Gair Rhydd 1186 - November 21st, 2022

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Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Grace Robson Features Editor

Period poverty, in its most simplistic terms, can be de scribed as the struggle to access necessary menstrual prod ucts and the difficulties those who cannot afford such necessi ties face. Period Poverty however is not just a simple, straightfor ward issue. Those who are faced with period poverty also face both direct and indirect strug gles associated with the inability to safely access menstrual prod ucts. Some people may make the assumption that Period Poverty only affects a small percentage of the population however, it affects a shockingly large proportion of people experiencing a range of different circumstances. Even if you aren’t aware of it, the likeli hood is that someone you know is struggling with period poverty whether it be a family member, friend or colleague. The assump tion should never be made that someone isn’t struggling with period poverty, even if you think you know someone’s circum stances. The taboo surrounding not just period poverty, but men struation as a whole has created a stigma that is still heavily pre sent today, making it even harder for those struggling with period poverty to seek the help that they need.

It is estimate by The World Bank Group that at least 500 million people who menstruate globally experience period pov erty and do not have safe access to much needed facilities and re sources. The issue of period pov erty is just as harrowing in Wales with at least 15% of people aged 14-21 unable to afford period products according to a study by Plan UK in 2021. The numbers of those struggling with period poverty continue to increase and have risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic as those who previously relied on com munity spaces such as schools

and community centres to access free period products were unable to access those much-needed re sources during the pandemic.

Those who struggle with pe riod poverty do not just experi ence direct struggles such as is sues with their health, hygiene and income but also experience a whole host of indirect struggles. People who struggle to safely ac cess menstrual products can find themselves struggling with every day life due to the consequences of period poverty. A recent study found that in 2017 more than 137,000 people in the UK missed school because they couldn’t af ford period products. The indi rect effects of period poverty can be astronomical and can have a significant knock-on effect es pecially for young people strug gling with access to menstrual products. A study conducted by the brand Always also found that out of the 1000 people that they surveyed, 39% of them suffered from anxiety and/or depression as a direct consequence of period poverty. The issue of period pov erty is urgent. The effects of pe riod poverty are far from simple, the effects are complex and can have a knock-on effect on some one’s entire life and livelihood. have a knock-on effect on some one’s entire life and livelihood.

The ongoing issue of period poverty must be considered in conjunction with the issue of pe riod dignity, the idea that safe ac cess to menstrual products must be considered alongside the fight to eliminate the stigmas and ta boo surrounding menstruation. The stigma surrounding men struation as a whole has long aided in the worsening of period poverty. When the subject of pe riods is taboo, how can we expect someone struggling with period poverty.

To read Grace's feature on the impacts of period poverty, turn to page 3.

Jade Heath Politics Editor

Comments on the topic of ho mosexuality made by a Qatar World Cup ambassador, Khalid Salman, have recently come under scrutiny. The former international footballer deemed it a “damage of the mind” when questioned, which fol lowed a statement that visitors need to accept the nation’s rules regarding

the criminalisation of homosexuality. The World Cup tournament is due to kick off on the 20th November, and Salman’s comments are indicative of an ongoing debate on the safety of both LGBTQ+ visitors and nationals.

In a recent report, the Human Rights Watch uncovered instances of abuse against Qatari LGBTQ+ residents in police custody, including five cases of sexual harrasment and six of repeated beatings (between 2019 and 2022).

Leon Goretzka, player for football team Bayern Munich, labelled Sal man's comments as “from another millennium” which left him “speech less”. Furthermore, protests recently occurred outside the Fifa museum in Zurich, wherein LGBTQ+ activists critiqued the nation’s anti-gay laws.

To read Jade's article on the World Cup ambassador's latest com ments, turn to page 9

Beca Dalis Williams News Editor

DAntónio Guterres, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations tweet ed ‘we are on the highway to climate hell with the foot on the accelerator’, ‘we need urgent #ClimateAction’.

At the start of November the Con ference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) was held by the Govern ment of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Lauren Ralphs from the Earth and Ocean society in Cardiff University, hoped that COP27 would discuss the Race to Zero progress.

To read Beca's article on the cli mate conference, turn to page 5

Millie Stacey Golygydd Taf-od

Dathlwyd y sianel deledu Cym raeg S4C ei ben-blwydd yn 40 yng nghychwyn mis Tach wedd. Mae amrywiaeth eang o raglen ni ar S4C gan gynnwys newyddion, drama, dogfen, cerddoriaeth, adloni ant a rhaglenni plant. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae’r deunydd sydd ar y we yn cyn nwys gwasanaeth cynnwys byr ar-lein, wedi ei anelu yn bennaf at gynulleidfa 16-34 o’r enw Hansh.

Dechreuodd y sianel ar Dachwedd 1af yn 1982, a 40 mlynedd ymlaen mae’r sianel yn cael ei dathlu am ei gwaith tuag at yr iaith Gymraeg.

I ddarllen erthygl Millie am y gar reg filltir yma, trowch i dudalen 11

Megan Shinner Head of Advice

ith the shorter days upon us, and the rain pouring non stop over Cardiff, it becomes very easy to write the day off and climb into bed once 5 pm rolls around. It’s that time of year when academically you need to get things done, but your motivation has disappeared with the sunshine.

However, you don’t have to be in an academic mindset to be productive! Just because the light has ended, it doesn’t mean your day has too.

read Megan's article on how to make the most of the shorter days, turn to page 18

Gair Rhydd 2022/23

Coordinator

Elaine Morgan Editor-in-Chief

Beth Alaw Williams

Deputy Editors

Jasmine Jones

Katherine Seymour Nansi Eccott News

George Symonds

Shivika Singh

Lowri Powell

Luis Atkinson

Beca Dalis Williams

Features

Ruhaab Khalid Grace Robson Taf-od

Nansi Eccott

Lowri Davies

Anest Williams

Efa Ceiri

Megan Haf Davies

Millie Stacey Politics

Katherine Seymour Francesca Ionescu

Jade Heath Comment

Clelia Frondaroli

Evan Johnson-Charteris

Frances Marsh Advice

Megan Shinner

Lucy Matthews

Shaniece O’Keeffe Review

Alice Moore

Billy Edwards

Haris Hussnain

Science and Technology

Edward Sutton

Aditi Kallanagoudar Girish

Freya Shepherd Sport

Jasmine Jones

Ryan Harris-Jewell

Eloise Martin

Rohan Kakar

Social Media Editors

Emily Smith

Jack Darlington

Haris Hussnain

Copy Editors

Alanya Smith Alice Fox

Alys Mai Walters

Charlotte Grant

Claudia Titcombe

Efa Prydderch

Elliw Williams

Lois Campbell

Lily Barry

Maisie Granger

Katie Bowen

Scarlett Carpenter

Write to the editor gairrhyddeic@gmail.com

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At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest pos sible standards. We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email gairrhyddeic@gmail.com.

You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/complaints.

Opinions expressed in editorials and opin ion pieces are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance.

Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.

Beth Williams Editor-in-Chief

Following two weeks of discussions and promise of action, COP27 came to an end on Friday. At the United Nations summit, leaders from around the world take part in a fort night of conferences surrounding cli mate change. Following last year’s visit to Glasgow, this year’s summit was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

One of the most discussed topics at this year’s conference was greenwash ing. A term often referring to a market ing or advertisement tool, greenwash ing sees businesses try and persuade customers that its products and ethos are environmentally friendly through the use of false or fabricated informa tion.

At the summit, UN Secretary-Gen eral António Guterres released a de tailed report on the practice, noting that ‘we must have zero tolerance for netzero greenwashing’. The report, which was written by a group of experts, also offers 10 recommendations for nonstate entities to maintain environmental credibility and responsibility.

Young climate activist Greta Thun berg was a notable absentee after ac cusing the conference itself of green washing, with COP27 ‘an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention’ rather than to showcase pro active policies. While the requirement

for hosting COP does include delivering a carbon-neutral summit, has this year’s conference been green throughout?

One notable decision by the Egyptian hosts was to accept sponsor ship from Coca-Cola, who use fossil fuels to produce 120bn single-use plas tic bottles a year. This is a far cry from last year’s hosts, with Scotland hav ing banned fossil fuel companies from sponsoring.

Questions are also being asked about the greenwashing of entire governments, as demonstrators in Am sterdam aimed to prove the hypocrisy of the conference and it’s attendees by physically blocking flights from leaving an airport. Data shows that 36 private jets landed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt at the start of the conference between the 4-6 of November. A further 64 flew into the Egyptian capital of Cairo, 24 having come from Sharm el-Sheikh. PM Rishi Sunak, who initially didn’t plan on at tending the event, and foreign secre tary James Cleverly are thought to have emitted 41 tonnes of CO2 through their private flight to the summit.

While greenwashing is one of the greatest challenges to climate action, time will only tell if COP27, and the an nual conferences to follow, will have a more positive impact on climate policy and environmental reform than it does negative.

Yn dilyn dwy wythnos o drafoda ethau ac addewidion am weithred, ddaeth COP27 i ben Dydd Gwen er. Yng nghynhadledd y Cenhedloedd Unedig, wnaeth arweinwyr o ar draws y byd cymryd rhan mewn pythefnos o sgyrsiau amdan newid hinsawdd. Yn dilyn ymweliad llynedd i Glasgow, cyn halwyr cynhadledd eleni yn Sharm elSheikh yn yr Aifft.

Un o’r pynciau llosg yn gynhadledd eleni oedd gwyrdd olchi. Fel arfer yn derm sy’n cyfeirio at ddull marchnata neu hysbysebu, mae gwyrdd olchi yn gweld busnesau yn ceisio perswadio cwsmeri aid fod eu cynnyrch a gwerthoedd yn dda i’r amgylchedd trwy’r defnydd o ffeithiau anghywir neu ffugiol.

Wnaeth brif ysgrifennydd y CU, António Guterres rhyddhau adroddiad manwl ar y testun yn ystod COP27, gan nodi ‘mae’n rhaid i ni gael ddim cydddygaeth am gwyrdd olchi net-sero’. Mae’r adroddiad, a ysgrifennwyd gan grŵp o arbenigwyr, hefyd yn cynnig 10 awgrymiad i endidau dilywodraeth ar sut i fod yn gyfrifol a gredadwy yn am gylcheddol.

Roedd yr actifydd hinsawdd ifanc Greta Thunberg yn absenoldeb amlwg ar ôl cyhuddo’r gynhadledd ei hun o gw yrdd olchi gan alw COP27 ‘yn gyfle i ar weinwyr a phobl mewn pŵer i gael sylw’ yn hytrach na uwch-oleuo newidiadau

polisi. Tra bod y gofynion i gynnal COP yn cynnwys trefnu cynhadledd carbonniwtral, yw cyfarfod eleni wedi bod yn wyrdd i gyd?

Un penderfyniad nodweddiadol gan westeiwyr COP27 oedd y penderfyniad i dderbyn nodiad gan Coca-cola, sydd yn defnyddio tanwydd ffosil i gynhyr chu 120bn o boteli plastig un-ddefnydd pob blwyddyn. Mae hyn yn bell iawn o westeiwyr llynedd, gyda’r Alban wedi gwahardd cwmnïau tanwydd ffosil rhag noddi.

Mae cwestiynau hefyd wedi codi yng nghylch golchi gwyrdd llywodraethau cyfan pan geisiodd arddangoswyr yn Amsterdam profi rhagrith y gynhadledd drwy rwystro awyrennau yn gorfforol rhag gadael maes awyr. Mae hyn yn dilyn data’n dangos fod 36 o awyrennau preifat wedi glanio yn Sharm el-Sheikh ar gych wyn COP27 rhwng 4-6 o Dachwedd. Wnaeth 64 arall hedfan i mewn i’r brif ddinas o Cairo, gyda 24 ohonynt wedi cyrraedd o Sharm el-Sheikh. Ar ôl dweud nad oedd yn bwriadu mynychu COP27, mae wedi ei rhagdybio fod y Prif Wei nidog Rishi Sunak a’r Gweinidog Tramor James Cleverly wedi rhyddhau 41 tunnell o CO2 trwy eu taith nhw i’r gynhadledd.

Tra bod gwyrdd olchi yn un o’r sialen siau mwyaf i weithred yn erbyn newid hinsawdd, bydd amser ond yn dweud os fydd COP27, a chyfarfodydd COP y dyfodol, yn cael fwy o effaith positif neu negatif ar bolisïau hinsawdd a diwygio amgylcheddol.

Greenwashing:. Was COP27 a showcase of empty promises by world leaders and businesses? Image: Chris Yakimo (via Flickr)

Golchi Gwyrdd: A oedd COP27 yn arddangosfa o addawon gwag gan busnesau ac arweinwyr y byd? Llun: Chris Yakimo (via Flickr)

Beth Williams Prif Olygydd

Welsh universities offering students emergency supplies

Shivika Singh News Editor

Welsh universities are offer ing emergency supplies and additional hardship funds to help students struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. As a part of actions taken to help students in need, universities are halting library fines, providing free period products, free showers, 24-hour heated study cent ers, and reasonably-priced hot meals.

Just days into the new academic year, universities are already antici pating unprecedented demand for financial support from struggling stu dents, whilst the fear of widespread dropouts also looms. Student leaders said they were already seeing signs of students being unable to cope, includ ing not affording books for their cours es, working 40-hour weeks, and being at risk of homelessness. In a statement, Dr Ben Calvert, Vice Chancellor at the University of South Wales said that the current cost of living crisis will be worse for university students since the Coronavirus pandemic.

