thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-24--Deborah Dugan Tried To Fix The Grammys. Instead She Says She Was ‘Ruined’ By A Boys' Club

From the outside, it looks like the Grammys have come a long way from 2017, when the award show was widely criticised for being dominated by men.
Powerhouse artists like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande are set to perform on Sunday night at the music awards, hosted by Alicia Keys. Women make up the majority of nominees in the four biggest categories, including song of the year and best new artist.
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Five of the eight nominees for album of the year are women. That’s a big turnaround from the past: From 2013 to 2018, a staggering 91% of Grammy nominees were men.
Former Grammy chief Deborah Dugan, who filed a lawsuit against the Recording Academy, is interviewed Thursday on "Good Morning America." RW/MediaPunch/IPx
Behind the scenes, however, the game is still rigged in favour of the powerful and well-compensated men who actually run the show, according to explosive allegations from Deborah Dugan. She was put on leave last week from her role as CEO of the Recording Academy, the nonprofit in charge of the Grammys, a little more than a week before the award show.
Dugan was the organisation’s first female leader. She told HuffPost that she was forced out by the academy’s male board members and powerful lawyers after trying to make significant changes at the academy and speaking up about sexual harassment at the organisation.
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“I knew it was going to be an old boys’ club, deeply entrenched and not diverse institution,” Dugan said on Thursday. “I had no idea how bad it would be.”
U2 singer Bono with Deborah Dugan, when she was CEO of his (Red) charity, in New York City on June 2, 2012, in New York. STAN HOND/AFP via Getty Images
Dugan, 61, filed a bombshell 44-page sexual harassment complaint on Tuesday against the academy with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which handles discrimination complaints.
In it, Dugan said she faced sustained, persistent sexual harassment from the group’s lead lawyer, Joel Katz, a partner at the influential law firm Greenberg Traurig. She claims he tried to kiss her at their first meeting, a dinner, that took place before she officially started her job.
“She was very weirded out,” a colleague of Dugan’s at the Recording Academy told HuffPost. Dugan confided in the colleague about the dinner soon after it happened, the person said, requesting that their name not be used for fear of retaliation.
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Katz did not respond to a request for comment from HuffPost, but has denied her characterisation of the dinner through a lawyer to other media outlets.
Dugan also claimed that the nonprofit vastly overpays its powerful outside attorneys, including the well-connected Katz, and that the process for nominating artists for the Grammys is flawed.
The Recording Academy tells a different story, and that story has shifted over the past week.
When Dugan was first placed on leave, the academy put out a statement claiming it was investigating complaints about Dugan’s treatment of a female member of the academy.
That complaint, a 1½-page document sent by a former executive assistant at the academy and reviewed by HuffPost, accuses Dugan of “bullying” and “hostility.” It contains no specific details of the behaviour.
Yet that was apparently enough to spur the academy to action. “In light of concerns raised to the Recording Academy board of trustees, including a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team, the board has placed Recording Academy president and CEO Deborah Dugan on administrative leave, effective immediately,” the academy said in a statement last week. “The Board has also retained two independent third-party investigators to conduct independent investigations of the allegations.”
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The misconduct complaint occurred in December, weeks before she was put on leave.
This week, the academy seemed to change the timeline, claiming that Dugan was put on leave only after her lawyers asked for several million dollars in order to be let out of her contract.
“Following that communication from Ms. Dugan’s attorney, Ms. Dugan was placed on administrative leave as we complete both of these ongoing investigations,” interim CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement on Monday about the ongoing dust-up.
“As GRAMMY week is upon us, I truly hope we can focus our attention on the artists who’ve received nominations and deserve to be celebrated at this time of the year, and not give credence to unsubstantiated attacks on the Academy,” he said in the statement.
HuffPost obtained the misconduct complaint filed by Claudine Little, the former assistant to Portnow who had been at the academy for 20 years. The letter, written by an outside law firm, is addressed to Katz and threatens a lawsuit.
“Ms. Dugan has exhibited open hostility toward Ms. Little ― perhaps because, according to Ms. Dugan, Ms. Little is not ‘young’ and ‘cool.’” It says Dugan “belittled” and “demeaned” her but doesn’t provide examples.
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Little claims in the letter that Dugan was trying to replace her as retaliation for her report of abusive behaviour. But Dugan’s former colleague told HuffPost that the plan was always to shift Little to another role.
It’s unusual that a CEO would be put on leave based on such a thin complaint, and it’s equally strange that an investigation like this would take so long, said Dugan’s former colleague.
“This is all a sham,” they said. “Have you ever heard of a serious investigation of a former executive who has walked off the job because she can’t get along with the new CEO of the company?”
Little told Rolling Stone, “Ms. Dugan’s choice to litigate in the press and spread a false narrative about the Academy and me and my colleagues is regrettable, but it is also emblematic of Ms. Dugan’s abusive and bullying conduct while she served as the Academy’s President and CEO.”
The fact that the academy’s story has changed is telling, said Michael Willemin, a partner at Wigdor, the New York law firm representing Dugan. “Anytime a company starts changing the reasons it presents for taking an adverse action, it raises the spectre that the reasons are false.”
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Made To Feel Like A ‘Whore’
None of this was how it was supposed to go. Dugan stepped into her role just six months ago as part of the academy’s efforts to do better with women after a disastrous 2018 award show that left the hashtag GrammySoMale trending.
Her predecessor, Neil Portnow, was forced to step down last year after saying that if women wanted to get more acclaim, they needed to “step up.” (Worth noting: Portnow’s predecessor, Mike Greene, was ousted in 2002 in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal and amid accusations of financial wrongdoing.)
The outrage over Portnow’s comments, coming at the height of the Me Too movement, was intense. Entertainers including Pink, Sheryl Crow and Katy Perry, as well as powerful female industry executives, called for his resignation.
The Recording Academy then brought in Tina Tchen, who would later go on to become the president of TimesUp, to lead a task force aimed at improving things.
An investigation from Tchen’s task force found the Recording Academy to be overwhelmingly dominated by men ― men made up close to 75% of the nominating committees, according to the report. The academy seemed to take the findings seriously, increasing the number of nominees in its four biggest categories to eight from four, and diversifying its voting body by adding more women, people of colour and younger members.
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Coulda sworn this is the same board that told women to "step up" Clearly what they really meant was stand down, turn a blind eye to problems, or be fired. #DeborahDugan truly stepped up & tried to make necessary changes & was shown the door. Been there, done that, got fired too. https://t.co/xwm3qUln3x — Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) January 18, 2020
The Recording Academy hired Dugan in August 2019 with a mandate to work on improving diversity and inclusion. She was an industry pro who was the CEO of (Red), the nonprofit group founded by Bono, and prior to that an executive at EMI and Disney, and wanted to make more changes, particularly at the board level, to add diversity.
That’s not how it worked out.
Dugan said her first clue came soon after she signed a three-year contract to lead the Recording Academy, at a dinner with Katz.
The general counsel propositioned her, she says in her complaint, called her “baby” and told her about his private plane and his money. At the end of their meeting, at which Dugan said she just tried to keep things professional, he tried to kiss her. Every time the two met one-on-one after that incident, Katz would tell Dugan she was pretty and referred to her as baby, according to her complaint.
Dugan told HuffPost that she’d been made to feel like a “whore” at that first meeting with Katz. She emphasised that she thought the point wasn’t romantic but a test to see what she’d put up with.
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Through a lawyer, Katz denied Dugan’s recollection of the dinner, The New York Times reported. He did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on Thursday.
Then, More Trouble
The next sign of trouble for Dugan came at her very first board meeting ― before she’d officially started her job. Dugan said she was whisked into a private room and told that Portnow, who was still CEO, was facing a rape allegation from a female artist. The day before, Dugan had been asked to sign off on Portnow’s bonus. And a little before that, she’d also been asked to approve a deal in which he would stay on as a consultant for the academy for $750,000 a year. She told HuffPost she rejected the consultation deal because she didn’t “want him giving the impression that the female CEO can’t do it alone.”
Portnow has called the rape claims “ludicrous and untrue” and has said he didn’t demand the $750,000 fee.
A representative of the academy confirmed to HuffPost that there was indeed a rape allegation but that Portnow was cleared.
“Ms. Dugan was made aware of previous rape allegations, for which Mr. Portnow was cleared, and she did not do anything with the information,” said the representative, who declined to be named.
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Was Portnow put on leave while he was accused of rape? The representative of the academy did not know.
It was becoming clear to Dugan that there were deep problems at the academy, but she said she was already locked into the job. She had signed a contract. And, word of her hiring had leaked out quickly. She also had moved her teenage daughter and 91-year-old mother from New York to Los Angeles.
Plus, Dugan thought she could fix the organisation.
“I don’t know if I am nuts, but I thought I was the person that was going to get in and bring forth positive change,” she said.
Dugan alleges in her complaint that the academy is supporting a boys’ club of powerful men by paying out millions in fees to lawyers from outside firms for relatively small and uncomplicated legal work rather than using its own staff attorneys.
“I don’t know if I am nuts, but I thought I was the person that was going to get in and bring forth positive change.” - Deborah Dugan
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Dugan wanted to hire in-house lawyers, but the board rejected her bid to do so.
Katz, for example, is paid $250,000 a year simply to be on call for the academy, according to the complaint ― he then earns fees on top of that for any work performed and is paid a salary by his firm. Katz’s firm, Greenberg Traurig, is a dominant player in the recording industry ― and indeed the academy has paid out $10.3 million in fees to the firm in the past four years, The New York Times reported.
Dugan also alleges that she was paid far less than her two male predecessors and that, when she raised the issue, “she was told she should be happy to be earning more than she had in her previous role,” according to the complaint. Dugan does not reveal those compensation numbers in the complaint. However, she earned $537,000 a year at (Red), The Associated Press reported. In 2016, Portnow made $1.7 million. He had been CEO since 2002.
A few artists have spoken up on Dugan’s behalf.
“I salute Deborah Dugan for her truth and courage to try and effect change. As always, a bunch of ignorant, testosterone-fuelled, usually old white men stop progress and screw it up,” said hip-hop icon Chuck D. in an Instagram post after Dugan was put on leave. “Same old bullshit.”
Dugan never wanted to go public with these claims, she said. She had hoped to reform the academy from the inside. But that all changed in November, when the board got wind that Portnow’s former executive assistant Little had taken a leave of absence and accused Dugan of bullying her. Little sent her formal legal letter on Dec. 17.
The board used that complaint to strip Dugan of some of her powers. In early December, they told her that she could no longer hire or fire people without board approval, she said in her complaint.
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Dugan ― powers shackled ― wanted to at least put her experiences somewhere on the record, hoping to prod the board into action.
On Dec. 22, she sent a letter to the academy’s human resources representative outlining these complaints ― about pay, lawyer fees and Katz’s behaviour.
Just three weeks after sending the letter, which is included in her complaint, the academy put Dugan on administrative leave. Dugan said she was assured the matter would be private.
Yet that same day, the Los Angeles Times published a story about how she was put on leave because of misconduct allegations ― and the story quickly spread.
To push Dugan out right before the Grammys looks “clumsy,” said Rosemary Carroll, an industry lawyer and the founding partner of Carroll, Guido, Groffman, Cohen, Bar & Karalian, who’s been working in the music industry for 30 years.
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The two weeks before the Grammys is the only time anyone pays attention to the Recording Academy, she said. “To do it in those two weeks, in this clumsy, awkward, obvious way, seemed lame to me.”
Carroll is one of the female executives who called for Portnow’s ouster.
Even though Portnow left and the academy brought in Dugan, it seems it wasn’t serious about making changes, she said.
“They just wanted her to come in like window dressing, it seems.”
My Career Is Ruined
Dugan said the charges are “bogus,” manufactured in order to push her out.
“There is a pattern of sexism and corruption in the Recording Academy,” Dugan said. “There is no pattern in my 40 years of anyone going to HR complaining about me.”
Dugan said her career is essentially “ruined,” and she now assumes she’ll never work again.
She won’t be going to the Grammys on Sunday night. She said the academy yanked her tickets ― and the tickets of all the industry contacts and friends she had invited.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-24--RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Queens Revealed – And You May Recognise A Few Of Them

