thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu On The Many Different Faces Of Kwame And Smashing Assumed Limitati

I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu On The Many Different Faces Of Kwame And Smashing Assumed Limitations

“I hope the energy still translates across the ocean, even if the specifics like having Babycakes on your iPod Mini doesn’t quite,” laughs Paapa Essiedu.
As problems go, worrying about whether the jokes in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You are too London-centric for an American audience is no biggie.
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It hasn’t even been a month since the first episode of I May Destroy You aired on BBC 1 in the UK, and in the weeks since, the show has become the darling of later-lockdown viewing: it’s timing, as a Black millennial drama amid the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, may have been coincidental but cannot be ignored (more on that later).
Writer, co-director and lead star Coel, formerly of Chewing Gum, another stigma-smashing British drama about a young woman hilariously attempting to lose her virginity, revealed that she turned down a $1 million offer from Netflix for I May Destroy You - because she wanted to go with the BBC, who, she says, gave her complete creative freedom and ownership.
I May Destroy You stars Paapa Essiedu in a lead role as Kwame, the best friend of the central character of Arabella BBC
Essiedu studied with Coel at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and plays her character’s best friend Kwame on the show.
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An established stage actor who recently played Hamlet for the RSC, Essiedu, much like Coel, is now receiving international attention in a seismic new way, which inevitably has its benefits and pitfalls.
“I love chatting to people that are intelligent and interesting,” says the 30-year-old, who as we speak is midway through day two of virtual press junkets and is stationed in his lockdown set-up in north London, ahead of the finale airing Monday July 13.
“When it gets into interviews about, ‘what’s your favourite pizza topping?’ That’s when it starts getting a bit boring,” he says. “You can very quickly tell the difference between someone who’s, like, really interested in the themes of the show and someone who’s interested in the stuff around it.”
From day one, publications Essiedu may file on his “intelligent and interesting” list were shouting from the rooftops about the show’s dealings with consent and the psychological ramifications of rape.
Inspired by a real-life experience of Coel’s, the show offers an authentic depiction of rape from every perspective: revelation, recovery, breakdowns, the effect trauma has on relationships.
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Its boundless commitment to showcasing the kaleidoscopic fears caused by sexual assault is epitomised in characters such as Kwame’s.
Having also experienced sexual assault in episode four, he goes from energetic and confident to nervous and submissive. At the crux of this storytelling is Black Britishness: how these issues - rape, mistrust, mental and physical abuse - affect not just anyone, but a particular minority group.
I May Destroy You's lead cast, left to right: Michaela Coel as Arabella, Paapa Essiedu as Kwame, Weruche Opia as Terri BBC
I say that the timing of the show with the Black Lives Matter news cycle feels hard to overlook. “I guess,” Essiedu says hesitantly.
“I think it’s double edged. All the things we’re looking at in this show concerning race, concerning gender politics, sexuality, these are issues that were true and relevant ten years ago, a year ago, today and will be in ten years’ time too, so it is interesting, I guess, the context in which it’s coming out.
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“But I would hope that the show itself is clearly thought out enough and structured that it would have stood tall regardless of the political landscape, do you know what I mean?”
I do. Regardless of the news cycle, it feels about time, given conversations around diversity in TV and film that were already circulating, that a show representing a community like I May Destroy You should break through to a broader audience outside of the one it represents on screen.
“It was all about limitation as opposed to ‘the world’s your oyster!’” - Paapa Essiedu on studying at Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Is this the type of success the two young Black actors hoped they could achieve on screen while studying together at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama?
“I don’t think either of us could have dreamed of doing something like this, a big BBC flagship show,” reflects Essiedu.
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“We were at a very traditional, classical, theatrical drama school. It’s a very weird space to occupy as Black creatives in 2000-and-whatever. Both of us were kinda like being told, ‘ooh you’re not going to work in theatre because you can’t do the RP [received pronunciation] properly.’
“It was all about limitation as opposed to, ‘the world’s your oyster!’ at that point. So for us we were already in a space where we were trying to counter that.”
Paapa Essiedu lives in London David M. Benett via Getty Images
Essiedu and Coel worked collaboratively on countering the prejudice they encountered at drama school by making Kwame part of a community that isn’t represented nearly enough on mainstream TV: the queer Black male. Presenting that intersectionality of race and sexuality was essential.
“There were so many different faces to Kwame,” says Essiedu. “He has got to the potential to be loud and in your face, and brash and confident and sexy, but there’s also introspection, quietness, and suppression and fear. And I think, like you say, the writing really feeds us because it allows us to invest a lot of humanity and that’s full of contradictions.”
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Working with Coel was a delight. “She’s amazing, Michaela,” Essiedu says, pivoting in his seat to shut a window, silencing the drilling noise coming from outside his apartment that’s interrupting our Zoom call.
“Michaela's up for people telling her what to do, or how to do something” - Paapa Essiedu on working with show creator Michaela Coel
“She’s obviously across everything: she’s the co director, she’s the writer, she’s the lead actress, but she’s also so up for people telling her what to do or how to do something, or at least making suggestions. With Kwame it was super collaborative from the off, there were many different versions of him, it was a constant conversation really.”
Off screen, the two are close friends much like the characters they play in the show.
“We do, like, very very non-acting related stuff,” he says. “We go for runs together, and both of our families are from Ghana so we were both in Ghana together at Christmas three years ago. It doesn’t feel like our professional lives really occupy that much of a space, I think it’s almost coincidental in terms of that’s where we met.”
Given Coel and Essiedu’s real-life friendship, and the true parallels between Coel’s lived experience and the show’s central plot, is I May Destroy You’s colourful depiction of London nightlife also representative of Coel and Essiedu experiences out on the sesh?
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Best friends Arabella and Kwame, who both experience sexual assault in the consent drama BBC
Essiedu laughs in a way which suggests there’s some truth in my assumption. “I don’t really go out that much, but like, Michaela’s got a really beautiful flat so sometimes we’ll go round there, watch TV, and she makes a mean cocktail… I’m not saying that we haven’t had nights out…”
Despite his close friendship with Coel, Essiedu had to audition for the role and says it was a third party that initially put him forward.
Critics may say he isn’t the most obvious choice to play Kwane, given Essiedu doesn’t identify as queer. There’s a whole conversation around whether queer actors should play queer roles, especially given the show is defined by its interest in representation. (In another example of explicit minority representation, in episode 11 Coel’s female best friend Terry, played by Weruche Opia, dates a trans man, dutifully played by trans male actor, Tyler Luke Cunningham).
“For me, the biggest thing at the beginning was the sense of responsibility and privilege in being able to take on this part and do it justice,” Essiedu says.
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“Obviously there were loads of conversations around the way I went about portraying him. I was really really concerned about any kind of like stereotype or trope or cliche being reached for as low hanging fruit. I really wanted to avoid any of that and create a guy I recognise and a guy that existed outside of my perceptions or expectations of what his identity may be and allow it to be infused with lots of different things. Sexuality’s a big part of his identity but it’s not the monolithic soul that he is perceived by.”
Avoiding the low hanging fruit may be I May Destroy You’s strongest component: perhaps part of the reason this niche British show has had success Stateside is the way it portrays an authentically interconnected and complex web of Black identities and not cliches.
As a white viewer, it’s thrilling to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of Black British culture, queer Black British culture and millennial Black Britishness.
“These characters and these stories are complete in an incomplete way, and that feels quite satisfying” - Paapa Essiedu
Will there be more? “I don’t think that’s where our collective heads are at right now,” says Essiedu.
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“I think these characters and these stories are complete in an incomplete way, and that feels quite satisfying,” he ruminates.
That said, Essiedu says no decisions or thoughts have been made yet about what “we do or don’t want to do” about the future of the show. He is open-minded about future projects but wary of jobs “that make me feel embarrassed speaking to someone like you [a journalist] about afterwards.”
As for I May Destroy You’s legacy, Essiedu hopes it will stand the test of time.
“I hope it doesn’t age badly or become dated,” he says, pausing. “And if it does, I hope that happens in a good way because as a society we’ve become so much more progressive that it is embarrassing to look back.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Paapa Essiedu and Michaela Coel studied together at the Guildford School of Acting. They actually studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--Try Gordon Ramsay's Tasty 12-Minute Chicken Curry And Roti Recipe

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Did you know you can cook a curry in just over 10 minutes? Yeah, we didn’t either. The dish usually takes a lot of time and care to get right, but Gordon Ramsay has found a shortcut.
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Here, the TV chef attempts to make a delicious chicken and butternut squash curry, with roti (a light flatbread) in 10 minutes – he goes over the time limit slightly, but we’ll let him off.
Watch the video above (skip to two minutes in) or follow the directions below if you want to try it yourself. A word of warning, the roti dough needs to be prepared ahead of time – as it needs 15 minutes to rest.
Vegetarian? Simply remove the chicken from the equation for an equally tasty treat.
Ingredients
For the curry:
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 butternut squash, peeled (you could use courgette if you haven’t got any squash)
1 red onion
1 inch of ginger
1/3 cup of peas
1 cup of tinned tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk
2 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder
Chicken or vegetable stock
1 chilli pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of spinach
Oil
For the roti:
1/4 cup of flour
1/3 cup of water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Method


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--Why Young People Will Be The Pandemic's Long-Term Victims

The coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented economic damage.
In the United States, Donald Trump has claimed that the economy is “roaring back.” Yet more Americans are currently unemployed than at any point since World War II.
Globally, too, the fallout from the pandemic has been dire. In contrast to the United States, many European countries have adopted large-scale economic relief programs designed to prevent mass unemployment. But as countries begin to emerge from lockdown, governments are beginning to wind down those job-retention schemes – a situation that could lead to a spike in layoffs.
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Many jobs that people had before the pandemic are “not coming back,” Boris Johnson said recently. “We face a real, real crisis.”
Overall, the unemployment rate in Britain could surge to almost 15% – one of the highest in Europe – according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The number of job losses across Europe, the United States, and other developed countries has been 10 times greater than during the first months of the 2008 financial crisis, the OECD stated.
“In a matter of a few months, the Covid-19 crisis wiped out all improvements in the labour market made since the end of the 2008 financial crisis,” Stefano Scarpetta, the OECD’s director of employment, labor and social affairs, said in a news briefing.
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Young men walk past a boarded-up retail unit on Oxford Street in London. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Young people – just as they enter the workforce – have been particularly hard hit by the economic impact of the pandemic, but the scale of the long-term impacts on them is only just starting to emerge.
Over the last decade, young people have increasingly occupied low-paid professions, especially in the hospitality and retail industries. These jobs have been among those most affected by the pandemic, according to a report released last week from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a London-based think tank.
The economic repercussions are likely to last long after lockdown restrictions are lifted, the report found, disrupting the career growth of many young people and preventing them from earning higher wages.
“Even a normal recession can be especially damaging for young workers as, for example, hiring freezes disproportionately affect those coming into the labor market and those who would otherwise be climbing the jobs ladder,” said Agnes Norris Keiller, a research economist who co-authored the Institute for Fiscal Studies report.
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“The recession associated with the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to be doubly bad for early-career workers.”
The OECD report similarly highlights the challenges that young people are likely to face in the coming months and years. Not only are this year’s graduates entering a rocky job market upon leaving school, but their older millennial peers are having to weather their second major economic upheaval, on top of the 2008 financial crisis that was already so damaging to their economic prospects.
That crisis accelerated structural changes in the economy that had been growing for decades. As Michael Hobbes wrote in HuffPost in 2017 about the plight of millennials:
“Salaries have stagnated and entire sectors have cratered. At the same time, the cost of every prerequisite of a secure existence – education, housing and health care – has inflated into the stratosphere. From job security to the social safety net, all the structures that insulate us from ruin are eroding. And the opportunities leading to a middle-class life – the ones that boomers lucked into – are being lifted out of our reach. Add it all up and it’s no surprise that we’re the first generation in modern history to end up poorer than our parents.”
Across developed countries, almost one in 10 jobs held by people under 30 years old were destroyed during the financial crisis, and many young people are still suffering the consequences: financial insecurity, ruinous amounts of debt, low-paying jobs, declining benefits, inability to get on the housing ladder.
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Now, the coronavirus pandemic stands to compound these problems even further.
“Young people risk, once more, being among the big losers of the current crisis,” the OECD report stated.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a number of economic measures this week aimed at reviving the UK economy and protecting jobs, TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a series of economic measures designed to support young job-seekers, as well as the hospitality and tourism industries that employ so many of them.
The centrepiece of Sunak’s proposal is a £2 billion programme through which the government would subsidise six-month job placements for young people under age 25.
“Young people bear the brunt of most economic crises, but they are at particular risk this time because they work in the sectors disproportionately hit by the pandemic,” Sunak said. “We also know that youth unemployment has a long-term impact on jobs and wages and we don’t want to see that happen to this generation.”
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The chancellor also announced that employers who had taken advantage of the government’s job-retention program would receive a £1,000 bonus for every worker they continue to employ at least until January. The job-retention program will start winding down in August and will end in October.
Sunak warned on Wednesday that “hardship lies ahead,” but insisted that no one will be left “without hope.” He told members of Parliament that the government will do “all we can” to keep people employed.
“Our message to business is clear: If you stand by your workers, we will stand by you,” Sunak said.
Coming from a Conservative government, the billions spent on reviving the economy will be a boon to many. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, government borrowing for the 2020-2021 fiscal year is on track to surpass £300 billion, easily the highest as a share of national income since World War II.
Yet critics say it is still far less than what’s needed.
A cafe in London serves take away, April 15. The hospitality and retail industries have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Claire Doherty via Getty Images
Renters who may soon face eviction say the lack of any government support for them has left them out in the cold. Older workers, too, say that the focus on young people ignores their own plight. Economists and business leaders argue that the measures still won’t be enough to stave off a wave of layoffs.
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“The new measures look to be badly timed and could precipitate a rapid increase in unemployment,” said Garry Young, deputy director of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, a think tank in London.
“If you’re asking me ‘can I protect every single job,’ of course the answer is no. ‘Is unemployment going to rise, are people going to lose their jobs?’ Yes, and the scale of this is significant,” Sunak told the BBC on Thursday.
“We are entering one of the most severe recessions this country has ever seen. That is of course going to have a significant impact on unemployment and on job losses.”
Similar debates are taking place around the world as countries grapple with the fact that the pandemic is not simply a momentary economic disruption but a long-term challenge that will likely require continuing government support.
Whether political leaders will rise to the challenge remains to be seen. European leaders are set to meet next week to finalise the details of a €750bn economic recovery plan, but sharp differences remain over what form economic aid should take.
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In the United States, the expiration of additional unemployment benefits at the end of this month could leave millions of Americans struggling to pay their bills, the end of eviction moratoriums in many states could force people out of their homes, and the reopening of businesses despite surging coronavirus cases around the country means that many workers must make the impossible choice between getting a paycheque and protecting their health.
Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans in Congress remain divided about what form any additional economic aid should take.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--I Survived The Srebrenica Massacre. 25 Years Later, I’m Still Hurting

Courtesy of the author HuffPost UK
I have happy memories from before the war.
Growing up in my village with my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters, our vegetable farm was doing really well, and my father had a decent job in construction which allowed him to travel. There was a mosque nearby, and every Friday we would join our neighbours there for jummah prayers. There was a real sense of community.
Everything changed when I was nine. When trucks of Bosnian Serb soldiers arrived in the village.
There had been talk among our community that war was coming, and that us Muslims were under attack. But even so, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing: soldiers burning down the houses of Muslim families like ours.
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We knew we had to get out.
My family and I took what we could carry and fled to Srebrenica on foot, because it was the biggest city in the region and we thought it would be safer. We were joined by my grandmother, my uncle and his family. It took about four hours and was pouring with rain. Above us, Serb forces dropped poisonous gas. My dad told me to put my T-shirt over my face to protect my mouth.
I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening – I was just a child after all. But I knew it was bad.
“Bosnian Serb forces were burning villages like mine, driving people to the city, and then bombing us once we got there. We were trapped.”
I had an aunt in Srebrenica so we settled with her, but she had five children so the house was already crowded. At one point there were 13 of us living there. Her husband had been killed a year before, and her daughter was killed by a bomb not long after we got there.
Bosnian Serb forces were burning villages like mine, driving people to the city, and then bombing us once we got there. We were trapped. We hardly had any food: we would scavenge among old plants to see what we could find and the older people would try and cook something out of it. Other aspects of life went on: we still went to school. One day a grenade hit the school playground and killed many of my fellow classmates.
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In 1993 the UN came and designated Srebrenica a safe zone. But in July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army captured Srebrenica and tragedy unfolded.
Luckily for me, my mother, my siblings and I were sent on a bus out of the city to safer territory. But it was such a scramble to get on the bus, and amid the crowds and the chaos, my younger brother and I were separated from our mother and other siblings. We got on the bus alone. I will never forget that feeling of panic. I was 12 years old, I knew there were people who wanted my family dead, I didn’t know where I was going and if I would ever see my mum and dad again. We were driving through Serbian territory with soldiers all around us. Everywhere I looked I was scanning for my mother’s face.
My brother and I were in a refugee camp for three days, surrounded by people as lost and as traumatised as we were. During those three days, word was getting around that everyone we had left behind was dead. I was overwhelmed with relief when my mother, sisters and my other brother turned up. I felt safe again.
“Your father is someone who is meant to provide you with support and security through life, but they took my father away from me when I needed him most.”
We stayed in refugee camps for about six months. I later learned that it was a very close shave for me: after a few days, soldiers started taking all the boys off the buses leaving Srebrenica and killing them along with the adult men.
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Meanwhile Bosniak men like my father weren’t allowed on the buses at all, so he and my uncle took matters into their own hands and tried to flee through the mountains. We never found out what happened to them; they were killed somewhere on their journey but their murderers didn’t even leave their bodies to be found. To cover their tracks, they killed one group, put them in a mass grave, then a few months later took some of their body parts and mixed body parts with other dead Bosniaks in another grave.
As a child in the war I went through a lot, but the scene that keeps replaying in my mind is from years later, when I was 28, when parts of my father’s body were finally found and identified. All that was left of him were a few bones.
Whenever I go past a graveyard now I feel nauseous, but I visit my father’s grave whenever I go to Srebrenica to run errands. Every time I visit, it is very emotionally difficult for me. You father and mother are the closest and most important people in life, and your father is someone who is meant to provide you with support and security through life, but they took my father away from me when I needed him most.
“No virus can stop us from remembering our family members who were brutally murdered.”
The pain and emptiness due to that loss cannot be described. At this time every year, I pray with my family for my father and others who were killed. I lost at least 20 family members in the massacre.
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I try to have a calm, comfortable life now, back in the same village I was born in with my wife and our five children. We have a new home and a greenhouse where we grow vegetables and we have a small farm, built for us by Islamic Relief, from which we make a living.
And like countries across the world, the coronavirus pandemic has meant we are supporting our kids to do their schoolwork online. But it also means this year, 25 years after the massacre, we won’t be able to gather in the mosque to commemorate our dead. This year, the coronavirus has made it impossible for us to mark the memory of our loved ones in the way we are used to. But no virus, or anything else, can stop us from remembering our family members who were brutally murdered.
For everyone, even for this situation, we rely on God’s mercy and hope that this is just one of life’s trials that will soon disappear. But, until then, we are still hurting.
Elvis Lemes is a farmer in Bosnia, and a survivor of the Srebenica massacre
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--'Most Corrupt President In History': Critics Reel After Trump Lets Roger Stone Stay Free

