thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--US Daily Coronavirus Cases Peak Once Again As Lockdown Measures Lift

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New coronavirus cases reported each day in the US are reaching levels unseen since the initial height of the pandemic as states are lifting economically devastating shutdown measures meant to avert the spread of infections.
New cases have topped 30,000 each day this week and are on track to surpass the peak of daily infections last seen in mid-April.
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Infections began to fall last month as states imposed restrictive social distancing measures and ordered millions of Americans to stay home, but the efforts wrought havoc on the economy. Nearly 21 million people were unemployed as of last week after businesses were forced to close their doors.
But unlike other regions — namely Europe, where cases have continued to decline amid those efforts — the US has seen infectious surge once more as bars, churches and summer camps reopen around the country. Donald Trump and many Republican officials have urged the country to jump-start the economy despite concerns from public health officials who have warned that the first wave of the pandemic is far from over.
More than 2.3 million people in the US have now been infected with the virus and nearly 122,000 have died. And at least 20 states are seeing infection rates rise, with many setting daily records again and again.
On Wednesday, California reported more than 7,000 new cases in the previous 24-hour period, a new record. governor Gavin Newsom urged residents to “be more vigilant” as the virus spreads but noted the state’s hospital system had prepared for such an outcome during the initial stay-at-home order.
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“We are confident in our capacity, in the short run, to meet the needs of those most in need in the state of California,” he said.
Other officials had a more dire outlook. In Texas, one of the first states to reopen, governor Greg Abbott said the surge was a “massive outbreak” and warned that hospitals would need to prepare for a shortage in hospital capacity.
“Our #COVID19 numbers are moving in the wrong direction,” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner wrote on Twitter. He told the city council Wednesday that Houston’s intensive-care units were at 97% capacity, with more than one-quarter of patients infected with the coronavirus.
Several states have considered imposing orders mandating that people wear masks outside. Washington governor Jay Inslee did so this week, saying the move was “about saving lives,” and North Carolina governor Roy Cooper followed suit, delaying reopening measures for at least three weeks.
The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut went a step further, announcing a travel advisory for visitors from a handful of states that have “significant community spread.” Those travellers will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the tri-state area.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Jennifer Aniston Jokes About Friends Frustration: 'Stop Playing That F**king Show'

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For better (making $1 million per episode) or worse (that infamous layered lob haircut) Jennifer Aniston will always be known as Rachel Green from Friends.
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Despite the cast of the beloved sitcom embracing the legacy of the long-running series ― look no further than their coordinated Instagram posts announcing the upcoming reunion special ― each of the actors in the past attempted to distance themselves from the TV juggernaut, with varying degrees of success.
As David Schwimmer headed to Broadway, Courteney Cox booked a trip to Cougar Town, Matthew Perry took a detour to “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Lisa Kudrow made her Comeback and Matt LeBlanc did, well, Joey, Aniston said she struggled to carve out her own identity away from her on-screen alter-ego.
Jennifer Aniston Steve Granitz via Getty Images
“You just exhaust yourself. I mean, I could not get Rachel Green off of my back for the life of me. I could not escape ‘Rachel from Friends’,” the actor revealed during a virtual Hollywood Reporter roundtable on Wednesday.
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She joked, “It’s on all the time and you’re like, ‘Stop playing that fucking show!’”
Even after Friends concluded its 10-season run, the show had a second life in reruns and then found a new generation of fans in recent years due to streaming services like Netflix.
Aniston said her turn as a beleaguered checkout clerk in the 2002 indie comedy The Good Girl alongside Jake Gyllenhaal was the “first time I got to really shed whatever the Rachel character was.”
“To be able to disappear into someone who wasn’t that was such a relief to me,” she said.
“But I remember the panic that set over me, thinking, ‘Oh God, I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe they’re right. Maybe everybody else is seeing something I’m not seeing, which is you are only that girl in the New York apartment with the purple walls.’
“So, I was almost doing it for myself just to see if I could do something other than that. And it was terrifying because you’re doing it in front of the world.”
The cast of Friends (from left to right) Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston. PA
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Aniston’s performance in the Miguel Arteta-directed film was universally praised, proving to critics and herself that she had the range.
“So, I just fought with myself and who I was in this industry forever, and it was constantly about trying to prove that I was more than that person,” Aniston, added. “But there is such a freedom in getting older because you just stop giving a crap.”
Aniston recently reunited with Kudrow for Variety’s Actors On Actors series, in which the former co-stars reminisced about on-set memories and teased their Friends reunion special.
While it’s unclear how exactly the special will take shape, the actors both confirmed that they wouldn’t be reprising their characters.
“I will not be Rachel, although I kind of am,” Aniston said. “Well, we’re all sort of little fragments of them. Not really. But yeah.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--My Pride Anthems: Anna Richardson

My Pride Anthems: Anna Richardson

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and that includes how we’re all celebrating Pride in 2020.
With huge public gatherings out of the question, we’re asking a range of LGBTQ celebrities and allies for their personal Pride anthems, to help us all get into the Pride spirit from lockdown.
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Up next to take us on a Pride-inspired trip down memory lane is TV presenter and journalist Anna Richardson.
Anna Richardson Anna Richardson
The Naked Attraction presenter admits she had “a billion” songs she could have picked for her My Pride Anthems playlist, but eventually narrowed it down to just five by artists as wide-ranging as Anohni, Chaka Khan and George Michael.
Here are the tracks she chose...
George Michael – Fastlove
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“Maybe I ought to start with my first Pride, in 1996. I can’t remember who played that year, but I do remember that George Michael was massive that summer, when Fastlove came out.
“I remember the song, and the video in particular... his video being about wanting sexual freedom and just to have fun. It’s just immediately addictive, a totally frisky song, and it’s just about celebrating sex without the commitment. Celebrating freedom.
“And this is why I think it’s a Pride Anthem, one of the lyrics is ‘my friends got their ladies, they’re all having babies, I just wanna have some fun’. And I remember in 1996, listening to that song with a big group of women, all of our friends were having babies, and actually we just wanted to have some fun. I just think George Michael is the perfect gay icon, and Fastlove is a brilliant Pride anthem.
“And do you know what, I only live down the road from where his house is in Highgate, as well, and I always walk past and say a little prayer to him, because he was such a sort of visible figure about Hampstead and Highgate, and he was such a kind man. He’s quite important to me, George Michael, and that song in particular represents my first Pride.”
Erasure – A Little Respect
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“The reason I wanted to include this was because first of all, I’ve always loved Erasure, and I’ve seen them a million times. But actually, back in 2014 when same-sex marriage became legal, Channel 4 did this amazing one-off documentary, that was called Our Gay Wedding: The Musical. The grooms were Benjamin Till and Nathan Taylor and they wrote and staged their entire wedding as a musical... and I had a front-row seat to the wedding, and the musical.
“And Andy Bell came on – as part of the musical – and with no accompaniment at all, sang A Little Respect, while the whole history of the gay rights struggle played on the backdrop behind them all, leading all the way to that day in 2014 when same-sex marriage was made legal.
“And every time I hear that song, I just think of the struggle, and the celebration of that day, of two men being able to publicly declare their love and get married and having it put on as a musical, it was amazing to be there.
“For me to be able to bear witness not only to their wedding but a massive step forward in gay rights, it was a really important day and I’ll always remember that. It was quite a landmark moment for me.”
Anohni – You Are My Sister
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“This is an anthem, but it’s quite sombre and quite melancholic. What I love about Anohni, is the absolute uniqueness of her voice, and the fact she has always identified as transgender, and what is interesting about her is that she’s feminine and delicate, even though she’s over six foot tall, but she also nods at who she used to be.
“For me, You Are My Sister is an anthem for all women. ‘You are my sister, may all your dreams come true’, and every time I hear that song, it makes me weep. What’s interesting is that I presume – I don’t know enough about her biography, actually – but I presume it is about her real sister, but what I love is that it can be interpreted as ‘sister’ as in ‘fellow women’.
“And when you listen to it, just the beauty of it, and the beauty of her voice – and also the beauty of Boy George’s voice, because they really complement each other – there’s such a vulnerability to this song, and I just think it beautifully encapsulates what it’s like to love another woman, whether it’s your sister, or your sister metaphorically. You must listen to it, it’s a stunning song.”
Kate Bush – The Man With The Child In His Eyes
“I was totally desperate to include a Kate Bush song, because Kate Bush is a massive icon for me. When she came back to the Hammersmith Apollo, where she hadn’t played for 30 years, to play a series of gigs, I’m so obsessed with her that, as soon as the tickets went on sale, I was there with my laptop, my iPad, my phone, with everything, to try and secure tickets, and I managed to get two for me and Sue [Perkins, Anna’s partner] to see her, and it was the most mindblowing gig I have ever seen. And we were invited to meet her afterwards, and she’s the one famous person that I was left utterly speechless by when I met her.
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“Kate Bush is so important for me, and also for the community, just in terms of… she’s also been very pro the community and pro playing around with identity and gender, and I just think she’s an extraordinary artist.
“Now when you say ‘what’s my favourite song?’, fuck me... there’s so many. There are a billion songs I could give you that are really, really meaningful, but I just thought, if we’re talking about Pride, let’s go for The Man With The Child In His Eyes. Because if you think about it, she wrote these lyrics when she was really young, but it’s all about ‘I hear him, just before I go to sleep’, and he comes to her room, but it’s about connecting with this guy, her lover, and he’s a little boy at heart. And I just think that speaks to so many gay men.
“It’s about the intimacy and joy of sex with another human being, that’s what she’s singing about, and the love of connecting with this man. But in his heart, there’s the child inside, that she’s holding. I just think that works really well [for Pride], that at the heart of every big gay man, there’s a little boy that wants to be adored. It’s about vulnerability and connecting on a really deep level, on a soul level.”
Chakha Khan – I’m Every Woman
“First of all, this is one of the best disco songs out there, but also, I’ve done so much work around sex and sex education and identity, and having done so much with Naked Attraction as well, and working with straight women, gay women, transgender women, it’s just about connection.
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“I just love that lyric ‘I’m every woman’, it’s about sisterhood and identity. And connection, I think. I mean, I haven’t sat and thought super deeply about that, but I just think it’s to do with connecting.
“In a way, it’s a bit like with Anonhi, it’s all about the feminine, it’s about connecting to the feminine. It sounds like I’m rambling, but what I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter how you identify, you don’t have to be cisgender female, just that lyric ‘I’m every woman’, it speaks to everybody. It’s about vulnerability and connecting, and particularly within our community.”
In addition to her TV work, Anna Richardson runs Mindbox, an online subscription based service offering techniques to help cope and overcome common feelings of stress and anxiety.
We’ll be adding each celebrity’s song choices to our bumper My Pride Anthems playlist each day. Take a listen below:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--The Future Of One-Night Stands In The Age Of Coronavirus