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We’ve only just recovered our wig after the inaugural UK series, but the RuPaul’s Drag Race train continues full-steam ahead with the ru-veal of the new US queens.
The 13 new contestants taking part in the 12th series of the original show have now been announced – and some may look a little familiar to drag connoisseurs.
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Among the new queens are Dahlia Sin, who is the drag daughter of former contestant Aja. Fans will remember her from season nine, where she placed ninth, as well as the third All Stars series.
The cast of RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 Logo TV/World Of Wonder/VH1
Brita and Jan are also two members of singing drag troupe Stephanie’s Child, who have worked with former Drag Race legends Sasha Velour, Shangela and Jiggly Caliente in an episode of US sitcom Broad City, while Brita has also appeared on Saturday Night Live.
Here they all are in all their glory...
Aiden Zhane
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Brita
Crystal Methyd
Dahlia Sin
Gigi Goode
Heidi N Closet
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Jackie Cox
Jaida Essence Hall
Jan
Nicky Doll
Rock M Sakura
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Sherry Pie
Widow Von’Du
Never one to hype things up, Ru has called the latest bunch of queens “the most talented we’ve ever had”.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a fresh crop of queens arrives and blows our minds all over again,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Fellow judge Ross Mathews has also said it is his “favourite season yet”.
He told Digital Spy: “I am just blown away by what the producers are doing to keep it fresh.
“I just think it is chock-full of talent. I can think of all the girls and there is not one who I couldn’t see winning.”
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Season 12 of Drag Race will debut in the US on Friday 28 February, with new episodes to air in the UK on Netflix every Saturday starting on 29 February.
Also confirmed for this year are a fifth All Stars version, as well as a celebrity series, which will see a host of famous faces each being guided on their Drag Race journeys by a former contestant.
A second series of the UK version has also been commissioned to air on BBC Three later in 2020, after the runaway success of the first season, which was won by The Vivienne.
A Canadian version is also in the works, while a third series of the Drag Race Thailand is also expected to debut this year – although neither will feature RuPaul.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Channing Tatum And Jessie J Have Given Us A Definitive Answer To Those Reunion Rumours

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Channing Tatum and Jessie J have confirmed their relationship is back on following a brief split.
The pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the MusiCares Person Of The Year event in Los Angeles on Friday night – just weeks after they are reported to have separated.
Channing Tatum and Jessie J Steve Granitz via Getty Images
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The Magic Mike actor also posted a picture of him and Jessie during the event on Instagram, each of them wearing novelty unicorn headpieces.
He wrote: “Gonna watch this unicorn sang tonight. Then we gonna get it in! Horns out!”
In another post, he shared a picture of Jessie, along with the caption: “Sculpture of magic.”
The Do It Like A Dude singer also shared videos of them on her Instagram Stories, including one of them sharing a kiss.
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Jessie and Channing were reported to have split in December after over a year together.
They were believed to have started a relationship six months after Channing split from his wife of nearly nine years, actress Jenna Dewan, who he has six-year-old daughter Everly with.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Love Island Winner Jack Fincham Stuns Fans By Announcing He's Become A Father

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Former Love Island winner Jack Fincham has left fans stunned after announcing he has become a father.
The reality star, who was paired with Dani Dyer on the 2018 series of the ITV2 show, revealed he has welcomed a baby girl with one of his “great friends”.
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Jack posted a picture of him holding his daughter, who has been named Blossom, on Instagram, and also explained his decision to keep his impending fatherhood secret.
He said: “I’m normally a very open book and share most of my life on my social media. This blessing I chose not to. I’m just a normal geeza, who went on a tv show, which throws you straight into the public eye…which I will forever be grateful for.
“However, I knew for myself I needed personal time and to keep this part of my life private to prepare for this new responsibility and part of me that will change my life forever.”
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Describing his daughter as “undoubtedly the best thing that has ever happened to me”, he continued: “It’s true what they say, the instant feeling of love and connection you have with your child is a feeling like no other.”
Jack won Love Island with Dani Dyer in 2018 Rex
Jack also revealed that he is not with Blossom’s mother, although they have been friends for a number of years.
He said: “I want to thank my family and friends for your continued support, also to my little girl’s mother, who has been totally AMAZING throughout. Although we are not together we are great friends as we have been for many years and our priority is co-parenting our beautiful baby girl. Both mum and baby are doing great.
“I am now a proud dad to a healthy baby girl Blossom Fincham born 8lb 2oz on 24th January 2020.”
Fans were left shocked by Jack’s surprise announcement...
Can’t believe jack fincham has done a Kylie Jenner — Ellebelle (@ellebellenic) January 25, 2020
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tf you mean jack fincham from love island is a DAD where did this come from??¿ — hannah (@tmhannahes) January 25, 2020
jack fincham is a DAD. WHAT THE FUCK — gee🪐 (@georgiaanais_) January 25, 2020
JACK FINCHAM IS A DAD!! WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHERES HE BEEN HIDING A PREGNANT WOMAN FOR 9 MONTHS — 🧚🏼♂ (@ambersgill) January 25, 2020
Jack Fincham really out there pulling a kylie Jenner but doing it better. Literally would never have suspected a thing. — 🧚🏼♂ (@ambersgill) January 25, 2020
woaaaah hang on a minute... when was jack fincham expecting a baby?! ... is this public knowledge orrrr??🤔🤔 — kayla louise ◟̽◞̽ xox (@kayla_louise96) January 25, 2020
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Wtf Jack Fincham is a dad now?!?! Where tf did that come from — 🤦🏼♀Louise🤦🏼♀ (@Louise_Emson) January 25, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--The US Space Force Has Unveiled A New Logo, And Star Trek Fans Have Something To Say About It

It’s only been a week, but Donald Trump’s Space Force is once again the subject of ridicule – this time after the new logo was revealed and people pointed out it looked rather familiar.
Just seven days ago the force was mocked after revealing its new uniform – a practical camouflage print, which many pointed out probably wouldn’t do much good in the barren landscape outer space.
And now the Space Force logo has come under fire for its resemblance to one made famous in the hit TV show Star Trek.
Trump unveiled the Space Force logo on Friday, writing on Twitter that he had consulted with military leaders and designers before presenting the blue-and-white symbol.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Love Island Fans Are Either Team Siannise Or Team Rebecca After Shock Dumping