Orla Tarn, the President of NUS

Wales, along with more than 150 stu dent leaders from 80 different univer sities have written to the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, urging him to include support for students in his mediumterm fiscal plan on 31 October to ease the “profound impact on students’ ability to learn”, with three-quarters unable to afford essential course mate rials, and one in three living on £50 a month after paying rent and bills.

Vice-chancellors from the Russell Group, have written to the education secretary to ask for increased main

tenance loans and a reintroduction of the pandemic hardship payments. In the meantime, Universities have taken it upon themselves to increase student financial support to help students.

Here are the measures outlined by Cardiff University:

-Cardiff University increased the amount of funding available for the Financial Assistance Programme by £400,000, bringing the total fund to over £1m available to those who need help covering their essential living or study costs.

The impact of vaping on teenagers

Tianna Parsons Contributor

Over the course of the last few years the rise of vaping amongst teenagers has rock eted; with vapes such as Elf Bars and Geek Bars storming the UK market, providing teenagers with an alterna tive to cigarettes.

Both Elf Bars and Geek Bars are sold in fruity, sweet flavours for £5-£7 a vape, attracting a younger genera tion through flavours and cheap pric ing. Whilst to teenagers vapes may appear as a much healthier alterna tive to smoking cigarettes, and may even be used as a withdrawal to them, the reality is that vapes are extremely harmful.

Most vapes contain a high per centage of nicotine; around 2%. This number may seem small and unharm ful, however, this percentage is still enough to cause addiction. This ad diction is mentally affecting teenagers,

causing issues relating to anxiety and stress when withdrawing from vaping, even for a few hours. This issue relat ing to addiction can also be seen to be financially affecting teenagers who get through one vape a day, setting them back around £40 a week or more.

The sad reality of teenagers’ addic tions means that even some would see buying vapes more important than food, especially amongst university students.

A further trend among univer sity students is buying and bringing vapes to nightclubs. The dangers af fecting teenagers’ physical health are extremely prominent here as stu dents are passing their vapes around to strangers and allowing them to use them, when some may be carriers of diseases and particular illnesses.

More worrying are the long-term effects of vaping, of which little is known of currently. However, what we do know is how damaging vap ing can be to the physical health of

teenagers and others who use them. Due to the nature of vapes (being electrical), there have been reports of vapes burning out, and even explod ing, causing serious potential harm to those who are using them.

Even worse, there have been stories shared on social media platforms such as TikTok, of teenagers being hospital ised with issues relating to their lungs and breathing systems as a result of continually using the disposable Elf Bar vapes.

Although, unfortunately, this does not seem to deter those from continu ing to vape, and in some cases, can even encourage teenagers to begin smoking.

The frequent use and promotion of vaping social media platforms like TikTok, has led to the normalisation of vaping amongst teenagers which is also increasingly dangerous. Research suggests that the vapour used in vapes is not in fact made from water, but instead contains harmful chemicals

Elon Musk’s takes-over of Twitter

George Symonds Head of News

With rumours of mass jobcuts at Twitter, Elon Musk’s ownership has stirred com plications. By the 28th of October, after months of tribulations, the eccentric bil lionaire finalised a deal to own the popu lar social media website for £33.9 billion pounds. Immediately after his movein to the company he reportedly fired majority of the senior board members claiming they were misleading financial investors, Musk quickly tweeted that “the bird is free, let the good times roll!”.

Rewinding into Musk’s journey to buy Twitter, BBC journalist Andrew Hum phrey, detailed that Musk had originally tried to buy back in May but was soon stopped and sued by Twitter investors for alleged ‘stock manipulation’. Follow

ing this and a counter-sue attempt, Musk completed the deal claiming that his new venture was not out of financial gain rather to allow “people to have a maxi mally trusted and inclusive means of ex changing ideas.” (Financial Times 2022). Now, months after, Musk had speculated to fire 4,000 of Twitter’s employees (half of the current workforce in 2022). Ru mours for the reason behind firing such a large number remain unknown. Kolodny for CNBC claims that Musk sent a world wide email to the Twitter workforce to thank them for their hard-working ef forts “after surviving last week’s 50% re duction in workforce” following this to invite them to visit him within the San Francisco headquarters.

More recently, Musk had brought in a $7.99 subscription to the social media site permitting a ‘blue tick verification’ previously given to profiles of signifi cance. However, in Musk’s attempt to

weed out impersonator accounts, many of these new verified profiles were fake. One notable consequence of this was, when Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical compa ny, seemed to post a tweet offering free insulin. Soon after this millions of follow ers were to believe this was true forcing the real company Twitter account to is sue a clarification that their insulin was still to be paid for

. As a consequence of this, stocks in Eli Lilly dropped by 4.5 % due to this fake information. Two Twitter employ ees told CNBC that they were “fielding calls from colleagues and clients about all the changes to the platform”. Less than a week after the ‘blue tick scheme’, musk had withdrawn his attempt at stopping fake Twitter accounts.

Musk’s mnagement and ownership of Twitter is seemingly becoming a quick and harsh change for long-term employ ees. Details of Musk’s belief in “esprit de

-A one-off cost of living support payment for postgraduate research students engaged in teaching activity.

-Increasing access to limited emer gency payments for students.

-Emergency four-day supply bags will soon be available on a Friday for those that need them.

-Removing fines in our Libraries for the late return of books, and giving every student on a bursary, £10 printer credit.

Extending additional support to postgraduate student care leavers, young carers, estranged students and those students who served in the mili tary.

-The Cardiff University catering ser vices has also introduced some addi tional offerings to students, including-Sandwich meal deals reduced by 30p, and affordable ‘grab and go op tions’

-A £5 voucher for students who download the Cardiff University Food app during October - available for free from the App Store or Google Play

-Monthly community dining – free dinner at Green Shoots Café for up to 50 students during term time.

and fine particles that when inhaled can lead to respiratory problems and therefore can affect daily life for teen agers who are unfortunate enough to experience this health-related issue.

Most commonly, vaping has caused teenagers to suffer from sore throats, so severe to the point that they are unable to speak for a number of days, affecting them from carrying out their daily activities. The lack of awareness and information about the effects of vaping on teenagers is alarming and without the right information and support out there many teenagers will continue to vape without realising how it can affect theirmental, physical and financial well-being.

corps and effectiveness of being physi cally in the same location” had stopped many from being able to work from home, which had previously been put in place by former CEO Jack Dorsey.

Aside from his mass-firings, removal of senior board members and stopping many from working from home; Musk had also supposedly asked for 80-hour work weeks and the removal of free food within Twitter offices in order to combat the company’s $3 million loss per day (npr 2022).

Now, many followers and Twitter em ployees wonder what Musk’s next moves will be within the company. Reports of future schemes to “include payments, ads that are more conversational and interest-bearing checking accounts.” And an interest to make the app “smoother ‘’ similar to competitor TikTok.

Over 70,000 university staff at 150 universities, including Cardiff, will strike for three days later this month over pay

Shivika Singh

Luis Atkinson

George Symonds

Beca Dallis Williams

Tianna Parsons details the harmful effects vaping can have on young bodies.

Teenagers who get through one vape a day, setting them selves back more than £40 a week.

Cardiff University- admist the cost of living crisis, Univeristies are offering help. Source: Jeremy Segrott via Flickr

Welsh language broadcaster celebrates 40 years

Lowri Powell News Editor

Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C), meaning Channel Four Wales, celebrated its 40th birthday on 1st November. Since 1982 Wales’s only Welsh language broadcaster has served views throughout Wales and beyond.

Alex Jones, Fireman Sam, Rhys Ifans, Duffy, Ioan Gruffudd, Gethin Jones, SuperTed - all of these stars have something in common. As well as being Welsh, they all came off the produc tion line of a TV station.

Sian Doyle, chief executive of Welsh broad caster S4C, says “Our dramas attract audiences from all over the world and increasing subti tling has helped broaden horizons and cre ated an opportunity for us to realise some of the channel’s main objectives, to be a home for everyone, to raise awareness of Welsh culture and most importantly, to support the prosper ity of our language”.

In 1977, the first radio station in the Welsh language was launched by the BBC, BBC Radio Cymru. Although this was a start to broadcast ing in the Welsh language, campaigners conti-

nued the fight for more Welsh-language bro casstBoth the Conservative and Labour parties promised a Welsh-language fourth channel in their mani festo for the 1979 general election.

However, shortly after Margaret Thatcher’s Tories won a majority, the then-Home Sec retary William Whitelaw decided against the plan, instead suggesting an occasional opt-out in Welsh.

Thatcher, who famously said she was a lady who was “not for turning”, then changed her mind. S4C was granted Parliamentary approval after activists attacked television transmitters in Welsh-speaking heartlands of Wales and former Plaid Cymru president Gwynfor Evans threatened a hunger strike.

On 1 November 1982, at 18:00, S4C launched, initially with 22 hours a week of programmes with most being broadcast during prime time.

After the completion of the digital switcho ver in Wales on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 be came available on Freeview and S4C ceased air ing English-language programmes.

Sian said she was amazed at how technology had changed since S4C’s launch.

“When we went on air in 1982 you still had to get up out of your chair to change channels,

now you see 100s of channels and can watch me in the palm of your hand,” she said. “If you would have told me that 40 years ago I wouldn’t have believed it. The industry has changed be yond recognition.”

Over the course of the pandemic, online streaming services has reached an all time high. According to Ofcom, UK streaming subscrip tions soared by 50% to more than 30 million during the pandemic.

Ms Doyle says, “In the past, public service broadcasters could rely on consistent viewing habits, this is no longer the case, particularly among younger audiences. This more fluid environment, which transcends borders and languages, presents exciting opportunities for us at S4C to grow our audience and break into new markets.”

“As Wales’s only Welsh language broadcaster we have a distinctly unique offer. We are wellpositioned to showcase the best of Welsh lan guage drama productions not only to commu nities across Wales but also further afield.

“To help us achieve this, we’ll be looking to increase our use of subtitles. S4C is for every one, wherever they live and whatever their lan guage.

“People can now watch our content at a place

Rise in living costs affecting lives of students

Bryana Francis Contributor

Due to the heightened pressure on gas supplies in the West, students will be having inevitable discussions about the use of the tumble dryer, when the heating is put on, and who left the kitchen lights on over night. Such issues will all have a higher cost this winter. Energy usage discussions are al ways awkward in student houses, this is largely due to the difference in students’ backgrounds meaning different financial situations and an entirely different awareness and education sur rounding energy usage. This proves challeng ing when bills are being split evenly but there are disagreements about whether or not to put a ban on the tumble dryer and instead use dry ing racks or when there are differing opinions about when and for how long the heating is turned on. But the bottom line remains that whether you use your tumble dryer or not, en ergy bills will be substantially higher this year, a problem which is intensified by the poor building and insulation of many student homes which require more heating.

The complex issue of an energy crisis paired with inflation means students must think more

of Living Crisis : As household bills and food prices rise, how can students cope with the upcoming Winter chill. Source Alisdare Hickson via Wikimedia Commons

carefully about what they spend their money on. A survey conducted by the NUS showed that 96% of students are cutting back on spend ing this academic year. Therefore, the list of things that students might miss out on because of rising costs is vast, it includes sports socie ties, drinks out, days out, buying educational resources and trips home. But it’s not just about leisure, food prices have also seen substantial increases and for students, this will be most ev ident when buying pasta, in the period between

September 2021 and September 2022, the price of pasta rose 60% (BBC), one of the highest price increases seen in household goods. Due to these significant surges in price many more students will be considering taking up parttime jobs on the side of their studies to help fund their living costs. This could see a dip in students’ university attendance and reduce the grade that they walk away with.

Universities are aware of these issues fac ing students and have tried to implement new

The progression of the Russo-Ukrainian war

Thomas Mahoney Contributor

On 24th February this year, the Russian Federation commenced invasions of northern and eastern Ukraine, at the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow cited NATO expansionism and the os tensible illegitimacy of the Ukrainian state as its casus belli, and the ‘denazification’ of Ukraine as its main objective. Subjugation of Ukraine and Kyiv was asserted by Putin to be accomplished within a matter of days, during which Ukrainians would welcome Russian forces and accede full governance of the land to their invaders.

Almost nine months have passed, and this narrative could scarcely be further from what en sued. Since February, Russian forces have failed to conquer Kyiv, have seized only one regional

capital (Kherson) after initial progress, have committed war crimes, have jeopardised global food supplies, and been exposed as both grossly overestimated and wholly insufficient to fulfil their ludicrous task. Putin’s invasion, emphasised by the man himself as a ‘special military opera tion’, has united many western governments in condemnation of his malignant commands. This unity contrasts notably with the 2014 invasion of Crimea, which warranted far less political backlash. In what political commentators have described as the ‘speeding up of history’, political tensions between Russia and the USA have been revitalised. As soon as one week after the out break of hostilities, President Biden outlined that Putin had “no idea what’s coming” with regard to sanctions, which have formed the bulk of the West’s response to the invasion.

At the time of writing, almost 30,000 Ukrain ian civilians are estimated to have felt disruption,

along with 20,000 Russian and 60,000 Ukrainian military personnel. Quantitative estimates on the surviving wounded are of similar magnitude. De spite this, the two nations appear to have reached an immovable equilibrium in the hostilities. Rus sia still holds a segment of Ukrainian territory, stretching from Kherson in the south across to the eastern Luhansk region. Putin was once on the verge of capturing the all-important Kyiv, but his forces have since been dispelled from the re gion into nearby Belarus. Land around Kharkiv has also been reclaimed by Ukrainian forces, ca joled by their President, Vlodymyr Zelensky.