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This article was originally published on HuffPost US.
A 2017 survey of 1,000 people from Zava, an online doctor service, found that 66% of respondents have had a one-night stand at least once in their lives. But how comfortable will people be having more casual sexual encounters in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the new potential health risks involved?
First, it’s important to note that the virus is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets emitted when an infected person sneezes, coughs, breathes or speaks. Because sex typically involves close physical contact — like kissing and heavy breathing, for example — you’re at risk for contracting or spreading the virus. While the virus has been found in the semen of some Covid-19 patients, there’s currently no evidence that it can be transmitted this way.
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And while states have started opening up, social distancing guidelines are still in place — and likely will be until an effective treatment or vaccine is available. That means recommendations to stay at least a metre from anyone outside of your household and wear a mask when you can’t social distance are unlikely to change any time soon. However, quarantine fatigue has set in for many. And given the length of this ongoing public health crisis, is it realistic to expect people who are not in relationships or do not have a consistent sexual partner to abstain from sex altogether?
“I don’t think it’s reasonable,” Dr. David Bell — an adolescent medicine physician and associate professor at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City — told HuffPost. “It is human nature to need human connection, sex and intimacy.”
So how might the pandemic shape the future of casual sex? Read on to find out.
Some people are, understandably, reluctant.
Tara Moore via Getty Images “Typically, the decision to have one-night stands impacts only ourselves and our partners,” said therapist-in-training Sula Malina. “These days, however, the activity has more widespread implications.”
Writer Alex Ebel, who lives in New Orleans, penned a piece for HuffPost Personal in late March titled: “2 Weeks Ago I Could Have Sex Whenever I Wanted. The Coronavirus Changed That,” about how he was turning to virtual mediums, like video chat, to connect during the pandemic.
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By mid-June, Ebel said his stance about meeting up for sex IRL hasn’t really changed much.
“We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, and just because people got too bored and decided to go to the mall again doesn’t mean it’s actually the smart thing to do,“ he said. “The same can be said for casual sex and one-night stands — though arguably that does seem a little safer than going out with your ‘brunch squad’ or whatever it is stupid people say when they’re drinking mimosas with their masks around their necks. Of course that’s assuming they wore masks in the first place.”
The stress of the pandemic has also worsened mental health conditions — like anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder — for some people, which could lower their sex drives, while also making them more wary of one-night stands.
“As we repeatedly consume messages about social distancing, even the notion of shaking a stranger’s hand can be intimidating — and best avoided,” said Sula Malina, a therapist in training at The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York City who uses the pronouns they/them. “Given the sex-negativity that permeates today’s society, many people already perceived one-night stands as in some way ‘immoral.’ This has likely only been compounded by messages of social distancing as the morally ‘right’ thing to do.”
“Typically, the decision to have one-night stands impacts only ourselves and our partners,” they added. “These days, however, the activity has more widespread implications.”
And even once the spread of the virus slows down, this residual fear about physical contact may persist, Malina said.
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“We are experiencing this pandemic as a collective trauma; understandably, it will take some time for us to move out of our natural fight-or-flight response and into total comfort with physical contact,” they said.
“We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, and just because people got too bored and decided to go to the mall again doesn’t mean it’s actually the smart thing to do. The same can be said for casual sex and one-night stands.” - Alex Ebel, writer
In addition to dating apps and sites, bars and clubs — where the alcohol is flowing — are among the most common places to meet a one-night stand partner. As nonessential businesses, many of these places were closed for several months and are just now beginning to reopen. Still, not everyone is comfortable patronising those establishments just yet.
“It’s understandable that when people go to bars and get a bit blasted they’re more likely to end up being disinhibited and having a one-night stand,” said New Jersey sex therapist and neuroscientist Nan Wise, author of “Why Good Sex Matters.” “Given that up until now it has been hard for people to find bar-type settings to promote the kind of boozy socialising that fosters that kind of behaviour, people would have to be more intentional about setting up these rendezvouses ahead of time.”
Bell, the physician mentioned above, said some of his single patients have found short-term monogamous partnerships in quarantine “with or without expectations for the long term.”
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However, he said he does “not have any evidence that the pandemic will affect people’s feelings about having one-night stands for the long term.”
Others are proceeding as usual.
Shestock via Getty Images Experts share their advice to make sex safer in the midst of a pandemic.
Sexuality coach and sex blogger Ashley Cobb of Sex With Ashley said she doesn’t think the pandemic has really affected people’s views on casual hookups.
“I think a lot of people are still having sex and have never stopped,” she said. “Especially now since the country is opening back up again, those who might not have been engaging before most definitely will now. People are touch- and companion-deprived and mainly plain, old-fashioned horny, which leads to people taking more risk to get their sexual and emotional needs met.”
People with more adventurous sexual personality types might be more open to one-night stands despite the potential health risks, Wise said.
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“For example, what I call ‘The Explorer’ is a person who needs more novelty both in and out of the bedroom and is more likely perhaps to take risks,” she said. “These people tend to have a high level of sexual desire and might not be content to wait out the coronavirus storm.”
For others, the threat of Covid-19 might make them pause but ultimately wouldn’t stop them from having a one-night stand.
“HIV — a known sexually transmitted infection — may have affected feelings about having one-night stands, but did not substantially change any behaviours,” Bell said.
How To Have Safer Sex During The Pandemic
Know that your safest safe partner is yourself, followed by a partner you live with and then followed by a person outside of your household who you know and trust. However, if you are going to have sex with someone you just met, then you should do what you can to minimise your risk of contracting or spreading the virus — and that includes limiting your number of sexual partners. Here are a few ways to do that, but you can check out the New York City Department Of Health’s guidelines for more recommendations.
Before you meet up, ask your partner if they’ve experienced Covid-19 symptoms or have come in close contact with anyone who has.
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Symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and new loss of taste or smell, among others. Don’t have sex if you’re exhibiting symptoms or have been in close contact with an infected person. And if either of you has an underlying condition that makes you higher-risk for severe illness — like diabetes that’s not well-managed, heart disease or a compromised immune system — you may want to hold off on sex altogether for now.
Know that some infected people may be asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic or have symptoms so mild they go unnoticed. Also, the median incubation period (time from exposure to onset of symptoms) is 4 to 5 days, but could be as long as 14 days. That means it’s possible that one of you could have been infected but felt well at the time you hooked up and didn’t start exhibiting symptoms until afterward. So be sure to contact each other if one of you becomes sick so the other knows to self-isolate.
“Inherent in the nature of a one-night stand is the foundational point that you don’t know the person usually,” Bell said. “You don’t really know what they did yesterday or the week before. From my peripheral and contextual view as a medical provider, cursory questions of exposures to STIs may be asked beforehand, but often are inquired about after the hook-up. It will be interesting to understand if partnerships are assessing personal Covid-19 risks before one-night stands.”
Get tested for Covid-19 if you can.
“Consider getting tested prior to and following sexual activity, just as you would for STIs,” Malina said.
Some places, like New York City, Los Angeles county and the state of Tennessee, offer free tests whether or not you’re experiencing symptoms. But check the health department website in your city or state for more detailed testing information and requirements in your area.
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While you await test results, stay home as much as possible, continue practicing social distancing, wear a facial covering and follow hand-washing protocols to reduce your chances of becoming infected in the interim.
Skip the kissing.
“Avoiding face-to-face activities like kissing would be a good idea,” Wise said. “Having sex from behind where their faces are not close together would be a good idea as well as would be keeping your mask on.”
Yes, that’s right: These days, it’s prudent to wear a facial covering during sex.
“Maybe it’s your thing, maybe it’s not, but during Covid-19 wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth is a good way to add a layer of protection during sex,” according to the New York City Department Of Health’s website. “Heavy breathing and panting can spread the virus further, and if you or your partner have Covid-19 and don’t know it, a mask can help stop that spread.”
It’s best to also avoid rimming (mouth to anus contact) as the virus has been found in faeces.
And, as always, you should practice safe sex by using condoms or dental dams to protect against sexually transmitted infections and an effective birth control method to prevent pregnancy.
Try mutual masturbation.
In the age of social distancing, masturbating separately but together could be a less risky option because you can be in the same room getting yourselves off without physically touching each other.
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Consider virtual sex, too.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Why Glastonbury's Reputation As The Best Festival In The World Will Never Be Shaken