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Love Island fans have been declaring themselves either Team Siannise or Team Rebecca after they clashed during a tense recoupling.
Friday night’s episode of the ITV2 reality show saw the former Miss Newcastle couple up with newcomer Luke Trotman, prompting a furious reaction from Siannise Fudge who had set her sights set on him.
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“It’s like a kick in the teeth,” she told Rebecca.
Rebecca Gormley and Siannise Fudge ITV
“It’s like you have gone behind my back. We will talk more about this later.”
The result left the Bristolian beauty consultant visibly upset as she then had to choose between Nas Majeed and Connagh Howard.
Siannise opted to couple up with Nas as a friend again after Connaugh knocked her back either this week, having cracked on with Rebecca.
We'll miss you Connagh with a G 😭 #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/FDCPK9KkXd — Love Island (@LoveIsland) January 24, 2020
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Her decision left Connagh single and therefore dumped from the Island.
Viewers were then divided over Rebecca’s outmanoeuvre.
Some were living for her treading on everyone’s toes...
Rebecca really chose Luke T, I am living for this #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/XFJwBfGbvt — Hilary (@pat_hilary) January 24, 2020
I am living for Rebecca though. Full Big Brother contestant energy #LoveIsland — Emma Kelly (@TooManyEmmas) January 24, 2020
I am behind but I am LIVING for Rebecca choosing the men Siannise likes #LoveIsland — Loren Donovan (@Loreeeen) January 24, 2020
Yess Rebecca, step on these bitches toes #LoveIsland — 〽〽〽〽〽 (@realistsankz) January 24, 2020
Siannise, Rebecca owes you nothing love! Do one will ya! #LoveIsland — Stuart Kirk (@cptnkirk_7423) January 24, 2020
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Rebecca offering us a smidgen of the TV we deserve. Carry on rattling Sîannise 🙏🏾 #LoveIsland — Anakin (@marcazette) January 24, 2020
But others said they had Siannise’s back...
Siânnise telling Rebecca everything is fine followed by "We'll speak later about it" is the ultimate power play and I am here for the drama! #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/rKRAVpPn14 — D D (@LostSleepMummy) January 24, 2020
Siannese now that Rebecca stole another man from her:
#LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/lDafNLkl68 — Kelly (@KTonthebloc) January 24, 2020
Now we have to call Siannise by her actual name 😭she earned my respect #loveisland pic.twitter.com/JZ0Bos1wxg — H 🍉 (@AkhiNextDoor) January 24, 2020
I'm actually all for Siânnise now. She's genuinely had no luck. I think she's been misunderstood. Rebecca ain't sh*t. She needs to go. Leanne and Mike are getting cuter by the day! 😍 Can't wait for them to WIN! #LoveIsland — Reyhana England (@thatgirlreyy) January 25, 2020
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Looking forward to seeing Siannise go off on Rebecca on Sunday night 😎 #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/pg0HkrxyM2 — Vicki Cummins (@Vicki_Cummins) January 25, 2020
And praised her for deciding to save Nas...
YES SIANNISE 🙌🙌🙌🙌🎉🎉🎉she just shot RIGHT UP in my estimations #whatagirl SO SO SO HAPPY for Nas 🤭🥰 hopefully they get someone in there for him now!!!! And her actually.... #LoveIsland @LoveIsland — Jessica :) (@JessieeeJ__x) January 24, 2020
Fair played Siannise slightly redeemed yourself there, that Rebecca defo one for the watching now 👀👀 #LoveIsland — Laura Meikle (@laurab_7689) January 24, 2020
Siannise: "The boy I want to couple up with is.. Nas"
The UK: #LoveIslandpic.twitter.com/Di9hPIHWGP — Jasmin (@ItsJasminHere) January 24, 2020
Well done Siannise, you indeed do not have "Mug" written on your forehead#LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/JJIfURfHjR — Alex (@latericusvalete) January 24, 2020
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I’m not Siannise’s biggest fan but the speech she gave for choosing Nas🥺
SHE SAID:
“He’s the life and soul of the villa and his personality doesn’t go unnoticed”
That was truly beautiful.#LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/drytXaypO1 — skyerenaee (@skyerenaee1) January 24, 2020
The recoupling saw Sophie Piper get back with Connor Durman, while Paige Turley had a difficult decision to make as she had to choose between newcomer Luke Mabbott and Finn Tapp.
She chose the latter, saying it was a choice between “my head and my heart”.
Jess Gale decided to save Luke M and coupled up with him.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Coronavirus: Border Force Recruited To Track Down 2,000 People Who Flew From Wuhan To UK

Border Force agents have been recruited in a bid to track down 2,000 people who have recently flown to the UK from the region of China most affected by the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Health officials have teamed up with the agents and airlines to speed up the search, with a spokesperson from the Department of Health (DoH) confirming they are hoping to locate “as many passengers as we can” who travelled from Wuhan in the past fortnight.
Checks are being carried out to establish the wellbeing of passengers who are at risk of being affected.
Officials have now confirmed the tests for a patient in Northern Ireland are negative for coronavirus.
Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer Michael McBride said: “I am being kept fully informed about the steps being taken to protect the public by the Public Health Agency and I am providing the minister with regular updates.”
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said 14 people were given the all-clear on Thursday but more were being checked over, as Europe’s first confirmed cases of the illness were confirmed in France on Friday.
Whitty said there was a “fair chance” cases will emerge in Britain as the overall number reported around the world climbed to more than 1,200, including 41 deaths, all in China.
Public Health England would not comment on the results of further tests on Friday night and said an update would be issued on Saturday afternoon.
The professor spoke following a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall on Friday, chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
He said: “I am working closely with the other UK chief medical officers.
“We all agree that the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage.”
He added: “The UK has access to some of the best infectious disease and public health experts in the world.
“A public health hub will be set up in Heathrow from today. This consists of clinicians and other public health officials, in addition to existing port health measures.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Grammys 2020: 16 Huge Music Stars Who've Never Won An Award

Getty/John Shearer/Robyn Beck/Michael Ochs Archive/PA/Jeff Kravitz/Andrew Chin/Kevin C Cox
For most musicians, there’s no sign that they’ve made it quite like a win at the Grammy Awards.
However, a select few artists have proven over the years that you can still have a huge music career without taking home one of those coveted gold gramophones.
From multi-nominated rappers to legendary singers and groups who managed to slip through the awards show’s net, here are 20 huge artists that have made a massive impact in the music world, but still have a Grammy-shaped gap on their mantelpiece...
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Diana Ross
Jim Dyson via Getty Images
Despite more than 50 years in the entertainment industry, Diana Ross never won any of the previous 12 Grammys that she was nominated for.
However, her contribution to the music world is so inarguable that the Recording Academy eventually granted her a Lifetime Achievement award in 2012.
There’s a chance she could finally win her first competitive Grammy in 2023, too, as she’s been nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her latest musical offering Thank You.
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Bob Marley
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
Despite being a trailblazer in the world of reggae music, Bob Marley was never even nominated for a Grammy in his lifetime, let alone awarded one.
The specific Best Reggae Album award was introduced at the Grammys in 1985, four years after his death, with the late singer’s son Ziggy Marley being the artist who has won in this category the most times.
Katy Perry
Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Since I Kissed A Girl was released in 2008, Katy Perry has been nominated for 13 Grammys, including a coveted nod in the Album Of The Year category for Teenage Dream.
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As of yet, she’s yet to win an award, and was last nominated for one in 2015.
Nicki Minaj
Leon Bennett via Getty Images
Nicki Minaj is slightly behind her former collaborator Katy Perry on 10 nominations without a win, last receiving a nomination in 2016 for her The Pinkprint album.
In 2019, she accused the Recording Academy of deliberately snubbing her, claiming: “I was bullied into staying quiet for seven years out of fear.”
Three years later, she criticised the Grammys once again, claiming she’d missed out on a nomination because her song Super Freaky Girl was being considered in the pop categories, rather than rap, which she’d submitted it as.
Snoop Dogg
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Snoop Dogg is officially the Glenn Close of the Grammys, as he’s the artist with the most nominations and zero wins (joint with singer-songwriter Brian McKnight).
The rapper has 17 Grammy nominations to his name, and was last nominated in 2016, for his contribution to Kendrick Lamar’s album To Pimp A Butterfly.
Queen
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In Freddie Mercury’s lifetime, Queen received a total of four Grammy nominations – for Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites The Dust – though none of them translated into a win.
The band was eventually awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, the same year their album A Night At The Opera was inducted into the Grammys Hall Of Fame.
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ABBA
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Let’s just have a look at ABBA’s stats, shall we?
Nine UK number one singles. Hundreds of millions of records sold. Not one but two jukebox musicals that solely feature their music. And yet, zero Grammy nominations.
At least, that was the case until 2021 when I Still Have Faith In You – the band’s first new song in almost 40 years – was recognised in the Record Of The Year category.
While 2022 didn’t end up being a Grammy-winning year for the band, it very well could be 2023, as their chart-topping album Voyage is in the running in four categories, including the coveted Album Of The Year prize.
The Academy did also kind of make up for their past oversights by inducting Dancing Queen into their Hall Of Fame in 2015.
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Jimi Hendrix
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Sadly, the legendary musician is another artist who the Recording Academy only recognised after his death (unless you count his sole nomination for his guitar of The Star-Spangled Banner).
After being awarded Lifetime Achievement in 1992, he’s since won some posthumous Grammys and had his work inducted into the Hall Of Fame on more than one occasion.
Björk
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Known for her unique and avant-garde approach to music, Björk has an impressive 16 Grammy nominations to her name, placing her high on the list of musicians who’ve received the most recognition without an actual win.
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Among her nominations are Best Alternative Album nods for her last seven albums, although none of these resulted in a win. Let’s see whether she can finally reverse her fortune in 2023, eh?
Pet Shop Boys
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Undoubtedly one of the most celebrated pop acts Britain has ever produced, with 14 albums to their name and a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution, Pet Shop Boys have still never won a Grammy.
They have been nominated on six occasions, though, most recently in 2010 for their Xenomania-produced Yes album.
Miley Cyrus
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She might be one of the most famous women in pop, but until recently, Miley Cyrus had actually only ever been nominated for one Grammy.
In 2015, she was up for Best Pop Vocal Album for her infamous Bangerz release, but lost out to Sam Smith’s In The Lonely Hour.
Her second nomination came in 2022, when she was recognised as a contributor to Lil Nas X’s album Montero.
Lana Del Rey
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Spread out over six years, Lana Del Rey has a total of six Grammy nominations to her name.
The closest she came was in 2020, when she received two “big three” nods in 2020 for her album Norman Fucking Rockwell.
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BTS
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As one of the biggest and most recognisable K-pop groups on the planet, BTS have fans all over the world and have now charted on both sides of the Atlantic.
They were also the first Korean pop act to be recognised at the Grammys, where they’ve now been nominated five times (including three in 2023), albeit without a win as of yet.
Sia
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She’s known as much for her own music as she is for her songwriting credits for artists including Beyoncé and Rihanna.
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But despite nine nominations, Sia is yet to win a Grammy for any of her musical offerings.
Tupac Shakur
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In his lifetime, Tupac earned just two Grammy nominations, both for his album Me Against The World, but lost out on the night to Coolio and Naughty By Nature.
Following his death in 1996, Tupac racked up a further four nominations, though none of these translated to a win.
Guns N’ Roses
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Guns N’ Roses have sold a whopping 100 million records worldwide, and in 2012 were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
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Between 1990 and 2019, the rock legends also racked up four Grammy nominations, but never managed a win.
The Beach Boys
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Despite their undeniable impact on pop music, the Recording Academy never gave The Beach Boys a competitive Grammy win.
They do have a lifetime achievement award, though, and their iconic Pet Sounds album also has a place in the Grammys Hall Of Fame.
Arctic Monkeys
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During their time in the spotlight, Arctic Monkeys have scooped an impressive seven Brit Awards, though they’ve not yet managed to win a Grammy.
They have been nominated six times in total, though, and are in the running for Best Alternative Music Performance at this year’s ceremony.
Post Malone
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Rapper and singer Post Malone has an impressive 10 Grammy nominations to his name, including two Album Of The Year nods.
It looks like 2023 could be his year, though, as he’s been nominated in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for his collaboration with Doja Cat.
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Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams Andreas Rentz via Getty Images
It’s been well-documented that Robbie Williams’ mammoth UK success has not translated overseas, and despite having the most Brit Awards of any singers in history, he’s never managed to win a Grammy.
Interestingly, he has been nominated for two in the past, but neither were actually for his music.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Children With Special Educational Needs Are Being Denied An Education. Their Parents Are Fighting Ba

