Archives Revue de presse - 2019
07 June 2019 - For the first time, 50% cabinet ministers in South Africa are women
South Africa’s cabinet is now 50% women for the first time ever
Sean Fleming, Senior Writer, Formative Content (World Economic Forum, 04/06/2019)
For the first time in South Africa’s history, women now make up half of the government's cabinet, following changes implemented by recently-elected president Cyril Ramaphosa.
One of the women appointed to a ministerial position is the veteran opposition politician Patricia De Lille, who, after standing for the Good party in the country’s 2019 presidential elections, was named head of public works and infrastructure.
The appointment of more women, along with a number of younger politicians, has been described by the ruling African National Congress party as reflecting “a good balance of youth, gender, geographical spread and experience”.
Half of Ramaphosa's ministers are women: this is the power squad
Cebelihle Bhengu (Sunday Times, 30/05/2019)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been praised for leading by example and implementing equality between men and women the right way after announcing on Wednesday evening that women will make up half of his executive.
From newcomer, Good leader Patricia de Lille, to the return of Thoko Didiza, here's the power squad...
Thumbs up to cabinet parity but not everything is genderised
Nomkhitha Gysman (City Press, 07/06/2019)
At last, South Africa’s cabinet has actual gender parity.
Half of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s engine of government now consists of women.
This really is a breath of fresh air – not just for South Africa, but across the region.
One hopes that this will spur on the additional six SADC countries due to hold elections this year.
Gender parity in Cabinet does not guarantee progress for women — activists
Aaisha Dadi Patel (Mail and Guardian, 30/05/2019)
In his announcement of South Africa’s national executive on Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised the centrality of gender parity on the national agenda. “For the first time in the history of our country, half of all ministers are women,” he said.
With women occupying 13 of the 28 ministerial posts, they form exactly 46% of those in charge of the country. Of the 38 deputy ministers, 16 are women.
According to UN Women’s statistics from November 2018, only 3 countries have 50% or more women in parliament in single or lower houses: Rwanda with 61.3%, Cuba with 53.2% and Bolivia with 53.1%.
12 June 2019 - Women’s Football World Cup: England vs Scotland breaks TV audience record
England vs. Scotland breaks UK TV viewing record for women's game
Ben Morse (CNN, 10/06/2019)
The match between England and Scotland on Sunday at France 2019 broke UK television viewing figure records for a women's football game, says the BBC.
At its peak, 6.1 million people tuned in to watch England beat Scotland 2-1 in the Women's World Cup as both sides played their first match at the tournament, with the game attracting a 37.8% share of the available audience.
In comparison, 18.3 million tuned in for the England men's team opener in the 2018 World Cup against Tunisia in Russia, attracting 69.2% of the UK's total TV audience.
Women's World Cup match attracts bigger TV audience than cricket
Jim Waterson, Media editor (The Guardian, 10/06/2019)
Women’s football is now more popular than cricket – at least when it comes to TV ratings.
England’s victory over Scotland in the Women’s World Cup attracted an average audience of 4.6 million viewers to BBC One on Sunday evening. This set a new record for a women’s football match and left the broadcaster hopeful that millions of viewers will continue to tune in as both national teams progress through the tournament.
By comparison coverage of England’s matches in the men’s Cricket World Cup has been averaging a mere 550,000 viewers, despite cricket’s status as a traditional British summer sport and the tournament being hosted in the UK.
Opinion: Why this World Cup will show how investing in women pays off
Nancy Armour (USA Today, 31/05/2019)
Change does not come cheap.
The popularity with the general public, the star turns after big tournaments, the inspiration they’re providing for younger generations – those are all well and good for the U.S. women’s team and other high-profile female athletes. But to fill the gaps left from decades of disparity, to achieve true equality, it’s going to take money. Significant amounts of it. From federations, leagues and corporations.
As the U.S. women prepare for the World Cup, which begins Friday in Paris, there has been a marked shift in their quest for equity – in athletics and otherwise. Setting an example and hoping others follow is no longer enough. They’re pushing for money, from stakeholders and others with the power to change the narrative.
Women's World Cup: What challenges do female players still face?
(BBC News, 08/06/2019)
A ruling by the English FA effectively banned women from playing professional football for 50 years until 1971.
Yet, now England's Lionesses rank third in the world and are among the favourites to win the Fifa Women's World Cup in France.
It's major progress since the FA changed its ruling in 1971.
So what are the challenges women footballers still face?
13 June 2019 - Hidden Figures Way: NASA honours black women mathematicians
Hidden Figures Way: Nasa renames street to honor black female mathematicians
David Smith (The Guardian, 12/06/2019)
Nasa, the US space agency, has renamed the street in front of its headquarters Hidden Figures Way, honouring the black female mathematicians who defied racial segregation to play a crucial part in its most celebrated missions.
The designation honours African American mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, featured in the 2016 book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and the subsequent film directed by Theodore Melfi.
NASA Unveils 'Hidden Figures Way' at Headquarters to Honor Female Space Icons
Hanneke Weitering (Space.com, 12/06/2019)
The street outside NASA headquarters in Washington was renamed "Hidden Figures Way" today (June 12) in honor of the women who worked as "human computers" at the agency when it first started launching astronauts into space, during the 1960s.
In a renaming ceremony outside NASA headquarters, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; author of the "Hidden Figures" book (William Morrow, 2016), Margot Lee Shetterly; and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson unveiled the new street sign at the corner of 4th Street and what is now Hidden Figures Way — formerly E Street SW.
A Sign of Progress: Honoring NASA’s Hidden Figures
(NASA, 12/06/2019)
Thanks to new signage, visitors to NASA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. will be reminded of the contributions of the hidden figures who were essential to the success of early spaceflight.
On June 12, Administrator Jim Bridenstine joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and author Margot Lee Shetterly for the renaming of the street in front of NASA Headquarters in Washington – E Street SW – to “Hidden Figures Way.”
This symbolic act honors Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who were featured in Shetterly’s book – and subsequent movie – Hidden Figures, as well as all women who have dedicated their lives to advance the United States’ space program.
5 Ways Society Sabotages Girls' Interest In Science And Math
Marshall Shepherd (Forbes, 09/06/2019)
Unless you have lived under a rock with no Internet or mobile data connection, you know science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are vital career pathways of the future. However, STEM is often not the chosen pathway for minorities and girls. In a previous Forbesessay, I documented that many minorities avoid science because of cultural perceptions about what is considered a "successful" career, limited mentors, lack of exposure to the "fun" of science, and stereotypes. Dr. Nicole Joseph is an Assistant Professor of mathematics and science education at Vanderbilt University. She recently delivered a thought-provoking lecture at the University of Georgia-hosted workshop called "Navigating STEM." Her lecture inspired me to explore five reasons girls avoid entry into STEM-related fields.
14 June 2019 - Social media has become unhealthy for young people
Selena Gomez: Instagram 'would make me depressed'
(BBC News, 13/06/2019)
Speaking ahead of the release of her new film, she said social media negatively affected her self-esteem.
The 26-year-old told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, "it would make me feel not good about myself, and look at my body differently".
The singer added that despite having more than 152m Instagram followers, she doesn't go on it much.
Selena Gomez’s Comments About Social Media & Depression Show Why Making Space For Yourself Is Important
Nylah Burton (Bustle, 13/06/2019)
On the June 12 episode of LIVE With Kelly and Ryan, 26-year-old singer Selena Gomez opened up about the impact that frequent social media use had on her mental health, E! reported. Gomez said that she thinks it’s unhealthy for her and other young adults to be “fixating on all these comments and letting this stuff in.” Gomez continued on to say that social media would “make me depressed. It would make me feel not good about myself and look at my body differently and all kinds of stuff."
Because of this, Gomez said she doesn’t keep the Instagram app on her own phone, but will use someone else’s when she wants to post a picture or browse. Gomez also took a social media break in late 2018. During this same time, Gomez also decided to enter a treatment facility as a way to manage her anxiety and depression.
Selena Gomez: Social media is unhealthy
(EyeWitness News, 13/06/2019)
Selena Gomez finds social media "unhealthy", as she says she now spends less time on her accounts because they began to make her feel "depressed".
The 26-year-old singer used to spend much of her time engaging with her fans on social media, but has now said she's limited the time she spends on apps such as Twitter and Instagram.
Speaking about her decision to stop replying to comments, the Wolves hitmaker said: "I used to a lot, but I think it's just become really unhealthy, I think, personally, for young people, including myself, to spend all of their time fixating on all these comments and letting this stuff in.
Opinion: Break up with your social media
Nicola Frederickson (The State Press, 04/24/19)
The most liberating thing I have ever done was delete my social media accounts. I haven’t had a Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat in over two years because of the major role they played in my life.
I became subject to the yearn for validation of humans I was either close with, acquainted with or — the scariest part — people I didn't even know. The problem with social media is not only the constant itch to check what your friends are doing, but the comparisons made to nearly everyone around you.