You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, celebrating summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different.
It’s past midnight and I’m crammed in a cabaret club. Drag queens are circling around me. If there was table service for drinks, I could convince myself I’m in any ordinary cabaret club.
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But I’m not in an ordinary cabaret club - I’m at the Sensation Seekers stage in a field at Glastonbury festival, an area that has been specifically designed to feel like a cabaret club after dark. Aerial performances go above my head as people bend and flex at floor level.
Glastonbury has earned its reputation over 50 years and still goes unmatched in terms of quality of experience AmyLaughinghouse via Getty Images
I was participating in the wider Glastonbury festival experience - after all, the festival’s full title is Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, so dingy cabaret clubs and full-blown theatres run into the small hours behind secret doors and down telltale passages.
Famous bands are only part - the most highly-publicised part - of the festival’s entertainment experience.
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One of the performances from the Theatre & Circus fields at Glastonbury Both Hemispheres Photography
Later that night, after the cabaret had finished, I found my friends, who chose Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac’s 2am set over my weird, macabre experience in the Theatre & Circus area.
Having strolled from the labyrinthine Theatre & Circus fields to Pangea, the dramatic new nightlife area for 2019 where artists performed in a literal crane, its arm swinging high above our heads, I was ready to get stuck into a whole other experience.
There in the sprawling crowd (this was a wake up call from the dingy cabaret club) was a man in his Seventies with a bowler hat decorated in layers of fairy lights.
Gen Z ravers in their teens and early twenties shook his hand - but he was largely left alone to party like the younger ravers he was amongst. He had space to dance and a community around him that wouldn’t judge an elderly man dancing to techno with a crowd a fifth of his age.
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Where else do you get ages and attractions so diverse on the UK’s youth and music-focussed festival circuit?
Nowhere other than at Glastonbury, where there is a no-judgement policy as well established as the festival itself, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year.
There may be around 200,000 people on site, but there are very few troublemakers at Glasto, where the mood of inclusion means that these individuals are silenced by the cult-like masses of Eavis’s disciples.
Farm owner Michael Eavis is responsible for the remarkable way the hugely diverse Glastonbury crowd, which has graduated from hippies to include yuppies and pop music fans and pretty much all walks of life, rub shoulders here.
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Eavis is a devout Methodist, and his religion intrinsically teaches acceptance. During the festival, he’s often spotted acting out his agenda of goodwill, which is the bedrock of the festival’s inclusive culture.
Eavis is a common sight shaking hands from the window of his Land Rover on site, and historically would famously use forklift trucks to lift perimeter fences and let in thousands of revellers without tickets - just out of kindness.
Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis is a familiar site at the festival, often seen from the window of his Land Rover Matt Cardy via Getty Images
He champions the strong community feel at the festival, and strives for all factions of the performing arts industry to be represented on site in the ambitious districts and attractions.
Amongst punters, he is known for playing joyous sets with daughter Emily in the humble, smaller tents at the William’s Green part of the site.
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I saw him sing a rousing rendition of Something Stupid, gleaming into his daughter’s eyes, on the sunbaked Sunday afternoon last year to a dedicated set of a few hundred ticket holders that eschewed the beginning of Kylie’s set to watch the Octogenerian sing, kinda badly.
But who cared how well he could sing? It’s these glimpses into Glastonbury that are the most fun, and more rewarding than endless headliner-chasing.
Unusual experiences aren’t hard to find if you go slightly off-grid and speak to veteran festival goers, but some of the weirdness is more in-your-face, like 2019′s Glastonbury-On-Sea attraction, where Eavis had an entire pier with beachfront attractions built on site in landlocked Somerset.
As a response to Eavis’s generous hospitality, crowds treat the sprawling site with the same respect they would give their grandparents’ ornamental china set.
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“Don’t pee on the land!” is a commonly heard plea. Eavis has asked people to respect his land so gallons of alcohol-infused urine don’t pollute the water table below the fields, and so they do: I’ve seen no more than a handful of hedge urinators over my years of visits.
Naysayers believe the festival’s partnership with Mallets cider is a sign they have become too commercial, and against the community ethos, but have these critics seen the main stages at other festivals? Where they are named after multinational booze corporations? (Hello, Smirnoff House, Reading and Leeds festivals).
Glastonbury would need to go a lot further than taking the odd commercial partner to ruin its intrinsic community vibe, which so many other festival owners have tried and failed to mimic.
Other smaller festivals, like Shambala and the new We Out Here festival, foster authentic communities - but they offer nothing like the potential to get completely and utterly, gloriously lost in the madness of the 1,100 acre site.
2021 will welcome the beginning of a new half-century for Glastonbury.
As the world becomes more technological and fast-paced, and the risky decision of running a festival becomes inevitably harder to justify as we teeter on the brink of a recession, this once-annual opportunity to get lost in a field with hundreds of thousands of like minded people will become even more precious and unique.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--How To Choose Your Precious 30 Wedding Guests – And Uninvite Everyone Else

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Weddings of up to 30 people can go ahead in England from July 4, and while it will be welcome news to those facing postponements, it poses an awkward problem for anyone who’s planned a larger celebration.
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How the hell do you choose your favourite 30 people, from a list that’s twice – or even three times – the length? And how do you retract invites, while keeping relationships with family and friends in tact?
One option, advises William Hanson, etiquette coach and director of The English Manner, is to avoid the problem altogether by considering postponing.
“Weddings can annoy and upset people at the best of times and Covid is only going to make things worse with the new guidance,” he tells HuffPost UK. “If I had planned a bigger wedding, I would question how much I needed to get married this year versus whether I should hold off, rather than settling for a scaled-back affair.”
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That advice is unlikely to help those who can’t bear the thought of a further delay, though – particularly if you’ve already postponed once, your venue won’t budge, or your wedding insurance won’t cover the penalty fees.
Those wanting to press ahead with a more intimate day should think about the people they’ve seen in the last six months when considering who gets priority boarding, says Jennifer Claire Constant, founder of The Celebrant Directory.
“Close your eyes and imagine who’s a big part of your life and, if they weren’t there on your wedding day, would be a really upsetting thing for you,” she says. “Also think about people who make you feel happy and have always been there and supported you.”
Zolga_F via Getty Images/HuffPost
Constant advises against choosing guests simply because you feel obliged to – now’s not the time to buy into family politics.
“You and your partner could each have your own list of 15 guests you’d like at the wedding – then you review it,” she says. “Any duplications, you can take off, and then together decide who you’d like to make up the 30.”
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You’ll no doubt be tempted to wait as long as possible before uninviting guests, in case restrictions change. But your guests will appreciate plenty of notice, says Constant. “Try to have the conversation in person or at least via a video or phone call,” she advises. “Avoid sending a text or message on social media as it’ll make it feel less personable.”
Highlight that it’s nothing personal, adds Constant, and stress that it was a hard decision to make – but with the government restrictions, you’re being put in a difficult situation.
By doing this, Hanson says you need to be prepared for a potential fallout: “You are going to annoy some of the de-invited guests and couples need to know that before any phone calls are made,” he says. But Constant is more optimistic: “If they truly care, they will fully understand.”
“If they truly care, they will fully understand.” - Jennifer Claire Constant, founder of The Celebrant Directory
Remember, you can still make those who can’t attend in person feel part of your wedding by setting up a live streaming of the ceremony – or planning one hell of a party for everyone at a later date.
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Facing this conundrum is far from ideal, but focussing on the benefits of a small wedding might take the sting out a little.
“There’s something rather magical about hosting a wedding on a smaller scale for couples who want to alleviate the anticipated stress of planning, dread the thought of trying to please everyone, or simply want a celebration that’s easier on the purse,” says Emma Hla, founder of Coco Wedding Venues.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Drink Or Swim: Why Are Pools And Gyms Still Closed When Pubs Can Open?