A critical focus point of the war at this point is the aforementioned Dnipro river city of Kherson where the situation is especially volatile. Putin’s forces currently control the city, whilst a Ukrain ian counteroffensive on the area is expected im minently. Political commentators have likened the impending battle to Stalingrad, considering

or platform that best suits them – live, stream, Clic or iPlayer. This broader engagement will increase interest in the Welsh language and help with the Welsh Government’s aim of hav ing one million Welsh speakers by 2050.”

S4C’s future

In January S4C welcomed a new funding set tlement, which saw an increase in the funding it gets from the BBC licence fee from £74.5m to £88.8m.

Secretary of State of Wales David TC Davies said “Congratulations to S4C on 40 years of broadcasting. The channel has educated and entertained generations of audiences and plays a crucial role in the creative industries in Wales. As a government, we continue to support S4C so it can create and broadcast the high est-quality content to audiences in Wales and across the world.”

Despite this, during 2021-22, 1.6 million people watched S4C’s content on television in Wales, and 300,000 in Wales viewed its content each week - a decrease of 4% over the past year in terms of weekly reach and 7% in yearly reach.

Ms Doyle said: “As S4C celebrates this nota ble milestone, it is an opportunity for us to look ahead to how S4C can develop into the future”.

initiatives to help financially support their stu dents. At Cardiff University there has been the introduction of £2 lunches at the SU, which runs Monday to Friday, from 1 to 3, and a new e-sports room in the SU meaning students have the option to game without using their home electricity, the removal of library fines for the late return of books and an expansion of the team which access applications to the ‘Finan cial Assistance Programme’. Furthermore, the ASSL and Health libraries are open 24 hours a day, providing warm spaces for students to work. This could suddenly make spending time in the library much more appealing to students, as an alternative to being in a freezing house. Students already leave university with large sums of debt, and this is further increasing that. As landlords already considerably hike prices for student houses next year, the problem is far from over and students are left with worse mental health and higher debt as a result.

If this is an issue which you want to do more about, NUS Wales has started a campaign called ‘We should be thriving, not just surviv ing’. This is calling on the Welsh and UK gov ernments to provide students with cost of liv ing support.

the sub-zero conditions in which it may occur, its importance in the overall conflict, and the potential losses of territory and personnel for the invaders. In conjunction with this, Presi dent Zelensky has vowed that Ukrainian forces will yield “not a single centimetre of land” in the struggle to secure the Donetsk region fur ther east. Russian advancement may become ever more tiresome, as muddier, slushier winter ground will hinder mobility of ground forces.

In September, Moscow alluded to usage of nuclear weapons in the conflict, igniting fears amongst observers across Europe and beyond of a strike, and even a NATO retaliation/escala tion. Thankfully, American intelligence does not report of any nuclear warheads being moved into place at this stage, or that Russia might be pre paring for a strike. Oppenheimer and his Man hattan Project associates mightn’t go down as the “destroyers of worlds” as he predicted.

Bryana Francis examines how students will be affected by the dramatic rise in food prices and household bills.

Thomas Mahoney offers an insight into the ongoing developments into the Ukrainian war.

Cost

COP 27: Everything you need to know

Beca Williams looks at previous COP conferences and discuss the hopeful outcomes.

Beca Williams News Editor

António Guterres, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations tweeted ‘we are on the highway to climate hell with the foot on the ac celerator’, ‘we need urgent #Climate Action’.

At the start of November the Con ference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) was held by the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Lauren Ralphs from the Earth and Ocean society in Cardiff University, hopes that COP27 will discuss the Race to Zero progress supported by the United Nations and the Just Stop Oil protests that are happening all over the world. She is also hoping that this will be ‘leading to the discussion of de velopments in innovative and effective renewable energy resources to replace the fossil fuels that dominate energy production at present’.

In Sharm el-Sheikh, the Egyptian coastal city, ministers, climate activ ists, CEOs from several countries are coming together to discuss action on climate change as the largest annual gathering. They are looking at different aspects that are affecting the environ

ment while trying to configure a way to reduce their impact for a greener future.

This year, one of the factors which is outlined to be discussed is the rela tionship between health and the threat from the climate crisis. The World Health Organisation noted ‘climate change is already affecting people’s health and will continue to do so at an accelerating rate unless urgent action is taken’.

Last year the Conference was in Glasgow and the outcomes were the agreement on the Paris Rulebook and the signing of the Glasgow Cli

mate Pact-The Paris Rulebook is an understanding between the Paris signatories, which is their nationally determined contributions to reduce emissions. The Glasgow Climate Pact are decisions and resolutions that need to be reached to reduce climate change effects.

Lauren Ralphs believes that those in power are not taking the Paris Agree ment seriously, ‘commitments of the Paris Agreements are not legally bind ing meaning countries are expected to meet global targets but are not held to anything’. However, she also does acknowledge some solutions for the

Home secretary’s hopes for immigration

Shivika Singh News Editor

For much of Priti Patel’s time in of fice the top three issues were: deal with small boats, cut crime, pro tect national security. When she left the cabinet in September, Patel was unable to point to much progress on priority number one.

Within the Home secretary depart ment, seemingly morale this week has plummeted. “It’s a complete mess,” a Home Office source said. “It feels verydepressing because we’ve applied massive resources to thinking about it, talking to the French, launching the Rwanda scheme, trying to set up new accommodation structures. None of it has worked.” Civil servants say there is now an unworkable tension between how Conservative ministers want Home Office staff to respond to the issue of small boats crossing the English Chan

nel, and how officials believe the issue should be handled. Ministers insist that the arrival of small boats must simply be stopped, but Home Office staff say the focus should now be on improving the dysfunctional asylum processing system.

The stark rise in numbers of people coming by boat, from almost zero in 2018, has grown to nearly 40,000 this year. It is hard to be sure whether there has been an overall sharp rise in num bers crossing the Channel, or simply a switch from unseen, unregistered arriv als by road (many of whom disappeared into the grey economy) to visible arrivals who come on small boats and are im mediately picked up and registered by officials.

Staff inside the departmental head quarters in Marsham Street in West minster monitor forecasts and mark the home secretary’s diary as a Home Office Red Day when the weather is set to be fine, with no northerly winds. On these days, the police in France will deploy

more officers on the coast between Cal ais and Dunkirk, the British navy is put on alert, and special advisers turn on the rolling news channels.

“If it’s a sunny day, and Sky News has got some good pictures, then it all kicks off. The calls start to come in from No 10 asking: ‘What are you guys doing about this?’” a former Home Office adviser said.

The issue sucked up enormous amounts of Patel’s ministerial time and that of cabinet colleagues. The then prime minister, Boris Johnson, launched a task force last year that was meant to meet weekly to discuss solutions; the taskforce compiled a 25-point plan with different options, including a column of “magic solutions”, a Home Office source said, most of which involved replicating initiatives adopted – in very different maritime conditions and with debatable success – by Australia. New instalments of money were sent to the French to pay for drones and infrared night goggles

agreement have succeeded.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is rep resenting the United Kingdom. He an nounced he would be attending ‘for our children and grandchildren, we must deliver on the legacy of Glasgow and protect the future of the planet’ as he lands in a private jet.

Greta Thunberg won’t be attending COP 27 as she feels as if the conferenc es aren’t working, aren’t changing the system, and would only work if ‘we use them as an opportunity to mobilise’. She argued that ‘the COPs are mainly used as an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention’.

Lauren Ralphs referred to the ‘COP15 Copenhagen 2009 where the countries acknowledged there was a climate issue but failed to create an ef fective and realistic agreement for all participating countries’. But she does believe that the annual COPs are ‘cru cial in the conservation of our planet’.

Lauren Ralphs believes that those in power are not taking the Paris Agreement seriously ”

Welsh preparation for the World Cup

Aimee Szulczewski Contributor

With the long-awaited World Cup fast approaching, Wales has been preparing for its sec ond chance in the finals tournaments since 1958.

Soon the Welsh streets will be flaunt ing yellow, red and green, with fans shouting, “Cymru, on top of the world”, in support of this glorious accomplish ment for the team and the country. This historic achievement is set to deliver a worldwide stage for Wales and enhance visibility for the sometimes forgotten country in the world of football.

To ensure this cultural legacy is not forgotten, plans are being made to hon our this key piece of Welsh sporting his tory, including an official name change of the team, to the already nationally used, Cymru Football Team.

The Economic Minister, Vaughan Gething, announced in September a set of projects to celebrate the nation and to help uplift the people of Wales’ support. These have included a promotion of the Welsh language through community choirs and a concert in North America to showcase Welsh culture.

and more police.

Under Patel, officials said, the search for small boat solutions was often ex haustingly scattergun. “They thrashed around doing one thing and then an other,” a civil servant said. “[Patel] would go to Greece, look at the Greek asylum model, and come back and tell us: ‘Do what Greece has done. Just do all that please.’ And then three weeks later she’d ask: ‘Have you done it yet?’”

Officials were instructed to prevent the sale of rubber dinghies in northern France, but discovered that since the boats were often ordered online from manufacturers in China, this was not a simple task. In the summer of 2021, Pa tel was hoping that a strategy of order ing naval cutters to push the small boats back to France would prove effective. “Thousands of hours’ work went into as sessing the legalities. For it to be lawful, it had to be safe, and there was no way it was ever going to be safe,”

Consequences of the mini-budget on British housing

Luis Atkinson News Editor

The economy is expected to contract by 0.2% each quarter through to the second quar ter of 2023, meaning the value of the pound will still be volatile, including inflation.

Inflation increases when demand exceeds the supply of goods, and with the aftermath of Covid-19 and the dis ruption in Ukraine being two of the factors making the economy volatile, energy and food prices are, in turn, in creasing alongside house prices.

The value of housing in the United Kingdom has decreased rapidly over the past year. In part, this is to do with Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s con troversial mini-budget which saw tax cuts seemingly benefiting the wealthy. In an effort to boost the British econ

omy through trickle-down economics, however, a major consequence of this was lower housing prices due to high er mortgage loan repayments.

Despite this, more recently housing prices have risen in the UK due to low supply and high demand. The value of British homes have increased by about £50,000 since August 2020, and Housing Secretary Michael Gove has

reinstated his commitment to build ing 300,000 homes every year until the ‘mid-2020s’.

Yet more people were able to suc cessfully purchase houses despite such higher costs, perhaps due to lower in terest rates which enhanced cheaper borrowing from banks, allowing it to be easier to afford mortgages. As a result of inflation rapidly in

creasing, the Bank of England raised the base interest rate from 0.1% to 3%.

Throughout 2022, into 2023 and potentially 2024, interest rates are likely to continue rising. Whilst house prices may be falling, mortgage re payments will increase, affecting the housing market. The cost of living crisis will play a significant part in the slowdown of house sales as well. It is predicted that more first-time buyers will look to rent houses until the mar ket stabilises.

To summarise, housing prices may be falling but interest rates, inflation, taxes, energy bills, mortgages, insur ances are rising so far.

More recently hous ing prices have risen in the UK due to low supply and high demand.”

One project to bring the fans togeth er is the production of giant retro shirts to be signed by fans across the nation, which will then be sent to the Cymru training camp in Qatar. These shirts seem like an echo of Welsh football’s past, reminding fans of the Y Crys Mawr Coch (The Big Red Shirt) created by Lynne and John Humphreys-McCrick et, to celebrate the team’s group-stage success in the Euros last year.

Their giant creation brought to light the large football frenzy in North Wales, which has led to a new football museum being built in the Welsh football capital, Wrexham. Additionally, Wrexham has confirmed the establishment of three fan zones in the area to allow fans to watch matches live and celebrate the na tion’s success in a camaraderie fashion.

Although, much to other fans across the nation’s dismay, no other region has confirmed the setting up of fan zones. Nevertheless, it can almost be guaran teed that every pub in the country will be playing the matches for fans to come flocking in.

To add to the celebrations, the Foot ball Association of Wales have an nounced a 10-day national event, named the Gŵyl Cymru Festival, to mark this historic event. During this 10-day fes tival, a plethora of events showcasing Welsh culture and Cymraeg, are being planned across the east of the country, including the launching of Josgin’s new est song, ‘Waka Waka Cymru’, set to be the next Welsh World Cup anthem.

More locally for readers, Cardiff is hosting an immersive World Cup Fan Park planned by 4TheFans. Attend ing these events will be special guests, former international football legend, Robert Earnshaw, and former Welsh footballer and now Sky Sports presenter, Neville Southall.

For the Wales v England match on the 29th of November, the Tramshed is setting up huge screens to watch the game live, with exclusive bar and food traders to keep fans fuelled, and lively DJs to keep the celebrations going post-match.

Overall, the success of Rob Page’s team has brought an enormous amount of pride to the nation. No matter where you are in the country, there are bound to be high-spirited celebrations.

COP 27: World leader meet to dicuss international efforts to combat cli mate change. Source Edilson Rodrigues via Flickr

British Housing Crisis: After changing economic plans and budgetrs, the United Kingdom’s housing seems to be in a colatile state. Source: Lydia via Flickr

Feature: Can period poverty be eradicated from Wales?