Donald Trump was bashed Friday as the “most corrupt president in history” after he commuted pal Roger Stone’s prison sentence just days before he was scheduled to be locked up.
Stone was found guilty last year of seven felonies, including lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to tip the 2016 election. Stone, a GOP operative and adviser to Trump during the election, was sentenced to more than three years in prison.
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Trump stood to benefit from Stone keeping his mouth shut, and Stone said as much Friday to NBC journalist Howard Fineman. “He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him,” Stone told Fineman. “It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn’t.”
Following the president’s action, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Trump “has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy,” adding: “He truly is the most corrupt president in history.”
Donald Trump has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy. He truly is the most corrupt president in history. https://t.co/GA7apdmd3Y — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 11, 2020
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). accused the “lawless president” of treating American justice like his “personal plaything.”
The American ideal of equal justice under the law is once again being undermined by a lawless president who regards the Justice Department as his personal plaything.
By refusing to hold President Trump accountable, the Republican Party bears responsibility for his lawlessness. https://t.co/0VfaL9LYeY — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 11, 2020
New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Carolyn Maloney, who heads the Oversight Committee, said in a joint statement that Trump “abused the powers of his office” to reward “an individual that could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct.”
Nadler also accused Trump of infecting the judicial system with “partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law.”
A jury found Roger Stone guilty. By commuting his sentence, President Trump has infected our judicial system with partisanship and cronyism and attacked the rule of law. @HouseJudiciary will conduct an aggressive investigation into this brazen corruption.https://t.co/saCTTljLAR — Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) July 11, 2020
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Roger Stone is a criminal who protected Trump and had his sentence commuted because of it. This is yet another example of the blatant corruption & abuse of power that pervades this administration.
There should not be two justice systems in the U.S.—we can and we must do better. — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) July 11, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Stone a “victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump presidency.”
Stone says he will now seek a new trial. The president has commuted his sentence, but he is still a convicted felon.
Stone isn’t the first criminal friend of Trump’s who’s getting a free pass. Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released early from prison in May to serve the rest of his sentence for tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government at home. He was released because of coronavirus fears. He served less than a third of his 7.5-year sentence behind bars.
And Attorney General William Barr is battling in court to drop charges against Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, even though Flynn pleaded guilty — twice — to lying to the FBI about his secret negotiations with a Russian diplomat.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--Critics Pile On Vogue Over Simone Biles Photos, Call For More Black Photographers

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Fans of once-in-a-lifetime gymnast Simone Biles are over the moon that Biles is on the cover of the August issue of Vogue — but as for the actual photo, not so much.
Several critics on Twitter (including New York Times national picture editor Morrigan McCarthy) took shots at the dimly lit images of Biles inside and out by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz — and suggested that Vogue should have used a Black photographer (and hire more Black photographers in general), or at the very least find someone who better understands Black skin tones.
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A few were fiercely defensive of Leibovitz, however, describing her as a painterly photographer who usually knows exactly she’s doing. The photos illustrate a profile of Biles that includes the dark story of Larry Nassar, the longtime USA Gymnastics doctor now serving a life sentence for the serial sexual abuse of athletes, including Biles. She spoke candidly of the debilitating depression that gripped her as the Nassar story emerged, and her anger that gymnastics officials didn’t protect the athletes.
But others following Biles’ story in Vogue yearned for photos of her bright, powerful movement — and more flattering photos — that increased awareness at the fashion mag might have delivered.
I adore Simone Biles and am thrilled she’s on this cover... but I hate these photos. I hate the toning, I hate how predictable they are, I hate the social crop here (wtf?) and I super hate that Vogue couldn’t be bothered to hire a Black photographer. https://t.co/az0gLugdzS — Morrigan McCarthy (@MorriganMcC) July 9, 2020
Simone Biles deserved better than Annie Leibovitz bad lighting. pic.twitter.com/I7SvmCmKJP — Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) July 10, 2020
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After all the Black talent jumping out with #VogueChallenge, Vogue couldn’t idk hire a Black photographer to shoot this cover of Simone Biles? https://t.co/6N5Oac56Su — Polly Irungu 🇰🇪 (@pollyirungu) July 9, 2020
Facts. Vogue, August 2020 by Annie Leibovitz
Dana Scruggs 📸 work on the right Michaela Coel Essence, April 2019 https://t.co/9l3RsRsPsD pic.twitter.com/XI4zp2iJuC — Joshua Kissi (@JoshuaKissi) July 9, 2020
And Vogue should hire Black photographers. — Madeline McCray (@McCrayMadeline) July 10, 2020
Normally I love Annie Leibovitz....but oh wow, no. — laura_studarus (@Laura_Studarus) July 10, 2020
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The lighting mattes her skin down and washes her out. Here is a photo by James Macari that uses natural lighting to let Simone’s skin glow and have life to it. pic.twitter.com/0JwSbAvYgH — Lissa/Elisabeth Reed 🏳🌈 (@lissareedbooks) July 11, 2020
That is truly awful lighting. This is Simone, dammit! — Kristin Novotny (@KristinMNovotny) July 10, 2020
Right?! everyone's focusing on lighting (which, yes is terrible) but the STYLING even! They made an athlete who is all about movement, look like cold stone — Linda Linh (@LindaLinh) July 10, 2020
Oh dear. I usually love her, but hire Black photographers that know how to photograph Black people. — Petita Flor (@ciagould) July 11, 2020
While there’s a painful history of photography and video technologies not accommodating non-white skin (see "Shirley cards" & Kodak) to assume that that's what's happening here is way off in my view. Leibowitz is an incredible portrait photographer and her choices are intentional — James Robinson (@jamesrobinson50) July 11, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--St. Louis Police Seize Gun That Couple Pointed At Black Lives Matter Protesters

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St. Louis police on Friday executed a search warrant at the home of a local lawyer and seized a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle that he pointed at Black Lives Matter protesters last month, according to media reports.
Mark McCloskey, and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, who work together as personal injury attorneys, were captured on video brandishing guns as demonstrators walked past their palatial home on June 28. While critics called for their arrest, the two were embraced as heroes by gun lovers after the video went viral.
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“We complied with the search warrant. They took my AR,” Mark McCloskey told the conservative Todd Starnes radio show. “I’m absolutely surprised by this.”
The couple told police Friday that the pistol Patricia McCloskey brandished was with their lawyer, sources told NBC affiliate KSDK-TV.
The couple’s attorney, Joel Schwartz, confirmed to the TV station that a warrant was issued for a search of their home Friday night. Schwartz said he has no idea where the handgun is. He hopes to meet with a prosecutor next week.
No charges had been filed against the couple as of Friday night.
Mark McCloskey claimed he and his wife grabbed their guns during the protest because they were afraid for their lives from the “angry mob who came through my gate.” His wife insisted in a Fox News interview that she heard protesters talk about how they wanted to take over their home, kill her and her husband, and their dog.
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But video of the protest that went viral shows protesters slowly sauntering past the couple on the sidewalk and not confronting them.
A couple has come out of their house and is pointing guns at protesters in their neighborhood #StLouis #lydakrewson pic.twitter.com/ZJ8a553PAU — Daniel Shular (@xshularx) June 29, 2020
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday that the McCloskeys have a reputation as obnoxious neighbours who have “nearly constantly sued other people and ordered people off their property.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--Belgian Government Warns Citizens To Avoid Leicester

Belgium’s government has told its citizens not to travel to Leicester while it is facing tighter lockdown measures during a spike in Covid-19 infections.
Advice from the Belgian foreign affairs department states that “travel is not allowed” and “quarantine is mandatory upon your return”.
Leicester has been put in a “red zone” of risky destinations in the country’s travel advice, alongside regions in Portugal and Spain.
The East Midlands city became the first in England to have tighter restrictions reimposed on June 30, after an increase in Covid-19 infections was recorded.
The regularly updated advice is based on “currently available information,” according to a note on a Belgian government website.
It also gives the go-ahead for travel to other areas of the EU, the Schengen zone and other parts of the United Kingdom.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-11--Brooklyn Beckham And Girlfriend Nicola Peltz Announce Engagement