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With restaurants and pubs able to reopen from July 4, but swimming pools and gyms forced to remain closed, people are scratching their heads as to why.
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When some people aired their frustration over the fact they couldn’t exercise but could head to the pub with mates, Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, took to Twitter to address the decision.
“Many people keen to hit the gym & keeping Britain fit is key in Covid battle,” he tweeted on June 23. “We’ve made lots of progress & I know steps businesses have taken to make their spaces & equipment safe subject to public health, our aspiration is to reopen gyms & leisure facilities in mid-July.”
But his remark didn’t answer the question of why gyms and pools aren’t allowed to reopen, while pubs are – especially when lots of fitness spaces say they have put health and safety measures in place already to make it easy to socially distance while exercising.
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piovesempre via Getty Images
The fitness industry has been left reeling by the announcement, as there was a growing assumption that places of exercise would be able to open on July 4.
A PureGym spokesperson said of the move: “We understand that these decisions are not easy, but it is a strange ‘war on obesity’ that sees pubs and restaurants open before gyms.”
@OliverDowden please clarify how keeping gyms closed but opening pubs is even a thing? Gyms are there to promote health and you can guarantee after two pints, social distancing is out of the window. I am on the brink of financial devastation because of this. — Sam Bradley (@sbradley635) June 23, 2020
As it stands, it is illegal for indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities, swimming pools and water parks to reopen because “they cannot yet be made sufficiently Covid-19 secure”.
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PureGym’s spokesperson said the chain is “extremely disappointed” that it can’t reopen. “This intense disappointment will be shared by our sector and the ten million gym members across the UK,” they said.
Duncan Bannatyne of Dragon’s Den fame, who runs multiple gyms across the country, claimed he wrote to every MP in constituencies where his gyms are based and invited them to see how they would operate safely. “Do you know how many came?” he tweeted to Dowden. “1. 1 out of 40. No scientist came. No virologist came. And we were happy to operate with 2 metre distance. Why?”
Swim England’s chief executive Jane Nickerson also expressed her “dismay and frustration” at swimming pools remaining closed and has launched an #OpenOurPools campaign calling for the decision to be reconsidered immediately.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, no evidence has emerged to suggest that you can contract the coronavirus in pools, hot tubs, water parks or in large bodies of water like at the beach.
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Nickerson said the government has “let down millions who rely on being in the water” – from those who use pools for mental or physical health reasons, to recreational swimmers and competitive club athletes.
“Thousands of workers in the sector and facilities across the country are also still in a state of limbo and this is simply unacceptable,” she said.
“Many will fail to understand how pubs, restaurants, cinemas, museums and hair salons have been given the go ahead to open on the 4 July but not chlorine-filled swimming pools.”
Huw Edwards, CEO of UKActive, said any further delay to reopening the fitness and leisure sector would have “grave” economic consequences, including the potential loss of 2,800 facilities and over 100,000 jobs.
He also pointed out the health repercussions of keeping gyms and pools closed: “Any further delay to our reopening will threaten our nation’s recovery from Covid-19. With obesity the second largest cause of hospitalisation from this virus, gyms and leisure centres are equipped to not only combat Covid-19, but to support rehabilitation for those recovering from the virus.
“Closed facilities cannot support that fight. Closed facilities will also worsen the health inequalities in this nation, especially as one in four members of public leisure facilities is from a BAME background, a community where health disparities from Covid-19 have been felt most.”
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When pushed on why gyms and pools aren’t yet opening, a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson echoed much of what Dowden said, telling HuffPost UK: “We are continuing to work with representatives from the gym and leisure centre sectors on plans for a safe, phased reopening with the ambition for this to happen from mid-July, subject to public health guidance.
“We need to make sure that plans are comprehensive with all risks minimised. We are fully committed to making sure the public can exercise and stay healthy, as outlined in our guidance for outdoor exercise.”
But PureGym said it sent “detailed, industry-agreed guidance” to the government on May 7, covering all aspects of hygiene, disinfection, access control, physical separation, number limitations per venue, monitoring and oversight, education and training.
The chain, which has opened gyms in Switzerland and Denmark in the past six weeks, says it is “confident” it can provide a safe place for people to work and a safe place to workout. “In those countries we have welcomed over a million visitors since re-opening, with protocols very similar to those we suggested for the UK."
The gym’s spokesperson pointed out the sector provides “vital support” to the mental and physical well-being of the UK public. “We are bitterly disappointed that the one sector that has the potential to help people and that has developed clearly workable protocols for safe operations is prevented from opening for a further undefined period,” they said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--For Us Quiet Queers, It Can Be Hard To Find Our Place In Pride

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On a cool spring evening in 2019, I found myself in shiny silver pants and a crop top, standing self-consciously at the bus stop opposite my friend’s South London flat. A break from breathing in their living room mould, we were en route to a queer club night that only welcomed those who were not cisgendered men.
As a genderless, awkward being, I’d allowed myself to bubble with glee at the idea that, for one of the first times in my life, I was going to experience what it was really like to be gay. The fluidity of a queer London gathering was about to wash over my tense, tired bones. It was going to be liberating, gorgeous, indulgent, ridiculous.
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To my surprise, my friends and I ended up congregating in the quietest part of the club, drinking soda and combing through excuses to leave as early as possible. Not as exciting as assumed.
So… maybe I don’t fit in with your typical queer club night-goer. That’s fine, right? Not a big deal. It’s not like when you come out, you immediately turn in your favourite mug and fuzzy socks. Queerness is ultimately about liberation, and an individual’s interpretation of the LGBTQ+ experience is entirely personal.
“There isn’t a lot of opportunity to bond with my community in spaces that aren’t plagued with £9 cocktails”
martinwimmer via Getty Images Milan, Italy. A woman walks barefoot over a pedestrian crossing in rainbow colors.
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I’ve tried to understand that. Really! I spend my Saturdays with a cup of Earl Grey and watch videos of strangers on YouTube telling me what they eat in a week until I fall asleep in front of the harsh blue light of my age old MacBook Air. Wash, rinse, repeat, right? What exactly am I missing out on? Sweaty 20-somethings? I can sweat for England under the comfort of my bedsheets, thank you – I don’t need to pay £5 for a flimsy wristband in order to have a good time.
Except, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to bond with my community in spaces that aren’t plagued with £9 cocktails. The loneliness comes back, and I wonder what my friends are doing – what I could be doing if I wasn’t afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I could be a shimmering beacon of lesbian excitement, if only I was to embrace the queer culture of night life, something so historically important and integral to the LGBTQ+ experience.
Another integral part of queer culture is pride month, which comes by every June.
Pride month has never been, and should never be, quiet. I’ve never been particularly soft in my queer presentation, and the sheer volume of the protests that laid the foundations for the Pride parades we are so familiar with today have allowed that. I’ve been beating strangers and friends over the heads with my reflections on identity since I was 14, but in spite of that... I still don’t feel ‘right’ at a gay club. I feel like I stick out. The extroverted gays, they can sniff out my discomfort, and they don’t want to give me a chance. I get out my phone and I scroll through the health app to see how many steps I’ve taken that day, half sober, and definitely not occupied with having fun. Carly Rae Jepsen blares behind my ears and I sing along to myself.
“This June, look out for your displaced, lightly confused gay friends. You can identify them from the blank stare that they might acquire in the parade crowd.”
Where do the quiet gays go? It’s a question that comedian Hannah Gadsby brought up in her stand-up special Nanette, and I think about it a lot. Maybe they take to the internet. Is there a Reddit forum for quiet gays that I just haven’t found yet? Can someone direct me to it?
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Maybe the circle of dissatisfaction continues from there. Finding my place and feeling a hole that I thought I’d filled.
This June, look out for your displaced, lightly confused gay friends. You can identify them from the blank stare that they might acquire in the parade crowd, and how quickly their voices may give out from chanting. They aren’t used to it. Offer them a cup of tea.
If you are a quiet gay, take care of yourself, but don’t knock being loud until you try it. Your copy of Fun Home will still be there once you step out of the Uber home and back into your flat. Get excited, be proud. Find whatever feels good.
And know I’m right here with you.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Lockdown Helped My Son And Husband Find Each Other Again