Grace Robson explores the prevelance of period poverty in Wales

Grace Robson Features Editor

Period poverty, in its most sim plistic terms, can be described as the struggle to access nec essary menstrual products and the difficulties those who cannot afford such necessities face. Period Pov erty however is not just a simple, straightforward issue. Those who are faced with period poverty also face both direct and indirect strug gles associated with the inability to safely access menstrual products. Some people may make the assump tion that Period Poverty only affects a small percentage of the population however, it affects a shockingly large proportion of people experiencing a range of different circumstances.

Even if you aren’t aware of it, the likelihood is that someone you know is struggling with period pov erty whether it be a family member, friend or colleague. The assumption should never be made that someone isn’t struggling with period poverty, even if you think you know some

one’s circumstances. The taboo sur rounding not just period poverty, but menstruation as a whole has created a stigma that is still heavily present today, making it even hard er for those struggling with period poverty to seek the help that they need.

It is estimate by The World Bank Group that at least 500 mil lion people who menstruate glob ally experience period poverty and do not have safe access to much needed facilities and resources. The issue of period poverty is just as harrowing in Wales with at least 15% of people aged 14-21 unable to afford period products accord ing to a study by Plan UK in 2021. The numbers of those struggling with period poverty continue to in crease and have risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic as those who previously relied on community spaces such as schools and community centres to access free period products were unable to access those much-needed re

sources during the pandemic.

Those who struggle with period poverty do not just experience di rect struggles such as issues with their health, hygiene and income but also experience a whole host

What are the impacts of period poverty?

Arecent study found that in 2017 more than 137,000 peo ple in the UK missed school because they couldn’t afford period products. The indirect effects of period poverty can be astronomical and can have a significant knock-on effect especially for young people struggling with access to menstrual products. A study conducted by the brand Always also found that out of the 1000 people that they surveyed, 39% of them suffered from anxiety and/or depression as a direct conse quence of period poverty. The issue of period poverty is urgent. The ef fects of period poverty are far from

simple, the effects are complex and can have a knock-on effect on some one’s entire life and livelihood.

The ongoing issue of period pov erty must be considered in conjunc tion with the issue of period dignity, the idea that safe access to menstrual products must be considered along side the fight to eliminate the stigmas and taboo surrounding menstruation.

The stigma surrounding menstrua tion as a whole has long aided in the worsening of period poverty. When the subject of periods is taboo, how can we expect someone struggling

with period poverty to feel comfort able seeking help. The first step to tackling period poverty is starting a conversation about it, it is vital that we remove any and all stigma surround ing the issue. No one should have to feel shame when it comes to their pe riod or feel shame if they are experi encing period poverty. Just last year the Welsh Government released their strategic plan to help fight period pov erty and bring period dignity to Wales. This five-year plan included removing the stigma around periods by normal ising them, making period products more environmentally friendly and

of indirect struggles. People who struggle to safely access menstru al products can find themselves struggling with everyday life due to the consequences of period pov erty.

educating the general public. They also claimed to have invested over £9 million to help fight period poverty already and aim to invest more. Their aim is to continue working with local authorities, health boards, social ser vices, businesses and organisations to create period dignity within Wales.

The stigma surrounding menstruation as a whole has long aided in the worsening of period poverty.

"The conversation on periods must be intersectional"

Ispoke to Emily Carr, Cardiff University’s women’s officer about the complex issue of pe riod poverty. When asked how we as individuals can help tackle period poverty she responding by saying ‘by talking about it'.

'Poverty and the cost-of-living crisis effects people and I do think that we as a university and as a SU we have to be honest about it. We have to be open about it. We have to be open and honest about that fact that this is happening so that people do not have to deal with that shame. We have to call it like it is and if we keep sweeping away at the issue and we’re not addressing the fact that we have students and local community members who are in poverty and who are struggling financially, we cannot have meaningful conversa

tions about period poverty’. She con tinued by stating that ‘those coming from a place of privilege have to be willing to listen and have to be will ing to help and put aside any awk wardness we might feel when talk ing about money issues. We have to face up to it’. When asked about how the conversation surrounding peri ods needs to change in order to help tackle the stigma and taboo, Emily stated that ‘We need to talk about how periods can effect each of us differently. We need to acknowledge that people with medical conditions such as endometrioses can be af fected differently on their periods. There are so many layers to this conversation and we have to be in tersectional.’ She continued the con versation on an intersectional out look on periods and period poverty

by stating that ‘Period conversation and the movement we are seeing at the minute is amazing, but it is very one-sided. We have to be intersec tional, and everyone has to be in volved in the conversation. It is also important that the people leading the conversations as well have got to be the most marginalized in our community. In order to lift up eve ryone we have to listen to the most margalinzed people in our commu nities. The conversation on periods must be intersectional.’ Emily con cluded by saying that ‘Education on periods is vital and it should not be targeted at woman exclusively be cause it’s not just women who get periods. It is important that period information is taught to everyone, anyone can understand and see the issue.’

Period Poverty: Source: Marco Verch Professional (via Flickr)

Emily Carr (via Twitter)

Cardiff University's women's officer Emily Carr discusses the importance of discussion in breaking

Ruhaab Khalid

Grace Robson gairrhyddfeatures@gmail.com

Iadditionally reached out to Car diff University’s feminist society, who have previously run meet ings and fundraisers for period pov erty, for a comment.

When asked why they believed it was so important to shed a light on the issue of period poverty, the society’s current president, Em Hasling, replied with ‘Period pov erty Is a prevalent issue in the UK, as well as across the world and we need to talk about it more. It’s quite frankly shocking that in 2022, we’re oftentimes unable to access sani tary products when we need them and the poorest in our society are suffering because of extreme prices.’

When asked how the society aims to help tackle the issue of period poverty and how the general public can help tackle this issue too they replied stating that ‘It is a large is sue to tackle however, by introduc

ing schemes as well as free access to sanitary products in schools, universities and public bathrooms and facilities etcetera, it helps just that little bit more.’ They concluded their statement by saying ‘Nobody should have to miss out on their education or face struggles because of period poverty’.

It’s quite frankly shock ing that in 2022, we’re oftentimes unable to access sanitary products when we need them

The fight against period poverty: Are legistlative changes coming?

In 2021, Scotland became the first country to provide free period products nationwide and since then other countries have begun attempting to follow suit, including Wales. The Period Prod ucts Act that was introduced in Scotland meant that period prod ucts would be available in all public buildings nationally.

Welsh politician and member of the Senedd, Heledd Fychan, re cently filed a motion in favour of free access to menstrual products to be debated within the Senedd. This motion acts as the first steps towards ending period poverty in Wales. I spoke to Heledd Fychan about what this notion means for those struggling with period pover ty and those looking for safe access to menstrual products. She stated that ‘The idea is to ensure the right is a legal requirement, as it is now in Scotland. Though progress has been made in Wales, it isn’t legally binding’. When asked what her aim in filing this notion was she stated ‘I want to ensure that we normalise

the fact that periods are a normal bodily function and that everyone should have free access, in the same way as toilet paper is freely available in all public toilets’

The debate that took place on Wednesday 9th November 2022 in Senedd debated the following no tion: ‘Free Period products: The need to legislate to ensure that eve ryone who needs these products has access, wherever they live in Wales’. Prior to the debate, Heledd Fychan issued a press release stating that ‘Periods are a normal bodily func tion, and it isn’t right that some people in Wales are still being de nied their dignity because they can’t afford these essential products’. She stated that ‘though improvements have been made to make free period products more widely available in Wales, there are still too many bar riers with many still unable to ac cess them’. She continued by stating that ‘By enshrining this right in law, and making it a legal requirement, we would be making sure that eve ryone that needs them are able to access period products for free.’ She concluded that ‘If we are serious about equality, then this is a neces sary step.’

I also spoke to Cardiff’s People’s Assembly, an independent grass roots campaign against austerity, cuts, privatisation and rising pover

ty, about the importance of fighting period poverty and about the im portance of access to free menstrual products. They stated that ‘Cardiff’s people Assembly has long believed that basic essentials used by half the population should be free-at-thepoint of use and paid for by general taxation’. When asked about why they as a movement are so passion ate about the issue they stated that ‘for a long time we have been con cerned about accessibility, afforda bility, stigmatisation, lack of educa tion and even taboo that still persist around periods in 21st Century Wales’. When asked the question of why now, they stated that ‘the situa tion has been growing worse during the cost-of-living crisis. With rising costs pushing more and more into poverty, we believe making period products free is part of rebuilding our welfare state.’ Lastly, I asked Cardiff People’s Assembly about how they aim to support Heledd Fy chan’s notion and how they aim to continue making progress towards the issue of fighting period poverty. They stated that they ‘Hope to soon launch a grassroots campaign in support of this work in the Welsh parliament bringing together ordi nary citizens, feminists, progres sives, trade unions, student unions, anti-poverty, faith and other com munity groups to end period pov

Organizations fighting to end period poverty

If we are serious about equality, then this is a necessary step.’"

Heledd Fychan

erty in Wales’.

There is no doubt that significant progress is still to be made and there is still work to be done, however, the filing of this notion alone is shining a spotlight on the harsh struggles of those experiencing period poverty. It is absolutely vital to acknowledge that period poverty can have an ex treme impact on the lives and liveli hoods of those struggling with it. It is my opinion that safe and consist ent access to menstrual products should be a basic human right, not a luxury. The fight against period poverty is far from over but hav ing conversations about the issue, lobbying for free period products and fighting the stigma and taboo around menstruation are the first steps we can take to help tackle the issue of period poverty.

The President of Cardiff University's Feminist Society has her say on period poverty awareness

'Nobody should have to miss out on their education because of period poverty'

Em Hasling President- Cardiff University Feminist Society

Are Wales following Scotland's lead in addressing this crisis?

This motion acts as the first steps towards ending period poverty in Wales ."

Heledd Fychan has filed a motion for free access to period products

Image: Geraint H. Day (via Wiki media Commons)

The fight against period poverty is far from over "

Image: Stilfehler (via Flickr)

Autumn Statement unveiled by the chancellor POLITICS

Katherine Seymour looks at how the speculation compared with the reality

Seymour Head of Politics

Jeremy Hunt delivered the au tumn statement on the 17th Oc tober. Before the statement, and when I am writing this, speculation whirled as the statement had been delayed from Halloween following the change in Prime Minister.

While the government spoke about ‘tough decisions’, questions were asked whether there would be tax rises, public service cuts or both.

A common issue was that of tax band thresholds. These were per haps perceived as a better move than raising taxes advertently - but still wouldn’t be supported by the low-tax tories on whose backing Ri shi Sunak relies to make his govern ment work. However, the Treasury could raise an extra £30bn through high inflation, pushing people into higher bands. Some form of tax band freeze is potentially a likely way to balance the books.

Cuts are also highly likely as a part of the statement. Some have said that the government could cut a project that doesn’t yet exist. This may work to make cuts seem lesser and is a move that the public may forget. However, this is not likely to happen. This is due to the potential backlash from the MPs whose areas it will affect most. However, cuts to public spending in some form are deemed to be likey. In which form, however, is unknown.

A cut which had been ques tioned, particularly towards the end of Truss’ premiership, was real term cuts to benefits and pensions. In other words, this meant not in creasing them in line with inflation. This has been predicted to make the treasury a profit of £13bn. However, this is not seen as likely following the backlash which Liz Truss re ceived for even floating the idea in the press.

Compared to previous predic tions, the autumn statement had been somewhat different than ex pected. Jeremy Hunt began his state ment by acknowledging that the UK is now in a recession but also reiter ating the global nature of the finan

cial crisis. His first action had been predicted - freezing income tax bar riers but also lowering the threshold for the highest rate of income tax to £125,140. Labour argued that freez ing income tax brackets would af fect ordinary working people most. He also expanded the windfall tax to 35% from the start of January into March 2028. Additionally, Hunt aims to include electric vehicles in having to pay Vehicle Excise Duty from 2025.

While cuts were confirmed, the chancellor said that the government will promise to fund public services fairly. So far, there has also been no change on the government’s com mitment to climate change including

the Glasgow COP26 commitments. One government cut was in interna tional aid, with the level maintained at 0.5% of public spending rather than the previous 0.7%. Schools and healthcare will be prioritised for ex tra spending with an extra £2.3bn to schools in 2023 and 2024. Also, the NHS budget has been promised an extra £3.3bn in each of the next 2 years. However, he did also reiter ate that the NHS must do its bit to minimise waste and inefficiency.

On the cost-of-living crisis, the chancellor promised a rise in the national living wage next Aprilmaking it £10.42 an hour. Also, both benefits and pensions will rise in line with inflation as the pensions triple lock has been retained. Also, rent rises in the social sector will be capped to 7%. Hunt believes this will help 4 million families. While support on bills will end in March (which will see the average family paying around £3000 a year), the chancellor did reiterate support for the most vulnerable with extra costof-living payments.

The shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves criticised the budget saying: “Here we are at the end of 2022, three prime ministers, four chancellors and four budgets later. And where do we find ourselves? In a worse place than we started the year.” She argued that the government was of fering “more of the same”.

ELSEWHERE IN POLITICS

- Speaker warns MPs that hostile states couls be tracking their phone usage following revelations that Liz Truss’ was hacked as foreign sec.

MPs have been warned they are being targeted by “hostile states”, with their mobile phones “a potential goldmine” of sensitive information.