Children With Special Educational Needs Are Being Denied An Education. Their Parents Are Fighting Back

Children with special needs forced to stay at home and miss out on education. Councils spending scant financial resources on fighting parents in court instead of providing the services their kids need. An official report slamming one town hall’s provision as “dysfunctional”.
These horror stories are depressingly familiar to thousands of parents across the UK whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and have been battling to access the education their kids need. Some are stuck in mainstream schools that aren’t suitable for them academically or socially; some are left unable to go to school at all.
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Fiona Castle, from Bristol, calls it “institutional gaslighting” – professionals telling her she’s making too much of a fuss when all she’s doing is trying to get what her young son is legally entitled to.
“As a parent of a child that’s different, you’re always questioning whether or not you could be doing more,” she told HuffPost UK, “whether or not you’re making too much of a fuss.”
With councils pushed to the limit, families are having to fight for vital assessments such as education, health and care (EHC) plans that too often mean the difference between a child’s needs being met and being locked out of education completely.
An EHC plan is a legal document, decided upon by the local authority, that sets out a child’s special educational needs, and the help they’ll need – whether that’s a dedicated teaching assistant or a place at a specialist school – to meet them.
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After receiving a request for an EHC plan, the local authority is lawfully obliged to complete the document within 20 weeks. The most recent quarterly figures show Bristol City Council completed not a single EHC plan within the mandatory timeframe.
The full extent of Bristol’s issues with SEND provision was made crystal clear in December, when Ofsted released its long-awaited report on the way Bristol City Council had implemented reforms designed to help children with SEND.
Although inspectors found a willingness to improve among council leaders, praising their “energy, enthusiasm, and determination”, there was significant criticism of the extent to which the local authority actually met the needs of children and their families.
When it came to EHC plans, however, inspectors described the quality of the documents as “disturbingly poor”. “Many contain gaps, are out of date, or do not reflect the child or young person’s needs,” they wrote.
At later points, the report said: “Children and young people named in EHC plans are unlikely to have their needs met,” and deemed the entire process “dysfunctional”.
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““This puts such a horrendous toll on families – it’s all my spare time, all I think about.”
Of course, the effects of a child – often with complex needs – being locked out of an education system don’t just stop with the child themselves.
The lives of entire families are being disrupted; careers are brought grinding to a halt, finances start spinning out of control, and relationships can start to fracture.
Fiona explained: “Quite a lot of us parents have been through a diagnosis process that’s been a bit of a fight, and then you have that same fight with a school who say: ‘Oh, no, he’s fine.’ Then you have your own local authority telling you: ‘No, he doesn’t need a plan.’ It’s at the point where I feel like I don’t trust my own judgement as a parent anymore, and that’s probably the thing that’s taken the greatest toll on my mental health.
“I’ve never had that before – I’ve always felt reasonably confident as a parent, as much as any of us can, but now I feel like I don’t trust my own judgement because you have so many people with letters behind their name telling you that what you’re doing is making a fuss.”
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Many parents who feel let down by the ECH plan process appeal against the local authority, sometimes going so far as to take legal action, and commit hundreds of hours to finding solutions for their children.
But as Fiona explains, that option isn’t available to everyone – and vulnerable children may be falling through the gaps as a result.
Fiona said: “It’s endemic as far as I’m concerned. I’m a scientist by trade; I’m relatively well educated, and I have a computer at home.
“What about about single parents, or [parents who are] working 60-hour weeks on zero-hour contracts or speak English as a second language?
“How on earth are they supposed to navigate the system to find the right option for their child?
“It’s not technically criminal, but it feels criminal. The way deadlines are missed – it’s supposed to be 20 weeks, but we’re on 27 and I know people on 30, 40, 50 weeks – and there’s so little we can do.”
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Fiona has spent more than £2,000 so far trying to get an appropriate education for her son – buying educational aids to help him both at home and in the classroom and paying out privately for appointments with a child psychologist and speech therapists.
But the financial impact is just one element of the toll the process has taken.
The stress of fighting for a proper education for her son has left Fiona struggling with her own mental health, at points leaving her close to breaking point.
“This puts such a horrendous toll on families – it’s all my spare time, all I think about.
“You’re always thinking: ‘I need to ring that person,’ or: ‘I need to follow up that report,’ or: ‘It’s been two weeks and I haven’t heard from that person.’
“I’ve become an administrator for my son’s life, but it shouldn’t be like this when you ask for help.
“It should be forthcoming, and you should feel like you can trust the professionals who are offering that help, but it isn’t – and at the moment we can’t.”
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It’s nearly 18 months since a group of parents took Bristol City Council to the High Court – an unprecedented case that saw them demand their own local authority reverse £5m of cuts to SEND funding – and win.
It was a ruling that inspired groups of frustrated parents across the UK. In the months since the precedent was set in August 2018 the High Court has seen a number of similar cases, with mixed rates of success for campaigners.
Sally Kent, also from Bristol, successfully went through a tribunal process after the council refused to carry out an EHC plan for her daughter, who has special educational needs and was in mainstream school.
She explained: “The SEND service in Bristol is absolutely on its knees. There’s been a failure of leadership. There’s been insufficient funding, and we’re now in a position where parents who are applying for these EHC plans are waiting 50-plus weeks. They’re waiting over a year in some cases, and it’s a statutory process that should take place in 20 weeks.
“The infrastructure’s not there, the planning has not been there, the political oversight [and] the funding from central government for sure has not been there, and children and young people in Bristol are suffering. And their families are suffering as well.
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“They’re out of school, they’re five times more likely to be excluded than children who don’t have SEND, and many children aren’t getting an education because there’s just no place for them. That is inexcusable.”
Of course, this is not just a Bristol problem – it’s a national one. Across the country 8,000 children with SEND are just waiting for a school place.
As council budgets have been squeezed by central government, more and more local authorities are finding themselves struggling to support some of their most vulnerable families.
That in turn has lead to an increasing number of families who feel as though they’ve been left with no choice but to fight the system themselves – often with the support of other local parents who have navigated the intricacies of the appeals process.
A number of large support groups have sprung up online, mostly on Facebook, where parents can share experiences and information with one another. For parents unable to access legal advice, or who simply have nowhere else to look, they can be a lifeline.
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Gillian Doherty is a founding member of one such group, SEND Action, which has more than 3,000 members.
“It’s not just about the funding,” she explained. “It’s the complete wild west when it comes to accountability. I think the national tribunal figures are really revealing – there are local authorities that are losing 92.5% of cases, and they’re using money that should be spent on the kids to fight in court.
“It essentially acts as a deterrent against accessing services. The problem with that is it means that it’s only those families who are in a position to be able to advocate for their kids – so many of our families can’t because they can’t afford it, or they don’t have the capacity or the time. Their kids are sick.
“It means that some kids who really, really need it are being denied access to support completely unlawfully.”
Many of the groups are local – Bristol, for example, has its own parents group with hundreds of members where parents and carers in the city can chat about their own specific experiences – but as awareness of the issue as grown, alliances between groups have formed.
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Gillian explained that SEND Action had partnered up with two other large parent groups to form grassroots umbrella group SEND Community Alliance. “We can work together to campaign for positive change, and try – whether it’s local authorities or the government – to make sure they’re adhering to our children’s rights,” she said.
“That’s something that has been really tricky because we feel like families have had to fight individually, and there’s a very clear systemic problem.
“We would really like some of the people responsible to actually act in order to enforce those rights, so they become meaningful. That wasn’t happening before now.”
Back in Bristol, the council has promised change.
A boost of £1.3m has been proposed for the SEND budget, part of which will be used to address the findings made by Ofsted and the CQC.
At the time of the announcement, the city’s education chief Anna Keen said: “Like many other local authorities across England we are transforming a service which continues to see increasing demand while being critically underfunded by central government.
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“Funding for SEND is a priority for us and we will continue to ask the government for fair and appropriate levels of funding that match our needs in Bristol.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Oldham Piloted Universal Credit 7 Years Ago. Here's The Grim Reality Of What Happened Since.