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My 11-year-old and his dad walk arm in arm, discussing the intricacies of Minecraft. Ore and redstone and zombies and villagers — stuff that normally makes my eyes glaze over. I hang back, content to observe them in their dude bubble.
From the outside, it looks like the most ordinary conversation, though it is anything but: for once, I am not micromanaging their interaction. I am not cheerleading this father-son exchange. Not being involved in this particular intimacy comes as a surprise and a great relief.
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It’s my silver linings playbook, Covid-19 edition. This virus is a curse, no question. The pandemic has wreaked havoc in so many cruel and lasting ways. And yet for all that it has stolen from us, social distancing has given my own family an unexpected gift.
From the outside, it’s impossible to tell what this past year has been like for us. My autistic son experienced frequent destructive and aggressive outbursts. Sometimes he broke things and lashed out at us. Sometimes my husband lost his cool and shouted back. Each time their short fuses sparked, I told myself, “They’re too similar, that’s all.”
We were all trying. We were all worn out. With every meltdown, though, I imagined bits of their bond being irreparably chiselled away, and felt helpless to fix it.
“Before this virus came along, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my husband, like so many parents, was missing out.”
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From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I had high hopes for their relationship. I never knew my biological father, and had grown up with a step-father who was cold and stern. I wanted so much more for my son than what I’d known. I’d often wonder if my son and his dad would ever be as close as I dreamed they could be when I first held my only child in my arms.
After last year, that possibility seemed unlikely.
I didn’t know that it would take a pandemic to ignite change in our home. While some children have regressed during the lockdown, we have been lucky. Without the pressures and routines of school, my son is thriving. With my husband forced to work from home, he has more face time with his kid. He’s not the only one – most Canadian fathers feel closer to their children during the pandemic.
While brewing a cup of tea, my husband might help with a math problem that left his hapless wife stymied. (Yes, I readily admit to being stymied by some elements of Grade 6 math.) They might chit chat over breakfast before my husband disappears to “the office” for his first meeting of the day. With no commute to and from work, there is less racing around to be someplace on time.
Although he still works hard and keeps long hours, my hubby seems decidedly more energised, more patient and more present than in pre-Covid days. At the end of a long workday, he simply has to walk downstairs to be with us. This is not the case for all families, with many parents continuing to work outside the home. I recognise the magnitude of our privilege and do not take it lightly.
Still, before this virus came along, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my husband, like so many parents, was missing out. We treat being busy as a badge of honour, but our overscheduled lifestyle comes at a cost. Kids grow up so fast, they say. Blink, and childhood is gone. Now that my son is on the cusp of 12, I can get behind that adage. I couldn’t shake the feeling that his brief boyhood was bypassing my husband, through no fault of his own.
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“We will never get this time back. It is a cursed time, yes, but it is also deeply precious.”
Anton Petrus via Getty Images Social distancing has brought some families closer together.
These past months, a weight on my shoulders has suddenly lifted. Before the pandemic, I was always “the one.” I was the one who picked up and dropped off my son from school and weekend activities. I was the one who took him to visit the doctor, and the dentist, and any brand of therapist. The one who coached him through French and social studies assignments. The one who cuddled on the couch and listened to him read comics after school. The one who readily laughed at his corny jokes and ruffled his soft curls at every passing opportunity.
I was always there. There is no feminist angle to quibble here — working part-time from home means I have more flexibility. I happen to be the more involved, hands-on parent simply because it makes sense for our family.
Seeing my husband and son walk arm in arm talking about Minecraft gives me hope. I wonder how many parents were passing ships to their children before lockdown? How many dads out there are getting to know their kids for the first time, right now?
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We will never get this time back. It is a cursed time, yes, but it is also deeply precious. I pray that we will not squander it. I pray that my son and his dad will hold the memory of these days tight in their fists and hearts, and continue to carry it with them when this is all over.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Canada Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--A Post-Coronavirus Recession Is Looming. Young People Must Not Pay The Price

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It’s been a turbulent few decades for our country. We’ve had political shocks and gone through economic downturns which have posed challenges for many. Despite the stick that young people often get, that includes them too. Sure we’ve grown up with broadband, gadgets and technology but we were also sold a lie that getting into debt for our education then topping it up by working unpaid internships would pay off for us all.
When the last recession hit I remember the fear that struck me as I was trying to navigate through my early career. Since then, as a society and as a generation we’ve struggled through austerity and been met with job instability and low wages, all while relying on an often exploitative and insecure private renting sector. The old social security safety net has been chipped away at and many of the public services our parents and grandparents had known were sold off.
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Now in my 30s, I know what a challenge this has been for my generation. That’s why I’m so frustrated to see that today’s young people facing even more hardship in a post-coronavirus world.
“Although this pandemic is far from over, we’re already beginning to see some of the long-term damage. And once again, young people who are vulnerable.”
This is the generation who have grown up knowing nothing but austerity. Today’s teenage school leavers were those four-year-olds starting school in 2008 when the last recession hit. Many won’t remember or know about youth services which have been slashed with a £732million cut in England since 2010, resulting in 600 youth centres closures between 2012 and 2016. Over the last decade, education funding has been slashed to levels as low as they were in the 1970s.
Although this pandemic is far from over, we’re already beginning to see some of the long-term damage. And once again, young people who are vulnerable. Those in education face confusion and disruption in their school and university exams. Many in apprenticeships are at risk of losing their jobs or places on courses. During the crisis so far, lower earners, who are more likely to be young, have been hit the hardest and are twice as likely to lose their jobs as high earners. Reports from the Resolution Foundation have revealed that one million young people are facing unemployment as a result of this crisis, with one in three 18- to 24-year-olds earning less than before the outbreak.
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Non-graduates are set to experience the longest and most significant impact. We know that in terms of unemployment, the financial crisis had the most damaging impact on those who had only recently left full-time education. And among them, recent non-graduate leavers were hardest hit. This crisis may be even worse than the 2008 crash for young people; it has kicked out the foundations of the youth job market, jobs in hospitality, retail – jobs which young people used to be able to rely upon – and it is unclear whether these sectors will fully recover.
“If history tells us anything, it’s that the Tories cannot be trusted to protect the interests of vulnerable, poor, and young people in our society.”
A commuter wearing a protective face mask walks along the platform at Clapham Common underground station, London, as train services increase this week as part of the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Thursday May 21, 2020. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
As for the school leavers or university graduates, they have more bad news too. Some of the UK’s biggest employers, including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and PwC have announced delayed or cancelled recruitment schemes or internships and more than a quarter of companies predict that they will hire fewer graduates due to the pandemic. Research conducted during lockdown by the Prince’s Trust reveals that over a quarter of 16-to-25 year olds feel their future career prospects have already been damaged by the coronavirus crisis. This is while 46% consider finding a job now “impossible”.
If history tells us anything, it’s that the Tories cannot be trusted to protect the interests of vulnerable, poor, and young people in our society. With another recession looming, austerity looks far from done, and once again our young peoples’ futures may be on the line. As a country, we must all rise to the challenge of the pandemic, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. When it comes to rebuilding our country and our communities in post-coronavirus Britain we must ensure all government policies are properly vigorously tested for their impact on young people and vulnerable groups.
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We must not allow this pandemic to create an even more unjust world; our young people deserve better because they are only young once.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Coronavirus Cost Councils The Same As Five Years Of Austerity. Now, They Could Go Bust

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Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, councils have been at the forefront of tackling the crisis, supplying PPE to care homes, feeding the most vulnerable families and finding rough sleepers safe accommodation.
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But all this costs money – millions, in fact. At the same time, town halls have been facing huge losses in income from things like council tax, business rates and nursery fees as the financial impact of lockdown hits the public.
It has left many local authorities in a hugely precarious financial position, with deficits of tens of millions and an impossible choice – between cutting services or going bust.
Now, council leaders are demanding more support from the government. Redbridge Council has launched a petition urging ministers to “honour their promise” to properly compensate councils for the services they have provided during the pandemic.
A study from the Centre for Progressive Policy warned that eight out of 10 county councils in England do not have sufficient funds to ward off the financial impact of Covid-19.
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Without “full financial support” from the government, deprived authorities will be hit hardest by this, researchers said – the effects of which will be compounded by the preceding decade of austerity.
The government has given councils £3.2bn in emergency funding to tackle the costs of Covid-19 – but the Local Government Association has estimated that local authorities could actually need nearly twice that.
Labour leader Kier Starmer said the government must take responsibility and plug the funding gap from coronavirus. Otherwise, council leaders face a choice “between cutting core services or facing bankruptcy under Section 114 notices”, he said.
A BBC investigation found that five local authorities have already warned they may be forced to issue one of these notices.
Councils will face a choice between cutting core services or bankruptcy unless Boris Johnson takes responsibility. #PMQs pic.twitter.com/3V5vBisa8S — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 17, 2020
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“Either outcome will harm local communities and mean local services can’t reopen. That will drive up poverty.”
Leeds City Council has already warned that there is a “very real threat of big cuts to council services”, with the local authority having accumulated almost £200m of coronavirus costs in recent months.
It’s a warning that has been echoed by Manchester City Council. According to the Manchester Evening News, the council’s treasurer has warned it could be forced to issue a Section 114 “bankruptcy” notice later this year without additional help from government ministers.
For mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville, councils are facing a “perfect storm” created by coronavirus costs and a lack of clarity from the government about further financial support.
Hackney Town Hall Nicola Ferrari via Getty Images
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Hackney Council has generated costs of £71m this financial year due to coronavirus, made up of £27m in additional spending and £44m in lost income.
“To put that in perspective, the entire loss of funding during a decade of austerity was £140m,” Glanville said. “So we’ve got the equivalent of half a decade of austerity in one year.”
Even with the £17.7m the government has given the council in emergency funding, it is still facing a shortfall of more than £50m, with local authorities legally required to balance their budgets each financial year.
Additional spending has come from extra support for the care system, PPE and the humanitarian response, Glanville said, with the council helping feed thousands of households a week.
“Then in terms of loss of income, it’s everything from nursery fees, leisure centres, parking, business rates, defaulting in council tax and council rents.”
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Glanville said Hackney Council isn’t talking about cutting services if the government doesn’t help plug its Covid-19 funding gap.
“We are taking a long-term look at how we can support our levels of spending and find other solutions short of cuts,” he cautioned.
“But there’s a big fear that services that people have relied on during this crisis are suddenly going to get cut and you will see the key worker heroes under real pressure going into next year. And I just don’t think that’s acceptable.
“I think all of us – including the government – thought that this would be a first quarter crisis and then we would bounce back.
“But we’re two weeks away from the end of June [...] and there’s no sense of these financial pressures improving. If anything, we’re having to continue to offer further support – more discretionary support to local businesses, more discretionary support to our tenants – and continuing to do the work with rough sleepers and voluntary sector organisations.”
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County Hall in Maidstone, Kent. PA
The government must “make good” the financial positions of councils this year, without continuing austerity or cutting funding next year,” he added.
There are a “lot of uncertainties” for councils at the moment, said Roger Gough, leader of Kent County Council.
The financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the local authority has been around £118m, with its annual budget standing at £1.06bn.
Even with the council receiving £67m in emergency funding, it still needs to find a way to balance its £51m funding gap.
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For the first time in the 15 years Gough has been a county councillor, the council is having to reset its annual budget mid-year.
“We know there is a problem,” he said. “We know the nature of the problem. But we’re not yet clear entirely of the scale of it, because it depends on what the government comes back with.”
The council is pushing on the government “very, very hard” for further financial support.
If it doesn’t get another cash injection, it could be incredibly difficult for the council to balance its books when it reviews its budget in September.
“Trying to make savings in-year is actually quite a difficult process,” Gough said. “Normally if you’re going to do something, like introduce a charge on a particular service, it takes time. You don’t just do it.
“By the time we reach September, we will be halfway through the financial year.
“So any really big structural changes will barely, if at all, take effect during this financial year anyway. What you have to look for at that stage, is one-off decisions,” he said.
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“So it would have to be a set of, by and large, relatively short-term measures that we would have to take. But clearly it is a concern.”
Royal Liver Building in Liverpool benkrut via Getty Images
Like Hackney and Kent, Liverpool City Council is facing a significant deficit due to Covid-19, with councillors currently facing the task of balancing a £56m gap in its annual budget.
In a letter to ministers in April, mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson warned that if the government did not cover the costs of Covid-19, it would be “devastating for public services affecting every walk of life across the country”.
But as a city, Liverpool has gone one step further in trying to tackle its coronavirus-related economic woes, submitting a proposal to the government it is calling “the UK’s first fully-costed post-Covid recovery strategy”.
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The plan, which has been co-signed by Anderson and metro mayor Steve Rotherham, and backed by figures in the city’s commercial, financial and legal sectors, focuses on four main pillars – innovation, housing, employment and “creative and visitor”.
It is hoped that £467m in financial support for the recovery plan from the government would inject £1.4bn into the economy, create more than 25,500 jobs and provide another 12,000 roles in construction.
“The Covid-19 lockdown has left cities like Liverpool in a state of economic paralysis [with] the option of doing two things – wait for events to unfold or take action. Liverpool has acted,” Anderson said.
“This recovery plan is a blueprint for a new Liverpool. Forged by ambition and confidence to be innovative in how we create new skills, new homes and new jobs, and it has the weight of the entire city behind it.”
Simon Clarke, the minister for local government, said the government was working “on a comprehensive plan to ensure councils’ financial sustainability over the financial year ahead”.
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“We’re giving councils an unprecedented package of support, including £3.2 billion non-ringfenced emergency funding, to tackle the pressures they have told us they’re facing,” he said.
“This is part of a wider package of support from across government for local communities and businesses – totalling over £27 billion - including grants, business rate relief and for local transport.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Major Overhaul Of Family Courts As Report Finds Domestic Abuse 'Systematically Minimised'