UK and France strike new border control deal

Francesca Ionescu Politics Editor

The UK has revised its deal with France, and will be paying an additional £8m to reduce the dangerous small boat migrant cross ings. While the Prime Minister has ex pressed confidence that the number of crossings could be decreased, he vocal ised awareness that there is no “single thing” that can fix the issue. The UK has seen a huge increase in the number of small boats crossing this year, with 40,000 people crossing only this year.

The current Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has stated that the system is “broken” and referred to migrants as an “invasion” during a speech in the Commons. The beginning of her time as Home Secretary saw the Manston migrant centre and the reports of over crowding and bad living conditions.

The new deal comes in the form of increased surveillance on the 160km of French coast, with 100 new French officers patrolling, as well as UK of

The new deal comes in the form of increased surveillance on the 160km of French coast, with 100 new French officers patrolling, as well as UK offic ers being able to observe. .”

ficers being able to observe. Domi nic Casciani expresses concerns in an analysis for the BBC that the deal might not help with some of the migra tion related issues. He points out that British officers have “no operational powers’’ and are strictly observing, rather than exercising a decisive role regarding individuals who might at tempt to cross again. The UK, through Brexit, also opted out of the EU’s’ ‘ir regular migrant management policies”, which would have addressed the issue on a continental scale. An example of a continental issue could be that there has been a significant increase in the

number of Albanian people crossing, from 50 reported in 2020, to 12,000 this year. Casciani identifies that the last is sue for the UK appears once the small boats have crossed, as the Home Office must find accommodation for those who manage to cross. The increase has created backlogs and delays - especially in the case of the Manston migrant centre which raised concerns about the living conditions.

Migrant centres are meant to be temporary, short-term accommoda tions until the people can be moved into asylum accommodation. In re gards to Manston, the Home Office

Even asylum accommoda tion is sparse and often in cludes hotels rather than a more permanent place of resi dence. ”

identified its limits as between 1,000 to 1,600 “passing through” and 24 hours for all checks. However, a HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has reported that the centre saw 4,161 people pass through between April and June 2022, of which 636 were held for more than 24 hours. Manston also saw the longest detention time of more than 70 hours, which the report calls “unacceptable for a non-residential facility”.

While these issues have been wors ened by the quick increase in small boat crossings, the problem could be more systemic. Even asylum accom modation is sparse and often includes hotels rather than a more permanent place of residence. The effects of the new deal shall be seen, while analysts maintain concerns that it might not help enough to ease pressure on this side of the border.

Manston also saw the long est detention time of more than 70 hours, which the report calls “unacceptable for a non-residential facility”

Katherine

Francesca Ionoescu

Jade Heath

Katherine Seymour

Chancellor to save the finances? :Hunt was appointed chancellor following the Truss government’s mini-budget Source: HM Treasury (via Flikr)

-Esther McVey

says she won’t back tax rises unless HS2 is axed

Esther McVey, former close ally of chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said that she won’t support tax rises if larger projects will still go ahead.

Border Control:Border control has been foccused on hugely by Home Secretary Suella Braverman as she seeks to reduce small boat crossings source: Raimond Spekking (Via. Wikimedia Commons)

Qatar World Cup controversy grows

Jade Heath looks into the contraversy around the world cup being held in Qatar

Jade Heath Politics Editor

Comments on the topic of homosexuality made by a Qatar World Cup am bassador, Khalid Salman, have recently come under scrutiny. The former international foot baller deemed it a “damage of the mind” when questioned, which followed a statement that visitors need to accept the nation’s rules regarding the criminalisation of homosexuality. The World Cup tournament is due to kick off on the 20th November, and Salman’s comments are indicative of an ongoing debate on the safety of both LGBTQ+ visitors and na tionals. In a recent report, the Human Rights Watch uncovered instances of abuse against Qa tari LGBTQ+ residents in police custody, including five cases of sexual harrasment and six of re peated beatings (between 2019 and 2022).

Leon Goretzka, player for football team Bayern Munich, labelled Salman’s comments as “from another millennium” which left him “speechless”. Fur thermore, protests recently oc curred outside the Fifa museum in Zurich, wherein LGBTQ+ ac tivists critiqued the nation’s an ti-gay laws. This was in spite of Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, stating that “everyone is welcome regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national

ity”. This was included in a letter wherein he also urged footballers to put aside discussions of hu man rights. In the UK, First Min ister of Wales Mark Drakeford has come under attack for his de cision to travel to the World Cup, namely by Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru. Price stated that Salman’s comments are an indi cator that there is “no guarantee ultimately that LGBTQ+ people will not be subject to discrimina tion and, indeed, even imprison ment”. However, Labour leader Keir Starmer announced last month that neither he nor any of his Labour colleagues will be

attending the World Cup, even if England reached the final. He cited their human rights record as the reasoning.

As well as politicians, some celebrities, primarily athletes linked to football, have also come under fire for their involvement with the World Cup. Gary Nev ille, former England player, was critiqued on ‘Have I Got News For You’ for his decision to com mentate in Qatar, though he ar gued that he was highlighting the “abuses in these countries”. David Beckham has also received disapproval for becoming a paid ambassador for the World Cup, a

deal which has been reported to be worth around £150m. The Three Lions Pride Group expressed disappointment at this decision, and stated that Beckham should no longer be considered an ally to the LG BTQ+ community.

Furthermore, Qatar’s issues regarding a poor human rights record does not just concern issues surrounding the LG BTQ+ community. In 2021, the Guardian revealed that at least 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since the World Cup had been awarded to the nation. Nick McGee han, a director at FairSquare Projects (an advocacy group for labour rights) stated that it was highly likely that many of the workers who died were employed on World Cup infrastructure projects, and that many of those who died were only in the coun try because of Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup. Amnesty Inter national have called on the global governing body to put £381m to wards the creation of a migrant workers’ centre and a compen sation scheme - this amount of money equates to the World Cup prize money. However, as the Independent argues, the ques tion must be raised as to whether these human rights issues would even be questioned if the World Cup was not being held in Qatar.

Another winter of discontent? More Strike action planned

A look into history and what that may mean today as nurses vote for strike action

Angus Tiffin Contributor

The UK looks set for a repeat of the Winter of Discontent, with trade unions seeking to leverage high bargaining power with the most impactful wave of strike action since the 1980s.

This week has seen nurses vote for the largest strike in NHS his tory and civil servants organise walkouts across government departments – including the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions. Analysis by the Guardian suggests they’re not alone, reporting that a further 1.6m workers – mostly in the pub lic sector – either face a ballot this month or have already voted for stoppages.

The conditions for industrial action are perfect. Firstly, support for strikers is pretty high, with a lot of people recognising the raw deal that public sector workers

while private pay had gone up by 7.2 per cent in the year leading up to May 2022, public sec tor workers only saw an increase of 1.2 per cent ”

have had over the past 10 years.

During the summer, the FT reported that, while private pay had gone up by 7.2 per cent in the year leading up to May 2022, public sector workers only saw an increase of 1.2 per cent. Even in the face of surging inflation, cutting the standard of living for every worker in the country, the average pay rise on offer to work ers across the public sector is just 2 per cent. This has given unions the best argument for industrial

action they’ve had in decades.

As if that wasn’t enough, the current economic landscape of fers even more power to workers.

A combination of Brexit labour market frictions and hesitation about returning to the workplace post- pandemic means that the UK is currently seeing 49-yearlow unemployment and recordhigh vacancies. This means that it’s really hard for employers to find employees, giving the latter a larger say in how much they’re

paid.

Throw into the mix that their paymaster – the Government – is still reeling from an October that saw its YouGov approval rating tank to just 6 per cent, and it’s clear that the unions are sitting at the head of the negotiating table.

The problem they have is that all these conditions are temporary. This month’s Bank of England report has both projected that inflation will fall sharply in the second half of 2023 and that unemployment will nearly dou ble (3.5 to 6.4 per cent) by the end of 2025, putting a significant hole in the unions’ case.

The UK Government is also un likely to maintain such low levels of public approval. Rishi Sunak’s appointment has already seen a bump back up to 12 per cent, and an ideological commitment to austerity is likely to simultaneous ly get support back from Trussaverse Tories and empty the pool from which public sector wages are drawn.

Hence, this winter is a nowor-never moment for unions and we’re likely to see significant dis ruption until their power wanes.

Matt Hancock loses tory party whip after joining I’m a celeb

Megan Huws Contributor

Matt Hancock, the West Suf folk MP, and former Health Secretary,surprised many on the 1st of November with the an nouncement that he would join the new season of I’m A Celebrity… Get me out of here!. The politician has travelled halfway across the world to compete with other celebrities such as Boy George and Jill Scott. This news was received by many with joy, as it allows the public to watch and vote for Hancock to be forced to go through unpleasant trials.

However, many people questioned his duties as MP, which do not in clude spending weeks in Australia for a reality TV show. This surprising choice has resulted in Matt Hancock being suspended as Tory MP; this means that he is kicked out of the party within Parliament, but remains a MP and continues to get paid. The suspension was announced by Chief Whip Simon Hart MP, who stated: “Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situ ation and believe this is a matter seri ous enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect”.

Whilst the suspension itself may not have an immense effect upon his future as an MP, it could further affect support from his party and his con stituents. Whilst the former Health Secretary was among supporters of Rishi Sunak in the leadership con test, Hancock was overlooked for a ministerial job and according to a source close to the MP he “doesn’t expect to serve in government again”. Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman ex

many people questioned his duties as MP, which do not include spending weeks in Australia for a reality TV show”

pressed Sunak’s disapproval towards Hancock, through declaring “The PM believes that at a challenging time for the country, MPs should be working hard for their constituents, whether that is in the House or in their constituency.”

The decision to include Matt Han cock in I’m A Celeb has not only cre ated criticism through his failure to act as an MP, but also through the show’s attempt to make Hancock seem more personable. The cam paign group ‘Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice’ tweeted on the 1st of November: “Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’, he’s the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.” Hancock claims that he is using the jungle and the publicity to “promote his dyslexia campaign” yet it seems he is neglecting his role as an MP in an attempt to gain some popularity and overshadow his controversial be haviour.

The campaign group ‘Covid-19 Bereaved Fami lies for Justice’ tweeted on the 1st of November: “Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’,...”

Criticism for politicians?:While Keir Starmer confirmed that none of his front bench would be attending, Mark Drakeford will attend Source: IAEA Imagebank (via Flickr)

Criticism for politicians?:While Keir Starmer confirmed that none of his front bench would be attending, Mark Drakeford will attend Source: Stingle hammer (via Wikimedia commons)

UK Facing biggest fall in living standards on record

Katherine Seymour Head of Politics

As the chancellor confirms that the country is in a re cession, the UK is said to be facing its biggest fall in living standards on record, the Govern ment’s forecaster, the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) has said. Their report says that once inflation is taken into account wages will fall by 7% in the coming years despite the chancellor announcing a 90p rise to the national living wage which would see it reach £10.40 an hour. Campaign groups and trade unions are currently campaigning for a rise to £15 an hour. They have also said that unemployment is set to rise by just over half a million people by the end of 2024 as the economy is set to contract during the recession.

“The medium-term fiscal out look has materially worsened since our March forecast due to a weaker economy, higher interest rates, and higher inflation,” the OBR said in its latest update which followed the au tumn statement.

Paul Johnson, director of the In stitute for Fiscal Studies think tank, said: “Surging global energy prices

Their report says that once inflation is taken into account wages will fall by 7% in the coming years ”

have made the UK a poorer coun try. The result is an OBR forecast that the next two years will see the biggest fall in household incomes in generations.”

With inflation at a 41 year high, living costs will become harder to manage for people on all incomes which is of huge concern.

The report argued that contrac tion of the economy would effec tively set the clock back to 2013 in terms of living standards as the country faces only the third time since the mid-1950s in which there will be back-to-back years of falling living standards.

While Conservatives have said that they will not be supporting tax rises, it seems that people will be facing the highest tax burden since WWII after inflation is taken into account.

The OBR said on their own re port process that “This forecast pro cess has been unusually uncertain, with various changes to both inter nal and public deadlines for forecast rounds, policy changes and publica tion dates” and has also noted as a part of its report that there had been five fiscal events since March which has led to more uncertainty for the government purse.

Katherine Seymour studies recent bullying accusations following Williamson resignation Dominic Raab accused of bullying by civil servants

Katherine Seymour Head of Politics

Following the resignation of Sir Gavin Williamson over bullying allegations, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has demanded that the Prime Minister should launch an investigation into his own conduct following two for mal complaints against him. Prior to this, he had denied informal allega tions but when accusations had been made formally, the deputy Prime Minister said that an investigation must be launched where he would: “thoroughly rebut and refute” the claims against him.

Despite the fact that he is denying the accusations, on Tuesday, the for mer top civil servant at the Foreign Office said colleagues were “scared” to go into Mr Raab’s office when he was foreign secretary. Lord McDon ald told Times Radio Mr Raab was “very curt with people” and “peo ple felt demeaned.”.The peer said he “had several conversations” with Mr Raab about his behaviour, but was not aware of any formal complaints about it.

Mr Raab has said that he has al ways been against bullying by those

in positions of power and has said that he was “confident that I have be haved professionally throughout”.

While the Deputy Prime Minister was adamant that he would be able to defend himself in an inquiry into his behaviour, an independent ethics ad visor to run any inquiries has not yet been found which has been hugely criticised by the opposition.