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Brooklyn Beckham has proposed to girlfriend Nicola Peltz.
Victoria and David’s eldest son announced news of their engagement in a post on Instagram on Saturday.
Sharing a picture of him and Nicola together, where she could be seen sporting an engagement ring, Brooklyn wrote: “Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes xx
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“I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day. I love you baby xx.”
Posting the same photo – which was taken by Brooklyn’s sister Harper – on her account, Nicola wrote: “You’ve made me the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side. your love is the most precious gift.
“I love you so so much baby and thank you harper for this pic,” the US actor added.
Brooklyn, 21, and Nicola, 25, have been dating for around eight months.
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They went public with their relationship back in January, posting a black-and-white picture of themselves wearing towels.
Brooklyn and Nicola – who has starred in films such as Transformers and Back Roads, and is the the daughter of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz and model Claudia Heffner – had spent lockdown in the US together.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--73 Workers Test Positive For Coronavirus On Herefordshire Farm

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Seventy-three key workers at a farm in Herefordshire have tested positive for Covid-19, it has been confirmed.
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Dozens more staff have now been forced to self-isolate on the farm in Mathon, on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, which is owned by AS Green and Co.
According to the Hereford Times, about 200 key workers are employed for picking and packing work at the farm and – as they live on-site in mobile accommodation during the harvest season – they are now self-isolating together as one extended bubble.
A statement on the AS Green and Co website said: “We confirm that we are working closely with, Public Health England and the Public Health team at Herefordshire Council to support a number of our workers that have tested positive for Covid-19.
“As a precautionary measure we have arranged for testing of additional key workers including management team members and visitors connected with A S Green and can confirm all results to date outside of our site have been returned with negative results.
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“To date there are 73 positive cases on our site.
“Our site is currently closed for all visitors and with the assistance of the various bodies no workers are being permitted to leave our site and are receiving the required support at our site.”
A joint statement from Public Health England (PHE) Midlands and Herefordshire Council said employees were being asked to remain on the farm during the period of isolation.
The council said it is arranging food and essential supplies for residents on the site – who reside in mobile homes based on the farm during the harvesting season – while they self-isolate.
A police officer wearing a face mask at Rook Row Farm in Mathon, near Malvern, Herefordshire, where there have been 73 positive cases of coronavirus confirmed. Jacob King/PA Wire
To date, there have been 809 confirmed cases of Covid-19 Herefordshire, with the biggest daily increase incases recorded on Saturday when 56 positive tests were recorded in the county.
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A spokesperson for AS Green and Co added: “Our work force and local community are our priority at this difficult time and we continue to follow the guidance of the relevant bodies to ensure that the spread of the virus is controlled and our workforce is supported.
“Public Health England advises that it is very unlikely Covid-19 can be transmitted through food or food packaging, so shoppers can remain confident buying British fruit and veg.
“Thank you for your understanding in these difficult times.”
Katie Spence, PHE Midlands health protection director, said that to support the workforce of around 200 key workers, the company had put a range of infection control measures in place.
“Despite these measures, a small number of workers became symptomatic earlier this week and they and a few close contacts among the workforce were tested initially and found to be positive,” she said in a statement.
“In line with NHS guidance, affected individuals were asked to self-isolate for seven days, with their households and close contacts asked to isolate for 14 days.
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“As we have seen a global trend of large food producers being subject to outbreaks, as a precautionary measure, the decision was made to test the entire workforce.
“The initial batch of results showed a significant percentage of positive cases, despite these individuals being asymptomatic.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Fox News Writer Reportedly Quits After Secretly Posting Racist, Sexist Messages

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The top writer for Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program has resigned after it was revealed he’d secretly posted racist and sexist messages for five years on an online forum, CNN Business reported Friday.
Blake Neff, who worked for the right-wing Daily Caller before moving over to Fox News four years ago, had been posting the messages under the pseudonym CharlesXII and sometimes referred to work he did for Carlson in his messages, according to CNN.
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The message board was AutoAdmit — also known as XOXOhth — which often features racist, sexist and vulgar content, CNN reported.
Neff’s messages included racist posts about Black men and a mocking, years-long detailed account of the love life of a woman, who was then harassed by his online followers.
Fox News issued a statement to employees Saturday noting that management first learned Friday that “now former employee Blake Neff” made “horrendous and deeply offensive racist, sexist and homophobic comments under a pseudonym” on AutoAdmit.
“We want to make abundantly clear that Fox News Media strongly condemns this horrific racist, misogynistic and homophobic behavior,” the statement added. “Neff’s abhorrent conduct on this forum was never divulged to the show or the network until Friday, at which point we swiftly accepted his resignation. Make no mistake, actions such as his cannot and will not be tolerated at any time in any part of our work force.”
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In a 2018 interview on Fox News, Carlson called Neff a “great writer.” He also acknowledged Neff in the credits for his book “Ship of Fools” for research and for “greatly” improving “our nightly show on Fox.”
There was no immediate comment from Carlson. But shortly after the CNN report, Carlson exploded in his program over “cancel culture.” He added: “We are in a situation where it’s... individuals against the mob — online, other news organisations, CNN particularly.”
The Fox News statement said he would address the issue on his program Monday.
Neff did not respond to repeated calls by CNN for comment and could not be reached for comment by HuffPost. His social media accounts have been deleted.
Carlson’s Twitter critics hailed Neff’s departure — and eagerly awaited any other comment from the Fox News host.
Is Carlson going to pretend to have been unaware of his close associate's posts? Is he going to defend his associate's views as 1) defensible and 2) consistent with his own? Or is he going to try to save his own career by throwing his friend under the bus?https://t.co/qMV1OHiB8z — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 10, 2020
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Important to note that Blake Neff, a top writer for Tucker Carlson, has also been using his real name to write bigoted, racist, sexist, and other offensive content for Tucker Carlson. https://t.co/LlXNd6eLtT — Glen Meyerowitz (@GlenMeyerowitz) July 10, 2020
Tucker Carlson's top writer, Blake Neff, has been posting disgusting racist and sexist comments online for years.
Some people just can't help but take their work home with them.https://t.co/novUgL72EC — TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) July 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Introduced In ‘First Half Of Next Year’, Scientist Says

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A Covid-19 vaccine could be rolled out across the country in the first half of 2021 if trials are successful, a scientist leading research in the UK has said.
Professor Robin Shattock, who heads a team developing a vaccine at Imperial College London, said that enough doses would be available for everyone in the UK if trials go “really well”.
But he warned there was “no certainty” that any of the vaccines currently being developed will be successful, as it is dependent on the level of immunity needed to prevent infection.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said: “So we anticipate if everything goes really well that we’ll get an answer as to whether it works by early next year.
“And we have put in place the infrastructure to make that vaccine for the whole of the UK.
“So, assuming that the funding is there to purchase that vaccine, we could have that vaccine rolled out across the UK in the first half of next year.”
Some 15 volunteers have been vaccinated for the trial so far, which will be ramped up to include another 200-300 participants in the “coming weeks”, he said.
Scientists developing a vaccine currently do not know what level of immunity people need to prevent infection, which makes the chance of success “difficult to predict”, according to Shattock.
“If you only need a very small amount of immunity, I suspect most of the vaccines that are being developed will actually work, but if you need a very strong immune response or particular quality of immune response, we’ll see that actually it will be shaking out to some of these candidates,” he told the programme.
“We hope we will be the candidate, one of the candidates, that is successful, but there’s no certainty with any individual approach.”
Although development is also taking place at the University of Oxford, Shattock said that a vaccine being made available by September “feels very optimistic” – partly due to the number of infections falling in the UK.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Bollywood Star Amitabh Bachchan Admitted To Hospital With Coronavirus

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus.
The 77-year-old is one of India’s most prominent stars and has previously been named among the highest paid actors in the world on Forbes’ rich list.
On Saturday, Amitabh confirmed to his 43 million Twitter followers that he had tested positive for the virus and had been “shifted to hospital”.
Amitabh Bachchan PA
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He tweeted: “Family and staff undergone tests, results awaited.
“All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested,” he said.
T 3590 -I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. family and staff undergone tests , results awaited ..
All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested ! — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 11, 2020
His son Abhishek, also an actor, said on Twitter that he had contracted the virus as well.
He said that both he and his father have “mild symptoms”, adding: “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”
Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you. 🙏🏽 — Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020
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India is currently in the midst of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, according to the Associated Press.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Denise Van Outen's First Impression Of Boyfriend Eddie Boxshall Wasn't Exactly Flattering