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A major overhaul of family courts is underway after a report found domestic violence was “systematically minimised” and allegations often “ignored, dismissed or disbelieved”.
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The government-commissioned panel of experts also said perpetrators continued to “control” their victims by being allowed to repeatedly drag them back into court.
The findings have prompted ministers to pledge a raft of “sweeping” reforms, including committing to carrying out an urgent review of “pro-contact culture” and laws which presume that a parent’s involvement in their child’s life is beneficial.
Justice minister Alex Chalk said victims will now get protective screens in court to shield them from their abuser during hearings, as well as access to separate waiting rooms and entrances.
Crucially, judges will get new powers that make it easier to issue barring orders, which prevent perpetrators from repeatedly dragging their ex back to court.
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Estimates indicate domestic abuse played a part in between 49% and 62% of a sample of cases launched to establish arrangements for, or contact with, children.
William Barton via Getty Images
While there were “widespread good intentions from those working under increasing pressure”, the report reveals “deep-seated and systematic issues that were found to affect how risk to both children and adults is identified and managed”.
The report said: “Submissions highlighted a feeling that abuse is systematically minimised, ranging from children’s voices not being heard, allegations being ignored, dismissed or disbelieved, to inadequate assessment of risk, traumatic court processes, perceived unsafe child arrangements and abusers exercising continued control through repeat litigation and the threat of repeat litigation.”
The panel also found:
– Inadequate resources to keep up with the increasing demand of cases.
– A lack of communication between different types of courts which led to “contradictory decisions and confusion”.
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– More parties coming to court unrepresented.
– Victims facing a lack of understanding of types of abuse and the ongoing effects, as well as stereotypical views of how an “ideal victim” should behave.
– Perpetrators being granted orders allowing them “frequently unrestricted” contact with children and “usually without requiring an alleged abuser to address their behaviour” which meant they “continued control”.
“This report lays bare many hard truths about long-standing failings, but we are determined to drive the fundamental change necessary to keep victims and their children safe.” - Justice minister Alex Chalk
Efforts to report continuing abuse were treated “dismissively by criminal justice and child welfare agencies because of family court orders”, according to the findings.
Chalk said: “Every day the family courts see some of the most vulnerable in society and we have a duty to ensure they are protected and not put in danger.
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“This report lays bare many hard truths about long-standing failings, but we are determined to drive the fundamental change necessary to keep victims and their children safe.
“But this is not all we’re doing. Our landmark domestic abuse bill will transform society’s response to this destructive crime – protecting victims and pursuing perpetrators more than ever before.”
Nicki Norman, chief executive of Women’s Aid, added: “This report marks a major step forward in exposing what women and children experiencing domestic abuse have been telling us for decades.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--What Keir Starmer’s Sacking Of Rebecca Long-Bailey Tells Us About His Leadership