While Dominic Raab stood in for Rishi Sunak at PMQs on Wednesday, questions were centred around the revelations. Conservative MPs have come to his defence showing that Conservative MPs are much more in favour of Dominic Raab than the previously accused Sir Gavin Wil liamson who had been accused of bullying MPs in contrast to Raab’s

accusations which have come from members of the civil services which many have said have led to MPs ral lying around him rather than Wil liamson.

During Prime Minister’s ques tions, Conservative MPs had refuted the claims by accusing the opposi tion of bullying themselves. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who had been a cabinet minister under the two former Prime Ministers, aimed to bring attention to members of the Labour party who had been found guilty of bullying.

Lee Anderson also defended Raab asking whether Raab will support Suella Braverman in the face of the “bully boys” trying to force her to re sign, referring to Labour’s campaign against her reappointment following the Prime Minister’s commitment to integrity in government.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader has said that “A genuinely in dependent investigation into Domi nic Raab is needed to uphold the ministerial code and shed light on these serious bullying allegations.

The public will not wear another Tory whitewash”

PM attends COP27 conference following criticisms

Alys Jones Contributor

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at tended the COP27 summit after previously announcing that he would not be travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh for the conference, with Downing Street stating that he would instead remain in the UK to focus on the domestic economy. Sunak faced international criticism and faced pressure from his own party, including from supporters of the UK’s net zero goals to attend the summit. Parliament’s cross-party environment group had also written to the Prime Minister urging him to attend the conference, writing that “The decisions your government takes will have a noticeable im pact on the lives of people across the country, and indeed our entire planet, for generations to come.”

The Egyptian government voiced disappointment about the Prime Minister’s expected absence along side Mohammed Nasheed, speaker of the Maldives parliaments, who asserted that there should be no greater priority than climate change. Sunak later wrote in a tweet on No vember 2nd that he would be at tending the summit. In response to the reversal of the Prime Minister’s plans, Alok Sharma, who led the COP26 held in Glasgow last year, said he was “delighted”.

Following his highly anticipated

The Egyptian govern ment voiced disappointment about the Prime Minister’s expected absence along side Mohammed Nasheed, speaker of the Maldives parliaments”

presence, Rishi Sunak delivered a speech on the second day of the conference. He paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who had spoken at COP26 in Glasgow and reiterated that the UK would deliver on its commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030 and announced that the UK was tripling its funding to help other nations adapt to the impacts of climate change. Sunak’s presence was symbolic in reaffirm ing Britain’s position in tackling climate change on the international stage.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known this year as COP27, is held annually and acts as a forum for discussion around climate change. This year, around 35,000 people were expect ed to attend the conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh’s Red Sea Resort from the 6th to the 18th of No vember. Around 200 countries are

negotiating the future of lowering emissions that contribute to global

He paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who had spoken at COP26 in Glasgow and reiterated that the UK would deliver on its commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030 ”

warming with delegates from major countries such as the US, France, and Brazil in attendance. Other rep resentatives from the UK include Scottish First Minister Nicola Stur geon and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Recent highlights from the conference include Biden’s speech, where he assured attendees that the US is “on track” to achieve its pledge of cutting emissions by 2030. On the third day of the con ference, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif gave a statement

regarding the catastrophic floods that hit the country in the Summer and emphasised the threat that con tinued global warming poses. The conference remains an important feature of the wider effort to combat climate change and the presence of key figures, such as Sunak, is impor tant in reaching this goal.

Rishi Sunak made an address while attending the summit and reit erated the UK’s commitment to cli mate change and announced more spending over the next few years. He also encouraged other world leaders to commit to the pledges made at the COP26 summit in Glas gow. He said as a plea to other lead ers: “When the world came together in Glasgow last year, nations agreed a historic roadmap for preventing catastrophic global warming. It is more important than ever that we deliver on those pledges.Fighting climate change is not just a moral good - it is fundamental to our fu ture prosperity and security.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and contempt ible manipulation of energy prices has only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fos sil fuels. We need to move further and faster to transition to renewable energy, and I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global move ment as a clean energy superpower.” All countries have been accused of breaking the Glasgow promises by environmental campaigners.

Rishi Sunak made an ad dress while attending the summit and reiterated the UK’s commitment to climate change and announced more spending over the next few years. ”

First address abroad: Rishi Sunak gave his first address abroad at the COP27 summit which reiterated his commitment to the climate. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr)

Deputy PM accused of bullying: Raab, seen here as foreign secretary, has been accused of bullying civil servants in his previous roles. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr)

Ydy’r Nadolig dan fygythiad eleni?

Lowri Davies Golygydd Taf-od

Streiciau fydd y ‘Grinch’ sy’n difetha Nadolig i deuluoedd eleni!

Mae’r flwyddyn hon eisoes wedi bod yn flwyddyn heb ei hail ar gyfer gweithredu diwydiannol. Mae strei ciau ac anghydfodau wedi digwydd ar draws gwasanaethau a diwydian nau pwysicaf y wlad – O nyrsys a gweithwyr rheilffordd i staff ac ath

rawon prifysgol, yn ogystal â’r post brenhinol. Mae gan bob un ohonynt rolau allweddol yn y gymdeithas ac yn enwedig yn y cyfnod cyn y Nado lig.

Mae streiciau trenau wedi parhau y mis hwn, gan effeithio ar deithio ar drenau ar hyd a lled y wlad. Mae’r streiciau trên hyn wedi cymryd lle yn dilyn streiciau eraill sydd wedi digwydd ar draws y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth ers mis Mehefin eleni, gyda’r tarfu ar ei uchaf ar Hydref 1af pan mai 10% yn unig o’r wasana ethau trafnidiaeth oedd yn rhedeg. Llwyddodd teithwyr rheilffordd ddi anc rhag tarfiadau y streiciau dros benwythnos y gêm rygbi Cymru v Seland Newydd er bod rhai wedi eu paratoi– yn fyr rybud, bu atal y tridiau o streicio gan yr unebau. Er hyn, dros yr wythnosau a’r misoedd

nesaf bydd llywodraeth Rishi Sunak yn dal i wynebu’r don fwyaf arwyd docaol o weithredu diwydiannol ers streic y glowyr yn yr 1980au. Mae Eddie Dempsey, ysgrifennydd cy northwyol yr undeb rheilffyrdd a’i bennaeth, yr ysgrifennydd cyffredi nol Mick Lynch wedi nodi eu bod yn barod i annog aelodau i weithredu’n ddiwydiannol dros y Nadolig os na fydd y ddwy ochr yn gallu cyrraedd cytundeb.

Yn ogystal â hyn disgwylir i’r streic nyrsio fwyaf yn hanes y GIG gael ei chynnal cyn y Nadolig, a dis gwylir i fwyafrif helaeth o 300,000 o aelodau’r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol gymeradwyo gweithred ddiwydian nol. Mae chwyddiant dau ddigid a gwasgfa gyflog ddegawd o hyd wedi creu’r amodau ar gyfer cyfres o ang hydfodau chwerw. Gyda’r canghellor

newydd, Jermey Hunt, yn cyfrif am ddim ond 2% ar gyfartaledd ar gyfer codiadau cyflog yn y sector cyhoe ddus, mae’r llywodraeth yn edrych yn barod ar wrthdrawiad wyneb yn wyneb a’u gweithwyr.

Mae streiciau arfaethedig gan weithwyr y Post brenhinol yn ys tod y pythefnos nesaf wedi cael eu gohirio yn dilyn her gan y cwmni. Mae aelodau o Undeb y Gweithwyr Cyfathrebu yn rhan o anghydfod hir dros gyflog ac amodau. Mae cyfres o streiciau wedi digwydd yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf ac roedd mwy o gamau wedi’u cynllunio. Dywedodd yr undeb, yn dilyn llythyr gan dÎm cyfreithiol y Post Brenhinol, eu bod wedi penderfynu rhoi terfyn i hysby siadau gweithredu diwydiannol dros y pythefnos nesaf.

Reynolds a McElhenney yn ennill gwobr ‘Rhyddfraint’ Wrecsam

Mae perchnogion Clwb Pêldroed Wrecsam, Ryan Reyn olds a Rob McElhenney wedi cael eu henwebu i dderbyn gwobr Rhy ddfraint Wrecsam gan gyngor y Ddinas.

Yn ôl Bwrdd Gweithredol y Ddinas, mae’r anrhydedd “i gydnabod hanes y clwb pêl droed yn yr ardal” ac i “gydna bod hyrwyddiad ac ymwybyddiaeth fydeang o’r clwb ac ardal Wrecsam.”

Mewn datganiad ar y cyd, dywedodd Ryan a Rob, “Mae hon yn anrhydedd fawr fawr y mae’r Cyngor yn ei chynnig i gydnabod yr hyrwyddiad byd-eang a’r ymwybyddiaeth rydym wedi’i greu ar gyfer Wrecsam.”

Efallai eich bod chi’n adnabod Ryan Reynolds am ei ran yn ‘Deadpool’ ac Rob McElhenney fel ei gymeriad ‘Mac’ yn ‘It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia’, ond ers mis Chwefror 2021, mae’r ddau actor hefyd bellach yn berchen â Chlwb Pêl-

droed Wrecsam.

Yn dilyn meddiannu’r clwb am $2.5 miliwn llynedd mae’r enwogion o Holly wood wedi denu sylw byd-eang i Gymru ac i glwb pêl-droed Wrecsam, sef trydy dd clwb proffesiynol hynaf y byd. Mae’r clwb bellach wedi sicrhau adran feddy gol yn ogystal â chytundeb noddi proffil uchel gan y platfform enwog, ‘TikTok’.

Cafodd rhaglen ddogfen Ryan Reyn olds a Rob McElhenney, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ ei darlledu am y tro cyntaf fis Awst eleni. Roedd y rhaglen ddogfen ar gael i’w gweld ar hyd America, ac mae modd ei gwylio ym Mhrydain ar ‘Din sey +’.

Wedi’i hysbrydoli gan y rhaglen

S4C yn dathlu 40 mlynedd

Tachwedd 1af yn 1982, a 40 mlynedd yn ddiweddarach mae’r sianel yn cael ei dathlu am ei gwaith tuag at yr iaith Gymraeg.

ddogfen ‘Sunderland ‘Till I Die’, mae ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ wedi’i disgrifio fel rhaglen ‘fly on the wall’ sydd yn dilyn digwyddiadau’r Clwb yn nwylo’r perch nogion newydd.

Mewn datganiad, nododd Reynolds a McElhenney fod eu rhaglen ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ “wedi mynd â Wrecsam i gartrefi o amgylch y Byd a’r gobaith yw y bydd yr ail gyfres yn ychwanegu at y niferoedd cynyddol sydd bellach yn gwybod ble mae Wrecsam.”

“Y newyddion da yw y byddwn ni ond yn cryfhau gyda’n gilydd gyda’r gy muned sydd ar flaen y gad.”

Mae’n amlwg fod Reynolds a McEl henney wedi ennyn diddordeb mawr yn niwylliant y Cymry, gyda Rob wedi datgan yn gynharach eleni ei fod yn cael gwersi Cymraeg yn rheolaidd dros Zoom.

Mae’r ddau o Hollywood yn aml i’w gweld ar y Cae Ras yn Wrecsam gyda llu o’r Cymry yn gwerthfawrogi eu hang erdd tuag at y Clwb.

Dathlodd y sianel deledu Cymraeg S4C ei phenblwydd yn 40 ddechrau mis Tachwedd. Mae amrywiaeth eang o raglenni ar S4C gan

gynnwys newyddion, drama, dogfen, cerddoriaeth, adlo niant a rhaglenni plant. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae’r deuny dd sydd ar gael yn cynnwys gwasanaeth cynnwys byr arlein, wedi ei anelu yn bennaf at gynulleidfa 16-34 o’r enw Hansh.

Dechreuodd y sianel ar

Mae S4C yn gartref i rai o’r rhaglenni cyfrwng Cym raeg enwocaf gan gynnwys Sam Tân, a wnaeth ymd dangos am y tro cyntaf ar y 1af o Dachwedd yn 1987. Yn ogystal, darlledwyd Su perTed am y tro cyntaf ar S4C. Erbyn heddiw mae gan y sianel nifer o gyfresi a rhaglenni poblogaidd iawn gan gynnwys y Byd ar Bed war, Rownd a Rownd a Dal y Mellt, yn ogystal â chwarae on a newyddion.

Felly, beth yw’r dyfodol i S4C? Mae ystadegau gan y BBC yn dangos bod 1.6 miliwn o bobl wedi gwylio cynnwys S4C rhwng 202122 a bod 300,000 o bobl yng Nghymru wedi gwylio’r cyn

nwys yn wythnosol. Ym mis Ionawr croesa wodd S4C setliad ariannu newydd, a welodd gynnydd yng nghyllid y sianel o ffi trwydded y BBC o £74.5 mil iwn i £88.8 miliwn.

Ar yr 2il o Dachwedd, cawsom fersiwn Gym raeg o’r gyfres deledu boblogaidd ‘Googlebox’ ar Channel 4, Gogglebocs Cymru. Darlled wyd Gogglebocs am 9pm ar S4C, i gyd-fynd â dathliadau pen-blwydd y sianel yn 40 oed. Mae Chwarel, cwmni cynhyrchu sydd wedi en nill gwobr Bafta The Great House Giveaway, ar gyfer Channel 4 a Ty am Ddim ar gyfer S4C, wedi ymuno â chwmni cynhyrchu o Gaer narfon, Cwmni Da, i gydgynhyrchu’r sioe.