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Denise Van Outen and her boyfriend Eddie Boxshall have been winning legions of fans with their hilarious banter on Celebrity Gogglebox, but she’s admitted to having a less than flattering first impression about him.
The former Big Breakfast presenter met Eddie after being set up on a blind date by a mutual friend in 2014.
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But speaking to Kate Thornton on Yahoo’s White Wine Question Time podcast, Denise revealed she wasn’t exactly thrilled about her upcoming date after being shown a picture of Eddie.
Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall on Gogglebox Channel 4
She said: “I was well up for going on a blind date, because I’m not one of those people that would ever do the apps or anything and all that.
“It’s just not me. I’m a bit old school like that. And I trusted my friend and thought, right, why not?”
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Denise said that when she saw his picture, she thought he “looked like an old man”.
“I thought you looked a bit like Bruce Forsyth!” she told Eddie on the podcast.
She continued: “I see myself as still looking like 21 – you know, when you think you still look all right and you don’t see anything – I thought I look good for my age. Then they sent me a picture of you with grey hair and I thought ‘He looks like an old man!’”
However, the couple have been together ever since, living together in Chelmsford where they film their appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox.
Denise and Eddie have been together since 2014 David M. Benett via Getty Images
Denise, 46, has a daughter with ex-husband, Holby City star Lee Mead, while Eddie, also 46, has two children from a previous relationship.
Despite being together for six years, the couple recently revealed they don’t currently have any plans to wed.
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Speaking to OK! magazine, Denise said: “It’s not something we’ve spoken about much because we’ve taken everything in our relationship at a slower pace.
“At the moment we’re in our new house and we’re getting it all done up.”
Eddie, who is commodities trader specialising in the oil business, then revealed if they were to tie the knot “it would be a huge celebration”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Go Back To Work To 'Fire Up' Economy, Michael Gove Urges Public

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People should return to work rather than stay at home in order to “fire up” the coronavirus-hit economy, Michael Gove has said.
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The Cabinet Office minister confirmed the default ‘work from home where possible’ advice has changed and Boris Johnson’s government wants more people to go back to their factory, shop floor or office.
Speaking on Sunday, Gove admitted, however, that “in some cases it is appropriate” for people to continue working from home.
It comes as the country is facing a deep and prolonged recession, but also amid fears of a second wave of Covid-19 after Leicester was forced into a local lockdown.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove arrives at 10 Downing Street in London. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Gove also refused to back calls to make face coverings in shops mandatory, saying instead they were “basic good manners”.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said: “We want to see more people back at work, on the shop floor, in the office, wherever they can be.
“Of course in some cases it is appropriate and convenient for people to work from home, but we want to make sure that where people can add value, where the economy can benefit from people being at work, that they are at work.
“We want to make sure that the economic engines of this country are fired up again and that’s why the chancellor made the series of announcements that he made earlier this week in order to make sure that we are in a position to be able to provide people with safety and security at work, to protect their jobs and to guarantee jobs in the future.”
Labour shadow minister Rachel Reeves TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
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He also said that wearing a face covering “definitely helps you to help others in enclosed space”.
“Face masks are appropriate in some settings and not in others… wearing a face mask when you are out and about outdoors is significantly less necessary than when you are indoors,” he said.
Speaking later on Sunday on the Andrew Marr Show, he said he would encourage people to wear them but that they should not be made mandatory in shops in England.
“I don’t think mandatory, no, but I would encourage people to wear face masks when they are inside, in an environment where they are likely to be mixing with others and where the ventilation may not be as good as it might,” he said.
“I think that it is basic good manners, courtesy and consideration, to wear a face mask if you are, for example, in a shop.
“I trust people’s good sense. Now of course the government at all times does look at the emerging evidence about what the best way to control the disease is.
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“If necessary, and if tough measures are required and as we have seen in Leicester, obviously a very different situation, then tough measures will be taken.
“But on the whole… it is always best to trust people’s common sense.”
Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves, meanwhile, urged the government to introduce stricter rules around face coverings.
Asked if she supported making it mandatory to wear face masks in shops, she told Andrew Marr: “Yes, I think that would be a sensible way forward.
“I think people are increasingly wearing them but I think some greater clarity from government about that, I think, would be helpful.
“People want to do the right thing but they want to know what the right thing is. We already have it on public transport.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Labour Boycotts Facebook In Solidarity With Black Lives Matter Movement

Labour MP Dawn Butler Ian Forsyth via Getty Images
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Labour is boycotting Facebook to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, shadow minister Rachel Reeves has confirmed.
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The party is refusing to place adverts with the social media giant this month as part of the Stop Hate For Profit campaign, which is pressuring Facebook to do more to tackle hate speech.
It sees Keir Starmer’s party join businesses such as Adidas, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Ford and comes after Labour MP Dawn Butler, who was forced to close her constituency office over racist threats, called on the party to do more to prove its commitment to tackling racism.
The party has had no active ads running on Facebook or Instagram, which is owned by the tech giant, since June 30.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
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According to a report in The Sunday Times, Labour staff were told of the decision in an email last week, which said: “This is a complete boycott, meaning we can’t use Facebook to advertise anything at all and can’t use it to boost posts.”
Speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, Reeves said that while Labour MPs were using the site, adverts had been pulled.
“All MPs in the Labour Party use Facebook to get across our message,” she said.
“But what we are not doing at the moment is advertising on Facebook and that is in solidarity with the BLM campaign, but also in line with what many businesses are doing this month, which is to express our concerns with the failure of Facebook to take down some hateful material from their platforms and to take more responsibility for the lies and the propaganda that are sometimes put out there on Facebook.
“And Facebook need to do more to take responsibility and this is just one way that businesses and the Labour Party and others can put pressure on Facebook to do the right thing and to take tougher action on hate crime and hate speech.”
Former shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler had called on Starmer to “prove” Labour’s anti-racism credentials after her north London office was closed.
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She said: “I don’t blame anyone for being unforgiving and uncompromising in this moment.
“Young black people are seeking meaningful change and commitment and nothing less will do. I completely endorse that.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Fern Britton Claims She Was 'Treated Pretty Poorly' Prior To This Morning Exit

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Fern Britton has claimed she was “treated pretty poorly” prior to her exit from This Morning.
The presenter quit as co-host of the ITV daytime show alongside Phillip Schofield in 2009 after 10 years at the helm.
Speaking about her decision to leave on The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday, Fern explained she had stopped enjoying working on the show and “something happened” on the morning she resigned that prompted her to hand her notice in.
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Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield on This Morning Shutterstock/ITV
“I began not to enjoy it so much and the morning I resigned, I didn’t know I was going to resign,” she said.
“Something happened and I just thought, ‘That’s it really’ and I walked away and resigned.
“I was treated pretty poorly, actually. And after a while I just thought, ‘Sod it’.”
HuffPost UK has contacted This Morning for comment and is awaiting a response.
Fern also reiterated previous comments that her decision to quit was not prompted by reports Phillip was being paid more than her on the show.
She said: “There was also a persistent rumour that I left because Phillip was being paid more than me and I always say to people, ‘Why would I leave a show to go to nothing if I was worried about money?’”
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Fern has always refuted rumours of a pay row between her and Phillip Shutterstock/ITV
During a recent interview with talkRadio, Fern spoke about her exit, claiming the furore that surrounded her gastric bypass band surgery was a contributing factor.
She explained: “It was all gastric band-gate. It ruffled a few feathers, and I think perhaps I became a bit of a liability to ITV. I really don’t know.”
Fern revealed that she’d undergone the procedure at a time when she was the face of Ryvita, leading some critics to suggest she’d “lied” about the way she lost five stone, which the presenter has always refuted.
The presenter made a brief return to This Morning in 2018 for the show’s 30th anniversary celebrations, and threw shade at her former TV home for failing to invite her to a Bafta celebration.
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It later transpired that she had been sent an invitation, but it had not been passed along to her by her team.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Madeleine McCann: Police Reportedly Search Wells Close To Portuguese Resort

Portuguese authorities have searched wells as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, according to reports.
The Mirror reported that police and divers in the Algarve region examined three disused wells in Vila do Bispo for eight hours on Thursday.
The area is around 10 miles from the Praia da Luz resort, where Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007.
Multiple investigators were at the scene with specialist diving equipment to examine the wells, with the largest thought to be more than 13 metres deep.
According to the paper, Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann have not been told on what grounds authorities searched the wells.
It was also reported the search sites are near a beach where suspect Christian Brueckner’s camper van was photographed in 2007.
The investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance was renewed in June after German authorities announced they were investigating Brueckner, a convicted German child sex offender.
Brueckner is known to have lived on the Algarve coast and his Portuguese mobile phone received a half-hour phone call in Praia da Luz around an hour before Madeleine went missing 13 years ago.
He is in jail in Germany for drug dealing, and is appealing against a conviction for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman, also at Praia da Luz.
He has not yet spoken to investigators, who say they are convinced that he has committed other sex attacks.
Thursday’s searches come after Kate and Gerry McCann denied receiving a letter from German investigators stating “there is evidence or proof” Madeleine is dead.
The pair posted a statement on the Find Madeleine website last month to deny the reported claims, saying that the news caused “unnecessary anxiety to friends and family and once again disrupted our lives”.
The couple also said that they do not have a family spokesman, and are not actively paying any lawyers to represent them.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation into the main suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance, told the PA news agency that a letter had been written to the couple, but would not reveal what it said.
Mr Wolters said prosecutors have “concrete evidence”, but not “forensic evidence” that Madeleine was killed by the suspect and may “know more” than Scotland Yard, who are still treating the case as a missing person investigation.
The Metropolitan Police maintain their active investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, Operation Grange, is a missing person inquiry as there is no “definitive evidence whether Madeleine is alive or dead”.
In the days after the renewed appeal, Scotland Yard said they received hundreds of tips to their Operation Grange team.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Tom Hanks Felt Like ‘Canary In The Coal Mine’ After High-Profile Covid-19 Diagnosis