Although I was enamored of my friends experiencing major life events, I found that the pace at which I was completing mine felt somewhat behind the curve. This false sense of reality that is portrayed through the fictitious lens these platforms enable begins to feel like a constant competition that I knew I did not want to win.
17 June 2019 - Australian University Reform achieved mixed outcomes in reducing educational inequity
Labor's policy of university for all a mixed success, report finds
Australian Associated Press (The Guardian, 17/06/2019)
The move to fund university places for all young Australians who wanted to study did offer many more opportunities but had mixed success.
The Productivity Commission has examined the demand-driven funding of universities and found that while it did let more students give tertiary education a try, best knowing their own abilities and aspirations, it also risked encouraging people to attend who ultimately would not benefit.
The Labor government uncapped the number of university places it would fund in 2010 but the Coalition, in search of a surplus, has frozen funding at 2017 levels, effectively ending the demand-driven system.
Uncapping uni places boosted opportunity for many — but not rural and Indigenous students
Fergus Hunter (The Sydney Morning Herald, 17/06/2019)
The uncapping of undergraduate university places enabled tens of thousands of people from poorer backgrounds to access higher education but it failed to boost opportunity for Indigenous and rural students and caused a spike in dropout rates, a major new study has found.
The report by the Productivity Commission on the demand-driven university system — introduced from 2010 and effectively ended by the government last year — has found the model achieved "mixed" outcomes in reducing educational inequity.
The study, which is the most comprehensive analysis yet of students that enrolled because of the demand-driven system, found that the school system needs to be improved to better prepare students for tertiary education and that universities need to lift their game in supporting students.
More students are going to university than before, but those at risk of dropping out need more help
Andrew Norton (The Conversation Australia, 17/06/2019)
Enrolments to Australian public universities boomed during the last decade. This was due to a government policy known as “demand driven funding”, which between 2012 and 2017 allowed universities to enrol unlimited numbers of domestic bachelor-degree students.
In 2017, 45% more students started a bachelor degree than a decade earlier.
Boosting higher education participation rates, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, was one of the policy’s aims. But the Productivity Commission has today given the demand driven system a “mixed report card”.
Schools not preparing students for university or work
Robert Bolton, Education Editor (Australian Financial Review, 17/06/2019)
Falling school maths and reading scores have undercut the demand-driven policy to expand university access despite tens of billions of dollars more taxpayer funding.
A Productivity Commission review says many students from disadvantaged backgrounds are entering university "ill-prepared and struggling academically" leading to high dropout rates and leaving many of them worse off financially.
Under the 2010 demand-driven system begun by Labor governments, universities were encouraged to enrol more students with disadvantaged backgrounds, by lifting the caps on the government contribution.
18 June 2019 - Listeria in UK hospital food claims lives
Lanarkshire hospital linked to fatal listeria outbreak in England
(BBC News, 17/06/2019)
Five people have died in an outbreak in England which is related to pre-packed food supplied to 43 NHS trusts by the Good Food Chain.
NHS Lanarkshire has confirmed Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride was one of the sites involved.
The board said products were removed immediately and no cases of listeriosis had been reported in Scotland.
University Hospital Hairmyres was previously supplied with potentially-infected sandwiches and salads from the company.
Minister orders review into hospital food after more listeria deaths
Kevin Rawlinson (The Guardian, 14/07/2019)
Two more people have died after eating pre-packaged sandwiches and salads linked to a listeria outbreak, taking the total number of deaths to five, Public Health England has said.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, ordered a review of hospital food on Friday as he came under pressure from opposition MPs, who demanded that he make a statement to parliament on the scandal.
“I have been incredibly concerned by this issue and strongly believe that we need a radical new approach to the food that is served in our NHS,” Hancock said. “Staff, patients and families deserve so much better – our NHS should be at the forefront of supporting people to make healthy choices. I have instructed the NHS to conduct a root and branch review of hospital food.”
Eight NHS hospitals hit by listeria outbreaks as Hancock signals plans to bring catering in-house
Laura Donnelly, Health Editor (The Telegraph, 17/06/2019)
Eight NHS hospitals have been hit by the listeria outbreak which has killed five patients, the Health Secretary has revealed.
Matt Hancock made the disclosures as he said he was keen to see the health service take NHS catering back in-house, in a bid to improve safety.
The Health Secretary on Monday named six NHS hospitals which have been hit by the outbreak, linked to pre-packed sandwiches and salads, as he vowed to “take the necessary steps” to restore trust in hospital food.
They include two - Leicester Royal Infirmary, and Royal Derby Hospital - in which patients have died.
Hospitals were warned of the risk of listeria from ready-made sandwiches seven years ago
Chloe Kerr (The Sun, 18/06/2019)
The Food Standards Agency backed the warning before relaxing its advice in 2016.
The U-turn is likely to come under scrutiny in the Government-backed probe into the deaths.
Five people died after contracting the bug — two of them at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
The Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust each saw one death.
Fortnite creators surprised as Prince Harry calls the game “irresponsible”
Fortnite creators attack Prince Harry following ‘addiction’ comments - 'far from true'
Bill McLoughlin (Express, 20/06/2019)
Earlier this year, Prince Harry called for the game to be banned after he claimed that it was “created to addict”. As well as calling for the game to be banned Harry added that Fortnite was “irresponsible” for how long it can cause children to play the game. Following that, the creators, Epic Games, have defended their product and have insisted that his comments “could not be further from the truth”.
Speaking in front of MPs at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee meeting on Wednesday, Canon Pence defended his game.
Speaking on video game addiction on Wednesday, Canon Pence said: “The statements made could not be further from the truth in our designs and philosophy and multi-decade approach to developing a long-term and sustainable relationship with our audience.”
Mr Pence also added that he “quite taken back” by the royal’s comments.
MPs in a spin as games chief appears to deny Fortnite makes money
Alex Hern, Technology editor (The Guardian, 19/06/2019)
A Commons committee was left baffled as video game executives appeared to deny making money from their own games, admit to ignoring regulations governing data protection and age restrictions, and claim ignorance over how much time their own users were spending on games.
Representatives from Epic Games, makers of Fortnite: Battle Royale, and EA Games, the publisher of the Fifa series of football games, appeared as witnesses in front of the Commons Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee as part of its inquiry into immersive and addictive technologies.
Both games have been the subject of intense scrutiny after reports of children spending an unhealthy amount of time and money on them, with Prince Harry making an unusual public attack on Fortnite in April: “That game shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “It’s created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible.”
Prince Harry comments 'surprised' Fortnite makers
(BBC News, 19/06/2019)
Back in April, the Duke of Sussex said the game should be banned.
"It's created to addict and keep you in front of the computer for as long as possible," he said at the time.
Speaking in front of MPs about video game addiction today, Canon Pence - who works for Epic Games - said they were "quite taken aback" by Prince Harry's comments.
"The statements made could not be further from the truth in our designs and philosophy and multi-decade approach to developing a long-term and sustainable relationship with our audience," he added.
Fortnite creators say Prince Harry was wrong to say video game phenomenon was 'created to addict'
Tom Hoggins (Telegraph, 19/06/2019)
Epic Games, the creator of video game phenomenon Fortnitehave suggested that Prince Harry was wrong to label the game as ‘addictive’ and said it ‘shouldn’t be allowed’.
“"We were quite taken aback and really rather surprised because the statements that were made, in our view, couldn't be further from the truth from our intentions and design philosophy,” Epic’s senior counsel Canon Pence told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS). “It's really always been our effort and intent to create a fun, fair, flexible, engaging and generous form of interactive entertainment for our audience.
"So I feel like a statement that suggests that there was some sort of nefarious attempt to extract short-term profit is a real mischaracterisation."
Prince Harry Wants to Ban Fortnite? Here’s What He’s Missing
Jennifer Senior, Opinion Columnist (The New York Times, 05/04/2019)
If you have a child, particularly a boy, particularly a boy who’s a tween or teenager, you are no doubt acquainted with Fortnite, the third-person shooter game that never met a platform it didn’t like. And perhaps you, like me, have witnessed your darling child’s transformation from cuddly, relatable quasi-innocent to meme-spewing, floss-dancing obsessive.
I sometimes wonder whether my 11-year-old son dreams in Fortnite. I know he browses for new costumes in the item shop with the same zeal with which my mother once combed the racks at Loehmann’s. And when he is not playing Fortnite, he is often watching YouTubers play Fortnite, yowling men-children who go by names like Ninja and Tfue and Fearless, spelled Fe4RLess, narrating their virtual exploits.
21 June 2019 - New Zealand to put voting machines in supermarkets
Milk, bread, democracy: New Zealanders get to vote in supermarkets
Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin (The Guardian, 21/06/2019)
As well as picking up a carton of milk and a loaf of bread at the supermarket, voters in New Zealand will also be able to pick their new prime minister at the next election, after a shake-up of voting laws allowed for ballot boxes to be placed in busy shops and malls.
The new regulations announced this week will also allow same-day registration and voting.