Looking at her dog Zeus staring forlornly up at her hoping for food, Barbara Whitehead feels an overwhelming sense of despair.
“If you can’t afford to feed yourself, you can’t feed your dog,” the 39-year-old mum-of-three tells HuffPost UK.
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“My priority is to feed my children and my dog – and I’ve had days when I’ve not eaten anything myself.
“There have been times when my dog has had to go without when there’s been no food or money. I have even considered giving him up because I don’t want him to starve but he is part of the family.”
Barbara lives in Oldham, a town northeast of Manchester which was once the most productive cotton mill town in the world. But today, it has some of the worst levels of child poverty in the country and in 2016, it was named the most deprived town in England in a study by the Office for National Statistics.
Oldham town centre First Choice Homes Oldham
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Oldham was one of the areas that volunteered to be a pilot site for Universal Credit in 2013 in the hope it would simplify the benefits system and encourage more people back into work.
But seven years on, those hit by the benefits change tell a different story.
One housing association told HuffPost UK that it lost in the region of £400,000 in rent during the first year of Universal Credit – money which it won’t recover. Unlike housing benefit, which was paid direct to the association, Universal Credit is handed direct to the claimant. Currently, 41% of the housing association’s tenants are in arrears.
The social landlord says some of its customers are struggling so much due to the wait for Universal Credit and the problems they experience applying for it, in the last 12 months, they referred an unprecedented 199 people to food banks.
For people like Barbara, Universal Credit has proved to be anything but a saviour. She described to HuffPost UK how her life has been “a nightmare” since she was put on the controversial six-in-one benefit.
Barbara’s 17-year-old son Craig is autistic and his disability living allowance was stopped around 17 months ago. Barbara was put on Universal Credit and says she has been struggling ever since.
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Life has been difficult for Barbara, who is a single mum. Her eldest son Craig was born very premature and that’s when she first began suffering from anxiety.
In November 2018, Barbara had a stillborn baby boy when she was almost five months pregnant. She says it was a difficult and stressful time in her life as a lot of things went wrong as she came out of an abusive relationship and was struggling for money.
She is on medication for depression and anxiety and admits she has felt suicidal at times. The only thing that has kept her going is her children and her dog.
When claimants are put on Universal Credit, they face a five-week wait for their first payment. But Barbara claims she didn’t get paid for months as she was “passed from pillar to post.”
Despite always being careful with money in the past, Barbara found herself spiralling into debt and she now owes thousands of pounds in arrears.
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Barbara Whitehead with her dog Zeus First Choice Homes Oldham
“My life has been a nightmare ever since I was put on Universal Credit.” she said. “I am not a reckless spender and I always saved what I could. Now, I owe around £5,000 in arrears for rent, gas, electric and water.
“At first, I was still trying to pay these people, but then I realised it was a choice of doing that or starving.”
“I am basically living off the charity of strangers. It is degrading."”
Barbara says she gets paid Universal Credit on the first of the month and by the 3rd, and after she has paid everything that is mandatory to pay, there is no money left.
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“The money coming in doesn’t cover basic living costs. How can you budget your money when you are getting less money and it doesn’t cover your basic needs.”
Barbara says she has been surviving the tough times through the support of friends who have made her meals or given her money and in desperate periods, she has had to go to food banks.
“I am basically living off the charity of strangers. It is degrading. My mum and dad have even had to sort me out with food. That is upsetting relying on your parents when you’re grown up and have always been independent.
“It is horrible not being able to do simple things like provide for your children, especially when you have vulnerable children. It is my children I feel sorry for as they are missing out on things. The school donated Christmas presents to my daughter. I can’t afford to live, never mind do things like Christmas.
“I have felt suicidal as I feel inadequate as a parent and inadequate as a person.”
Barbara’s social landlord is housing association First Choice Homes Oldham which says it is seeing firsthand the devastating impact Universal Credit is having on people like Barbara.
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As a result, the organisation has refocused its resources to support the most vulnerable and those most entrenched in poverty.
First Choice Homes Oldham has a Community Impact Team which supports customers with reducing their debt, increasing their disposable income, accessing benefits and affordable food and help with things like employment, hardship and energy switching. In 2019, the housing association referred 199 of its customers to food banks in Oldham.
Barbara says she couldn’t have coped without the support of her First Choice Homes support worker. “She has been a godsend and helped me so much and made life more bearable.”
Latest figures show more than 384,000 people in the North West are now receiving Universal Credit. Across Britain, more than 2.8 million people are now on the benefit system, which replaces six previous benefits with a single monthly payment.
Vinny Roche, chief executive of First Choice Homes Oldham told HuffPost UK that housing associations need to act as a final safety net where the system has failed people.
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“The safety net for the most vulnerable in society has been completely eroded.” he said: “If they wanted to set up something to defeat the objectives it was meant to deliver, Universal Credit couldn’t have done a better job.”
Vinny Roche First Choice Homes Oldham
He says he believes there will be a lost generation of people in the UK who are falling through the “ever widening holes in the safety net” and he says the role of housing associations needs to reflect this.
“The current system doesn’t work. We really need radical change if we are serious about fixing the safety net, reducing poverty and inequality and making sure there is a support network in place for the most vulnerable.
“The idea the state will take sole responsibility for dealing with the most vulnerable and tackling poverty and inequality is now unrealistic. In reality, it is never going to do this alone. We need to think differently and bring together the state, business, the third sector and wider society.”
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“People are going without heating, lighting or food – the basics that most of us take for granted."”
Arrears at First Choice have risen by around £500,000 since Universal Credit came in in Oldham, which only has one job centre.
Currently, 3,402 of its tenants are on Universal Credit and 1,398 of them are in arrears. First Choice still has another 2,450 tenants to move over to Universal Credit.
But Roche says there are people who are slipping through the gaps. While they appear to be fine on paper - by paying their rent - there are some people who are then going without heating, lighting or food.
“We find that the people with the least money manage their money better as they have to know where every penny goes. When you look at the rent details, they are paying rent so everything seems fine. But when you get behind the front door, you realise it isn’t.”
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Roche says a culmination of things including welfare benefit cuts and cuts to local authorities, the voluntary sector and the NHS have all pushed vulnerable people into a poverty crisis and that Universal Credit was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
His major criticism of Universal Credit is the five-week wait when people are having to borrow to survive. “You have some of the poorest people in the country having to wait weeks for their money.
“When they finally get their payment, they already owe a fortune to other people, or worse still, to loan sharks.
“The people in real need are now on less money, receive less welfare payments and the support mechanisms that once helped them have gone. Then the systems for applying for benefits and the sanctions are a lot more draconian.
“A combination of all these things is driving people into abject poverty.”
Ben Whetton, with one of the box frames Aasma Day
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Ben Whetton and Gemma McCann find it laughable that Universal Credit claims to get people back into work, as the benefit actually resulted in Gemma dissolving her dream business.
The couple have two young children and Ben also has a teenage daughter. They had worked full time all their lives, but almost four years ago, Gemma launched her own business making personalised photo frames.
After two years, the business had become too busy for just her, especially in the run-up to peak periods such as Mother’s Day so Ben joined her and also became self employed.
Being a low income family, they relied on Universal Credit to make up the shortfall. At first, everything seemed fine, but just after Christmas 2018, they logged into their Universal Credit account and discovered the payment was £455 – well under half of what they usually received.
To their shock, they were told this was correct as after the probationary period of one year of them both being self employed, estimated figures for what the business should be earning would be used to calculate their payment rather than what they were actually bringing in.
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“It hit us hard and we were worried about feeding our young children.” said Ben, 32. ”We had to massively cut back on our outgoings and cancelled our life insurance, our appliances insurance and our television contract.
″The reality for us was coming home to no food in the cupboards. We had always worked hard and paid our bills and it was a real kick in the teeth.”
The pair borrowed a cash advance to tide them over and realised they could not carry on with the business and made the heartbreaking decision to close it. Gemma now has a job with Royal Bank of Scotland as a clerk. Ben is unemployed while he considers his next move. He said: “We did everything above board and legit but were penalised for being self employed. I feel the Universal Credit should have been based on the business’s actual income rather than what they felt it should be bringing in.”
Michael O’Brien, 59, who lives alone, has been on Universal Credit twice and says the first time, he did not get paid for three months.
He told HuffPost UK he had been working as a site manager at a primary school in Oldham for 10 years but lost his job and went on Universal Credit.
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Michael O'Brien First Choice Homes Oldham
“I struggle with reading and writing forms, but I am alright with DIY and working with my hands,” he said. “I get anxiety when I have to fill in forms and my mind goes blank.
“The first time I went on Universal Credit, I didn’t get any money for three months as they kept messing me about. I got myself into that much debt that when I did eventually get paid, I had to pay everything back and it took me a long time to get myself sorted.”
“Sometimes things were so bad, I was only having one meal a day."”
Michael admits he felt devastated after losing his job at the primary school and could not cope and ended up depressed and felt suicidal and did not work for some time.
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He then got a job working for a builders firm but after the work ran out, the job finished and he ended up back on Universal Credit last year.
“Universal Credit does not leave you a lot to live on after you have paid your rent and bills.” he told HuffPost UK. “I am not one of those people who blows it all and I paid all my bills first.
“But this meant sometimes things were so bad, I was only having one meal a day. I even had to be given vouchers for the food bank as there was no money left after paying my rent and bills.”
Michael said his 26-year-old son who lives in Scotland even sent him money so he could pay for gas and electric or get some food. “That should not be happening. It should be the other way round and I did not like accepting money from my son. But I used to send him money when I was working when he was down on his luck, so he wanted to help me.”
Michael has just got a new job as a caretaker at a special school and is hoping things will work out so he can come off Universal Credit.
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“Universal Credit stinks.” he said. “It definitely does not make life better for people. I was depressed all the time when I was on it and didn’t have any money and couldn’t do anything.
“I have always worked until I lost my job. I would sooner be working than be on Universal Credit.”
When HuffPost UK spoke to the Department of Work and Pensions about how Universal Credit is affecting people in Oldham, which was a test-bed for the benefit, it said the new system is helping people move into work faster and stay in work longer.
Minister for welfare delivery Will Quince said: “Universal Credit is helping to support thousands of people across the North West as they look for work.
“However, many people are still not aware of additional entitlements they may be eligible for, such as help with childcare and half price travel on rail and bus services.”
But for people like Barbara in Oldham, driven to despair and poverty, Universal Credit is definitely not the success story the government is making out.
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Barbara said: “People should not be having to live like this in the UK in 2020. Universal Credit was brought in to help people but it is doing the complete opposite.
“Before I went on Universal Credit, we weren’t well off by any means. But I didn’t have any debt and there was food on the table.
“Universal Credit has pushed me into poverty and into debt. It is an absolute farce.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--The Best Luxury Women's Fragrances For 2020