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The Hollywood actor and his wife Rita Wilson spent three days in an Australian hospital after being diagnosed with the virus in March.
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Speaking to the Australian publication Stellar, Tom said that “no-one is safe” from the illness.
Tom Hanks SIPA USA/PA Images
When asked about being one of the early celebrities to test positive for the virus, he said: “I was the canary in the coalmine for some of this, for sure.
“But now we are once again at the place where there is no guarantee of immunity, from the information I’ve read.
“We are not done with this. In fact we are right smack-dab in the middle.”
He continued: “When we were told we were found positive, we thought, ‘What? What did we win?’ Then you’re given the facts.”
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Tom and Rita contracted Covid-19 while in Australia as Tom was working on an Elvis Presley biopic.
The pair subsequently recovered and were able to return to the US.
Tom and wife Rita Wilson EMPICS Entertainment
Tom added that “we’re all in this together”.
“Everybody is suffering to a much greater extent than I am. The reality is this is a great equaliser. No-one is safe,” he warned.
“I wake up every day and consider myself extremely blessed I have a level of security and safety that not a lot of people can count on.”
Tom recently spoke of how he and Rita had “very different reactions” after falling ill.
“My wife lost her sense of taste and smell, she had severe nausea, she had a much higher fever than I did,” he told the Guardian.
“I just had crippling body aches, I was very fatigued all the time and I couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes. That last bit is kinda like my natural state anyway.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Donald Trump Finally Wears A Mask In Public

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Months into the coronavirus pandemic, and with more than 134,000 Americans dead, Donald Trump was seen in a face mask as he visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre Saturday.
The fact that masks are effective in curbing the spread of the highly transmissible virus has been known for some time. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in early April began recommending that people wear them when they cannot maintain social distance.
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The agency even released a helpful guide to show you how to make one.
Pressure has mounted for weeks on Trump to set a good example by wearing a mask for the cameras because of skyrocketing case counts across much of the US. Until Saturday, he resisted the idea.
Trump was required to put on a mask during a visit to a Ford plant in May, but he made a point to take it off right away.
“I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it,” Trump said at the time. (A grainy photo leaked out anyway.)
He began to change his tone in late June, saying he had no problem with masks and was actually a fan of them. On July 1, Trump claimed that he liked the way he looked in a mask, believing it made him look like the Lone Ranger.
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But at the few rallies and speeches Trump has held since the crisis started, crowds appeared to take their cues from the president ― leaving their masks at home.
Now Trump has taken one baby step to encourage widespread mask usage in the deadly pandemic. Behold:
Congratulations to our big boy president. ASSOCIATED PRESS


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Demand for 'Pandemic Puppies' Prompts Fears Over Animal Welfare

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The coronavirus pandemic has led to a surge in pet purchases in the UK, with many desperate for animal companionship to help them cope with grief, loneliness and anxiety in these exceptional times.
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With millions of Britons working from home, charities have noticed a huge spike in demand for so-called “pandemic puppies” or “quarantine kittens”.
Google searches for “buy a puppy” rose by 120% after the announcement of lockdown on March 23, according to data from Propellernet.
Research conducted by the animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS found as many as 4,000 adverts for dogs and puppies on just Gumtree and Pets4Home alone during the peak of lockdown.
Owen Sharp, chief executive of Dogs Trust, said although there were no exact figures of dog registration, “the evidence does point to the fact that a lot more people have been getting dogs than usual”.
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With the rise in demand and prices, his charity is concerned people have increasingly turned to unregistered puppy smuggling or unregistered puppy farmers.
“We have seen quite a lot of puppy smuggling from eastern Europe,” he told HuffPost UK.
Since the beginning of lockdown, the charity has rescued dozens of dogs that were illegally imported into the UK from central and eastern Europe, with an estimated street value of £80,000.
In one case, six “terrified” underage puppies were found covered in oil in the back of a van at Dover port, having been imported from Romania.
The puppies were described by the charity as being in “an appalling condition, drenched in oil and suffering from diarrhoea.”
Dogs Trust has found puppies transported in similarly horrific conditions – including in a wicker basket with just cling film over the top.
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Puppy smuggling isn’t just illegal – it’s also a cruel trade that puts both the mother and her litter through a long and arduous journey, often with little to no food or water and no toilet breaks.
Sharp said in many cases heavily pregnant dogs are being brought into the country so they can give birth in Britain, with no or poor access to vet care. “We’re talking about a very stressed dog going through a bad gestation,” he said.
The first few weeks of a puppy’s life are formative for its long-term mental and physical well-being, however in many cases these puppies will not have spent enough time with its mother or siblings.
“These interactions are really important to a puppy growing up,” Sharp said. “If you’ve got [illegal] breeders working on a volume, they want the puppies out as soon as possible for the next lot in.
“The mothers are being treated really badly. There needs to be a significant time between a mother’s pregnancy, yet we are seeing cases of bitches with fresh cesarian scars who are already heavily pregnant.”
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Paula Boyden, Dogs Trust’s veterinary director, said it was “absolutely heart-breaking” to see dogs being illegally imported into the UK in terrible conditions to “make huge profits for cruel puppy smugglers”.
“We might be in the midst of a pandemic, but these devious sellers will still use every trick in the book to scam unsuspecting dog lovers,” he said.
In many cases puppies who have been illegally smuggled into the country will not have spent enough time with its mother or siblings. KopiOri via Getty Images
Cat charity Cat Protection told HuffPost UK its centres had reported seeing more and more kittens being sold online for very elevated prices.
It said regular pet cats – not belonging to a specific breed or pedigree – which would normally sell for around £50 were now being advertised for up to 10 times the normal price.
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“We’ve long been concerned about those that sell sick and underage kittens putting profit before welfare,” said Jacqui Cuff, Cats Protection’s head of advocacy.
“Unfortunately many vets have been unable to offer routine neutering during lockdown so there are plenty of kittens around which plays into their hands.”
The RSPCA said it has also investigated many complaints of underground puppy farming by “criminal gangs who are willing to exploit animals” to “make a quick buck”.
Its spokesperson said: “We do have concerns that the Covid-19 lockdown will have a huge impact on animal welfare in this area – and that many puppies who have been bred to sell in time for the summer boom will be left languishing and suffering in silence in terrible conditions on puppy farms, or will be abandoned and left to fend for themselves.”
As with Christmas time, charities are concerned the surge in demand for pets means tragically many of these animals will find themselves later in shelter homes and in need of rehoming.
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Sharp said the biggest reason people give up dogs for rehoming is behavioural issues – of which there is a higher risk for puppies that were purchased during lockdown.
“People are currently around at home all of the time, so it feels like a great time to get a puppy,” Sharp said. “But they’re not thinking about the long-term implications. What happens when we go back to some level of normality?”
Animals who have been adopted or purchased during lockdown might not be as well socialised as people hope, and may exhibit behavioural problems once places become more crowded.
There is also significant risk these pets will suffer from separation anxiety once people return to work or spend more times outdoors, as lockdown restrictions begin to ease across the country.
A study estimated as many as 84,000 extra kittens could be born this summer, raising concerns that unwanted kittens will be abandoned on the streets. Andrew Parsons - PA Images via Getty Images
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The British Veterinary Association said it was concerned many of these “lockdown pets” have been acquired “without full consideration given to whether owners will be able to meet their health, welfare, socialisation and behavioural needs in the future, once the lockdown lifts.”
BVA president Daniella Dos Santos said: “We’ve been hearing from vets about an increase in requests for new puppy registrations and primary vaccinations since the beginning of the lockdown.
“The spike in demand for ‘pandemic puppies’ and ‘quarantine kittens’ has been a huge concern for vets.”
She added there was “a very real concern” that pets “bought on impulse” during lockdown may end up being abandoned once restrictions are eased.
A study by Cats Protection estimated as many as 84,000 extra kittens could be born this summer, raising concerns that unwanted kittens will be abandoned or “dumped” on charities such as theirs.
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“Our fear is that many kittens born this summer will be left on the streets,” said Sarah Reid, the charity’s acting head of neutering.
“This is because Cats Protection is full up with cats and, owing to Covid-19, is unable to admit many more except in emergency cases.”
Rob Young, head of centre operations at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, said the animal rescue service has seen a huge increase in demand for rescue pets.
“Last week alone we received over 5,000 applications,” he told HuffPost UK. “Which is far more than we would normally see.
“While it’s been really encouraging to see people wanting a rescue pet during this time, we hope that these people remember the animals in need of a second chance in future, too.”
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Charities have warned people beware of being “dogfished” and scammed into buying an animal that has been smuggled into the country.
Potential dog and cat buyers are urged to carry out thorough research before committing to an animal, including paying multiple visits to the mother and litter, and demand to see all vital paperwork. Cats Protection has a “kitten checklist” which provides advice for cat lovers.
“We’re asking potential owners to be patient to avoid fuelling irresponsible breeders or unscrupulous sellers,” dos Santos said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--'Happy, Loved, Free': How We Make Our Open Relationships Work

