DES ABEND NEWS

Last weekend, thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays at Dover and Folkestone as they tried to pass French border control.  Images in the media of bumper to bumper traffic snaking for miles will have been a source of worry for those hoping to make an early summer getaway on what was the first weekend of the school holidays. Credit: PA. By: Sam Feierabend. Despite queues subsiding by late Sunday evening, many are concerned for similar congestion throughout the summer, with some citing reasoning down to the closure of the M20 coastbound to non-freight traffic following similar delays for transporters in the aftermath of Brexit. Other reasons for hold ups have been attributed to extra post-Brexit border checks and French authorities’ understaffing of checkpoints in Dover. Naturally, as critics will say, the Conservative government has shifted the blame and have reiterated that changes to border control measures after Brexit have not had a significant role in the disruption. ...

Earlier last week, the government announced that doctors in England will undergo mandatory training in order to better treat female medical conditions. This move is part of the NHS’s latest move to improve women’s health; it hopes to see an increase in funding for mobile breast cancer screening and an increase in access to fertility treatments. Credit: Maciek Musialek By: Derry Salter. In England, women live on average four years longer than men, but spend more of their life in poor health. Gynaecology waiting lists are at an all time high as the gender gap in treatment continues to grow.   In Spring 2021, the government called for evidence from academics, campaigners and the general public to collect views on women’s health. The report concluded that there is a general lack of understanding among a preponderance of medical professionals about health conditions that only affect women. After interviewing 100,000 women, the report asserted that 80% found that the NHS do not l...

On Thursday 21 July, Baroness Hallett opened the public inquiry into the UK’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Baroness promised to be ‘fair and robust’ as well as aiming to conduct the inquiry as quickly as possible; however, no time frame was provided for its completion. Credit: BBC News . By: Derry Salter. With lives lost, the economy crumbling and education pushed to the backburner, the inquiry hopes to give those who suffered the most information on whether more could have been done to avoid this sombre fate. The first key area of investigation will be the UK’s preparedness for the pandemic; this formally opens on 20 September with public hearings taking place in Spring 2023.   The second area of investigation focuses on the UK’s response to the first wave of the pandemic, as well as branching into the third area of investigation concerning the introduction of public restrictions and the scientific data which informed these decisions. Hearings are not expecte...

Darwin’s signing shows Liverpool’s evolution, but this year's golden boot race will be survival of the fittest. The Premier League is viewed by many as one of the elite club football competitions in the world, with 20 teams competing for glory and substantial prize money. Within that, players vie to win the Golden Boot for their personal collections.  The signing of Darwin Nunez shows Liverpool adapting their attack - Credit: Gualter Fatia.     By: Sam Feierabend.  Some of the best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer, and Sergio Aguero, have all come out on top of the scoring charts for the Golden Boot. Last season, Heung-Min Son and Mohamed Salah shared the award, scoring 23 goals apiece, but this year’s race is being hotly debated and is set to be one of the most intriguing personal battles for many seasons. The topic on everyone’s lips across this summer transfer window are the two ‘mega signings’ made by last sea...

Following Boris Johnson’s resignation as Prime Minister, several Conservative MPs have thrown their hat in the ring to have their chance at the job. The five candidates - now whittled down to just two - have faced many tough questions surrounding the economy and the Ukraine conflict. Yet one debate is fresh in the minds of the public, and one that is not typically at the fore of Conservative discussion: where does each candidate stand on transgender rights in the UK? Credit: The Guardian. By: Sam Feierabend. The issue surrounding transgender rights was thrust back into public scrutiny in May 2022, when the government announced plans to ban gay conversion therapy in the UK. However, the ban would not extend to those having therapy to convert their gender identity. Effectively, this means that it is still legal to try and convert people’s choice on their gender. As a Conservative policy to do this, any potential leader now faces scrutiny on their stance for this. Despite controversy ar...

Freedom of the press is essential for maintaining a democracy, but to uphold such freedoms, journalist’s safety must be ensured. Across the world, journalists continue to risk their lives to expose inequalities, injustice and hold people accountable for their actions. However, this job comes with increasing levels of danger and even death. Between 2006 and 2020, over 1,200 journalists were killed merely for doing their job. Credit: The Independent. By: Derry Salter. These murders are an extreme form of censorship, allowing oppressors to escape from justice. In 2021 alone, the International Press Institute totalled 45 journalists killed. The US Press Freedom Tracker documented 593 assaults in total against journalists the year prior. Human rights laws still apply to journalists with the intention to protect them; journalists are perceived as civilians in conflict zones, so a deliberate attack on them is a violation of international law. However, those committing the crimes are rarel...

Greenwashing is a widespread practice across businesses and government as is impacting people’s reality of the climate emergency by giving a false impression of their business efforts. Buzzwords like 'eco-conscious' and 'going green' are key perpetrators in pushing the false environmentally friendly narrative. Credit: Reuters. By: Derry Salter. Brands continue to sell products claiming a start towards a sustainable future, but the reality is that these marketed commodities are unrecyclable or have little impact. Plastic packaging in the UK makes up nearly 70% of the country’s plastic waste, but only 10% of this gets recycled. Growing concerns about the environment has seen an increased awareness of green-washing. In a 2015 poll, 72% of consumers argued they are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. But what is the real truth behind this faux sustainability? Many big brands are guilty of greenwashing, predominantly those who claim their plastic p...

Shocking reports of sexist and homophobic behaviour by fans at last week’s Formula One (F1) Austrian Grand Prix has caused many within the sport to speak out against the worrying developments. Credit: The-Mia.com By: Sam Feierabend. F1’s governing body, called the incidents 'completely unacceptable', which allegedly included verbal and physical abuse directed towards women, and abuse aimed at those supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Many of the sport’s drivers used press conferences post-race to speak out. Among those, Lewis Hamilton highlighted how it is 'still an issue all over, it comes down to education, and, of course, ignorance.' Sebastian Vettel, a famed champion of equality, called for those involved to be banned from motorsport for life. However, the events at the Grand Prix are a continuation of a long line of discrimination in motorsport as a whole, putting minorities off of getting into the sport in fear of abuse. During the Black Lives Matter movement, F1 c...

Online child sexual abuse is at an all time high, with new legislation holding tech firms across the UK accountable for their role in tackling such abuse. Similar moves have been restricted in the past due to privacy concerns, however, the need for protection is at an all time high. Credit: Sky News. By: Derry Salter. On Wednesday 6 July, Home Secretary Priti Patel published an amendment to the drafted Online Safety Bills which will force tech companies to roll out new technology to identify child sexual abuse material on their platforms. The amendment promises both privacy and security to tackle the crime, by requiring tech companies to identify child sexual abuse material posted or sent privately on their platforms. Such legislation is essential at a time like this with offences labelled ‘Sexual Communication with a Child’ increasing 80% over the past four years. Patel inculpated large tech firms: 'We must all work to ensure criminals are not allowed to run rampant online a...

English football in 2022/23 looks as tantalising as ever. The Premier League is close, with Liverpool and Manchester City expected to lock horns once again in a thrilling title race, with the usual scrap for European places extending to multiple sides in the upper mid-table. In The Football League, the race for promotion to the top-flight from the Championship has no clear favourite, whilst League One has the strongest line-up seen for years with Derby County’s relegation seeing multiple former Premier League sides vying for a return to their glory years. Last season's National League winners, Stockport County - Credit: Manchester Evening News. By: Sam Feierabend. However, the closest and unpredictable leagues could be the National Leagues. Comprised of three divisions -  The National League, National League North and National League South – the system represents elite clubs in the non-league set up. They feed The Football League, with some fans and pundits even arguing that the ...