HuffPost UK Louise/HuffPost UK
New year, new fragrance. Amirite? Buying a perfume for the first time can feel like a fresh start and whether you’ve been loyal to the same one for years and want a change or regularly switch up your scent, there’s an endless amount of choice.
They are also the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, whether you’re buying a treat for yourself or someone special.
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So without further ado, we’ve rounded up the perfumes worth buying this year – from the new launches to the timeless classics.
Jo Malone London Jo Malone London Vetiver & Golden Vanilla Cologne Intense 100ml, John Lewis
While vanilla might conjure up memories of overdoing it with Charlie body spray while you were at school, this year Jo Malone is reclaiming the scent. The latest addition to its Cologne Intense range is an inviting blend of Madagascan vetiver and vanilla, along with cardamon and grapefruit tea. It’s the perfect way to introduce a fresher scent into your fragrance collection for Spring, while still keeping a hint of warming vanilla for the wintery months.
HuffPost UK Tom Ford Beau de Jour 100ml, Look Fantastic
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Tom Ford knows fragrance. Its newest offering is sweeter and softer than you might expect with lavender, rosemary, geranium, mint and patchouli making a refreshing mix, with the added sharpness of basil.
HuffPost UK Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum 70ml, Liberty London
An oldie but goodie, Baccarat Rouge 540 is a timeless scent that’ll see you through all seasons. Intense but not overpowering, you’ll find jasmine, amber, cedar wood and saffron that’ll have you coming back for more. I make a beeline for a bottle of this every-time I’m in Liberty and douse a card in it to keep by my bedside. No word of a lie, three weeks later the scent is still there.
HuffPost UK Le Labo Eau de Parfum - Baie 19, Net-A-Porter
While Le Labo’s Santal 33 has earned them legions of fans, dip your toes (or pulse points) into something new with Baie 19. The infusion of patchouli, juniper berries, cade and musk is inspired by the smell of rain after a hot, dry spell, but to be honest, we love it also because it just looks so cool. And smells great, obvs.
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HuffPost UK Goutal Eau De Charlotte Eau De Toilette, Fenwick
This is an ode to the step-daughter of perfumer Annick Goutal, who loved blackcurrant jam, so spritz liberally and soak up the scent. Or better yet, you’ve just discovered the perfect present for anyone in your life called Charlotte. You can thank us later.
HuffPost UK Byredo Unnamed Eau de Parfum, Harrods
A perfume by any other name still smells just as sweet. In this case: violet, moss and pink pepper. Delicious. The perfume comes with a set of letters (in black, fluorescent blue, green and pink) so you can get creative yourself – or name it for the lucky recipient.
HuffPost UK Atelier Cologne Pacific Lime cologne absolue 100ml, Selfridges
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Atelier Cologne is known for its gorgeous perfumes and fabulous candles, and pacific lime feels like the closest you’re going to get to a summer holiday without actually booking one. Plus, the 30ml bottles come with beautiful leather pouches that can be embossed with your initials for a personalised touch. Forget buying this for someone else, I’m keeping this one for myself.
Clean Reserve White Fig & Bourbon Eau de Parfum, Space NK Clean Reserve White Fig & Bourbon Eau de Parfum, Space NK
If you’re looking to be sustainable in your perfume choices, look no further than Clean Reserve, whose ethical credentials will make things simple for you, with responsibly-sourced ingredients and eco-conscious packaging. Expect aromatic spices and warming bourbon vetiver. Full-bodied and rich.
HuffPost UK Jo Loves Rose Petal 25 Eau De Toilette 100ml, Space NK
Rose Petal 25 is a celebratory fragrance to commemorate Jo Malone’s 25 years in the industry. Subtle and sweet, it’s one of our favourites from the Jo Loves collection – not forgetting the classic Pomelo. Rose Petal 25 also comes in a gel fragrance paintbrush (£40) that is perfect for travel and on-the-go top ups.
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HuffPost UK Gucci Mémoire d’une Odeur Eau de Parfum 100ml, Boots
Remember Harry Styles frolicking around a camp fire in Gucci’s fragrance ad? Well, we do. And this is the fragrance he was coercing us into buying. Take our money. The gender-neutral fragrance is the brainchild of Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele, centred around the Roman chamomile flower. If nothing else, buy it for how beautiful the bottle is. Or for Harry.
HuffPost UK Bvlgari Le Gemme Coralia Eau de Parfum, Harrods
Last but by no means least is this showstopper by Bvlgari, which has taken inspiration from its diamonds and jewels. While what’s inside is important, this particular one is a blend of leather, musk accord and pink pepper, what’s on the outside is a head-tuner and conversation starter at any dinner party. If you wore this every day for a year, it would work out to cost you 65p a day, which is exactly how we’re justifying the price tag.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--A Filter-Free Ode To The Absolute Joy Of Winter Walks

Rachel Moss
You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.
I should probably tell you I’m walking up a hill, with crisp leaves crunching beneath my feet while the winter sun gently warms my face. Because that’s the ode to winter walks people want to read, isn’t it? A description so inviting, it encourages you to abandon the sofa altogether for the great outdoors.
In reality, winter walks are rarely poetic or romantic – and that’s precisely why I love them. Winter walks are messy; an act of rebellion against Britain’s unloveable weather; an unpredictable competition between hiker and drizzle, where the winner is undetermined.
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Rachel Moss
Your hair blows so frantically in the wind it ends up in your mouth, covered in spit. Your shoes are coated with such a thick layer of mud, every step feels heavy. Your ears scream in the cold if you’ve forgotten your hat – your forehead itches under the wool if you haven’t.
In a world where we’re surrounded by images of Insta-worthy perfection, that reminder that nature is, at times, ugly and unforgiving, is the most beautiful moment of them all.
Rachel Moss
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Sure, the flowers on a summer walk are lovely, fringing the path with colour and scent. But spotting a disobedient bloom poking out of the twigs during winter is an unparalleled joy.
A close second: observing the weird and wonderful mushrooms that have clung on since autumn. Poke them with a stick with childhood curiosity and gawp at the ones that have desecrated to slime, because why not? No one’s watching.
And that’s the thing about winter walks – there are very few people barmy enough to attempt them. Whether you’re walking alone, with a partner or friends, a winter walk offers something in short supply in 2020: silence.
Rachel Moss
It doesn’t matter if you live surrounded by countryside, or in the middle of a big city, taking time to stretch your legs in the fresh air – down a side street or through a forest – does wonders for your soul, even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
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I should know; I fill my weekends living in rural Hertfordshire with long, revitalising walks, but I value my daily lunchtime stroll around a central London park just as much. There is no better way to shake off a stressful morning and return to work with a genuine smile.
Numerous studies have linked walks to better mental health, so it seems a crying shame to reserve them for spring, summer and autumn. At no other time of year do you get the thrill of going out in the afternoon and trying to beat the sunset home.
Win at a winter walk and you’ll go to bed with a sense of undeniable achievement – or be filled with that extra sense of smugness as you recover at a warm, inviting pub. My winter wanderings are such a pure time for stillness, reflection or total escape – I’m (almost) hesitant to let you in on the secret.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--After 12 Years Of Chronic Pain, I'm Ditching My Search For A Miracle Cure

