Sign of the times

Tola Ositelu has been a freelance writer and blogger for almost a decade. She’s interested in arts, culture and social commentary. Currently based at the EU in Brussels, she studied law and has a masters in sociocultural linguistics. Tola is a lifelong learner as well as a music, literature and travel enthusiast. She describes herself as a novice political activist.

Donnacha DeLong is an online journalist and freelance writer. He has been a senior site editor of Amnesty International’s global website amnesty.org and played a key role in developing the organisation's use of social media for campaigning and reporting purposes. Donnacha is a past President of the National Union of Journalists and is a current member of the union’s National Executive Committee. 

Lara Platman is a journalist and photographer with a passion for all things eccentric, fast and theatrical. This includes dance, motor cars, country life and polo. Her work has featured in a variety of top publications. She is a regular columnist for The-Latest and has her own site photofeature.co.uk that showcases her creative output.

Sumantra Maitra is a freelance journalist from Mumbai, India. He is a correspondent for All Sports magazine, and a foreign affairs blogger for the Washington Examiner. He has written articles for news website Merinews.com and other regional publications. Sumantra runs a blog at DailyWorldWatch.wordpress.com. He provided exclusive eyewitness reports for The-Latest on the Mumbai bombings of 2008.

Heidi Kingstone has spent time in Afghanistan reporting for a number of publications. Her work has appeared in the Financial Times, The Spectator, The Sunday Times and other international journals.  She has also reported from places like Iraq, Rwanda, Lebanon, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. Heidi is The-Latest's Editor at large.