One in five eligible people did not vote in the 2017 election which saw Labour’s Jacinda Ardern elected.
Voting at supermarkets, malls on way
(Otago Daily Times, 20/06/2019)
Kiwis will be able to vote at next year's general election while doing their weekly food shop.
Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced that ballot boxes will be in more venues at the 2020 election - including supermarkets and shopping malls.
"New Zealanders deserve to have their votes counted. Nearly half of voters are now exercising their right to vote prior to election day," Little said.
"Those early voters are able to both enrol and vote at the ballot box.
Pak 'n vote: Ballot boxes in Hawke's Bay supermarkets welcomed
(NZ Herald, 21/06/2019)
A move by the Government to increase the number of ballot boxes in more venues at next year's general election has been welcomed by Hawke's Bay's political leaders.
Justice Minister Andrew Little announced changes on Thursday where voters will be able to enrol on election day, and allow ballot boxes to be placed in supermarkets and malls to make it easier for people to vote.
The Electoral Commission recommended a number of small changes to make it easier for people to enrol and vote, which the Government agreed to make.
Voters to be able to enrol on election day - Andrew Little
(RNZ, 20/06/2019)
Voters will be able to enrol and vote on election day next year, Justice Minister Andrew Little says.
Mr Little said the change was only fair, given that people voting in advance were allowed to enrol and vote on the same day.
Other changes for next year's election include providing more polling places closer to where people live, such as at supermarkets.
The decision follows recommendations by the Justice Select Committee's ongoing inquiry into the last election, when polling booths were trialled in supermarkets and malls.
24 June 2019 - UK’s 60-hour weather bomb: flash floods followed by heat wave
UK weather: Warning of a month's worth of rainfall - before temperatures expected to soar
(The Telegraph, 24/06/2019)
Thunderstorms could bring a month's worth of rain to parts of the UK, before the hottest temperatures of the year so far bring a balmy end to June.
Some parts of Scotland could see 80mm of rain in 18 hours on Monday and the Met Office has issued weather warnings amid fears of flooding and travel disruption.
Meanwhile, central and eastern spots in England may get more than half a month's rainfall in just an hour, the forecaster said.
Yellow weather warnings, covering Northern Ireland, much of England and eastern parts of Wales, advise there could be damage from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
UK weather forecast: Britain braced for brutal heatwave after lightning and flash floods
Brian McGleenon (The Express, 24/06/2019)
Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: “There will be some heavy rain around first thing this morning with the risk of some thunderstorms, as well as quite a warm and a humid feeling if you're stepping out the door." The Met Office warn of some persistent rain though across eastern and central Scotland that will give some tricky travelling conditions through the morning, with some thunderstorms likely across northern counties of England. Mr Miall said: “Further south some thunderstorms will break out through central and southern England and perhaps parts of Wales.
“There will be quite a humid feel and if we get any sunshine through the morning those temperatures will rocket up, but through the day you can see further pulses of rain moving their way northwards."
He added: “Throughout Monday weather warnings will remain in force with showers and thunderstorms across Northern Ireland.
Weather bomb to unleash month’s worth of rain on UK before temperatures rocket to 33C
Anders Anglesey (Daily Star, 24/06/2019)
Parts of Scotland could see as much as 80mm of rain in 18 hours today, which forced the Met Office to issue weather warnings amid flood fears and travel disruption.
South of the border, England could get more than half a month's rainfall in just an hour.
Yellow weather warnings, covering Northern Ireland, much of England and eastern parts of Wales, advised there could be damage from flooding, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.
High humidity today and on Tuesday is being blamed for sparking thunderstorms and will end in muggy conditions for many, with overnight highs of 19C being possible throughout this week.
Come on, UK weather forecasters – tell it like it is on climate change
Adam Corner (The Guardian, 20/03/2019)
They have a national reach that most climate campaigners would die for. They are familiar and respected experts on the science of meteorology. And they have prime-time slots at the end of almost every TV news bulletin, morning, noon and night. But the weather forecasters who guide everything from our clothing choices to our weekend plans seldom – if ever – mention the issue that is increasingly shaping our beloved British weather: climate change.
This week, former BBC weatherman Bill Giles broke cover, and called for the BBC and other major broadcasters to overhaul their approach to forecasts, and add in information about the crucial context of climate change to their predictions about the daily weather.
While the weather can’t always straightforwardly be equated with a changing climate, the impacts of climate change are no longer a hypothetical concern, or a discussion for the future.
25 June 2019 - Trump says journalist who accused him of rape is ‘not my type’
Donald Trump says sexual assault accuser is 'not his type' and incident 'never happened'
Bonnie Christian (Evening Standard, 25/06/2019)
The US president told The Hill newspaper: "I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.”
New York-based writer E. Jean Carroll claimed that after what started as a friendly encounter with Mr Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996, the real estate mogul pushed her up against a wall, unzipped his trousers and forced himself on her.
Ms Carroll said that, in a "colossal struggle", she pushed him off and ran from the store.
Mr Trump told paper that Ms Carroll was "totally lying" about the accusation, which he has previously denied.
Trump sexual assault accuser E Jean Carroll considers police complaint
Ed Pilkington and Edward Helmore (The Guardian, 25/06/2019)
E Jean Carroll, the celebrated advice columnist who has accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s, has said she is considering bringing a complaint to the New York police department.
In a lengthy interview with CNN on Monday, Carroll said she would be open to working with the NYPD in a criminal investigation into the attack she alleges happened in the Manhattan store of Bergdorf Goodman in late 1995 or early 1996.
“I would consider it,” she said. However, she added that lawyers had advised her that the statute of limitations deadline by which such a complaint would have had to be brought has expired.
Trump sexual assault accuser E Jean Carroll says she's 'sick' nothing has happened to him: 'We have to change this culture'
Andrew Buncombe, Seattle (The Independent, 24/06/2019)
The latest woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault has said she feels sick nothing has happened to him despite numerous allegations, saying: “We have to change this culture of sexual violence.”
Last week, in extracts of a forthcoming memoir published by New Yorkmagazine, columnist and writer E Jean Carroll claimed the president assaulted her in a dressing room in New York’s Bergdorf Goodman department store two decades ago. She said he pushed her against the wall, unzipped his trousers and entered her.
The president, 73, has denied the allegation , claiming he has never met the writer, despite the existence of photograph of them at a party, and said she is merely trying to sell her book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.
Sky Views: Trump has shifted the boundaries of what is acceptable in public life
Hannah Thomas-Peter, US correspondent (Sky News, 25/06/2019)
She is the sixteenth woman to do so.
Mr Trump has always vigorously denied all these allegations, some of which stretch back decades.
In Ms Carroll's case, he says he doesn't even know her, and has accused her of fabricating stories in order to sell her book.
I will take a gamble and predict that Ms Carroll's allegation will make almost no difference to the president's standing and popularity amongst his supporters.
Have we become numb to Trump’s loathsomeness?
Paul Waldman, Opinion writer (The Washington Post, 24/06/2019)
When we look back on June 2019, we’ll say that this was the time when a credible allegation of rape was made against the president of the United States, and he had already shown himself to be such a loathsome character that it was treated as a third-tier story, not worthy of much more than a passing mention here and there in the news.
After New York magazine published author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s account last Friday of an encounter she says she had with Trump in a Bergdorf Goodman that ended with him raping her in a dressing room, many of our most important news outlets reacted with only minor interest. Most of the nation’s biggest newspapers — aside from The Post — left it off on their front page the next day. None of the five Sunday shows mentioned it at all.
There are many reasons to find Carroll’s allegation credible. She’s a fairly well-known public figure.
01 July 2019 - The Guardian criticised for publishing photo of drowned migrants without appropriate warning
Shocking photo of drowned father and daughter highlights migrants' border peril
Includes graphic images, viewer discretion advised
Patrick Timmons in Piedras Negras, Martin Hodgson in New York, and David Agren in Mexico City (The Guardian, 26/06/2019)
The grim reality of the migration crisis unfolding on America’s southern border has been captured in photographs showing the lifeless bodies of a Salvadoran father and his daughter who drowned as they attempted to cross the Rio Grande into Texas.
The images, taken on Monday, show Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez, 26, and his daughter Valeria, lying face down in shallow water. The 23-month-old toddler’s arm is draped around her father’s neck, suggesting that she was clinging to him in her final moments.
The UN refugee agency compared the photograph to the 2015 image of thethree-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi who drowned off the Greek island of Kos – although it remains to be seen if it will have the same impact on America’s fierce immigration debate.
The Image America Shouldn’t Need
Includes graphic images, viewer discretion advised
Tina Vasquez (The New York Review of Books, 27/06/2019)
The photo is inescapable. First published by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada and later by the Associated Press, it quickly circulated on social media. Not long after, the image flashed across television stations and news sites around the country. By Wednesday morning, it was on the front page of The New York Times.
The image shows the bodies of twenty-five-year-old Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter, Valeria, who was almost two years old. On the banks of the Rio Grande river, they were captured by journalist Julia Le Duc in a final embrace. They died migrating.