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With marriage declining and divorce rates for older couples increasing, there’s a non-traditional option on the rise: an open relationship. Not to be confused with polyamory – the art of juggling emotional relationships with more than one person – open relationships are defined by one couple being sexually open to experiences with other people.
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They’re one facet of polyamorous relationships – and both are bound by similar principles of trust, honesty and a belief that it’s healthy to experiment with more than one partner. And it appears more of us are coming around to the idea: according to a study by the Journal of Sex Research, Google searches around the topic of open marriages have been rising over the past decade.
HuffPost UK spoke to couples in open relationships – many say they were curious to explore elements of attraction they couldn’t explore in ‘closed’ relationships, such as romance with people of a different gender to their partner, and the desire to experiment sexually in new ways.
One of the biggest misconceptions around open relationships, they say, is that they imply promiscuity. Being open isn’t defined by this, they tell us, but instead by respect of each partner’s individual desires, both in and outside of their primary relationship. So how do they make their relationships work?
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william87 via Getty Images Open relationships are more common within queer circles
Saul, 29, a communications coordinator, is in two long-term polyamorous open relationships. “For me, realising that I could agree my own rules for a relationship was a revelation,” he says.
Beforehand, Saul felt restricted, “like I was pushing down any feeling or desire that didn’t fit into a framework I’d never agreed to, or even been invited to question” – but a period of building trust and establishing the different needs of both people in his relationship led to a bond that, he says, “blew my mind”.
While Saul is an advocate for open relationships, he says they require a lot of work. Being open to having more than one intimate partner requires strong communication and a deep understanding of desire: bound by your requirements, but also by a partner’s individual sexual requirements, too.
He wishes people felt more able to decide what kind of relationship style is right for them – “what would make them feel happy, loved and free, instead of the unquestioned norm being heterosexual monogamy for all.”
Marcus Clackson via Getty Images All relationships require complex and strong communication, regardless of the relationship style
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Others share Saul’s sense of euphoria. “When I was in a (theoretically) monogamous relationship, I was often vigilant and fearful of my attractions to other people, and would worry about what might happen if my partner experienced attraction to others,” says relationship coach Mel Cassidy.
Mel believes we are conditioned with monogamous ways of thinking, like the idea of ‘I own my partner’ – so even in open relationships, she says people have a hard time “letting go” of control.
When she first experimented with other partners, Mel was able to come to terms with her queerness that, she says, was suppressed in a monogamous relationship. Now, she feels able to confront broader, perhaps platonic, feelings of discomfort in her life outside of her relationships. “I’m better at communicating my needs and asserting my boundaries,” she says. “It’s also wonderful to have partners who bring out different aspects of myself.”
“It’s also wonderful to have partners who bring out different aspects of myself.” - relationship coach Mel Cassidy
A big misconception of open relationships is that people in them fear settling down – but that’s far from the truth, says Mel. “I have commitments, they just don’t look like the traditional kinds of commitments like getting married,” she explains. “My commitments are to kindness and authenticity.”
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Kit*, 30, a researcher in London, has been in an open relationship with Aubrey for five years. Their relationship is also polyamorous, which means they have emotional connections with other partners, too.
“Whenever we have dated and/or developed feelings for other people, it has never diminished our relationship,” says Kit. “We feel so much joy for each other’s positive experiences, such as when someone sees my partner for the fantastic person they are, or when Aubrey watches me as I become all giddy before a first date with a crush.”
Complications arise with managing two or more intimate relationships, they say, such as issues of time commitments with each partner, and whether there’s a primary partner or all are weighted equally.
As for many couples, no relationship is ever easy. “Every relationship – whether open or not – needs to negotiate its own rules,” says Kit. “And these are not only highly individual, but they can also be extremely personal.”
HuffPost UK Kit, 30, who is in an open relationship
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At their core, all relationships – regardless of style – are distinct from one another and work in accordance with what Kit describes as the “desires, needs, traumas and personal histories” of the individuals.
Instigating the initial chat with a partner is the toughest hurdle, says Kit. “The solution lies in listening to one another, working out solutions to new challenges, and to keep adapting as individual needs change.
“For some people that might involve a ‘no more than two dates rule’. Others might not mind multiple long-term relationships, but draw the line at dating each other’s exes or shared friends.
“This is hugely individual – and the rules within an open relationship have nothing to do with the concept of the open relationship itself.”
Some names have been changes to respect the anonymity of some individuals HuffPost UK spoke to for this article.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Davina McCall’s Life In Lockdown: ‘It Felt Like The World Was Collapsing’

Elisabeth Hoff
In What Works For Me – a series of articles considering how we can find balance in our lives – we talk to people about wellbeing and self-care.
With her infectious love of fitness and ceaselessly optimistic demeanour, Davina McCall was the on-screen poster girl for self-care long before it became fashionable. But behind closed doors, the 52-year-old admits her wellbeing routine can quickly crumble when life takes over.
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“Before lockdown I was extremely busy and, of course, the first thing that goes when I’m busy are the things that really help me, like exercise and mindfulness,” she tells HuffPost UK. “I hadn’t trained properly for quite a while. I’d done 10 minutes here and there, but not my usual 40 minute-workout three or four times a week. And I hadn’t practised mindfulness for a few months.”
The pandemic provided a wake-up call, though, as Davina quickly recognised the need for a self-care intervention. “When I got into lockdown, I experienced something I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced before,” she says. “I just woke up really anxious.”
With two of her three teenage children due to take A Levels and GCSEs this year, Davina was worried about school closures. She’d also lie awake thinking about the future of her work – or if it was even safe to go to the supermarket.
“I’ve never been so...”, she trails off and pauses to consider the magnitude of the past few months. “It felt like the world was collapsing,” she says, slowly. “It was an extremely stressful time for everybody, I think. Life seemed so unfair.”
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In the early weeks of lockdown, when the death numbers kept increasing, Davina says everything felt bleak. “I didn’t want to listen to music or watch television, which was a really weird experience for me,” she says. “I was left thinking: ‘So, what do I do?’”
She started practising mindfulness using the Headspace app – something she’s done on and off since 2013 to carve out much-needed stillness in her otherwise busy life. “It just really grounded me,” she says. “It’s the thing that’s always helped me in a time of darkness, when I’ve felt worried. But this was next level worry. I thought: ‘I’ve never felt like this before.’”
Practising mindfulness helped the anxiety to subside, she says. She also started filling her time with podcasts and audiobooks – something she plans to take forward now that restrictions are easing.
Learning something new from a podcast or audiobook appealed, because she felt her “mind going to mush” without the usual stimulation from work. Now, she’ll listen to audiobooks while walking the dog, which, she says, provides “focus” amid the uncertainty in her life. She strides with her phone firmly in her pocket, putting an end to the mindless scrolling we’re all so used to.
“There used to be a time when my bath was the really relaxing place I’d go – and then I started to take my phone in the bath,” she admits. “The number of times I’ve dropped my phone in the bath! It feels like our phones are just attached to our hands and if we have a spare minute we pick them up.”
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Elisabeth Hoff
“TV is in such turmoil at the moment, as far as what’s going to be made and what’s not going to be made,” she says. “I’ve got no idea if there are any plans on the table for Big Brother – all I know is that I loved presenting that show with Rylan.”
Despite the challenges, this period of slowing down has had its perks, and like many of us, Davina has been able to connect with people in her community for the first time, “in silly, small ways”.
Where her neighbours would once walk passed one other “like repelling magnets,” the pandemic has brought them together. They started nodding at one another in the street, then chatting, and before long they were bringing each other groceries from the supermarket. She’s recently moved, but hopes this new sense of community and culture of kindness continues around her new home.
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“I do think that loneliness was the biggest problem in lockdown for people, you can feel very isolated,” she says. “So I would try to just talk to anybody who would listen and make sure that everybody was alright.”
None of us know how the country will respond to lockdown restrictions easing, or if a second wave is on the way. But to keep anxiety at bay amid the never-ending question marks, Davina is making her much-loved exercise routine and mindfulness a priority once more.
“I feel less stressed, less worried,” she says. ”After 10 minutes of just giving my head a bit of a holiday, I come back, open my eyes and think: ‘It’s okay, I’m on it.’”
Headspace x Boots gift cards are available from Boots.com for £30, and come in one of four content themes Mind, Health, Sleep and Focus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--‘Monogamy Is a perfectly fine...It doesn't happen to work for me’: Co-Author Of The Ethical Slut On

‘Monogamy Is a perfectly fine...It doesn't happen to work for me’: Co-Author Of The Ethical Slut On Open Relationships

‘Monogamy is perfectly fine...It doesn't happen to work for me’: Co-Author Of The Ethical Slut On Open Relationships
Janet Hardy is co-Author of The Ethical Slut, a book about open and polyamorous relationships that has sold over 250,000 copies. In this video Hardy gives a brief “good rule of thumb” to follow if you are thinking about non monogamous relationships.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Here Are Concrete Actions White People Can Take To Fight Racial Injustice

