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…
Hello! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for Take Five. You probably know the score by now – this weekly summary aims to help you stay up to date with the news stories that matter to women and marginalised communities, without immersing yourself in anxiety of the headlines.
Each weekly missive will round up 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 week.
So, let’s get cracking!
The headlines
1. UK inflation hits 40-year high at 10.1% amid cost of living crisis
UK Inflation this week hit a 40-year high, climbing to 10.1% against a backdrop of soaring food, fuel and energy costs.
The Bank of England predicts inflation will top 13% by the end of this year, with Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi insisting “Getting inflation under control is my top priority.”
It came as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer unveiled a “radical” Labour plan to deal with the cost of living crisis by freezing the energy price cap.
Labour said its proposal would be paid for by introducing a new windfall tax on oil and gas companies' profits without the current government’s "major tax loophole”.
2. UK ministers ‘warned of Rwanda killings’ before signing deportation plan
The UK government has been ordered to release more detail from internal documents assessing the human rights situation in Rwanda, drawn up before ministers adopted their controversial asylum policy.
It comes amid suggestions ministers were warned of state surveillance, arbitrary detention, torture and killings by the Rwandan government before signing the pact.
Lawyers acting for foreign secretary Liz Truss asked the High Court to lock ten passages in two internal documents relating to the policy, but Lord Justice Lewis argued six of the passages should be released.
Three media organisations — The Guardian, The Times and the BBC —opposed the UK government’s application, made as organisations including the PCS union, Care4Calais and Detention Action seek to challenge the lawfulness of the policy itself.
Read more here
3. Rail workers prepared for months of strikes as pay battle continues
Rail workers can afford to go on strike for months in a “synchronised action”, union leaders have warned, as the summer of strikes continues.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said workers were “completely committed to industrial action” as they staged another day of strikes over pay, jobs and working conditions yesterday.
He also accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of blocking a pay deal that could end the dispute.
Speaking to Times Radio from the picket line outside Euston station in London, Lynch said: “There is a movement for change. I don’t know if there will be a general strike in the traditional terms, but there will certainly be a wave of solidarity. There’ll be a wave of synchronised action between the trade unions, people supporting each other.”
Read more here
4. Sewage warning on UK beaches after heavy rain and flash floods
Pollution warnings have been put in place for dozens of beaches in England and Wales after untreated sewage was discharged into the sea around the coast.
Southern Water says a host of discharges which have taken place since Monday were necessary to protect homes and businesses during heavy rain.
Under EU law, these so-called storm releases are legal only in "exceptional" circumstances – but official statistics suggest around 400,000 took place in the UK in 2020 and 2021.
The Environment Agency warns sewage pollution could be "devastating to human health, local biodiversity and our environment”, and said it would not "hesitate to act to eliminate the harm sewage discharges cause to the environment".
Read more here
5. WHO chief says racism causing international indifference to Tigray conflict
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) says racism may be driving the lack of international interest in the ongoing war in Ethiopia.
Civil war pitting Tigrayan forces against federal Ethiopian troops has been raging since 2020, also drawing in Eritrean troops and triggering a serious humanitarian crisis.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – who is an ethnic Tigrayan – said the situation was now worse than any other humanitarian crisis in the world, wondering whether the lack of global engagement could be linked to “the colour of the skin of the people”.
It comes months after Tedros asked whether “the world really gives equal attention to Black and white lives” given that ongoing emergencies in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria had garnered only a “fraction” of the concern for the war in Ukraine.
Read more here
The good news
1. Scotland makes period products free with ‘world first’ policy
Scotland this week became the first nation in the world to offer tampons and other period products free to anyone who needs them in a bid to end “period poverty.”
Menstrual products are now available free in public spaces such as community centres, pharmacies and youth clubs, two years after the legislation was approved by MSPs.
“Proud of what we have achieved in Scotland,” tweeted Monica Lennon, the MSP who initially kick-started the legislation. “We are the first but won’t be the last.”
Read more here
2. Biden climate bill to tax the rich and lower healthcare costs
US President Joe Biden has signed a $700bn bill that aims to fight climate change and healthcare costs while raising taxes on the nation’s richest individuals and companies.
The act includes measures to curb the cost of prescription drugs, as well as investing $375bn to fight climate change - the most significant federal investment in history in the issue.
The bill is projected to lower US emissions by up to 44% by 2030, compared with the current US trajectory, which would lower emissions by up to 35.
Signing the bill on Tuesday, the president hailed it as the "final piece" of his domestic agenda.
Read more here
3. Spider-Man star Tom Holland puts mental health under spotlight with social media break
British actor Tom Holland this week revealed he is stepping away from social media to focus on his mental health.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home star, who has been notably absent from digital platforms in recent weeks, made a brief return to Instagram on Sunday to announce he had deleted Instagram and Twitter from his devices.
The 26-year-old actor told his 67.7 million followers that his social media apps had become "detrimental" to his mental state, and that he "spirals" when he reads things about himself online.
Holland said he’d chosen to reveal his decision in part to spotlight teenage mental health charity Stem4, which he supports through his organisation The Brothers Trust.
Read more here
4. Efforts to secure Global Ocean Treaty making progress in New York
Delegates from across the globe have been meeting at New York’s UN HQ this week to hammer out the finer details of the long-awaited Global Ocean Treaty.
The agreement, which is now in its fifth and final round of negotiations, aims to secure an agreement to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
On Monday, the Brooklyn Bridge was lit up overnight with ocean projections to draw attention to the historic talks.
Greenpeace USA Sanctuaries Project Lead Arlo Hemphill said: “Now is the moment to set aside the politics, special interests, and inertia and approve a truly transformative Treaty that provides the strongest possible protection for the ocean. I urge these delegates to get this done – for every life on Earth.”
Read more here
5. Healthier foods ‘better for planet’, say researchers
A landmark study examining the carbon footprint of 57,000 common multi-ingredient foods has found healthier choices are not just better for our bodies but for the planet too.
Environmental scientists at Oxford University found nutritious foods tend to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly than those with low nutritional value.
It’s now hoped the research could lead to clearer eco-labelling, helping consumers understand how items compare in terms of both nutrition and sustainability.
“What’s good for one is generally good for the other,” says Clark. “You don’t have to make a choice that’s good for the environment but might negatively impact your health.”
Read more here
The best of the rest
1. The Ultimate Celebrity Perk? Climate Disaster.
Were you recently shocked to learn that private aircrafts are not a sustainable form of travel? Yeah, me neither…
2. Is The Subject Of Miscarriage Finally Getting The Proper Care And Attention It Deserves?
For too long, the subject of pregnancy loss has existed in the shadows, writes Nell Frizzell
3. Race at work: how hard are companies really trying?
Dismantling systemic racism is a huge task, but many employees think organisations are failing to take it seriously
4. After years of torture, I broke free of the tyranny of calorie counting
Focusing on the calories in your diet is antiquated and destructive. I wish I could have told my anorexic teenage self
5. Florida court rules 16-year-old too immature for an abortion but mature enough to raise a child
Welcome to our current Republican hellscape…
How are you feeling about this past week? I’d love to hear your thoughts here…
Meanwhile, if you find these news summaries useful, I’d love if you would recommend me to a friend and help me spread the word about The Flock. Thank you!
I have to admit I've had to take a break from the news, for a few weeks actually. Working in diversity and inclusion I'm very aware of the scale of the work still to be done, and sometimes it feels overwhelming.