Bydd y rhaglen newydd, a elwir yn briodol yn Gog glebocs Cymru, yn cael ei

chyflwyno gan Tudur Owen. Mae’r rhaglen Saesneg ar Channel 4 nawr ar ei 20fed gyfres, lle mae yna gynrychi olaeth o Gymru trwy gwpl o Gaerfilli, Dave a Shirley. Fodd bynnag, mae’r rhaglen gan S4C yn cynnwys pobl o bob rhan o Gymru. Rhai o’r wynebau byddwn yn eu gweld ar y teledu yw’r bro dyr Huw, Mike a Stephen o Frynaman, gŵr a gwraig Os ian a Nayema o Gaernarfon, mam, mab a merch Nia, George ac Olivia o Lanelli, mam a merch Rachel a Mol lie o Gaerdydd a llawer mwy.

Un her sydd wedi ymddangos yng Nghymru yw’r niferoedd isel o athrawon o leiafri foedd ethnig. ”

Nansi Eccott

Lowri Davies

Anest Williams

Efa Ceiri

Megan Haf Davies

Millie Stacey

(Tarddiad: Wicipedia)

Millie Stacey Golygydd Taf-od

Mae mis hanes pobl ddu yn ffordd o ddarganfod a dathlu’r hanes, y dreftadaeth a’r diwylliant hwnnw,”

Prynodd Reynolds ac McElhenney clwb pel-droed y ddi nas yn 2021 Tarddiad: John Lord (Via flickr)

Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru’n rhoi llwyfan i’r Gymraeg

Eccott Pennaeth Taf-od

Mae Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru yn sicrhau llais i’r Gymraeg ar lwyfan lleol a rhyngwladol drwy partneriaeth gyda’r Ganolfan Dysgu Cymraeg Genedlaethol

Wrth baratoi at fynd i Bencamp wriaeth Cwpan y Byd, mae’r Gym deithas wedi cyhoeddi ymdrechion i hybu’r Gymraeg ar lefel lleol, cened laethol a byd eang. Cyhoeddwyd cynllun partneriaeth gyda’r Ganol fan Dysgu Cymraeg Genedlaethol er mwyn rhoi mynediad i chwaraewyr a staff at wersi Cymraeg, boed yn wer si i ddechreuwyr neu’n wersi i godi hyder i’r rhai sydd eisoes yn medru’r iaith.

Fe fydd y bartneriaeth yn sicrhau modd i gefnogwyr y tîm allu dysgu Cymraeg wrth i’r ganolfan lansio cwrs ar lein newydd yn seiliedig ar bêl-droed i dimau lleol a chefnogwyr Cymru.

Mae Prif Weithredwr y Gymde ithas, Noel Mooney, yn wreiddiol o Limerick yn Iwerddon ac wrthi’n dysgu’r Gymraeg ar hyn o bryd. Med dai ar wefan CBDC, “Mae’r Gym raeg yn rhan fawr o’n diwylliant pêldroed ac yng ngemau Cymru, adref ac oddi cartref, dych chi’n clywed y

Gymraeg o’ch cwmpas. Wrth i ni edrych ymlaen at Gwpan Pêl-droed y Byd yn Qatar, ’dyn ni’n gwybod bod y Gymraeg yn perthyn i bawb, a ’dyn ni eisiau adeiladu ar ein angerdd at yr iaith, ar ac oddi ar y cae.”

Cydweithio â S4C

Yn ogystal â’i phartneriaeth â’r Ganolfan Dysgu Cymraeg Genedlae thol mae CBDC yn cydweithio â S4C sydd wedi penodi Arweinydd Strat egaeth Cymraeg, Sara Peacock, sy’n wreiddiol o Rydychen. Nod y bar tneriaeth yw sicrhau hygyrchedd y sianel i holl siaradwyr Cymraeg boed

yn siaradwyr newydd neu rugl. Mae S4C hefyd yn cynhyrchu cynnwys yn ymwneud â Chwpan y Byd sy’n addas i holl wylwyr y teledu gan gynyddu’r defnydd o isdeitlau Saesneg a Chym raeg.

Yn ôl gwefan CBDC, dywed Siân Doyle, Prif Weithredwr S4C mai “Un o flaenoriaethau S4C yw i groe sawu a chefnogi siaradwyr Cymraeg newydd. Mae ein partneriaeth gyda’r Ganolfan Dysgu Cymraeg Genedla ethol yn rhan hollbwysig o’r amcan yma.

“Fel yr unig ddarlledwr cyhoed

dus ar gyfer gemau rhagbrofol y dynion, ’dyn ni wedi rhannu taith y tîm i Gwpan y Byd gyda chefnogwyr Cymru a ’dyn ni wrth ein bodd gyda’r ffordd mae’r Gymdeithas Bêl-droed wedi cofleidio’r iaith a’i chyflwyno i gefnogwyr ar hyd y daith.”

Newid o ‘Wales’ i ‘Gymru’ ar ôl “at gyfodiad o’r iaith Gymraeg”

Cyhoeddwyd bod CBDC ar hyn o bryd yn ystyried newid enwau timau’r wlad yn swyddogol i ‘Cymru’ yn hytrach na ‘Wales’ a dechreuwyd trafodaethau anffurfiol gyda UEFA i ystyried y newid hwn i’r timau wrth iddynt gystadlu ar lwyfan rhyngwl adol.

Mae’r gymdeithas yn defnyddio ‘Cymru’ ar hyn o bryd yn fewnol ac ar eu cyfryngau cymdeithasol ond fe fydd y newid hwn yn rhoi statws a phlatfform eithaf i’r iaith.

Dywedodd Noel Mooney, Prif Weithredwr CBDC wrth Newyddion S4C: “Dylai’r tîm gael ei alw’n ‘Cym ru’ pob tro dyna be ni’n galw fe yma. Yr unig beth dwi’n gwybod yw bod atgyfodiad o’r iaith Gymraeg wedi bod ac mae yna falchder amlwg yn beth ni’n neud gyda’r diwylliant a threftadaeth.”

Fe fydd y tîm yn mynd i Gwpan y Byd eleni fel ‘Wales’ ond pwy a ŵyr pa ddyfodol fydd i dîm ‘Cymru’ yng nghystadlaethau pêl-droed rhyngwl adol y dyfodol.

Adolygiad: Gwyl Y Gaeaf Caerdydd

Mae goleuadau Nadolig yn eisoes i’w gweld ar hyd a lled y wlad, gydag ambell i goeden yn ymddamngos yn ffenestri’r stry doedd hefyd. Felly, gallwn ddweud unwaith eto fod y Nadolig wedi cyr raedd ac wrth i’r nosweithiau fynd yn hirach, does dim amheuaeth fod nifer ohonoch yn edrych am ffyrdd i ddathlu’r ŵyl yn y Ddinas eleni.

Ceir lliaws o opsiynau, yn amry wio yn ôl oedran a hoffter ac felly mae rhywbeth at ddant bawb yng Nghaerdydd y Nadolig hwn.

Y Farchnad Nadolig Heb amheuaeth, y farchnad Na dolig ar ‘Working st’ yw uchafbwynt Nadoligaidd y ddinas. Mae’n agor ar y 10fed o Dachwedd ac yn parhau i oleuo’r strydoedd oer a thywyll tan Noswyl y Nadolig. Felly, fydd digon o amser gennych i gael cipolwg ar yr ystod eang o siopau a stondinau sydd ar gael. Ceir cyfle gwych yma hefyd i flasu Mulled Wine sbeislyd a melys wrth y bar, neu beint heb ei ail os yr hoffech!

Os nad oes awydd gennych gael alcohol, efallai y bydd siocled poeth

yn eich denu yn lle? Darperir i bawb o bob diddordeb ac felly mae’n werth mentro lawr i amsugno holl hwyl yr ŵyl!

Gwyl y Gaeaf Caerdydd (Winter Wonderland)

O’r olwyn fawr i’r sglefrio ia, os ydych chi’n colli Gŵyl y Gaeaf, ry dych yn colli allan! Manteisiwch ar y digwyddiadau a gweithgareddau Nadoligaidd…. Pa mor aml mae’r cyfle yn codi i sglefrio ar iâ yn nhywydd Caerdydd? I ychwanegu at hyn, am y tro cyntaf erioed eleni ceir ‘Ice bar’ ac mae’n addo i fod yn werth-chweil.

Addas i blant, oedolion ac yn bennaf oedolion sydd yn hoffi ymddwyn fel plant! Mae’n anodd anwybyddu’r gole uadau llachar a’r olwyn enfawr… ond

rhag ofn eich bod yn ansicr, cewch i Erddi’r Orsdedd er mwyn cymryd rhan yn y profiad.

Nadolig ym Mharc Bute

Dywed Wales Online fod y profiad hwn “fel camu i mewn i fyd gwaha nol. Yn syml, mae’n hudol” a dyma’n union beth sydd angen arnom ar ôl y flwyddyn rydym wedi ei chael eleni. Mae’n brofiad o gerdded drwy’r parc gyda goleuadau Nadoligaidd yn eich amgylchynnu, does gen dim amheua eth bod hyn yn olygfa drawiadol a hefyd yn dda i’r ‘Instagrams’! Yng nghanol tywyllwch y Gaeaf mae’n hawdd gadael i’r tywydd effeithio ar eich meddylfryd. Ceir cyfle yma i oleuo’r meddwl a chymdeithasu ar yr un pryd. Prynwch eich tocynnau cyn

Does gen dim amheuaeth bod hyn yn olygfa drawi adol a hefyd yn dda i’r ‘Instagrams !”

iddyn nhw gyd fynd!

Sioeau Nadoligaidd yn y Castell

Mae’n bosib y bydd llawer ohonoch yn mwynhau mentro i’r theatr adeg y Nadolig, felly dyma’r digwyddiad i chi!

Caiff 3 sioe wahanol eu perfformio dros gyfnod y Nadolig gan Rubi con Dance Company yng Nghas tell Caerdydd, sef ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Santa’s wish’ a ‘Castellana’. Gyda chlasuron llawen fel y rhain, fe fydd yn syniad gwych i archebu eich tocyn nau o flaen llaw a gwneud y mwyaf o’r cyfle i gefnogi’r perfformiadau hyn. I ychwanegu creadigrwydd i’r sioeau, maent wedi troi’r clasuron i mewn i fersiynau sydd yn cynnwys elfennau o ddiwylliant Cymraeg. Ceir sôn am y Fari Lwyd o fewn y perfformiad, sydd yn gwneud hi’n unigryw iawn! Mae’r perfformiadau yn dechrau ar y 25ain o Dachwedd felly ewch ati i archebu os yw’n denu’ch diddordeb chi y Nadolig hwn.

Caiff 3 sioe wahanol eu perfformio dros gyfnod y Nadolig gan Rubicon Dance Company yng Nghastell Caerdydd !”

Nansi

Heb amheuaeth, y farchnad Nadolig ar Stryd ‘Working’ yw uchafbwynt Nadoligaidd y ddi nas!”

Mae’r gymdeithas yn defnyddio ‘Cymru’ ar hyn o bryd yn fewnol ac ar eu cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Tarddiad: Peter Hughes (via Flickr)

Mae naws Nadoligaidd wedi cyrraedd Caerdydd. Tarddiad: Ge raint Rowland (via Flickr)

Megan Haf Davies

Golygydd Taf-od

Sut ddyfodol sydd i addysg Gymraeg yn y Gymru gyfoes?

Anest Williams Golygydd Taf-od

Maenatur a ffyniant yr iaith yn amrywio gymaint o un pen o’r wlad i’r llall nes ei bod hi bron yn amhosib ateb y cwestiwn hwn. Fis hydref yma, cyhoeddodd Dyfodol i’r Iaith eu cefnogaeth dros yr alwad i gael ad dysg Gymraeg i holl blant Cymru. Mewn gwlad sydd â’i phoblogaeth yn cynyddu ac felly’r galw am ys golion yn cynyddu, a yw’r Cymry eisiau bod yn llwyr ddwyieithog ynteu ai breuddwyd ffol yw hwn yn unig?

Roedd penderfyniad un o gyn ghorwyr ardal y Mwmbwls, Rob

Mae’n anodd an wybyddu anwybodaeth llwyr sawl un o’r rheini sydd wrth y llyw yn ein cymunedau ”

Marshall, i beidio â chaniatáu plant Ysgol Gynradd Llwynderw i ganu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg mewn gŵyl leol yn un a wylltiodd nifer yn y ddinas. Mae’n anodd anwyby ddu anwybodaeth llwyr sawl un o’r rheini sydd wrth y llyw yn ein cy munedau - roedd Rob Marshall yn gadeirydd ar is-bwyllgor diwylliant yn y dref, ac yn fwriadol yn ceisio gwahardd diwylliant Cymreig dan y grediniaeth nad oes galw dros yr iaith yn yr ardal hon a bod dis gyblion yn siarad Saesneg mewn ysgolion Cymraeg beth bynnag. ‘Anghredadwy’ - dyma ymateb Heini Gruffydd i agwedd Rob Marshall tuag at yr iaith. Mae’r academydd sydd hefyd yn ymgyr chydd dros addysg Gymraeg yn ardal Abertawe hefyd wedi datgan ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol pam fod wir angen mwy o Gymraeg yn y Mwmblws ac nid llai. Cyfrifodd mai ysgol Llwynderw yw’r ysgol â’r nifer fwyaf o ddisgyblion yn yr ardal ac felly bod ‘achos amlwg dros gael ysgol Gymraeg arall i’r Mwmbwls.’