According to Le Duc, Martínez, his wife, Tania Vanessa Ávalos, and their daughter Valeria had begun migrating to the United States from El Salvador. They’d been in Tapachula in southern Mexico, where they applied for humanitarian visas that would have allowed them to stay and work in Mexico for a year.
Should the media publish graphic news images?
Includes graphic images, viewer discretion advised
Mike Bebernes (Yahoo News, 29/06/2019)
What's happening: A photograph of a father and his young daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande into the United States sparked anguish and outrage around the world this week. The image, taken by journalist Julia Le Duc, shows the bodies of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his young daughter, Valeria, face down in the water and underscored the dangers migrants encounter when attempting to enter the U.S. The pair were fleeing violence in their home country of El Salvador, according to the Associated Press.
The image also led to a debate about the decision by news organizations to publish the painful photo. Several outlets felt compelled to publish posts from top editors explaining their choice to do so. (Yahoo News chose to publish the photograph for its news value on a story of public importance.) A similar conversation arose in 2015 around a photograph of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe with his family.
The Guardian was right to use a graphic image – but lessons have been learned
Paul Chadwick (The Guardian, 30/06/2019)
"It is the visual stories that have staying power,” a picture editor once wrote. From time to time an image condenses a public issue into human form so powerfully that it becomes both messenger and symbol. The latest is last week’s photograph of the bodies of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria, floating face-down near the bank of the Rio Grande, on the US-Mexico border.
The child’s arm, draped across her father’s neck, emerges from inside his shirt, where presumably he had tried to secure her. It gives the image a potent poignancy. “The tenderness, the way he never let her go. You can see the way he protected her,” said Rosa Ramírez, his mother in El Salvador, from where Martínez, his wife, Tania Vanessa Ávalos, and their daughter had begun their attempt to reach the US.
02 July 2019 - UK's pothole crisis could require 10 years and 10bn to be solved
'Pothole plague' could take 10 years and £9.8bn to cure, parliament committee report finds
Matt Strudwick, Content Editor (Surrey Live, 01/07/2019)
England's "pothole plague" will take 10 years to cure, according to a report by a parliament committee.
Taxpayers would have to foot a total bill of £9.8 billion for local authorities to bring the country's roads up to scratch.
The staggering figure is revealed in a 56-page damning report by the Transport Committee who say the government's short-term approach to funding road maintenance is "not fit for purpose".
Within the pages it reveals the cost of a one-time "catch-up" to deal with a maintenance backlog would be around £70 million for each of England's councils and £32 million per London authority.
MPs call for five-year plan to cure ‘plague of potholes’
Aaron Morby (Construction Enquirer, 02/07/2019)
MPs have slammed the feast and famine funding approach to retrospectively tackle potholes rather than introducing properly funded planned proactive maintenance.
The call for a rethink on funding has been supported by civil engineering contractors who warned funding pots are being plundered to fund core local authority services.
The Committee’s report, ‘Local roads funding and maintenance: filling the gap’, noted that local government revenue funding had fallen by about 25% since 2010.
A lack of funding certainty has caused many councils to take short-term, reactive decisions on road maintenance, which is less effective than proactive maintenance and undermines local economic performance.
Plague of potholes is damaging cars and putting cyclists in danger
Jonathan Walker (Birmingham Live, 01/07/2019)
Failure to mend potholes is damaging cars, putting cyclists at risk and hurting the economy, MPs have warned.
They called for a five-year plan to fix Britain’s broken roads.
The problem is partly a result of the ad-hoc way local roads are maintained, with councils responsible for keeping them in good condition at the same time as they struggle to cope with budget cuts,
MPs on the House of Commons Transport Committee issued the warning in a new report, saying: “Many people will not have to travel further than their local shops to see an extreme state of disrepair.
Pothole CRISIS solved? England and Wales 'WASTING' money when there is a simple solution
Charlotte Davis (Express, 22/04/2019)
Potholes continue to cause havoc on parts of Britain’s roads and the AIA, whose members supply much of the materials used for filling in holes, have outlined the simple solution to England and Wales’s deteriorating road conditions. The Government announced towards the end of March that councils in England will receive an extra £50million for potholes and flood resilience. A further £151million will go to reward best practice. But the AIA has insisted local authorities across England and Wales must be granted with at least £1.5bilion each year for the next ten years in order to bring the local road network up to reasonable conditions.
“But yes, there are an awful lot of potholes.
“We have spent a £1billion in the last decade filling potholes, which actually is wasted money because potholes really are the symptom of poorly maintained roads.
04 July 2019 - Police should end use of facial recognition due to inaccuracy
Police face calls to end use of facial recognition software
Robert Booth, Social affairs correspondent (The Guardian, 03/07/2019)
Police are facing calls to halt the use of facial recognition software to search for suspected criminals in public after independent analysis found matches were only correct in a fifth of cases and the system was likely to break human rights laws.
Academics from the University of Essex were granted access to six live trials by the Metropolitan police in Soho, Romford and at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London.
They found the system regularly misidentified people who were then wrongly stopped. They also warned of “surveillance creep”, with the technology being used to find people who were not wanted by the courts.
Police urged to axe facial recognition after research finds four of five ‘suspects’ are innocent
Adam Forrest (The Independent, 04/07/2019)
Scotland Yard has been urged to stop using facial recognition technologyafter independent research found that four out of five people identified as possible suspects were innocent.
Researchers at the University of Essex found that the Metropolitan Police’s live facial recognition (LFR) system was inaccurate in the huge majority of cases: the technology made only eight out of 42 matches correctly across six trials evaluated.
The report, commissioned by the Met, raised “significant concerns” that use of the controversial technology breaks human rights laws.
Police face recognition software ‘wrong 80% of time’
Fariha Karim, Mark Bridge (The Times, 04/07/2019)
Facial recognition technology used by Scotland Yard is wrong in the vast majority of cases and probably illegal, according to the first independent analysis of the system.
Scotland Yard has been trialling Live Facial Recognition technology, in which cameras scan the faces of members of the public to compare them with faces on a list of wanted individuals.
However, researchers from the University of Essex who were given access to six of ten trials in Soho, Romford and at the Westfield shopping centre in east London, found that the technology picked out faces that were not on a wanted list in 80 per cent of cases.
Sky Views: Facial recognition trials show government at its worst
Rowland Manthorpe, Technology Correspondent (Sky News, 04/07/2019)
This is not a philosophical thought experiment, an ultra-boring version of the tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it.
No: this is a real question with a real answer, one which reveals a great deal about the way power works in modern Britain.
To understand why, let me take you back to yesterday, when the Home Office issued its response to the publication of the first ever independent evaluation on the Metropolitan Police's use of facial recognition technology.
The Met has been experimenting with facial recognition ever since August 2016, when it used the technology at Notting Hill Carnival.
How do we stop facial recognition from becoming the next Facebook: ubiquitous and useful yet dangerous, impervious and misunderstood?
Kieren McCarthy (The Register, 03/07/2019)
Facial recognition is having a rough time of it lately. Just six months ago, people were excited about Apple allowing you to open your phone just by looking at it. A year ago, Facebook users joyfully tagged their friends in photos. But then the tech got better, and so did the concerns.
In May, San Francisco became the first major city in the world to effectively ban facial recognition. A week later, Congress heard how it also needed to ban the tech until new rules could be drawn up to cover its safe use.
That same week, Amazon shot down a stakeholder proposal to ban the sale of its facial recognition technology from being sold to law enforcement.
05 July 2019 - Tourism in the age of Instagram: Can you still travel responsibly?
We’re in the age of the overtourist. You can avoid being one of them.
Hannah Sampson (The Washington Post, 17/06/2019)
Now is the summer of our tourism discontent.
There have been protests against cruise ships in Venice after a crash this month. Workers mounted a strike over crowding at the Louvre. New taxes targeting visitors in New Zealand go into effect soon. Even the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are limiting some tours.
The world was traversed by 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals last year, a number that is only expected to rise as global economic improvement smacks into low airfare, cheap accommodations, a growing fleet of cruise ships and a connected culture that demands photos of it all.
Destination trouble: Can overtourism be stopped in its tracks?
Joe Minihane (CNN, 02/07/2019)
We first hear about these places when we're kids. Famous destinations full of wondrous architecture, spectacular scenery or ancient mysteries that fire our imaginations and fill us with yearning.
We dream, we grow, we save up all our money and one day we finally get to visit -- only to discover that everyone else is visiting at the same time.
Overtourism is fast becoming one of the most hotly debated issues in the modern age of travel. Thanks to cheaper air fares, rising incomes and social media's ability to laser focus attention on specific destinations, more travelers than ever before are descending on places that can no longer cope with their own popularity.
In the past few years, the number of destinations raising the alarm over this has steadily increased.