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Peake Corbyn
Keir Starmer was on a visit to Stevenage when the news came through. In the middle of interviews with local and national media, aides showed him Rebecca Long-Bailey’s now infamous tweet that “Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond”. The accompanying interview with the Independent had sparked a furious reaction that was growing by the minute.
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The Labour leader read Peake’s line - “The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services” - and swiftly realised the scale of the problem. Not only was the claim untrue, it was seen as an anti-Semitic trope that somehow tried to pit Jews against black people.
For Starmer, whose leadership campaign was launched with a zero tolerance vow on anti-Semitism, the need to act was obvious. The day he defeated Long-Bailey on April 4, his first message as leader was that he would “tear this poison out by its roots”.
Long-Bailey was asked to take down her tweet and to apologise. Instead, she retweeted her original message with a clarification that she had not endorsed the entire Peake article. This was a form of words that she later claimed was agreed with the leader’s office (which is disputed). But this only caused more anger, and she was repeatedly told that Starmer wanted her to delete the message and issue a full apology.
HuffPost UK has been told Long-Bailey refused to take phone calls from the leader’s office, and after being given four hours to comply with his wishes, Starmer decided enough was enough. Having given her a way out, he felt he was left with no option but to fire her as shadow education secretary. After informing his deputy Angela Rayner, he rang Long-Bailey in person and said he was removing her from her post.
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Starmer’s allies in the shadow cabinet stressed there was no grand strategy to jettison the most senior leftwinger in his top team. “She was diligent, willing to work with others on a common task,” one said. “But there are no shades of grey in zero tolerance. That’s the point.” One insider added that Long-Bailey had impressed the leader with her behind the scenes work on summer free school meals, a campaign which was picked up by Marcus Rashford to force a memorable government U-turn.
“There’s this bollocks that he was looking for an excuse to sack her,” said another. The idea of Starmer deciding to interrupt Labour’s demand for a jobs-led recovery out of coronavirus - his first in-person campaign trip of his leadership, complete with face mask - to then deliver a job loss of his own team, was seen as risible by those close to him. Rather than the original tweet, Long-Bailey’s refusal to do what her leader wanted was what sealed her demise. “If you challenge the leader like that, what do you expect?” said one frontbencher.
Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey. Hollie Adams via Getty Images
Once Starmer’s spokesperson hit ‘send’ on an emailed press statement announcing her sacking, Labour MPs’ WhatsApps sprang into life and the news spread across Westminster and beyond. One party staffer couldn’t hide their pleasure, sending the message: “Alexa: play ‘Things Can Only Get Better’.”
For the Jewish Labour Movement, it was a moment almost of catharsis. One source said: “We were waiting for big, bold action. I thought it would be the EHRC [Equalities and Human Rights Commission] report that did it, but it looks like Rebecca Long-Bailey is the catalyst now.” They vigorously dispute claims by Momentum founder Jon Lansman that the Independent article would not be grounds for an investigation into a party member.
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The reason the Peake case mattered so much was that it seemed a classic example of a Labour supporter ignorantly repeating anti-Semitic tropes - and a Labour MP then weighing it against the wider radicalism of that supporter. “It’s this discounting, excusing, downplaying anti-Semtism that has been the culture under Corbyn. Starmer has been pretty gutsy instead.”
The fact that Peake - a long-time supporter of Corbyn - herself admitted her error later only served to expose Long-Bailey’s own failure to investigate and apologise, MPs said. JLM sources point to the way Labour MP Naz Shah swiftly apologised for her own sharing of an anti-semitic trope years ago, then proved a model of atonement in working with Jewish groups. “Redemption is a Jewish value, nobody is lost forever,” one source said.
The counter-backlash from Left Twitter was not a worry to Starmer, who pays no attention to many of the commentators and outriders who held court under Corbyn. His allies believe that he’s in fact more in tune with the broad mass of Labour members than some Campaign Group MPs realise.
His leadership election pitch was based on unity, but that could prove difficult in coming days. Starmer is also prepared for criticism from the leftwing Campaign Group of MPs, but their critics in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) say that anti-Semitism would be a self-defeating hill to try to die on.
“They’ll just show their own impotence if they do,” one backbencher said.
Long-Bailey’s failure in the leadership contest ensured Starmer had a huge mandate from rank and file members, as he beat her by a margin of two to one. “It shows once again the Corbyn project was built on quicksand: they didn’t have an heir,” says one party figure. If leftwingers quit Starmer’s frontbench, just as Left members vowed to online today, they’ll be harming only themselves, they argue.
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Other MPs on the Left worry that the danger is one of overreaction. Ed Miliband’s decision to sack Emily Thornberry for her tweet about England flags in Rochester is still seen by some as an attempt to play to the tabloid gallery, a move that ultimately didn’t do anything for Miliband’s standing with ‘White Van Man’. Thornberry made a comeback despite the tweet.
Yet for Starmer’s team, his main asset is not just his decisiveness but also his judgement. When Diane Abbott and new MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy took part in a Zoom call with members expelled for anti-Semitism, he decided on a light touch reprimand. The MPs were “reminded of their responsibilities”. But the Long-Bailey tweet, and her refusal to agree to his remedy, was seen as a crime of a different order for a member of the Shadow Cabinet.
When he was Director of Public Prosecutions, he built a similar reputation for swift action. “Once he’s made a decision, that is it,” says someone who has worked closely with Starmer. “Not in some unnecessarily forceful way, but you know he’s made his mind up.” What surprised some in the party tonight was that Long-Bailey had still not deleted her original tweet. One insider, eyebrow raised, asks whether she wanted to emulate Owen Smith, who actually wanted to be fired by Corbyn - and got his wish.
Unlike Tony Blair, Starmer has never set out to define himself against his party. Like many members, he is an urban liberal, a pro-European who backs radical policies. But he is also acutely aware that leaders of the Opposition often only have words as weapons, not actions. The only power he does have is over his party, so the action he takes is seen as a litmus test of his leadership.
The appointment of his new general secretary David Evans was another example of the way Starmer works, methodically maximising his advantage early in his leadership to get things done his way.
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Next week’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) is expected to further entrench his authority by ushering in new voting rules that will ensure more ‘moderate’ NEC constituency members are elected this year. Despite claims to the contrary, none of his coalition of supporters has changed their stance in the light of the Long-Bailey sacking.
The online reaction that most impressed many Labour MPs today was not of Left Twitter, but of Tory MP Robert Halfon. He tweeted Starmer was “showing that he is a force to be reckoned with and that no Conservatives can afford to be complacent about his leadership or our strong parliamentary majority”. Halfon then tweeted that his Labour opponent at the last election had backed Momentum’s criticism of Starmer.
Halfon is right to be worried. His former new town constituency was a Labour seat under Blair. Which is precisely why Starmer was in another Blair-era southern new town, Stevenage, today. As well as winning back the ‘Red Wall’, Starmer really does want to eat the Tories’ lunch in the south and every other area needed for a Labour majority.
In keeping with that focus on the next election, he spent Thursday evening not on the details of who should replace Long-Bailey, but on a Zoom call to residents in another key seat in Scotland. “He’s got work to do,” was how one ally put it. “And he’s doing it.”
Quote Of The Day
“I do not consider sharing that article furthered the course of rebuilding trust with the Jewish community and that’s why I stood Rebecca Long-Bailey down.”
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– Keir Starmer
Thursday Cheat Sheet
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty tweeted: “If we do not follow social distancing guidance then cases will rise again. Naturally people will want to enjoy the sun but we need to do so in a way that is safe for all.”
Local councils in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch declared a major incident after tens of thousands of sunseekers visited beaches on the Dorset coast.
Downing Street has warned that the public “must play their part” in cooperating with NHS Test and Trace after fresh figures showed the number of people reached by the service had fallen week on week.
No.10 said that Boris Johnson retained full confidence in housing secretary Robert Jenrick despite fresh revelations about his relationship with the billionaire property developer Richard Desmond.
The prime minister’s newly-painted RAF Voyager took off for the first time since its £900,000 revamp, with a Union flag on the tail fin and United Kingdom written in gold on the fuselage.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Two Met Police Officers Arrested After Being Accused Of Taking Photos Of Murder Victims

Undated comp of handout photos issued by the Metropolitan Police of sisters Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman. PA
Two Met Police officers have been arrested over “deeply disturbing” allegations they took non-official photographs of two sisters stabbed to death in a London park earlier this month.
The officers, who have not been named, were detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office, suspended from duty and an investigation has been launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
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Detectives believe Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46 were killed by a stranger in Fryent Country Park, off Slough Lane, in Wembley, north-west London, after meeting friends there on June 5 to celebrate Henry’s birthday.
Scotland Yard said its directorate of professional standards was told last week about allegations that “non-official and inappropriate photographs” had been taken at the crime scene, PA Media reports.
The IOPC said the pictures were allegedly “shared with a small number of others”, adding that the Met was “handling matters involving those members of the public who may have received those images”.
The Met’s commander Paul Brogden said: “I am horrified and disgusted by the nature of these allegations; a sentiment which will be shared by colleagues throughout the organisation.
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“If true, these actions are morally reprehensible, and anyone involved will be robustly dealt with.”
No one has been arrested or charged with the murder of the two women but the attacker is thought to have suffered a “significant injury” during the incident.
Police asked for anyone who knows someone in the area with an unexplained injury, particularly to their hands, to come forward with the information.
It is believed the attacker left the park via its Valley Drive entrance, with the public also being asked if they saw someone acting suspiciously in that area on the evening of June 5 and in the early hours of June 6.
The family of the victims previously told of the “devastating impact” of their loss after their bodies were found next to each other shortly after 1pm on June 7.
Brogdan said investigators have informed them of the allegations, adding: “This deeply disturbing information will no doubt have created additional trauma for a family who are already grieving the devastating loss of two loved ones.
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“I can only start to imagine the impact of this; and I’d like to sincerely apologise to them for this further burden.
“I know that the wider community will share our shock and repulsion at these allegations and whilst our focus remains with Bibaa and Nicole’s family we are also listening to the concerns our communities and key stakeholders will want to raise about these allegations.”
IOPC director for London Sal Naseem said: “These are sickening allegations and when we were made aware by the Metropolitan Police, we acted quickly to arrest the officers involved in order to seize vital evidence.
“The victims’ family are naturally extremely distressed at this turn of events and we are ensuring that they are updated as our investigation is progressing.”
The IOPC is separately investigating how the Met handled calls from worried family and friends of the sisters after they went missing.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Arts Workers May Be Neglected 'Because They Don't Vote Tory', Shadow Culture Sec Says

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The shadow culture secretary has questioned whether the government’s failure to help performing arts through the coronavirus crisis is a “political decision”.
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Jo Stevens said ministers may feel those working in arts and culture do not vote Tory and so are not a priority as the lockdown is lifted in England.
Stevens told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast there had been “complete silence” from the government despite severe pressure on organisations like theatres, which are beginning to make people redundant as the furlough scheme winds down.
Theatres and arts venues are being permitted to reopen as part of the lockdown easing on July 4 but they cannot either host live performances, or sell enough tickets to turn a profit, due to social distancing guidelines.
Amid reports that the government is mulling over a bailout package for theatres and arts venues, Stevens called for urgent action to stave off mass redundancies.
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“Time is really running out, there are theatres all over the country closing, there are thousands of people receiving redundancy notices because we’ve got the job retention scheme about to taper off, and unless we do something very, very soon we are going to lose loads of jobs out of this,” she told Commons People.
“But more importantly it makes the recovery more difficult because once you lose the skills and the people from the sector, it’s very hard to get it back.”
Shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens PA
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said earlier this month that the government was convening experts in a taskforce on bringing back the arts.
He said the return of Premier League and Championship football could provide a “model” for the return of performing arts.
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But Stevens said the failure to come up with a plan in the “five or six weeks” since the taskforce was set up was “astonishing”.
“My sense is they don’t think it’s important,” she said.
“Maybe it’s a political decision and they don’t think people in arts and culture vote Tory, I don’t know.”
And Stevens said the failure to help was more galling when people have relied on culture to get them through the three-month lockdown.
“I think it’s really awful for many reasons but particularly because whilst we’ve all been locked down at home during this time, what have we relied on?” she said.
“We’ve relied on culture and music and arts online, that’s what’s kept us sane, it’s kept me sane, and it just feels like a really nasty payback.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Why Is Boris Johnson Hanging On To Robert Jenrick? With Jo Stevens MP