fizkes via Getty Images Chronic pain
We’ve made it to the end of January and so far, I’ve stuck to my new year’s resolutions. I have quite a few: One is to read a book a week; another is to learn Spanish. ¿Por qué no? The third is to give up the chase for miracle cures for my chronic pain, and to read up on my body and brain instead.
Apparently up to 43% of us in the UK live with chronic pain. I can therefore assume that 43% of us probably woke up on New Year’s day feeling a familiar ache or shooting pain and thought, not another year of this shit?
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I have been one of those people for 12 years now. My condition is called pelvic girdle pain – most common in pregnant women – and involves a whole joyful host of symptoms such as a sensitive vulva, stabbing pain upon movement and aching pelvis and inner thighs. I’ve alternately been told the problem is nerve pain, while others insist it’s skeletal. Maybe it’s both.
And no, before you ask, I don’t know what caused it, and before you suggest something, I’ve tried it: Doctors, physios, osteopaths, yoga instructors. I’ve bought lubes and magic wands (less Hogwarts, more stretching out the pelvic muscle) and vaginal dilators and herbal teas. I have a fancy pillow that I put between my knees in bed, and I tend to buy trousers that are generous around the crotch.
But a really meaningful change happened in December, when I had an appointment with a new physiotherapist on the NHS. Instead of prodding my poor pubic bone or making me bend this way and that – yes, I can touch my toes! – she recommended a book called Explain Pain by Lorimer Moseley and David Butler. Before we continued, she said, I want you to read that.
Ok fine, I yawned. I’d already been to a conference on pelvic pain in October and learnt a little there, but sure, why not. It’s not as if I really expected this physio to help me anyway.
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Over the holidays, I not only read Testament of Youth and The Great Gatsby, but I also belted through Explain Pain. It said that we have different sensors in our tissues to interpret inputs, like changes in temperature, contact with chemicals, or being hit by a hammer. These sensors send different messages shooting up the neurones, first to the spinal cord, and if there’s enough activity there, up to the brain, which decides what message comes back down – pain, or a good dose of the lovely stuff e.g. opioids, to calm us down.
Amazingly, we are not hardwired to be in pain – our sensors regenerate every two to three days! I learnt that our brains and bodies love motion and moving in different ways: I promptly ditched my plan of doing absolutely no exercise (because it hurt) and signed up to a course of aerial yoga. (We can be active again by finding a baseline and gradually increasing what we do over time.) And I learnt that we have a ‘virtual body’ in our brain, where certain body parts are over-represented, become more sensitive and react disproportionately to certain inputs.
Importantly, the chronic pain we feel – whether it’s in the neck or the back or the vulva – is completely unrelated to the amount of actual damage we may or may not have in the body. In other words, pain is real, but it’s also all in the brain. This knowledge has – forgive the pun – blown my mind.
A lot of other things made sense after that short, intense course of brain science and physiology. I thought of all those miracle stories – the people who swear by their diet, or take up neuro-linguistic programming, or move to the desert and become reiki masters, or the person who invented their own special form of vaginal dilators with magnets. Those techniques or lifestyle changes are all great, but they may not have worked thanks to the magnets or reiki. It’s more likely they worked because these “gurus” re-trained themselves and shifted their mindset.
They may have realised they were not in danger when they felt pain, and that it was just the body’s way of protecting them from a perceived threat. With that knowledge, the fear and anxiety melted away. Instead of allowing themselves to be ferried between endless, rather clueless specialists, they took their education into their own hands. They were in control.
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As the book illustrated, I have been past Avoidance City. I have sojourned in Denial Town. I have personally re-enacted that boom and bust graph, where I go hell for leather when I’m pain-free and then spend days, if not weeks, incapacitated and hobbling around like John Wayne.
I know now that knowledge – and moderation – is power. It seems easier to pay someone in a white coat to tell you what’s wrong, but it’s more empowering and much cheaper to read a book. Reading won’t heal your neural pathways overnight, but it’s the best start you can give yourself in 2020. In fact, it’s the easiest, cheapest and most effective New Year’s resolution you can make.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--President Xi Jinping Says China Facing A 'Grave Situation' As Coronavirus Death Toll Increases

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China’s president has warned of a “grave situation” facing the country, as the number of coronavirus death jumped to 41 on Saturday.
At the start of China’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year, the mood across the nation was subdued as the crisis intensified, with the confirmed number of dead rising from 26 to more than 40 in the space of a day.
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Major celebrations, including those in the capital of Beijing, have been called off, and Hong Kong has also scrapped planned events aster declaring a virus emergency and restricting links to mainland China.
Australia on Saturday confirmed its first four cases, Malaysia confirmed three and France reported Europe’s first cases on Friday, as health authorities around the world scrambled to prevent a pandemic.
A total of 31 people have now been tested for the virus in the UK, according to the latest statement released by the Department of Health and Social Care on Saturday.
All of the tests have been confirmed as negative, meaning there are not yet any officially recorded cases of the virus in the UK.
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But Border Force agents and airlines have been brought in to work with health officials in order to track down the 2,000 people believed to have travelled from Wuhan – where the virus is understood to have originated – to the UK in the past fortnight, so wellbeing checks can be carried out.
The United States is arranging a charter flight on Sunday to bring its citizens and diplomats back from Wuhan.
The 11m people residing in the major city have been told not to leave unless in exceptional circumstances, and all public transport routes have been suspended.
In Hong Kong, with five confirmed cases, the city’s leader Carrie Lam said flights and high speed rail trips between the city and Wuhan will be halted. Schools in Hong Kong that are currently on Lunar New Year holidays will remain closed until February 17.
China’s President Xi Jinping, saying the country is facing a grave situation, held a politburo meeting on measures to fight the outbreak, state television reported on Saturday.
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More than 1,300 people have been infected globally, most of them in China, with the virus – traced to a seafood market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.
Hu Yinghai, deputy director-general of the Civil Affairs Department in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, appealed for masks and protective suits.
“We are steadily pushing forward the disease control and prevention... But right now we are facing an extremely severe public health crisis,” he told a news briefing.
Celebrations in many Chinese cities have been cancelled as fears over the virus grow. Kevin Frayer via Getty Images
Vehicles carrying emergency supplies and medical staff for Wuhan would be exempted from tolls and given traffic priority, China’s transportation ministry said on Saturday.
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Wuhan said it would ban non-essential vehicles from its downtown starting Sunday, further paralysing a city that has been on virtual lockdown since Thursday, with nearly all flights canceled and checkpoints blocking the main roads leading out of town.
Authorities have since imposed transport restrictions on nearly all of Hubei province, which has a population of 59 million.
The newly-identified coronavirus has created alarm because it is still relatively poorly-understood, and there are a number of urgent questions such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people that are yet to be answered.
It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases.
Containing the virus
Australia confirmed its first four cases in two different cities on Saturday, and the country’s chief health official said he expected more cases as Australia is a popular destination for Chinese tourists.
State-run China Global Television Network reported in a tweet on Saturday that a doctor who had been treating patients in Wuhan, 62-year-old Liang Wudong, had died from the virus.
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It was not immediately clear if his death was already counted in the official toll of 41, of which 39 were in the central province of Hubei.
US coffee chain Starbucks said on Saturday that it was closing all its outlets in Hubei province for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, following a similar move by McDonald’s in five Hubei cities.
A Chinese health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station. Kevin Frayer via Getty Images
Workers in white protective suits checked temperatures of passengers entering the subway at Beijing’s central railway station on Saturday, while some train services in the eastern Yangtze River Delta region were suspended, the local railway operator said.
State-owned CCTV, citing an announcement from China’s tourism industry association, said the country would halt all group tours, both at home and to other countries, from January 27.
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The number of confirmed cases in China stands at 1,287. The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, and the United States.
‘A clear and ongoing global health threat’
There are fears the transmission could accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel during the Lunar New Year holiday, although many have canceled their plans.
Airports around the world have stepped up screening of passengers from China, though some health officials and experts have questioned the effectiveness of such screenings.
The World Health Organisation this week stopped short of calling the outbreak a global health emergency.
A report by infectious disease specialists at Imperial College, London on Saturday said that despite this, the epidemic “represents a clear and ongoing global health threat” adding “It is uncertain at the current time whether it is possible to contain the continuing epidemic within China”.
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While China has called for transparency in managing the crisis, after cover-up of the 2002/2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome spread, officials in Wuhan have come in for criticism over their handling of the current outbreak.
In rare public dissent, a senior journalist at a Hubei provincial newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party called on Friday for a “immediate” change of leadership in Wuhan on the Twitter-like Weibo. The post was later removed.
Quarantine
People wear masks on a train on the first day of the Lunar New Year. DALE DE LA REY via Getty Images
Hubei province, where authorities are rushing to build a 1,000 bed hospital in six days to treat patients, announced on Saturday that there were 658 patients affected by the virus in treatment, 57 of whom were critically ill.
At a normally festive time of year in China, Sanya, a popular resort destination on the southern island of Hainan, announced that it was shutting all tourist sites. The island’s capital city, Haikou, said visitors from Wuhan would be placed under 14-day quarantine in a hotel.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Three Siblings Found Dead In House After 'Unexplained' Incident Named

Gardaí said a family liaison officer was in contact with their father Andrew McGinley and the extended family.
The father released a photo of himself with his three children on Saturday.
Irish police continue to treat the sudden deaths as “unexplained” pending the outcome of post-mortem examinations on Saturday afternoon.
It is understood it was not immediately obvious to officers how the children had died when they attended the scene.
It is also understood gardaí are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
Garda forensic officers were continuing to conduct examinations inside the semi-detached house on Saturday.
Neighbours, including parents with young children, attended the house throughout the morning leaving flowers at the door of the home which was guarded by a number of officers as forensic investigators continued inside.
Children’s toys could be seen in the windows of the house.
Many women could be seen in tears as they attended the scene, which has been described as “a very quiet street” and popular with young families.
One woman said the small community is in “absolute shock”, and many attended a local mass service on Saturday morning.
Councillor for the area Emer Higgins described the events as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
“My thoughts are with everybody impacted,” said the Fine Gael representative.
“This is a really tight-knit community, it’s a small area, it’s a quiet area, and it’s just unthinkable that something like this could be happening on our doorstep.
“It’s so tragic. It’s unbelievable that three young people’s lives could be cut short like that, in what seems to be a particularly tragic case.”
A Garda incident room has been set up in Clondalkin Garda Station and gardaí have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--'You Erased A Continent' – Anger As Ugandan Climate Activist Cropped From Agency Picture