Instagram travel bragging is killing the family vacation
Meagan Francis (NBC News, 03/07/2019)
Recently, while comparing notes on busy summer schedules with an acquaintance, she sighed. “I’m really hoping to get away this summer, but I don’t know if we can pull it off,” she said. Then, wistfully: “I get so jealous seeing everyone’s travel photos. It’s been so long since our family has been on vacation.”
I was puzzled. The previous month I’d seen photos on this same acquaintance’s Instagram feed of a road trip to visit family in a neighboring state, and just days earlier a weekend excursion to tour museums and a zoo a few hours away.
Then I realized that road trips and weekend outings were not what she meant by “getting away” on a “vacation.” No, she meant Vacation with a capital V — somewhere exotic or tropical or at least too far to drive to.
The Tyranny of Other People’s Vacation Photos
Henry Alford (The New York Times, 12/08/2016)
Chief among my favorite Facebook memories is the time that a high-powered journalist of my acquaintance breezily informed us all that he was at the Grill Room of the Four Seasons with Ted Danson, tucking into some sea urchin. To which one friend responded, “That’s funny, because I’m at the Midtown tunnel with Rhea Perlman, eating shawarma.”
While some frequent users of social media are merely fabulous, others savvily buff their fabulousness to a dazzling gleam, becoming fahvolous. At no point in the year is this more evident than in August and early September, when Facebook and Instagram swell with the plump, juicy, sun-ripened harvest of summer: vacation photos.
What prompts the excessive posting of these pictures?
02 September 2019 - Boris Johnson to Suspend Parliament Before Brexit
U.K. Government Announces Plans to Suspend Parliament Before Brexit. Here's What That Means
Billy Perrigo (Time Magazine, 29/08/2019)
The U.K. government announced controversial plans to suspend parliament on Wednesday morning, a gamble which could allow a “no deal” Brexit to be forced through — or preempt a vote of no confidence in the government.
The Queen formally agreed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request to end the current parliamentary session, the government said Wednesday.
The move to “prorogue” parliament will effectively lock lawmakers out of the building for several days in early September, possibly preventing them from making laws that would force Britain’s exit from the European Union to be delayed or even canceled if a deal cannot be agreed.
Why Boris Johnson is so desperate to lock Parliament out
David Allen Green (The Washington Post, 30/08/2019)
The controversy in British politics about the suspension of Parliament, known as prorogation, is unprecedented and significant. The dispute is different from the usual and often confected accusations about improper use of political power: The issue at stake is a fundamental one, and it may mean the United Kingdom is moving toward a constitutional crisis.
The background to this is, of course, the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. That exit, which has already been twice postponed, is set for Oct. 31. The departure is the default position. It is what will happen by automatic operation of law unless something stops it.
The intention had been for this departure to be accompanied by a comprehensive withdrawal agreement providing for practical issues that include residency rights for affected citizens and the applicable law for ongoing transactions. In November, British and European negotiators finalized a draft agreement.
First legal challenge fails to stop Boris Johnson suspending UK parliament
Emilio Casalicchio (Politico, 30/08/2019)
A legal bid to immediately stop British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspending the U.K. parliament has been thrown out by the highest civil court in Scotland.
Judge Lord Doherty told the Court of Session in Edinburgh that he would reassess the legality of the suspension at a hearing on Tuesday.
He said: “I’m not satisfied that it has been demonstrated that there’s a need for an interim suspension or an interim interdict to be granted at this stage.”
Thousands protest against Boris Johnson's parliament shutdown
Simon Murphy (The Guardian, 31/08/2019)
Tens of thousands of demonstrators are taking to the streets across Britain and outside the gates of Downing Street in protest against Boris Johnson’s move to suspend parliament.
Crowds brandished banners pledging to “defend democracy”, chanted “stop the coup” and waved EU flags in London in a bid to resist the parliament shutdown.
Demonstrators are massing at protests in dozens of locations around the country including Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton, Swansea, Bristol and Liverpool.
03 September 2019 - Harry Potter books removed from Catholic school due to 'real spells'
A Catholic school removed Harry Potter books from its library, warning that readers ‘risk conjuring evil spirits’
Antonia Noori Farzan (The Washington Post, 03/09/2019)
Before the new school year began, the Rev. Dan Reehil turned to several exorcists for advice.
Reehil, a pastor at St. Edward Catholic School in Nashville, was worried about the heretical lessons that students could learn from the Harry Potter books, he wrote in a Wednesday email to faculty members that was obtained by WTVF. At the advice of the exorcists he consulted, who shared his concerns, he purged the series from the school’s library.
Harry Potter books removed from Catholic school 'on exorcists' advice'
Alison Flood (The Guardian, 02/09/2019)
A private Catholic school in Nashville has removed the Harry Potter books from its library, saying they include “actual curses and spells, which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits”.
Local paper the Tennessean reported that the pastor at St Edward Catholic school, which teaches children of pre-kindergarten age through to 8th grade, had emailed parents about JK Rowling’s series to tell them that he had been in contact with “several” exorcists who had recommended removing the books from the library.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception,” Rev Dan Reehil wrote. “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
Is JK Rowling in league with the Devil? A history of Harry Potter-inspired ‘satanic panic’
Cal Revely-Calder (The Telegraph, 02/09/2019)
America is the land of the free – except, it seems, when freedom risks letting Satan in. The news that a Tennessee school has removed the Harry Potter series from its library shelves – its pastor citing the books’ “clever deception” in presenting magic as “both good and evil” – is the latest in a succession of religious prohibitions on JK Rowling’s best-selling novels.
The trend, in fact, dates back over two decades to the 1997 publication of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The Banning of Harry Potter
Deji Olukotun (The Huffington Post, 09/07/2017)
Harry Potter is now the most banned book in America, according to the American Library Association. It is undeniable that themes of death and resurrection abound in the stories, as well as detailed depictions of potions and other hocus pocus. But while there are Christians who decry the celebration of witchcraft, there are other Christians who consider Harry’s journey an edifying allegory for Jesus Christ. That is another problem with banning books: it obscures the diversity of viewpoints within its potential readership. Thankfully at least 450 million copies have been sold, so there is little danger that an eager reader will not be able to drudge up a copy.
05 September 2019 - Scientists to reveal 'plausible' theory for Loch Ness monster
Loch Ness Monster: Scientists to reveal 'plausible' theory
(BBC News, 05/09/2019)
A team of scientists are to reveal the "plausible theory" they have identified for sightings of Nessie.
Research led by a New Zealand university has sought to catalogue all living life in Loch Ness by analysing DNA collected from water samples.
Last month, the team said it had a biological explanation for the Loch Ness Monster.
DNA scientists: Loch Ness monster 'still plausible'
(Herald Scotland, 21/08/2019)
Scientists who have completed a DNA investigation of the waters of Loch Ness have said that one theory about its fabled monster "remains plausible".
The global team of scientists, led by Professor Neil Gemmell, used environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling of the waters to identify tiny genetic remnants left behind by life in the Highland loch and establish a detailed list of all life living in the waters.
During their research, launched last June, 250 water samples were taken from the length, breadth and depth of Loch Ness.
Nessie, is that you?: Kiwi scientist set to reveal his findings in Loch Ness monster search
Hannah Martin (Stuff New Zealand, 05/09/2019)
Has a Kiwi scientist cracked one of Scotland's most enduring mysteries – the existence, or otherwise, of the Loch Ness monster? We'll soon find out.
Last year, University of Otago Professor Neil Gemmell and a team of researchers went searching for DNA from the famous 226m-deep lake in Scotland.
That DNA was extracted from 250 water samples taken at various locations from the lake, and was then sequenced and analysed against existing databases back in Dunedin.
You can get free holidays in Scotland for life - if you can prove Nessie exists
James Andrews (Mirror, 03/09/2019)
As tourist attractions go, the Loch Ness Monster is somewhat shy.
After close to 100 years of people heading to Scotland to try and spot the elusive beastie, conclusive evidence is thin on the ground.
But there's little doubt that if she was ever officially proved to exist, interest would only increase.
09 September 2019 - Margaret Atwood expands the world of «The Handmaid's Tale» with sequel «The Testaments»
Margaret Atwood Expands the World of The Handmaid’s Tale
Jia Tolentino (The New Yorker, 05/09/2019)
The political deployment of imagery from Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” began in Texas, in the spring of 2017, at a protest against the state’s ongoing campaign to restrict abortion rights. The TV adaptation of the book would soon begin streaming, on Hulu. The show stars Elisabeth Moss as the novel’s narrator and protagonist, Offred, a woman stripped of her job, her family, and her name in a near-future American theocracy called Gilead. Offred is a Handmaid, forced to live as a breeding concubine; each month, she is ceremonially raped by her Commander, a man of high status, in the interest of rebuilding a population that has dwindled owing to secular immorality, environmental toxicity, and super-S.T.D.s. Like all Handmaids, she wears a scarlet dress, a long cloak, and a face-obscuring white bonnet, a uniform that Atwood based, in part, on the woman on the label of Old Dutch Cleanser, an image that had scared her as a child.
