Take 5: 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, and welcome to this week’s Take Five. The news this week has been particularly upsetting and if you’re feeling anxious and turned off by the headlines, you’re not alone. The purpose of this newsletter is to help you feel a little more in control of your current affairs consumption, allowing you to stay up to date with the issues most affecting women, without having to immerse yourself in wall-to-wall coverage.
As always, in addition to the week’s five key news stories, you’ll also find five positive tales to raise your spirits, along with five thought-provoking longer reads to dive into whenever suits you.
It’s news, curated especially for you, and in this overwhelming world, I hope that helps at least a little.
The headlines
1. Aid convoys reach Syria as earthquake death toll exceeds 21,000
More than 21,000 people are now known to have died following earthquakes which hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan admitted “shortcomings” in his administration’s emergency response, as officials confirmed the country’s death toll had now reached 17,674.
Meanwhile, at least 3,377 people are confirmed dead across both government- and rebel-held areas of Syria, with experts saying that toll is likely to continue to rise.
UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said Syrians were already facing a worsening humanitarian crisis before Monday’s quake, adding that emergency aid “must not be politicised”. The first aid convoys reached the nation yesterday.
Read more here
2. Headteacher shot dead by husband called relative in distress
The headteacher of Epsom College made a distressed call to a relative shortly before she and her daughter were shot dead by her husband, reports suggest.
George Pattison is believed to have killed Emma Pattison and seven-year-old Lettie at the family’s home in the school’s grounds on Saturday evening, before taking his own life.
Police confirmed a firearm, licensed and registered to Mr Pattison, had been found at the scene, though causes of death are yet to be confirmed by post-mortem.
Cheryl Giovannoni, chief executive of the Girls’ Day School Trust, said Ms Pattison’s murder showed: “It doesn’t matter how successful or accomplished or brilliant you are as a woman, you are only as safe as your male partner allows you to be,”
Read more here
3. CBI calls for £9bn investment in free childcare across UK
Britain’s leading business group says as much as £9bn in investment is needed to improve the country’s early years childcare system.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged Rishi Sunak to extend free childcare to one-and two-year-olds to help get more parents into work.
The lobby group, which represents more than 190,000 businesses, says significant and urgent funding is needed to ensure care is accessible and affordable for families who want to work.
It comes after the UK government was criticised for suggesting a letter writing campaign to “encourage” stay-at-home parents back into work while scrapping childcare reform.
Read more here
4. Dive team pulls out of Nicola Bulley search as police expand focus
A specialist diving team has pulled out of the search for missing Nicola Bulley, saying she is “categorically not” in the area of river where police believe she fell into the water.
Ms Bulley, 45, was last seen walking her dog by the river in St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire after dropping her two daughters at school on January 27. Her phone, still connected to a work Teams call, was found on a bench on the riverbank.
Peter Faulding, from search team Specialist Group International, said he could not understand why Nicola was not found, but said his team had “done all they can”.
Detectives said the search area had now been expanded far as Knott End and Morecambe Bay, with the main focus now moving down river towards an estuary and open sea.
Read more here
5. Boris Johnson paid £5m in first five months as ex-PM
Boris Johnson has earned nearly £5 million in the five months since his resignation as prime minister, according to the latest register of MPs’ interests.
Johnson’s most recent declared payment was a £2.5m “advance for speaking engagements” yet to take place, while he also received £1.8m for speeches given late last year in addition to a £500,000 book advance.
Johnson’s housing costs have also been met by donors since his departure from Downing Street – he is currently living in a £20m London home owned by Lord and Lady Bamford.
The same register reveals Matt Hancock received £320,000 for his recent appearance on I'm A Celebrity, of which just £10,000 was donated to charity.
Read more here
The good news
1. Shell directors face world-first lawsuit over ‘flawed’ climate strategy
The directors of oil giant Shell are being personally sued over their failure to adequately prepare the firm for a global shift to clean energy.
Environmental lawyers ClientEarth have joined forces with pensions and investment firms to file a world-first lawsuit against 11 directors at the high court, citing their legal duty to manage shareholder risk.
“The shift to a low-carbon economy is not just inevitable, it’s already happening,” said ClientEarth lawyer Paul Benson. “Doubling down on new oil and gas projects isn’t a credible plan – it’s a recipe for stranded assets.”
Mark Fawcett, chief investment officer of Nest, the UK’s largest workplace pension scheme, said his firm was backing the action, adding: “We hope the whole energy industry sits up and takes notice.”
Read more here
2. Church of England votes to offer ‘blessings’ to same sex couples
The Church of England has voted to offer blessings to same sex-couples in civil partnerships and marriages.
The General Synod – the church’s parliament – overwhelmingly backed the motion yesterday following a near eight-hour debate on the issue.
Synod members also voted to “lament and repent” the Church’s failure to welcome LGBTQ+ people, though they stopped short of changing the church’s position on conducting same-sex wedding ceremonies.
The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, said while the change “does not go nearly far enough for many but too far for others,” it represents a “moment of hope for the Church”.
Read more here
3. Firefighters strike postponed for vote on improved pay offer
Strike action by firefighters in the UK has been put on hold while union members consider an increased pay offer from employers.
The Fire Brigades Union said it had postponed an upcoming walkout to allow members to vote on a deal which includes a 7% pay rise backdated to July last year and another 5% from this July.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, told BBC Radio 4's Today the new pay offer was “testament to the power of collective action through the Fire Brigades Union”.
More than 80% of members who voted in a ballot in December backed strike action, which would have been the first UK-wide walkout over pay in 20 years.
Read more here
4. US restores protections for Alaskan rainforest
Restrictions on logging and road-building are to be reinstated on nine million acres of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest.
The Biden administration said it would reintroduce the safeguards, previously removed by Donald Trump, to conserve biodiversity and tackle the climate crisis.
The 16.7 million acre Tongass is an area of huge importance to a number of Tribal Nations, and provides habitat for wildlife such as salmon and trout, brown bears and bald eagles.
It is also a major carbon sink, with 10% of US annual greenhouse emissions absorbed by the country’s forests.
Read more here
5. Study shows wellbeing benefits of ‘citizen science’ schemes
Taking part in nature-based ‘citizen science’ projects offers a significant boost in wellbeing, a new study has revealed.
Researchers from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) monitored 500 volunteers as they took part in outdoor projects such as insect, tree and butterfly surveys.
They found those participating in a range of green activities during the 2020 lockdown showed increased wellbeing and connection with the outdoors.
Ecologist Dr Michael Pocock said the findings were hugely positive, adding: “If we design future projects with additional nature-based activities, we can enhance people’s connection to nature whilst simultaneously collecting valuable data.”
Read more here
The best of the rest
With Black female-led films including 'Till' and 'Saint Omer' left out of the Oscar nominations, the 'Woman King' director tells THR that "the Academy made a very loud statement, and for me to stay quiet is to accept that statement."
In a city of Rachels and Libbys, the FX show has some New York moms worried they’re the ones in trouble…
3. The endless pillorying of Madonna
And what it says about the way women are allowed to age (or not)
4. Who, Exactly, Are “People Like” Harry Styles?
“This doesn’t happen to people like me very often,” said Styles. To which the internet said “Come again!!!?”
5. When my memoir came out, I got a brutal shock. Vulnerable writers need protection
Nothing prepared me for revisiting the most painful times of my life – then being criticised for it, says Terri White. We need industry-wide guidelines to help
How are you feeling about this past week? I’d love to hear your thoughts here…
Meanwhile, if you find these news summaries useful, please do subscribe and share!