Why Is Boris Johnson Hanging On To Robert Jenrick? With Jo Stevens MP
Recorded before Rebecca Long-Bailey’s sacking, Labour’s shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens joins Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth to discuss the lockdown easing and what it could mean for the country next, as well as whether Robert Jenrick can remain in position following his controversial intervention in a planning decision involving Tory donor Richard Desmond.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--It's Time Robert Jenrick Examines His Conscience

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Far from putting an end to the matter, the release by Robert Jenrick of some of his papers relating to the Westferry development scandal has only generated more questions for him to answer.
The papers would have been released under Freedom of Information laws anyway; yet he still refuses the full disclosure that Labour has been demanding. The question must now be why?
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The Westferry affair is complicated and labyrinthine, with many twists and turns. However, one big truth has emerged from Labour scrutiny: the minister responsible for taking the decision over a multi-million-pound planning application sat next to the billionaire developer and his associates at a fundraising dinner, and was shown a promotional video for the scheme.
Mr Jenrick subsequently took a timed decision which materially benefitted the developer Mr Richard Desmond, by some estimates to the tune of £50 million, and at the same time deprived our cash-strapped local authority of the same amount.
Tower Hamlets Council had unanimously rejected billionaire Desmond’s new proposals, which clearly prioritised the developer’s purse over providing for residents. By reducing the ratio of “affordable homes” from 35% to 21%, Mr Desmond saved £106 million. So the local community has been denied over £150 million worth of affordable homes, surgeries, schools and shops. This disgraceful situation was made public thanks to the relentless campaigning and championing of local people and by Tower Hamlets Deputy Mayor Rachel Blake, and the Mayor, John Biggs along with other local Councillors.
When Labour hauled Mr Jenrick in front of the Commons yesterday, we witnessed a weapons-grade attempt at deflection and obfuscation. Tory MP after Tory MP sought to blame Tower Hamlets council. All Tower Hamlets councillors, representing our local communities, have ever wanted to do is see more affordable homes, shops and schools for local workers and families, and not titanic Manhattan-style skyscrapers for oligarchs and hedge fund managers. The luxury flats on offer not only price out local communities, their eye-watering price tags also stretch the budgets of high-earners in the City and Canary Wharf.
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“Robert Jenrick should examine his conscience, take a deep breath, and resign.”
Britain's Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick speaks during a coronavirus media briefing in Downing Street ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mr Jenrick’s contortions were presented as paragons of ethical behaviour. He claimed over and over again the Tom Jones defence: It’s not unusual, he claimed, for Ministers to ignore the advice of their planning inspectors, to sit with billionaires over Savoy dinners and watch slick videos about planning applications, and to admit to acting unlawfully but then carry on in ministerial office regardless.
This is certainly a breach of the ministerial code. Yesterday’s papers also drag the senior civil service into the matter, and run the risk of the politicisation of the civil service.
On the Today Programme this morning, the business minister Nadhim Zahawi seemed to suggest that local Conservative fundraisers, in Doncaster for example, are regularly witness to local people lobbying their MPs over planning applications. This appears to be a brazen admission that Tory fundraising dinners are organised for lobbyists to meet ministers and MPs reviving the question of cash for access.
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The plain truth is that it is all highly unusual. Highly irregular, indeed. That’s why the Leader of the Conservative group on Tower Hamlets council resigned from his office and his party, citing directly Robert Jenrick’s behaviour and calling for a police investigation.
That’s why the journalists of the Times and Daily Mail, no less, have pursued the story. That’s why my colleague Steve Reed MP, the Shadow Communities Secretary, has tirelessly sought the truth. As the former leader of Lambeth council, he knows the planning laws backwards, and he recognises that on Westferry something smells rotten.
Robert Jenrick should examine his conscience, take a deep breath, and resign. However the real tragedy is not Mr Jenrick’s hubris but that once again the communities of the East End have been left high and dry by property developers cutting corners and seeking a swift return.
Still our local residents are living in tower blocks with Grenfell-style cladding, which the Government has not yet paid to have removed. Tower Hamlets has one of the highest numbers of high-rise buildings with ACM cladding in the country, and there are over 20,000 people on the housing waiting list.
Despite valiant efforts by the local council, the area is blighted by overcrowding and poor-quality accommodation. Tower Hamlets has the highest rate of child poverty in the country, with nearly six out of ten children living in households suffering from the debilitating effects of poverty.
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The Westferry scandal reveals yet again that some property developers are like sharks scenting blood in the water, seeking to take advantage of surging real estate values in our area. They come, they build, they create glittering towers filled with million-pound apartments, and having made a killing, they swim silently away, scattering a few crumbs in the direction of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. Surely the East End deserves better than this.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--What Is PizzaGate And Why Does Robbie Williams Think It Might Be True?

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Up until 2016, a child trafficking and paedophile network was being run by a high-ranking politician from the basement of a pizza shop in Washington DC that also hosted satanic rituals using babies as their victims. Or rather, that’s what a small and very paranoid corner of the internet believed, based on absolutely no solid evidence whatsoever.
One of these people, Edgar Welch, decided to check the rumours for himself. Armed with an assault rifle, he drove from North Carolina and fired shots into the restaurant in question.
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No one was hurt and Welch gave himself up to police after finding no evidence of child slaves being held there.
And that should have been the end of it. Only, because we now live in an age of fake news, conspiracy theories and general nonsense, it wasn’t.
The latest person to espouse what became known as PizzaGate is none other than Robbie Williams.
In a YouTube interview aired this week, the singer and former Take That member claimed that none of it has been debunked.
Holy shit, Robbie Williams is a PizzaGate truther https://t.co/Hgt6MYZLyQ — Chris York (@ChrisDYork) June 24, 2020
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He said: “There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the language. Who knows?
“But the fact that we don’t know means nothing has been debunked. Yes, there was no basement in the particular pizza place. That’s not the debunking that I want.”
For the record, PizzaGate has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked and any number of comprehensive articles can be found with a simple Google search (the best is this lengthy piece from The New York Times).
Oh no. Not Robbie. Anyone but Robbie. — James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) June 25, 2020
So what’s it all about?
In 2016, the hacked emails of a White House staffer working for Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama were leaked by Wikileaks.
These emails contained, among many other things, dinner plans between the staffer, John Podesta, and various acquaintances.
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Users of the notoriously fringe and conspiracy theory-driven website 4Chan scoured through these and decided they contained code words for a child sex trafficking ring.
They must have been quite obvious codewords then?
Absolutely not. Here are the two most widely cited exchanges about a lost handkerchief and a Walnut sauce recipe.
PizzaGate Wikileaks
PizzaGate Wikileaks
PizzaGate Wikileaks
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I don’t get it
Well obviously the handkerchief had a map on it that led to a pizza restaurant where all manner of terrible yet “very tasty” things were happening.
Some of the other emails referred to “cheese pizza”, a phrase which has the initials “CP” which also stands for “child pornography”.
I still don’t get it
Don’t worry, it’s an absolute nonsense and there is nothing to get.
What about that pizza restaurant?
Comet Pizza was the site of a Democratic fundraiser and its owner was also on friendly terms with some notable Democrats so in the minds of these internet sleuths, it made sense that this was where the child trafficking was taking place.
The restaurant’s sign also had a couple of crescent moons on it so they threw “satanic rituals” into the mix as well.
DC PizzaGate
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I... I still don’t get it?
Oh, but wait, there’s more. Another random person on the internet posted a picture of a basement that they claimed was in the restaurant and was used as a secret kill room.
And is it?
No, the restaurant does not even have a basement, never mind a secret kill room. Williams even said this himself during the interview: ”Yes, there was no basement in the particular pizza place. That’s not the debunking that I want.”
Robbie Williams has been into weird conspiracy stuff for years, but going full #pizzagate is a whole new level. https://t.co/uk3RJ0tfVR — Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) June 25, 2020
Debunking of what?
It’s not really clear.
In the interview he says: “Nobody’s been asked, nobody’s said and there’s been no answers. But the overarching reporting on this story is ‘debunked fake news’. It’s not.
“The right questions haven’t been asked to the right people in the right places.”
There is literally no evidence that any of PizzaGate is true, no victims have ever come forward and its foundations are possibly one of the shakiest of any of conspiracy theory.
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So why does he think it might be true?
We have no idea. None.
Did he say anything else?
Yes, he said: “And also, if there is an explanation and it’s perfectly reasonable, then the explanation is perfectly reasonable. It doesn’t feel like it.”
What does that mean?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-25--Siya Kakkar, TikTok Star, Dies Aged 16

Siya Kakkar, TikTok Star, Dies Aged 16

TikTok performer Siya Kakkar has died at the age of 16.
Siya – who had more than 1.1 million followers on the social media site – is reported to have died in New Delhi on Thursday.
Siya Kakkar Instagram
According to Metro, her manager Arjun Sarin said that he’d spoken to the teenager the night before her death about an upcoming project.
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“Me and my company Fame Experts manage lots of artists and Siya was a bright talent,” he said, adding that he was “heading to her home in Preet Vihar”.
Arjun also paid his respects on Instagram, sharing a picture of Siya along with the message: “No more words. You will always be the best artist. Rest in peace.”
Siya was best known on the short video platform for her dance videos.
The content creator also had 136,000 followers on Instagram, where she would often share her TikTok creations.
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