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I spent the first five years of my life in a foster home run by a white couple in affluent Chino Hills, California. I lived in a large, luxurious house and attended a prestigious, predominately white elementary school. I recall learning about shapes and colours, and enjoying playtime with my friends. I was oblivious to the fact that I was a different race than my foster family and classmates.
At 5, I was adopted by a Black single mother in Carson, a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles. She was an older woman who had dedicated her life to raising foster children of colour, after being raised by her grandmother, a former slave. After the move, I was enrolled in a now-defunct elementary school in Compton. The lessons I learned in class were starkly different from those I learned in Chino Hills.
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During and in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, my new classmates and I passed a number of burned storefronts on our way to school each morning. My teacher tried to explain the chaos we witnessed. She told us that a Black man, Rodney King, had been brutally beaten by police officers and that none of the officers went to prison.
When we did not understand why the Rodney King case led to some of our favourite stores being burned down, my teacher paused for a moment. After a thoughtful silence, she said that Black people have always been treated unfairly in this country due to the colour of our skin. Our community was angry, tired and hopeless. Some people in the community expressed their frustrations by rioting because it seemed that Black people would always be treated as second-class citizens who did not belong and did not deserve justice.
The lesson that day was a tough pill to swallow. Prior to my adoption, no one told me I was Black or that I could be subject to disparate treatment. It was jarring to learn that because of the colour of my skin ― something I could not control ― the world would perceive me as a threat, inferior and unwelcome. I was terrified to think that I could one day be subjected to violence like Rodney King was ― or even killed because of the stereotypes associated with my Black skin. I was even more saddened to think that people who looked like my former foster parents, whom I had called “mommy” and “daddy,” might discriminate against me because I did not look like them.
In my predominately Black school, our classroom dolls and action figures had white skin and straight, blonde hair. In our textbooks, I noticed that the illustrations were of white parents, students, teachers, professionals. In history classes, I took note that every single president of our country had been a white man.
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When I celebrated those presidents during holidays ― or saw their names on our schools, bridges and tunnels ― I became uneasy knowing that many of them were slave owners and believed in the inferiority of my race. I was confused to learn that a number of states proudly raised flags and erected monuments to honour the very Confederacy that fought to keep my ancestors enslaved. I was confused not only because Confederate monuments felt aggressive and disrespectful to Black people, but also because it seemed counterintuitive to celebrate the losing side of a war.
“Prior to my adoption, no one told me I was Black or that I could be subject to disparate treatment. It was jarring to learn that because of the color of my skin ― something I could not control ― the world would perceive me as a threat, inferior and unwelcome.”
In my adolescence, I noticed how purportedly “flesh tone” everyday items such as bandages, hosiery and undergarments were manufactured in white skin tones. Until about five years ago, most mainstream makeup brands did not make products for brown skin tones (and most luxury brands still don’t). Commercials for hair products featured white or fair skinned models with straight hair, signalling that those products were not for kinkier, Black hair textures. When interviewing for jobs, I was advised to straighten my hair because my natural hair texture was seen as “unprofessional.”
As a young adult, I held a few internships in corporate offices of large companies. It quickly became apparent that corporate America was predominately white, especially at the executive level. During law school, it was disconcerting to realise that the law profession is especially white.
There are so few Black lawyers that it is apparently difficult for many people to register that I am a litigator when I walk into a room. I am constantly ignored in hearings and conferences until I advise fellow lawyers that I, too, am an attorney. I am regularly mistaken for the pro bono client in court, or for the paralegal or assistant in depositions. Despite my education and professional success, I am still followed around stores when I shop, or ignored when I seek sales assistance in high-end boutiques.
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Every day of my life, I have experiences that infer Black inferiority and anti-Blackness. It is exhausting to wake up each day and convince myself and others that I belong, that my life matters and that I am capable, despite being surrounded by social, cultural and professional cues that suggest otherwise.
No matter how subtle or seemingly innocuous signals of Black exclusion and inferiority are, they diminish Black people’s dignity and humanity, erode our identity as Americans, and reinforce decades of stereotypes and discrimination intended to cement our status as second-class citizens.
The prevalence of, say, white skin-toned bandages or dolls may seem inconsequential to some in the fight for racial justice. However, recall that in 1954, the Supreme Court was persuaded to desegregate public schools in its landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision largely based on the findings of Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s doll experiment. The study showed that Black girls preferred to play with white dolls because they thought that Black dolls were inferior. The Black girls’ inferiority complex demonstrated how even seemingly trivial Black subjugation and ostracisation inhibit diversity, racial equality, racial equity and inclusion.
“Anti-Blackness and Black inferiority are so ingrained in American culture that over time, some people cannot recognize acts of discrimination and brutality against Black people.”
Societal projections of anti-Blackness and Black inferiority are also embedded within imposter syndrome, from which even the most qualified and distinguished Black people can suffer. I am often saddened when brilliant, hard-working Black lawyers question their entitlement to raises, bonuses and promotions. After years of being harshly critiqued, cut off while speaking, ignored in conversations, excluded from casual networking outings and denied opportunities, they feel ostracised, silenced and inadequate. They’ve watched other Black colleagues struggle to get a foot in the door, only to quit or get fired under the weight of being unseen and unheard in the workplace.
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Often, imposter syndrome causes many talented Black lawyers to accept far less than they deserve because they are taught to feel lucky to be “one of the few.” Instead, we should be valuing ourselves as assets to our firms, as our white colleagues do.
Anti-Blackness and Black inferiority are so ingrained in U.S. culture that over time, some people cannot recognise acts of discrimination and brutality against Black people. Worse yet, many Black people have accepted such disparate treatment as an unchanging reality with which we must simply cope.
It has been difficult to achieve progress with a boot or, say, a knee, on our necks. For far too long, the onus has perversely been on people of colour to include ourselves in predominately white professions and communities. We should not be doing the work to diversify these spaces and achieve greater equity when we do not have seats at the table to make the decisions necessary to implement change.
Now, many are finally starting to get it. Six years ago, employers did not concern themselves with how the video-recorded death of Eric Garner traumatised their Black employees. White colleagues did not inquire about how the lack of charges in the Eric Garner case opened old wounds of racial injustice. But today, some of the world’s largest, most influential companies have openly denounced the recent slayings of Black men and women and have proudly stated that “Black lives matter.” White people around the world are protesting alongside people of colour and are as vocally outraged as we are at the disparate treatment of Black people in this country.
However, to obtain systemic change in our society, the movement must expand beyond the protests. White people must become active voices in their communities, workplaces and social settings on a regular basis. This will not be easy. Some may be uncomfortable speaking up because they don’t believe this is their fight. Others may be scared of inadvertently saying or doing the wrong thing in the era of #cancelculture, or frightened of being derided as “social justice warriors.”
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To my white colleagues, I say discomfort be damned. While the recent protests and commentaries on racial injustice are encouraging harbingers of change, they must be followed by concrete, consistent action. I particularly challenge white people to lean into the discomfort. When you hear a friend, colleague or relative say something racist, don’t ignore it or gossip about it behind their backs. Confront the behaviour, tell them it is unacceptable, and educate them on why the behaviour will not be tolerated. When you notice something unjust or discriminatory in your community or workplace, speak up.
“To my white colleagues, I say discomfort be damned. While the recent protests and statements on racial injustice are encouraging harbingers of change, they must be followed by concrete, consistent action.”
When professional groups and associations of color welcome white colleagues to join our events, you should attend. Otherwise, we are left preaching to the choir. When we post articles and commentary about our experiences with racial injustice, we should see likes, shares and comments from the same white colleagues who privately tell us they found the post moving.
For white people in positions of leadership, create policies that require all employees to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training. Give business to people of colour. Mentor people of colour. Sponsor people of colour. Network with people of colour. Hire more people of colour. Retain more people of colour. Promote more people of colour.
Remember that growth always requires some growing pains, and that these actions will not be easy. Your white friends, relatives and colleagues may even become angry. But also recall that, every day for the last 400 years, Black people have been made to feel uncomfortable by constant exposure to the anti-Blackness and Black inferiority embedded in nearly every aspect of American society.
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I believe that change is possible and that change is imminent. I am hopeful that someday, Black children will not need to be warned about Black inferiority and can move through life expecting and receiving the same opportunities as equally qualified white people. I hope that Black children can one day bask in the same innocence that white children have always enjoyed. I want Black children to see themselves reflected in textbooks, toys, everyday personal items and mainstream American culture and society. Because they, too, are American.
Black children should see streets, schools, buildings and bridges named after accomplished Black people whom they can admire. Black children should see a succession of American presidents that is as diverse as the American electorate. They should see monuments and currency reflecting the many Black people who have contributed to our society. And when future Black students are finally taught about anti-Blackness, Black inferiority, police brutality and racial injustice, it is my hope that those lessons are taught in the past tense.
TaLona Holbert is a lawyer at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York City. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-12--Two Dead After British Tourist Falls From Balcony At Marbella Resort

José Meliá street in Marbella Google Maps
Two people have died after a British man fell from the seventh story of a Marbella hotel, according to local reports.
The unnamed British tourist, identified as being around 50 years old by reporters close to the scene, is believed to have plummeted from a balcony, striking a second man – reported to be a local – as he landed.
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The circumstances surrounding the incident have not yet been fully explained.
ABCandalucía said the incident took place shortly before 2am on Sunday morning at the five-star Gran Melia Don Pepe hotel, with emergency services pronouncing the two men dead at the scene of the incident.
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed the death of a British national to HuffPost UK, adding: “We are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Spain and are in touch with the local police.”
The Metro reported a statement from the National Police in Malaga, which is investigating the incident. A spokesperson said: “I can confirm two men have died at a hotel in Marbella after one plunged from the seventh-floor and landed on top of another.