Climate change activists Ugandan Vanessa Nakate, Swedish Greta Thunberg, German Luisa Neubauer, Swedish Isabelle Axelsson and Swiss activist Loukina Tille in Davos. Denis Balibouse / Reuters
A Ugandan climate activist has accused a news agency of racism and “erasing a continent” after she was cropped out of a picture featuring leading young campaigners.
Vanessa Nakate, 23, attended a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday alongside several other climate activists, including Greta Thunberg.
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But when news agency Associated Press (AP) published a picture from the event, Nakate – the only Black campaigner in attendance was cropped out.
Nakate joined the school strike movement, launched by Thunberg, in Uganda in 2019 after becoming concerned about rising temperatures in her home country. She has since led a number of national strikes.
Her removal from the picture was picked up almost immediately, and Nakate quickly raised the issue online, responding with a ten-minute Twitter which explained what it had felt like to be edited out of the picture.
At times breaking down in tears, she says to the camera: ”What really had me the most was just thinking about the people from my country and the people from Africa, and how much I’ve seen people being affected by the climate crisis.
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“How I’ve seen people die, people lose their families, people lose their children, people lose their homes, and everything they ever dreamed of and hoped for.
“I saw all these things and [I thought] who is going to be able to speak for these people? Who is going to try and help these people?
Share if you can
What it means to be removed from a photo! https://t.co/1dmcbyneYV — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) January 24, 2020
In a later tweet, she wrote: “You didn’t just erase a photo, you erased a continent. But I am stronger than ever.”
You didn't just erase a photo
You erased a continent
But I am stronger than ever pic.twitter.com/J34WMXvPAo — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) January 24, 2020
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I am a climate activist from Uganda
I am so proud to be an African
I am not going to be silenced
I am going to speak louder
Now is the time for the stories of African activists to be listened to
Now is the time to rise up higher than before
We can do this together pic.twitter.com/SnF2gK16BV — Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) January 24, 2020
In the hours after the cropped picture was revealed, Nakate was defended by dozens of Twitter users and fellow climate activists who described what had happened as “unacceptable”.
Thunberg wrote her own message of support, replying to Nakate’s video by saying: “We are all so grateful for what you are doing and we all send love and support!”
I’m so sorry they did this to you... you are the last one who would deserve that! We are all so grateful for what you are doing and we all send love and support!!❤❤💖💖💖hope to see you soon again!! — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 24, 2020
We did a press conference today wrapping up the week at #WEF2020
It has come to my attention that more than one article has cut @vanessa_vash out of the photos. That is unacceptable, her voice is just as, if not more, valuable than ours in a place like this. #ClimateJustice pic.twitter.com/8kjkNVgVhU — Isabelle Axelsson🌍 (@isabelle_ax) January 24, 2020
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the @AP cropped out a picture of vanessa nakate, a climate activist from uganda.
i love greta but it is disappointing to see how young activists of colour are not given the same amount of attention. pic.twitter.com/A2nCB8ae5g — freyr (@sunfloweraidil) January 25, 2020
In a statement, AP’s executive editor Sally Buzbee said: “We regret publishing a photo this morning that cropped out Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, the only person of colour in the photo.
“As a news organisation, we care deeply about accurately representing the world that we cover. We train our journalists to be sensitive to issues of inclusion and omission.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-25--Father And Daughter, 10, Killed In Hull House Fire

Wensley Avenue, Hull Google Maps
A father and his 10-year-old daughter have been killed in a house fire in Hull, police have confirmed.
Emergency services were rushed to the scene of the incident in Wensley Avenue at 7.50am on Saturday morning to reports of a fire in a house.
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Humberside Police have since confirmed that the man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the girl was rushed to hospital where she later died.
House fire on Wensley Avenue, #Hull
Emergency services were called at 7.50am today. Tragically 2 people have died. A man died at the scene & an 8 year-old girl taken to hospital, has also sadly died.
Any info that helps our investigations call 101 quote log 127 25/1/20. — Humberside Police (@Humberbeat) January 25, 2020
A spokesperson for the force said a guard would be in place throughout the day as officers and Humberside Fire and Rescue work together to establish the cause of the fire.
A spokesman for the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said: “We pulled out an adult male, and what we now know is his 10-year-old daughter, and tragically both lives were lost to the fire,” he said.
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“We’re working with police colleagues on the scene. We have got fire investigation officers there who will be working tirelessly throughout today.”
He added the father and daughter were the only two people in the property at the time of the blaze.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-26--6 Wild Things Said In The Secret Recording Of Trump's Dinner

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A video that directly contradicts Donald Trump’s claim that he’s never spoken to indicted associates of his personal lawyer surfaced on Saturday, and with it came a whole barrage of wild statements.
The video, secretly filmed for 80 minutes in April 2018, shows a rare glimpse into a private conversation between the US president and a group of people over dinner at the Trump Hotel in Washington DC, the Associated Press reported.
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US broadcaster PBS NewsHour was the first to release the full-length footage.
Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr can be seen clearly in the video. Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was also there, according to Parnas’ attorney.
While the most notable moments in the recording show Trump appearing to speak directly to Parnas and his urging to “get rid” of then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Trump also managed to cover other strange topics.
Here are the 6 of the wildest things that happened in the recording of Trump’s private dinner.
1. Trump said he could’ve beat Barack Obama in 2012.
As he’s known to do, Trump boasted about beating Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election but he added that could’ve beat Barack Obama in the 2012 race, too.
“Obama would have been easier, second term,” Trump said of Obama’s re-election campaign. “Romney should have never lost,” he added. “Obama would have been much easier.”
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2. Trump claimed the European Union formed to “screw” the US.
“The European Union is a group of countries that got together to screw the United States,” Trump told the table. “It’s as simple as that.”
3. Trump floated plans for a “see-through” border wall.
Trump expressed the need for a “see-through” border wall. The president noted that drug smugglers use catapults to hurl drugs across the border, and claimed, without proof, that a 100-pound package of drugs struck a Border Patrol agent after being thrown over.
“They actually said, that these drug dealers, it’s so dangerous now with a solid wall, because they take the drugs, it weighs 100 pounds approximately,” Trump said. “A bag, a satchel, they call it a satchel, they throw it out over the wall and it goes over the wall and it will land on a guy’s head and he kills him.”
The other guests laugh as Trump continues.
“Yeah no, our border guys will be walking and they throw it,” he added. “So if you can’t see through the wall, they throw the drugs, they have a catapult, they throw it over the wall and it lands on the other side of the wall and it can hit people.”
While it’s true catapults have been used to get drugs across the border, there’s no evidence that people have been hit by it, according to fact-checking site Politifact.
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4. Trump bragged about insulting Maxine Waters’ IQ.
He suggested that he was able to keep Waters quiet after he called her a “very low IQ individual” during a rally in March 2018.
“You have this one woman, Maxine Waters, I say she’s a very low IQ person,” he said. “You don’t hear from her anymore. It’s the craziest thing ― since I’ve said that, I don’t hear from her anymore.”
5. Trump asked how long Ukraine would survive in a war against Russia. He withheld funds from them a year later.
Trump appears surprised when someone suggests that Ukraine produces oil, then asked how long Ukraine could last in a war with Russia.
“Ukraine has oil,” he said. “Ukraine? How come ― they don’t have any money? Why aren’t companies going in, too risky?”
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Then he complained about other European countries’ lack of aid before asking how long Ukraine would “last in a fight with Russia?”
A voice replies, “without us, not very long.”
Then someone says, “30 seconds.”
A year later, in the summer of 2019, the Trump administration withheld funds from Ukraine while Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his opponent ― an issue that is now at the center of his ongoing impeachment trial.
6. A numerology calculation of Donald Trump’s name adds up to the same number for the Messiah, according to Lev Parnas.
Parnas and his indicted Ukrainian American business colleague Igor Fruman told the president about a Jewish numerology calculation a rabbi in Ukraine conducted for Donald Trump’s name. They informed Trump that the numbers that correspond to the letters in his name add up to 424, which they informed the president has the same values as the words “Messiah, Son of David.”
“It’s like miracle,” said Fruman. “It’s exactly the number.” Parnas noted: “Messiah is the person that comes to save the whole world. It’s like you’re the savior.” He added: “Talk to Jared; he’ll explain.”
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Trump seemed confused. “What is that?” he asked. “What other numbers you got?”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-01-26--Louise Redknapp Takes Aim At 'Naughty' Peppa Pig After Legal Battle Over Her Track Naked

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Louise Redknapp has taken a shot at kids cartoon character Peppa Pig, following a legal battle with the show’s makers over her track Naked.
The composers of her 1996 number five hit have accused the Canadian company Entertainment One of infringing their copyright over the song Peppa’s Party Time, which was released on Peppa Pig: My First Album last July.
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After news of the legal case made headlines, Louise took to Twitter calling for “justice” for her track.
Louise Redknapp and Peppa Pig Shutterstock/Entertainment One
She tweeted a picture of herself from her pop heyday and said: ”Oink #JusticeForNaked,” along with a pig emoji.
Louise then shared a video of a Peppa Pig scene with Naked dubbed over the top of it, writing: “That naughty pig!@peppapig #JusticeForNaked.”
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According to Metro, Entertainment One has since settled with producer Denis Ingoldsby and the song’s authors.
The Mirror claims that they could stand to make £1 million, as they are now entitled to all backdated and future royalties, while their names have also been added to the credits on Peppa’s track.
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Louise has staged a return to music in recent months, and released her first album in 20 years last week.
Heavy Love charted at number 11 in Friday’s Official Chart.
The 45-year-old former Eternal singer addresses elements of her marriage and subsequent divorce from ex-husband Jamie Redknapp on the album.
Louise with ex-husband Jamie PA Archive/PA Images
On one song, Wrong, she describes how she felt trapped by their marriage, with lyrics including: “You said I don’t need them, you would lift me up. You were wrong.”
Later she sings: “I should have fixed it before it was unfixable.”
Addressing the line in an interview with The Sun’s Fabulous magazine, she said: “I’m saying it’s not all your fault and I should have dealt with things earlier.