FREE Take five: A news summary for anxious times
Lost your appetite for rolling news? These are the stories you need to know about this week…
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Hello! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for Take Five – and another attempt at succinctly summarising a week’s worth of chaos.
As ever, this weekly round-up will aim to bring you up to date with the news stories that most matter to women and marginalised communities, without the need to immerse yourself in the anxiety of rolling news and intrusive updates.
Every Friday, I summarise five news stories you need to know about alongside five good news tales to lighten the load, and a further five longer reads, columns or interviews I’ve found engaging or enlightening over the last seven days.
There’s been a lot to get through this week. Again. So without further ado…
The headlines
1. Court action launched over illegal detention of refugees in UK
Britain’s Manston asylum processing centre is not operating legally, a UK government minister has admitted, after a court action on behalf of some of its residents was launched.
The centre, which was built to host a maximum of 1,600 people for 24 hours, has been detaining up to 4,000 people for weeks at a time as a result of case handling backlogs, leading to severe overcrowding and outbreaks of disease.
Officials have refused to comment on reports that 11 refugees were taken to London Victoria Station after processing on Tuesday and left there without shoes or accommodation. But climate minister Graham Stuart yesterday admitted the system was “struggling to cope,” while Home Office minister Robert Jenrick confirmed the government was now facing legal action.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman remains under pressure to confirm whether she ignored legal advice about the situation at Manston, and has been criticised for referring to refugees arriving in Britain as “an invasion”.
Meanwhile, an investigation into the firebombing of a nearby immigration centre in Dover is continuing, with detectives suggesting Andrew Leak, 66, carried out the attack as an act of grievance before killing himself.
2. Biden warns of threat to democracy following Pelosi attack
US president Joe Biden this week accused Donald Trump and his supporters of undermining democracy in the USA ahead of the country’s mid-term elections.
Biden hit out at Republican candidates who have threatened to reject the outcome of the polls should they lose on November 8.
It comes a week after an intruder broke into the home of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and allegedly demanded to see her before attacking her husband with a hammer.
Paul Pelosi, 82, is now recovering following surgery for a fractured skull. The suspect, David Depape, 42, this week pleaded not guilty to a litany of charges, including attempted murder.
3. Sexual predators and criminals among serving police, UK report claims
Failures by police leaders have allowed a culture of misogyny and predatory behaviour to become “prevalent” across police forces in England and Wales, a new report has warned.
The police watchdog said an investigation of 725 sample cases, commissioned in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by police officer Wayne Couzens, raised concerns about the suitability of 131 officers, including men convicted of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Inspectors found cases where officers made unwarranted stops of women, watched porn while on duty, made misogynistic comments about crime victims and harassed female colleagues.
Lead inspector Matt Parr said warnings had been ignored, concluding: ““The shoddier your vetting system is, the greater the chance of somebody like Couzens joining you.”
Read more here
4. Iranian forces clash with crowds mourning protester Hadis Najafi
Iranian police clashed with crowds mourning the death of protester Hadis Najafi yesterday, as widespread anti-regime demonstrations continued across the country.
Authorities shut a cemetery and fired teargas as thousands gathered to mourn Hadis Najafi, whose death 40 days ago has made her a symbol of the unrest engulfing the country.
It comes a week after security forces opened fire at crowds marking the 40th day of mourning for Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody sparked the protests, and for Nika Shakarami, who was killed during a demonstration.
Iranian prosecuters are expected to put 1,000 protestors on trial this week. In turn, the US has called for the country to be removed from the UN Women’s Commission.
5. Poor nations left in limbo as UK fails to pay promised climate funds
British prime minister Rishi Sunak this week confirmed he will attend the COP27 summit in Egypt, following international condemnation of his initial decision to skip the gathering.
Sunak had previously said he would miss the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference in order to focus on Britain’s economic turmoil.
His U-turn came after it emerged Britain had failed to pay out more than £300m in climate funds for poorer nations, pledged at COP26 in Glasgow.
Egyptian officials said missing payments for nations on the frontline of the climate crisis was particularly egregious at a time when “another round of pledges” is expected.
The good news
1. Brazil’s election boosts fight to save the Amazon rainforest
Environmentalists this week cheered the victory of Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva following a campaign in which he promised to restore his nation’s leadership on climate change.
Lula, who previously led the country from 2003 to 2010, has promised to clamp down on illegal logging, mining and land grabbing in a bid to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Deforestation recently reached a 15-year high under President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's election.
Read more here
2. UK to extend windfall tax on global oil and gas giants
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and finance minister Jeremy Hunt are planning to extend windfall taxes on oil and gas companies to raise nearly £40bn, The Times reports.
It’s believed the pair want to maximise revenues by increasing the rate from 25% to 30% and extending it until 2028. The scheme will also be expanded to cover electricity generators.
It comes after four of the five largest global oil companies reported combined quarterly profits of nearly $50bn.
Read more here
3. Court says Afro hair rules in school probably illegal
Children with Afro hair should not be prevented from wearing natural hairstyles at school, Britain's human-rights watchdog has said.
Classroom bans on hairstyles such as braids and cornrows are likely to be unlawful if they do not offer exemptions on racial grounds, according to new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Campaigners say the finding is a significant step forwards towards a ban on hair-based discrimination, which disproportionately affects those with Afro hair.
Read more here
4. Philippines’ La Union approves ‘menstruation day’ privilege for workers
The provincial government of La Union in the Philippines has signed a deal offering two work-from-home days to employees during their period cycles.
The menstruation leave policy aims to recognise that periods affect everyone differently, and that some workers may be more impacted by pain than others.
The provincial government has also pledged to provide menstrual kits in all of its offices and workplaces to ensure its staff have access to period products at all times.
Read more here
5. First blind, Black female barrister appointed in UK
A woman has become the UK’s first blind, Black female barrister after completing her course and exams in Braille.
Londoner Jessikah Inaba, who joined the Bar last week following five-years of study, said she’d broken through a “triple-glazed glass ceiling” to succeed.
“I’m not the most common gender or colour, and I have a disability, but by pushing through I’m easing the burden on the next person like me,” the 23-year-old said. “One day I’ll wake up and realise how amazing this is.”
Read more here
The best of the rest
1. We Call Ourselves Sister Judges
Four years ago, they changed the face of the Texas judiciary. Can they do it again this November?
2. The Galvanizing Body Horror of Heidi Klum’s Worm Costume
Consciously or not, the supermodel has helped underscore the endless heavy lifting that a certain kind of femininity requires
The former health secretary may have lost the Tory whip for signing up to a stint in the jungle. But will he find himself, asks Marina Hyde?
4. Who Is Jennifer Lawrence Now?
The Oscar-winning “Hunger Games” actress is free from her franchise commitments. But after a brief hiatus from acting, what will she do next?
5. Motherhood isn’t helping me make friends
And I’ve never needed them more…
How are you feeling about this past week? I’d love to hear your thoughts here…
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