Stranded at sea for six days, without water for two, Yun Ma feared the worst

At a salon in south Manchester, a nail technician recites his Odyssey

Dear members — we hope you had a decent bank holiday and maybe caught a street party or two. After a weekend of high political drama following the local elections, today’s newsletter will bring drama of the human variety: the incredible story of Yun Ma, who fled Vietnam in 1986 on a tiny fishing boat with his father and found himself in Sale, South Manchester, running (and working in) a nail salon.

But first: is the English National Opera moving here? Plus, an even more exciting cultural event on the horizon…