Book Review: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Laura Freeman (BBC, 06/09/2019)
Strange the things that stay with you, what you remember and what you forget. If someone had said “The Handmaid’s Tale” at any time in the 18 years since I first read Margaret Atwood’s dystopia, one scene would have come to mind: the Ceremony, the ritualised rape of the Handmaid Offred by the Commander, while Offred rests her head in the lap of his wife. Nothing else in the book – not the hangings, the scapegoatings, the slut-shamings, the unbabies – had the power of that menacing ménage a trois.
“Which of us is it worse for, her or me?” wonders Offred. Both women, fertile chattel and barren wife, are debased; both suffer a peculiar humiliation. The Wives, Handmaids and domestic Marthas of Gilead are helpmeets, vessels and servants. They have no right to work, earn, talk back, walk alone. They have no right to read and no right to pleasure. It’s unclear which of these Atwood considers the greater wound.
The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood: "I have never believed it can't happen here"
(CBS News, 08/09/2019)
Even if you'd never heard of "The Handmaid's Tale," its Emmy win for Best Drama was obviously a big deal. It picked up eight Emmys for Hulu in 2017.
And when Margaret Atwood, the author of the 1985 book that inspired the TV show, made her way to the stage wearing "handmaid" red, the applause – a standing ovation – spoke volumes.
In Atwood's novel, handmaids are essentially sex slaves, forced to bear children for infertile couples among the power elite in Gilead, the totalitarian dystopia the United States had become after being taken over by Christian zealots.
What does our future look like according to dystopian fiction?
David Barnett (The Independent, 08/09/2019)
The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, is finally here – and has never been more timely.
Set 15 years after the first book, The Testaments once again delves into the world of Gilead – an ultra-conservative, Christian fundamentalist United States of America, where women’s rights have been stamped out, rebellion is dealt with in brutal fashion, but where life can be good… so long as you’re a straight, white male.
10 September 2019 - Protests erupt as Parliament is suspended for five weeks
Brexit: Protests as five-week Parliament suspension begins
(BBC News, 10/09/2019)
Parliament has officially been suspended for five weeks, with MPs not due back until 14 October.
Amid unprecedented scenes in the Commons, some MPs protested against the suspension with signs saying "silenced" while shouting: "Shame on you."
It comes after PM Boris Johnson's bid to call a snap election in October was defeated for a second time.
'Shame on you': MPs push and shove as parliament is suspended for five weeks
Helen Bennicke (Manchester Evening News, 10/09/2019)
Parliament has officially been suspended - or prorogued - for five weeks, with MPs not due back until 14 October.
There were bizarre scenes in the Commons shortly before 2am as some MPs brought out protest signs which said: "Silenced" while there were shouts of: "Shame on you."
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's second attempt to call a snap general election next month was defeated for a second time following a vote.
Brexit explained: FIVE possible next steps and outcomes - Boris will hate a lot of them
Kate Whitfield (Express, 10/09/2019)
While Boris Johnson has been successful in his suspension of Parliament until October 14, he has faced unprecedented setbacks, losing all six votes held in the House in the six days since returning from summer recess. MPs have passed a law forcing the PM to request a Brexit delay, blocked his calls for a general election, and forced the Government to publish documents detailing the no-deal Brexit plans and prorogation communications. So what now, as the longest Parliamentary suspension since the end of World War II begins?
Bercow to stand down as Commons speaker at end of October
(The Irish Times, 09/09/2019)
John Bercow has announced that he will stand down as Commons Speaker at the end of next month unless an election is called beforehand.
In an impassioned speech Mr Bercow, who has held the influential post for just over 10 years, also said he would step down as MP for Buckingham.
The speaker told the Commons he would resign on Monday night in the unlikely event MPs vote for an early general election, but said if they did not he would stand aside on October 31st.
12 September 2019 - US to ban e-cigarettes after six vaping-related deaths
Trump moves to ban flavored e-cigarettes
Laurie McGinley (The Washington Post, 11/09/2019)
Trump administration officials, alarmed by new data showing a huge jump in vaping by young people, said they are moving to ban most flavored e-cigarettes, a major development that could result in sweeping changes in the sprawling market.
In an Oval Office meeting Wednesday that included first lady Melania Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, President Trump said: “We can’t allow people to get sick. And we can’t have our youth be so affected.” He added that the first lady, who Tuesday tweeted a warning about vaping, feels “very, very strongly” about the issue because of their 13-year-old son, Barron.
Is This the Beginning of the End for Juul?
Jay Willis (GQ, 11/09/2019)
Vaping trails only alcoholic beverages as the preferred psychoactive drug delivery system of America's youth. In a December survey conducted by the National Institutes of Health, more than one-fifth of high school seniors—20.9 percent—reported vaping nicotine at least once in the preceding 30 days, compared to just 11 percent a year earlier. Whatever manufacturers are doing to get young people to try their products, it is working fantastically, which may be why more elected officials are looking into a vaping ban.
This pattern is troubling, presumably, for public health experts at places like the Centers for Disease Control, which says it has received reports of six deaths and over 450 possible cases of e-cigarette-related lung illnesses, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is investigating a nationwide outbreak of respiratory conditions linked to contaminated cannabis vaping products. This week, FDA officials issued a pair of letters to e-cigarette giant Juul that shine an unforgiving spotlight on the company's business model—and may signal the imposition of stricter federal regulations in the not-so-distant future.
Trump Critics Ridicule Him For Vaping Ban After Six Deaths, Say Guns Have Killed More
Scott McDonald (Newsweek, 11/09/2019)
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration would soon roll out new guidelines that could put an end to flavored e-cigarettes after six reported deaths in the country. This could include pulling products off the market, with the exception of flavored tobacco.
The unforgiving world of social media blasted the president, however, saying he has taken six deaths more importantly than hundreds killed by gun violence this year, and the thousands killed on a yearly basis.
Trump Wants to Ban Mango Juul Pods, But AR-15s Can Stay
Susan Rinkunas (Vice, 11/09/2019)
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that his administration will ban flavored vaping products from the market. This move is evidently linked to recent reports of at least six deaths and several hundred hospitalizations from lung illnesses connected to vaping. Health experts have also been concerned with teenagers who never smoked getting addicted to the nicotine in e-cigarettes, and U.S. health officials have labeled teen vaping an "epidemic."
Trump cited need for "very strong action" on vaping because of the "harm to innocent children." He said to reporters: "We can't allow people to get sick and we can't have our youth be so affected....people are dying with vaping so we're looking at it very closely."
16 September 2019 - Third Democratic presidential debate highlights growing divisions
Debate opens new fronts on guns, Biden's age in Democratic race
Stephen Collinson (CNN, 14/09/2019)
The latest Democratic debate threw up a rich haul of clashes, incidents, slow burning controversies and policy collisions that will help define the 2020 race in the weeks to come.
Often, a debate's impact only becomes clear in subsequent days, when exchanges that did not immediately resonate take on extra significance as the churn of the campaign does its work.
Thursday's encounter in Houston exposed ideological, personal and policy divisions between the candidates that offer clues about how the Democratic race will unfold from now on.
Winners and Losers of the Democratic Debate
The New York Times Opinion (The New York Times, 13/09/2019)
Welcome to Opinion’s commentary for the Sept. 12 Democratic presidential candidate debate in Houston, Tex. In this special feature, Times Opinion writers rank the candidates on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 means the candidate probably didn’t belong on the stage and should probably drop out; 10 means it’s on, President Trump. Here’s what our columnists and contributors thought about the debate.
Fact-checking the third Democratic presidential debate
Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly (The Washington Post, 13/09/2019)
In the third Democratic presidential debate, the candidates tossed out lots of facts and figures, occasionally getting out over their skis. Here’s a selection of some of the claims that caught our attention, written with my colleagues Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly. As is our practice, we do not award Pinocchios in debate roundups.
Highlights Of The Third Democratic Debate
(The Onion, 14/09/2019)
The third round of the Democratic presidential primary debates pitted the top-10 polling candidates against each other in Houston. The Onion highlights the most important takeaways from the third Democratic debate.
17 September 2019 - Rugby legend Gareth Thomas forced to reveal he has HIV and hopes to break stigma
Gareth Thomas: Ex-Wales rugby captain has HIV
Daniel Davies (BBC, 15/09/2019)
Former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas has revealed he is HIV positive, saying he wants to "break the stigma" around the condition.
He said he wants to show how people with HIV are misrepresented as "walking around with walking sticks who are close to dying".
He has also spoken about "shame" and "fear" of keeping his condition secret.
Gareth Thomas revealing HIV status will 'tackle stigma'
Mark Brown (The Guardian, 15/09/2019)
Gareth Thomas’s decision to reveal he is living with HIV will have a “massive impact” in helping to dispel myths and stigma around the condition, the head of the Terrence Higgins Trust has said.
The former Wales and British Lions rugby captain revealed on Sunday that he tested as HIV positive a number of years ago. By speaking openly, Thomas said he hopes to educate and empower others in the same position.
