Issue 1175 - Monday, 8th November

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Check out Gair Rhydd online

rhifyn 1175 issue 1175

8 tachwedd 2021 8 november 2021

gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Inside: Gair Rhydd breaks down the rise of drink spiking in the UK and asks what more can be done (Page 3)

Extinction Rebellion protests across UK for climate action Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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xtinction Rebellion has staged a number of protests recently calling for climate action. With the COP26 conference underway, climate change is a hot button issue, and activists are making their voices heard. Activists staged a sit-in protest at Glasgow’s Squinty Bridge on November 2nd, just yards away from the COP26 campus at the SEC. Police temporarily closed the road and diverted traffic away. One banner read “How many cops to arrest climate chaos?” Demonstration ranged across the city, with another taking place outside the JP Morgan building on Waterloo Street. Extinction Rebellion protesters also broke into the Exxon Mobile oil refinery in Hampshire on the 27th of October. The 15 demonstrators, including two Olympians, chained themselves to various fixtures of the refinery after cutting electric fences surrounding the area. The activists called for the government to stop fossil fuel investments as well as for Exxon Mobile to stop its expansion plans to the Fawley refinery. Laura Baldwin and Etienne Stott, Team GB Olympians, chained themselves to a pink boat which blocked the entrance to the site. Others scaled 50 ft silos with banners reading “Climate Emergency” and “No Future in Fossil Fuels.” Another activist dressed as Boris Johnson set fire to a prop boat with the words “your children’s future” on it. Protests went on for approximately eight hours. Baldwin told the Telegraph, “I am a deeply protective mother, moved to take direct action in a desperate bid to force this suicidal system to change in time to limit the climate crisis worsening and slipping past the point of no return. “Watching the news this summer was horrifying and heartbreaking, witnessing catastrophic climate impacts killing people on every continent of the globe.” Mr. Stott said, “I think it’s totally wrong that oil companies continue to put their profits ahead of everyone’s

right to a future on a living planet. “We need our government to rein in these rogue companies as a matter of urgency and show to the world ahead of COP26 that the UK is prepared to take a genuine leadership position.” A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said, “ExxonMobil has known the devastating effects of fossil fuel production on the environment for over 40 years, but instead of acting responsibly on that knowledge, they’ve spent tens of millions funding climate denial and misinformation and obstructing a transition to cleaner energy sources.” An ExxonMobil spokesperson said: “ExxonMobil believes that climate change risks warrant action and it’s going to take all of us — business, governments and consumers — to make meaningful progress. “Our focus includes reducing our emissions, helping consumers reduce their emissions, and developing loweremission energy solutions, including energy efficiency initiatives, biofuels, flare reduction and carbon capture and storage (CCS). “At Fawley, we are also directly helping motorists and farmers to reduce their emissions through the manufacturing of lower carbon fuels, and we are also producing the lubricants and chemicals that support lower emissions by use across a range of applications such as wind turbines and electric vehicles. “Furthermore, our chemicals play a vital role in our daily lives from medical equipment, to clothing, cleaning materials and healthcare products. “We respect the right to peaceful protest, but our priority is the safety of our people, our neighbours and our operations and we are working with Hampshire Police to ensure this is maintained. “ExxonMobil Fawley continues to operate safely and is not experiencing any impact on production. “We apologise to anyone from the local community or beyond experiencing any inconvenience resulting from the actions at Fawley today of this group.” Police have confirmed that none of the group will face legal action. To read Zoe's full article detailing Extinction Rebellion's protests around the UK, turn to page 4. 4

Autumn Budget: The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, recently detailed the UK Government's 2021 budget to Parliment. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr)

Rishi Sunak unveils 2021 Autumn budget This sum includes a £2.5bn increase for the Welsh government, £4.6bn for the Scottish government and £1.6bn for the Northern Ireland executive. The budget also includes funds for ‘levelling up’ areas across the country - a sum of £1.7bn to be invested in local areas. For the NHS, £6bn will be allocated to help tackle backlogs. Other areas of funding included transportation, with £7bn being provided for projects in areas such as Greater Manchester, West Midlands

and South Yorkshire, and £2.2bn in order to address backlogs in the criminal justice system. Housing investment totalled £24bn, which includes £11.5bn being spent on building up to 180,000 affordable homes, and schools will receive a £4.7bn increase within four years. To read Tom's article detailing the recently unveiled 2021 Autumn Budget, turn to page 8.

Dyfodol y radio yn y maes darlledu

Column: Enjoying the small things in life

Facebook re-brands company name to 'Meta'

Alexa Price

Harriet Lowbridge

Edward Sutton

Tom Kingsbury Head of Politics

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hancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has unveiled the UK Government’s 2021 budget. Key details included the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on and the state of the UK economy, tax changes, and a rise in government spending. Over the course of the Parliament, an overall increase of £150bn is expected in terms of spending.

Cyfrannydd

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ae datblygiadau'r byd modern wedi gweld sawl newid mawr yn y maes darlledu, a phryder cyson sydd yn cael ei chodi yw dyfodol y radio. Er taw pwrpas cyntaf y radio oedd i ddanfon negeseuon o un lle i’r llall, heb wifrau, mae’r bwriad dal yn debyg heddiw. Dros amser mae’r radio wedi datblygu i fod yn ddarn o dechnoleg sydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar draws y byd i gyhoeddi newyddion, caneuon, yn ogystal â rhaglenni sgyrsiol, a darnau theatr. I ddarllen erthygl lawn Alexa ar ddyfodol radio ym maes darlledu, trowch i dudalen 6. 6

Head of Advice

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Contributor

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hen asked to think about our perfect day, most of us will have a clear picture of what that entails. Relaxing on a warm tropical beach. Shopping in the midst of the sale season. Hiking along a forest river. Playing board games with a big group of friends. Drinking a perfectly crafted cup of coffee. Reading a book whilst heavy rain patters on the window. Falling asleep under the stars. I could wax poetic about all the ideal ways that I could spend my time for hours. To read Harriet's full column on the importance of enjoying small things in life, turn to page 15.

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he 2020/21 season was a difficult one for Liverpool, with injuries to key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson seeing them slump to a 4th placed finish as they attempted to defend their title. However, this season appears to be one of renewed optimism for the Merseyside club. With an almost entirely fit squad, they look to be playing the style of football that won them a Champions League and Premier League trophy. The question is, are they back to their best, and are they capable of winning those competitions again this season? To read Edward's full article on Facebook's recent re-branding, turn to page 20.

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