious visitors this season.

Passengers leave a Delta Air Lines CRJ-900 jet after it crashed on landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport
Passengers leaving the plane after the crash. Photo: Peter Koukov/Handout via REUTERS
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On the case

A video of a plane landing at Toronto Airport, flipping on its wing and bursting into flames, sent shivers down my spine. Can you imagine? You hear the plane’s wheels touch down and think all is well until it suddenly lurches to the side and flips over. Passengers were left hanging upside down in the plane until able to escape the wreck. Miraculously, no one was badly hurt but one astounding fact emerged. Despite the danger of the situation, many passengers chose to take their hand luggage with them instead of just exiting the aircraft as speedily as possible. This is exactly what we’re all told not to do in an aeroplane incident. You have to wonder whether retrieving an Hermes handbag, latest iPhone or fat wallet is ever worth the risk to yourself and fellow passengers.

That sinking feeling

I felt for the poor folks in an enclave of Kent who woke to discover an enormous sinkhole in their street. A smaller incident happened before in the same area but this time the street resembled a warzone with pipes and cables exposed. It’s so fortunate that no one was driving along the road at the precise time the incident occurred. It’s a horror best not to contemplate!

Cheese and chocolate

In Switzerland on business this week, I was sorely tempted by the displays of Swiss cheeses and chocolates at Geneva Airport but stubbornly resisted the urge to snap some up. Who doesn’t love a good cheese? According to former bad boy, singer Pete Doherty, his life in a French rural idyll has led to disaster as he has shunned drugs for healthy doses of Comté cheese and his weight has soared. I can’t blame him for his good taste, but the threat of serious diabetes might prove an effective deterrent enough for me.