Jeremy Corbyn, Stephen Fry, Kelly Holmes and Prince William were among those to tweet messages of support, with the latter writing: “Courageous as ever – legend on the pitch and legend off it. You have our support Gareth. W.”
True sporting hero Gareth Thomas conquers both 140-mile Ironman and one of society's deepest prejudices
Jim White (Telegraph, 16/09/2019)
On Sunday, the Pembrokeshire coastal town of Tenby was filled, as it always is at this time of year, with thousands of people watching pain in action. It was the Tenby Ironman, the ludicrously demanding mega triathlon involving swimming, cycling and running distances most of us would find exhausting if we were obliged to complete them in the back of a taxi.
It only began in 2011 but the event has established itself as the most relished on the Ironman calendar. Thousands pour into the picturesque little resort, filling the bars, hotels and cafes and crafting ever more elaborate good luck messages into the sandy beach. Such has been the economic benefit it is reckoned the weekend delivers around £3.5 million into local tills.
Gareth Thomas ‘to work with Prince Harry to break HIV stigma’
Chris Caulfield (Metro, 16/09/2019)
Former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas is planning to team up with the Duke of Sussex to raise awareness of HIV. Thomas, 45, this weekend revealed he had the virus and vowed to ‘break the stigma’ after blackmailers put the former Great British Lion ‘through hell’ by threatening to expose his secret. The pairs’ actions would build on the legacy laid down by Diana, Princess of Wales, as they seek to change people’s attitudes towards HIV and AIDS.
19 September 2019 - Greta Thunberg to US politicians: "You're not trying hard enough, sorry"
'Don't listen to me, listen to the scientists,' Greta tells Congress
Valerie Volcovici (Independent, 19/09/2019)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg delivered a short and direct message to the US Congress yesterday: "I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists."
The 16-year-old Swede, the founder of the 'Fridays For Future' school walkouts to demand action on climate change, submitted a 2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in lieu of testimony to a joint hearing of House committees.
It calls for rapid changes to the way people live in order to keep temperatures from rising 1.5C by 2030.
Greta Thunberg Takes Senators To Task: You’re Not Trying ‘Hard Enough. Sorry.’
Nick Visser (The Huffington Post, 18/09/2019)
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old environmental activist from Sweden, told a task force of U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday that they weren’t trying “hard enough” to tackle the climate crisis. “Sorry,” she added in a blunt call to action.
“Please save your praise. We don’t want it,” Thunberg, who appeared before the Senate’s climate change task force on Tuesday, told a group of lawmakers. “Don’t invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it because it doesn’t lead to anything.”
Greta Thunberg, on Tour in America, Offers an Unvarnished View
Somini Sengupta (The New York Times, 18/09/2019)
These are some of the things that Greta Thunberg has learned on her American tour.
New York City smells. People talk really loudly here, they blast air conditioning and they argue over whether or not they believe in climate change, while in her country, Sweden, they accept it as fact.
'We're a team': Greta Thunberg visits Barack Obama
Youtube (Guardian News, 18/092019)
After crossing the Atlantic on a solar-powered boat, the climate activist Greta Thunberg visited Barack Obama in Washington. The former US president later shared a photo of the pair and praised Thunberg as 'one of our planet's greatest advocates'. The Swedish teenager is in the US to speak at the UN climate summit on 23 September.
20 September 2019 - Justin Trudeau's brownface scandal
Third Instance of Trudeau in Brownface Surfaces in 24 Hour Period
Laura Powers (Newsweek, 19/09/2019)
A new video of the Prime Minister of Canada in brownface has surfaced, the third in a 24 hour period. The video, published by Global News, appears to show Justin Trudeau wearing a t-shirt and cutoff jeans and dark makeup covering his face, neck and arms.
According to the news outlet, the video was obtained earlier this week but was not released until the identity of the person in the video could be verified. On Thursday morning a senior member of Trudeau's party confirmed the video was of the Prime Minister., Global News said. The time and circumstances of the video have not yet been verified.
Justin Trudeau apologizes again, blames 'privilege' as third blackface instance emerges. Here's what we know
Savannah Bahrmann (USA Today, 19/09/2019)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's re-election campaign was rocked again Thursday as he issued a second apology after another instance of him in dark makeup was reported by the media. After a second picture and a video emerged of him wearing blackface, the Canadian politician asked for forgiveness.
At a campaign appearance in Winnipeg on Thursday, he apologized -- his second apology in as many days -- and added that “Darkening your face is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface. I should have understood that then, and I never should have done it."
Justin Trudeau — a self-appointed moral steward in blackface: Robyn Urback
Robyn Urback (CBC, 19/09/2019)
It is almost too obvious now to point out the rank hypocrisy of the Trudeau brand: one that has zero tolerance for inappropriate touching, except for his own; one that preaches respect for Indigenous Canadians, except when you can get a cheap laugh at a Liberal fundraiser.
One that claims to run government differently, but uses the same old tactics to get its way; one that lectures about standing up to oppression, except oppression in certain ridings.
And now, Justin Trudeau must face the voters
Editorial (The Globe and Mail, 19/09/2019)
‘Were there any other times you dressed up in blackface or brownface?” In an ideal world, journalists would not need to ask this of an incumbent prime minister. But Justin Trudeau did appear in blackface or brownface on at least three occasions when he was younger, and the images are out there. And so here we are.
The question is what Canadians think of what they’ve seen, and what they want to do about it.
23 September 2019 - Emmys 2019: Fleabag and Game of Thrones win big
Emmy Winners: The Full List of 2019 Awards
Sara Aridi (The New York Times, 22/09/2019)
“Game of Thrones” won best drama for the fourth time at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, ending its eight-season run on a high note. “Fleabag” took home four awards, including best comedy.
An Emmy Night Full of Surprises Matches TV’s Energy in the Streaming Era
Daniel D'Addario (Variety, 22/09/2019)
The 2019 Emmy telecast effectively began with a speech by a star from the recent past: Bryan Cranston, who recalled watching the moon landing on television, noting that the most famous televised event in history made him feel he could “go anywhere — even Albuquerque.”
The reference to the setting of “Breaking Bad,” the past Emmy champ that wrapped in 2013, felt practically as distant as the one to Neil Armstrong. That show, which built in momentum through its five-season run to become a major zeitgeist and popular hit, would have felt odd and out-of-place at this year’s show. And the 2019 Emmys — at least as regards its winners — was better for it.
‘Pose’ star Billy Porter lands historic first with Emmy win
Yvonne Villarreal (Los Angeles Times, 22/09/2019)
Billy Porter, who plays the flamboyant ballroom emcee Pray Tell in FX’s “Pose,” made Emmy history Sunday night by becoming the first openly gay black man to win the lead actor in a drama category.
A newbie to the Emmy scene, the Tony- and Grammy-winning actor headed into the evening already making history with his nomination, but the win added to his golden night. (While the television academy doesn’t track such information, a review of previous nominees and winners supports the distinction.)
Alex Borstein calls on women to 'step out of line' in moving Emmy speech
Whitney Friedlander (CNN, 23/09/2019)
Much like the character she plays on Amazon's "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Alex Borstein's second consecutive Emmy Awards acceptance speech for supporting actress in a comedy was funny with an undercurrent of seriousness.
The actress, who plays the determined and opinionated manager Susie Myerson on the period drama, began her speech by referencing her win for the role last year -- one she accepted bra-less. She joked that this time, she'd skipped her underwear and issued a warning to the cleaning crew that she's quite sweaty.
24 September 2019 - Labour supports abolishing private schools
Labour supports abolishing private schools in conference vote
Greg Heffer (Sky News, 22/09/2019)
Labour will campaign at the next general election with a promise to effectively abolish private schools and "redistribute" their properties to the state sector.
Party members backed the move at Labour's conference in Brighton on Sunday, which activists hailed as "a huge step forward in dismantling the privilege of a tiny, Eton-educated elite".
Could Labour really ban private schools?
Sean Coughlan (BBC News, 23/09/2019)
Could Labour really abolish private schools? That's the big question after the party's conference voted to "integrate" private schools into the state sector.
The plan would see the assets of private schools "redistributed".
Universities would have a quota imposed of admitting no more than 7% of their students from private schools, so their numbers were in keeping with their proportion in the overall school population.
Elite private schools vent outrage at Labour’s ‘incredulous’ plan to abolish them
Eleanor Busby (The Independent, 23/09/2019)
Leaders of elite private schools have vented outrage over Labour’s plan to abolish them, branding the policy “incredulous” [sic] and an “act of unprecedented vandalism”.
Jeremy Corbyn’s party voted at their conference to integrate all private schools into the state sector if they win the next election.
The pledge sparked fury and disbelief among headteachers in the independent school sector.
Head of Eton hits back at Labour plans to abolish private schools
Sally Weale and Peter Walker (The Guardian, 23/09/2019)
The headmaster of Eton College has hit back at Labour’s plans to abolish private schools, saying they make no financial sense and will not benefit children left behind by the education system.
In an interview with the Guardian, Simon Henderson, who became head of the world-famous private school four years ago, acknowledged the public mood had shifted and a battle lay ahead for the future of private education.
26 September 2019 - Nancy Pelosi announces formal impeachment inquiry of Trump
Pelosi calls out 'President's betrayal of his oath of office' in announcing formal impeachment inquiry
Dana Bash, Manu Raju, Sunlen Serfaty and Clare Foran (CNN, 24/09/2019)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a dramatic and historic move that comes as the President faces outrage over reports that he pressured a foreign leader in an effort to target a political rival.
The announcement marks the most direct step taken by the House Democratic leader to embrace impeachment proceedings and is a significant escalation in the fight between House Democrats and the President.
"Today, I am announcing the House of Representatives moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," Pelosi said in a brief speech in the Capitol, adding, "The President must be held accountable. No one is above the law."
Whistleblower raised alarm over White House handling of Ukraine call records: report
Rebecca Klar (The Hill, 25/09/2019)
The whistleblower complaint about President Trump’s call with Ukraine raises concerns over how the White House handled records of the conversation with the foreign leader, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing two people briefed on the complaint.
The whistleblower identified multiple White House officials as witnesses to Trump’s alleged misconduct who could corroborate the complaint, according to the people who spoke to the Times.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
How impeachment works
Aaron Steckelberg, Harry Stevens, Bonnie Berkowitz and Tim Meko (The Washington Post, 25/09/2019)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that the House would begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump, but there are many steps between the first step of launching an impeachment inquiry and the final step, which could be removing him from office.
According to the Constitution, the House can impeach a president — and other civil officers, such as federal judges — if lawmakers believe they have committed “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” What constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor is open to interpretation, but an abuse of power could fit the bill. Pelosi’s announcement means an investigation will look into whether actions by Trump rise to that level.
8 reasons why impeaching Donald Trump is a big risk for the Democrats (and 3 reasons why it’s not)
Timothy J. Lynch (The Conversation, 25/09/2019)
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced the Democrats have begun a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations he tried to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate a Democratic political rival.
And now the transcript of the phone call has been released, Democrats have said the evidence was even more incriminating than they expected.
27 September 2019 - Calls for Boris Johnson to apologise over Jo Cox Brexit comments
Brexit best way to honour Jo Cox, says Boris Johnson
(The Irish Times, 26/09/2019)
Boris Johnson responds to critics of his language around the Brexit debate by saying that the best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox, an MP who was killed in a politically-motivated attack in 2016, is "to get Brexit done."
Johnson receives furious backlash after connecting Jo Cox to Brexit
Press Associates (Bournemouth Echo, 26/09/2019)
Boris Johnson has been widely condemned for telling MPs they should honour the memory of murdered parliamentarian Jo Cox by delivering Brexit.
There was uproar in the Commons on Wednesday as the Prime Minister repeatedly berated MPs, rejected calls to temper his language and said the best way to honour Mrs Cox – an ardent Remainer – was to “get Brexit done”.
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nicky Morgan appeared to acknowledge concerns about Mr Johnson’s use of language, particularly in the context of threats of violence against politicians.
Johnson refuses to say sorry for remarks about murdered MP Jo Cox
Rowena Mason (The Guardian, 26/09/2019)
Boris Johnson has refused to apologise in the face of criticism that he is inciting hatred against MPs, as he briefed his cabinet on preparations for a populist election campaign that will accuse his opponents of “surrender” to the EU.
In the face of widespread condemnation for his inflammatory rhetoric, the prime minister vowed to carry on referring to the Benn law against no-deal Brexit as the “surrender bill”.
MP’s powerful speech telling Boris to say sorry for using friend Jo Cox’s murder
Zoe Drewett (Metro, 26/09/2019)
Labour MP Jess Phillips has made a powerful speech to parliament today appealing to the prime minister to apologise for comments he made about the murder of her friend Jo Cox.
The Birmingham Yardley MP was granted an urgent question by the Labour whips office to raise concerns about Boris Johnson’s language in the Commons following Wednesday’s heated exchanges.
She said the PM’s ‘humbug’ comment when told his language resulted in MPs being sent death threats was ‘completely part of a strategy to cause hatred in our country’.
30 September 2019 - SNL premiere goes heavy on Trump impeachment
'SNL' has Baldwin's Trump making phone calls to talk impeachment
Frank Pallotta (CNN Business, 29/09/2019)
The 45th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" returned after a week of wild news -- and the show's cold open wasted no time in mocking President Donald Trump's impeachment troubles.
The show opened with Alec Baldwin reprising Trump as he scrambled to call advisers after the House formally announced an impeachment inquiry into the president this week.
"I'm being impeached! It's the greatest presidential harassment of all time," Baldwin's Trump told Rudy Giuliani, who was played by Kate McKinnon, over the phone. "I would know. I'm like the president of harassment."
Woody Harrelson-Hosted 'SNL' Premiere Goes Heavy on Trump Impeachment
Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya (The Hollywood Reporter, 28/09/2019)
Woody Harrelson hosted Saturday Night Live’s 45th season premiere episode and addressed climate change in his monologue as well as immigration, including taking a jab at Melania Trump. He also took off his tux to reveal a silk pajama set underneath.
In addition to playing Joe Biden in a political sketch, Harrelson starred in a skit about the family that owns the world’s biggest Cheeto. Aidy Bryant played his wife, and Mikey Day played his son.
Woody Harrelson Calls Melania Sole Immigrant Who Watches Fox In Quirky ‘SNL’ Monologue
Mary Papenfuss (The Huffington Post, 29/09/2019)
“Saturday Night Live” host Woody Harrelson skewered fashion and spoke up for immigrants in what initially appeared to be an anti-PC monologue — but ended up turning that trope on its head.
He joked that he was now considered a “fashionista” after years of often looking like a slob. Harrelson said he had always thought it was more important to focus on serious issues like “the ice is melting; the Amazon is burning; our water, food and air are polluted.”
Saturday Night Live: Baldwin’s Trump as inescapable as the man himself
Zach Vasquez (The Guardian, 29/09/2019)
Saturday Night Live kicks off its 45th season in the Oval Office. Facing impeachment and “the greatest presidential harassment of all time,” Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin, putting to bed rumors he was done playing the role) sits up late and commiserates over the phone with his inner circle – blabbermouth Rudy Giuliani (Kate McKinnon), recalcitrant attorney general William Barr (Aidy Bryant), perfect fall guy Mike Pence (Beck Bennett), and his doofus sons (Mikey Day and Alex Moffat).
Growing more desperate, he reaches out to various outlier allies, including Kim Jong-un (new featured player Bowen Yang), Fox News mouthpiece Jeanine Pirro (Cecily Strong) and his “urbans”, Kanye West (Chris Redd) and Don King (Keenan Thompson), who, on behalf of the “black wackadoo” contingent, have decided to drop their support. The sketch peters out after Trump calls Liev Schreiber, confusing him for the underworld fixer he plays on Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
01 October 2019 - Black History Month in the UK
Black History Month 2019: What is it?
(BBC, 01/10/2019)
October is Black History Month in the UK and it's been celebrated nationwide every year for nearly 40 years.
This month was originally founded to recognise the contributions that people of African and Caribbean backgrounds have made to this country over many generations.
Now, Black History Month has expanded to include the history of Asian people and their contributions too.
Black History Month: First black magistrate Eric Irons honoured
(BBC News, 01/10/2019)
A plaque is to be unveiled to commemorate the life of Britain's first black magistrate.
Eric Irons was born in Jamaica in 1921 and then settled in Nottingham following RAF service in World War Two.
Mr Irons, who died in 2007, was a campaigner for social justice, became the country's first black justice of the peace in 1962 and was made an OBE.
Year after year, white teachers’ guilt stifles the fullness of Black History in our schools
Nadena Doharty (The Independent, 30/09/2019)
In a school near you, they might be preparing for Black History Month. What you may not realise among the celebrations of familiar black history heroes such as Walter Tull and Martin Luther King are some of the questionable methods some teachers are using to do that.
In the past couple of years alone, teachers have placed children under tables and asked them to imagine what life aboard a slave ship was like. They have also asked pupils to engage in mock slave auctions with rulers as proxy for whips to cultivate empathy, to learn lessons from the past and to ensure, as one white teacher admitted to me during my doctoral research, that people “know our shame” because she feels personally “guilty” about enslavement. But who is the “our” in her admission? Teachers in England overwhelmingly self-identify as white, and while it is perfectly justifiable and decent to feel emotions including guilt when encountering human tragedies, this should not be foundational for how black histories are engaged with.
10 Ways To Mark Black History Month 2019 In London
Maire Rose Connor (Londonist, 30/09/2019)
October is Black History Month. Since 1987, this annual commemoration has shone the spotlight on the achievements and contributions of black communities in the UK, while bearing witness to the oppression face by these communities and celebrating efforts of resistance.
Here are 10 brilliant ways to celebrate Black History Month 2019 here in London.