Felly, a yw Rob Marshall yn gy wir? Pe byddai ysgolion Cymru i gyd yn ddwyieithog neu’n uniaith Gymraeg, a fyddai’r disgyblion dal i gymdeithasu yn y Saesneg? Neu ai agwedd besimistaidd yw hon sy’n gwrthod rhoi ffydd ym mhobl ifanc y wlad i drosglwyddo a chy frannu at ffyniant yr iaith?

Yn ôl yng Nghaerdydd, yr ardal â’r canran fwyaf o siaradwyr Cym raeg yng Nghymru, ymddengys fod galw am fwy o ysgolion Cym raeg. Llynedd, cafwyd tro pedol gan Gyngor Caerdydd yn y cynl luniau i gael ysgol Gymraeg arall yn Nhrelluest, ac yn hytrach fe benderfynwyd ar ehangu maint ysgol Pwll Coch a chael ysgol Saesneg arall. Mae 1,473 o ysgo lion cynradd yng Nghymru, a 352 ohonynt yn rhai cyfrwng Cymraeg; os yw Llywodraeth Cymru am gael ei hysgogi gan fudiadau megis Dyfodol i’r Iaith i gynnig addysg Gymraeg gref i holl blant Cymru yng nghyhoeddiad Papur Gwyn ar ddeddf addysg Gymraeg newydd, bydd llawer o waith i ddadwneud

Pryd o Daf-od Steffan Leonard

Cwpan y Byd 2022 : Cwpan llygredd FIFA

Wedi i Gymru cadarnhau ei lle yng Nghwpan y Byd; mae’n rhaid ystyried y cyfnod sydd i ddod ar ddiwedd y mis i fod yn un o gy fnodau mwyaf llewyrchus gêm y bêl-gron yn hanes Cymru. Wrth i ni yng Nghymru ymfalchïo yn llwyddiannau ein tîm cenedla ethol, a’r hyn sydd i ddod dros y mis nesaf; mae cefndir a realiti cynnal y gystadleuaeth yn Qatar yn llusgo i gefn ein meddyliau. Gyda chyn-lywydd FIFA ‘nôl yn 2010 (y cyfnod pan benderfyn wyd cymeradwyo’r gystadleua eth i’r wlad), Seb Blatter, hyd yn oed, yn datgan mai camgymeriad

Dyma Gwpan y Byd sydd wedi cael ei greu gan gam-drin hawliau dynol gweithwyr ”

oedd dyfarnu’r gystadleuaeth i Qatar; fe amlygodd hi unwaith eto’r llygredd a’r ffaith mai arian ysgogodd y symudiad yn gyfan gwbl.

Syndod i bawb oedd hi ‘nôl yn 2010 ynghylch penderfyniad corfforaeth FIFA i ddyfarnu cys tadleuaeth fwyaf y byd pêl-droed i wlad a oedd yn sefyll mor isel â 114 yn safleoedd FIFA ar y pryd, ac i wlad sydd ag amodau anad das ar gyfer chwarae pêl-droed yn ystod cyfnod arferol Cwpan y Byd. Penderfyniad a wnaeth achosi i ni gael y gystadleuaeth Cwpan y Byd cyntaf i gael ei gynnal yn y Gaeaf; sydd nid yn unig am effeithio ar bêl-droed domestig yn Ewrop, ond hefyd wedi achosi anafiadau di-ri wrth i chwaraewyr ceisio ymdopi â’r calendr prysur, llawn gemau, cyn cyfnod y gystadleuaeth ryngwl adol.

Ond yr hyn sydd yn eitha fol anghywir am gynnal y gys tadleuaeth mewn gwlad fel Qa

tar yw’r anfoesoldeb sydd wedi bod wrth wraidd gallu cynnal y gystadleuaeth yna; a hefyd yn eu cymdeithas nhw yn gyffredi nol. Dyma Gwpan y Byd sydd wedi cael ei greu gan gam-drin hawliau dynol gweithwyr mudol a fydd yna’n clodfori a rhoi gwlad sydd â meddylfryd cwpl caeedig o ran rhywioldeb a’r gymuned LHDT+.

Fel cefnogwr brwd o bêldroed, naill ai ar lefel clwb neu wrth wylio Cymru; yr wyf yn falch o weld fod y gêm a’r diwyl liant o’i chwmpas yn datblygu i fod yn le sydd yn gwneud mwy i wneud pawb i deimlo’n gar trefol wrth fwynhau pêl-droed. Er, efallai, fod yna mwy i wneud er mwyn gwneud y gêm yn gy muned hollol agored - yr ydym yn sicr yn mynd ar hyd y trywydd cywir. Felly siom yw hi, i mi, ac i gymaint o gefnogwyr pêl-droed ar draws y byd ynghylch sut al lai FIFA anwybyddu’r ffaith fod y twrnamaint yma am ddieithrio

Trafod gyda’r Taf-od Ben Scott

Beth wyt ti’n astudio ac i le wyt ti’n dod? Planning and development, Pen Llŷn

Vodka neu Gin? Vodka

Beth yw dy farn amhoblo gaidd? Rygbi ‘di prif gamp Cymru

Oes

Hoff

Hoff albwm? Album ‘dolig 2013

Beth wyt ti’n edrych ymlaen at wneud eleni? Mynychu ‘Steddfod Boduan

Sut wyt ti’n gwella hango ver? Dechra yfed eto

Beth oedd y ffilm ddiwethaf i ti wylio? Legend gyda Tom Hardy

presenoldeb addysg Saesneg yn ein cymunedau yn enwedig yn Ne Cymru lle mae mwy o alw amdano. Mae Cymru eisiau siarad Cym raeg, mae’r ddeiseb ‘Wish I spoke Welsh’ sy’n cylchu cyfryngau cym deithasol yn brawf o hyn. Pe gofyn nwn i siaradwr Cymraeg os ydyn nhw wedi cael sgwrs â Chymry diGymraeg sy’n genfigennus o’u gal lu i siarad yr iaith, dw i’n siŵr mai’r ateb fyddai ‘mwy nag unwaith’. Mae’n bryd i ni fod yn gadarnhaol a ffyddiog am ein hiaith oherwydd bod dwyieithrwydd heddiw nid ond yn fuddiol, ond yn ffasiynol hefyd. Mae’r Cymry eisiau siarad Cymraeg.

Bydd llawer o waith i ddadwneud preseno ldeb addysg Saesneg yn ein cymunedau yn enwedig yn Ne Cymru”

Jack Thomas Blwyddyn 1 Cyfryngau a Chyfathrebu

Er bod yna nifer o broblemau gyda chynnal Cwpan y Byd yn Qatar, y peth pwysicaf i mi ydy’r ffaith ein bod yn cael y cyfle i wylio Cymru’n cystadlu. Dwi mor hapus a chyffrous i weld Cymru’n cystadlu mewn Cwpan y Byd o fewn fy oes. Mae ein tîm yn cyn nwys cymysg perffaith o sêr profiadol fel Bale, Ramsey, Joe Allen ayyb, gyda chwaraewyr egnïol, talentog y dyfodol fel Brennan Johnson, Dan James a Connor Roberts. Mae’r cymysg yma, ynghyd ag arweinyddiaeth Rob Page, wedi arwain at lwyddiant aruthrol y wlad wrth gyrraedd Cwpan y Byd. Dwi methu aros i glywed y Wal Goch yn bloeddio Yma o Hyd wrth wylio’n tîm ni ar lwyfan mwya’r Byd. Er lleo liad hynod ddadleuol y gystadleuaeth, mi fydd fy nghyffro ar gyfer Cwpan y Byd yn annhebyg i’r arferol, achos bod Cymru yn rhan ohono.

cymaint o’r cefnogwyr pêl-droed hynny a fyddai wedi gobeithio cael y cyfle i deithio i gefnogi eu timoedd cenedlaethol.

Felly wrth i ni ymfalchïo yng nghystadleuaeth fwyaf y byd ac edrych ymlaen gyda balch der wrth i Gymru frwydro i ennill tlws mwyaf gwerthfawr pêl-droed; mae’n rhaid gofyn y cwestiwn sut cafodd gêm fw yaf poblogaidd y byd modern ei ddyfarnu i wlad sydd yn br wydro yn erbyn y moesau sydd wrth wraidd ein cymdeithas erbyn hyn. Heb os, mae Cym deithas bêl-droed Cymru wedi gwneud cymaint i sicrhau fod cynwysoldeb yn weledol amlwg yn y profiad o gefnogi ein tîm cenedlaethol ni yn ein camp gen edlaethol. Fe fydd hi felly yn gy ferbyniad trawiadol wrth i garfan Cymru droedio ar y cae o flaen cynulleidfa’r byd.

Gruffudd Evans Blwyddyn 3 Y Gyfraith

Yn bersonol, dydw i ddim yn rhy ha pus fod Cwpan y Byd yn cael ei gynnal yn Qatar eleni.

Mae tymheredd Qatar wedi golygu byddai’r bencampwriaeth yn cael i gyn nal yn y gaeaf yn lle’r haf. Yn fy marn i, mae hyn yn tynnu un o elfennau gorau’r bencampwriaeth i ffwrdd sef y brwdfrydedd a’r hwyl o allu gwylio’r gystadleuaeth yn yr haf.

Mae hefyd problemau moesol hefo Qatar yn cynnal y Cwpan y Byd. Teimlaf fod yr hawliau dynol sydd i gael yn Qa tar yn afiach. Mae’r amodau gweithio gwael wedi achosi marwolaeth miloedd wrth adeiladu’r safle. Ar ben hynny, mae cyfreithiau ofnadwy o homoffobig yn y wlad a dydw i ddim yn meddwl y dylai gwlad sydd methu parchu pobl haeddu dal twrnamaint sydd hefo statws bydeang fel hwn.

Lois Campbell Blwyddyn 3 Cymraeg ac Newyddaiduraeth

Hoff gân carioci?

Pwy yw dy seleb crush?

Margot Robbie

Pwy fydd yn trafod gyda’r

Taf-od wythnos nesaf?

Steff Thomas

Ers i FIFA gyhoeddi nôl yn 2010 mai Qatar fyddai’n cynnal Pencamp wriaeth Cwpan y Byd eleni, mae llawer o gwestiynau wedi codi ynglŷn â moe sau a rheolau’r wlad. Wrth ystyried amodau gweithio gwael Qatar wrth iddyn nhw baratoi at y gystadleuaeth, eu rheolau llym tuag at fenywod a ph obl o fewn y gymuned LGBTQ+ a’r si fod y dewis i gynnal y bencampwriaeth yn Qatar wedi bod yn anfoesol, mae’n anodd medru cefnogi moesau sydd mor wahanol i’r hyn dwi’n ei gredu yno. Er bod nifer o’r rheolau sydd gan Qatar yn cyd-fynd ag agweddau o’r grefydd Islamaidd, mae’n annheg fod cymaint o gefnogwyr pêl-droed yn cael eu hynysu o Gwpan y Byd ‘leni.

Barn Y BoblSut Ydych chi’n teimlo bod Cwpan y Byd eleni yn cael ei gynnal yn Qatar eleni?

Movember

JK Rowling’s ‘TERF Wars’

Marsh Comment Editor

Last month, despite being ranked one of the safest cities in the UK for queer people, Cardiff was home to an annual conference celebrating hatred and violence towards transgender people. The con ference itself claims to focus on feminism, but it’s incred ibly clear that it is a safe haven for TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) to express their views that the existence of trans women is an attack on the rights of cisgender women. Several panels at the conference were hosted by notoriously transphobic speakers, and dur ing the conference The Queer Emporium, one of Cardiff’s main queer spaces, was target ted with anti-trans propaganda being posted on the door.

The TERF movement is a con cerning and growing trend, and it continues to be legitimised for many people by one promi nent figure. JK Rowling has expressed quietly anti-queer views for years, it’s a suspicious coincidence that her pen name Robert Galbraith is also the name of a conversion therapist, but it still came as a shock for many when she wrote her now infamous anti-trans essay. Her continued vendetta against the trans community, thinly veiled behind a guise of feminism, is a sign for many that this behav

The TERF movement is a concerning and grow ing trend, and it con tinues to be legitimised for many people by one prominent figure.”

iour is not only acceptable but that the information spread by these groups is true. According to JK Rowling and those who hold her beliefs, trans people are dangerous. They are ‘men dressing as women’ in order to target women and girls and at tack them in places such as pub lic bathrooms.

This information is spread as though it is fact when in re ality there is incredibly little evidence to back up the claims. A CNN investigation into the topic found that within the re gions surveyed, there had only been one reported incident of a male sexually harassing women in a public bathroom who stat ed gender anti-discrimination laws as his motivation. Further more, the National Center for Transgender Equality told ‘Mic. com’ that there is no evidence of any instances of transgender

people attacking cisgender peo ple in public bathrooms. On the contrary, a 2019 study found that in schools which restrict bathroom and locker room ac cess aligning with students’ gen der identity, 36% of transgender students reported being sexually assaulted in the last 12 months.

Furthermore, two-thirds of transgender people surveyed in a UK study said that they cannot use public bathrooms for fear of a transphobic attack, and half of the people surveyed reported being victim to a transphobic at tack in the last 12 months.

All of this points to the fact that the claims made by ‘gender critical’ groups that transgender women are dangerous are, on the whole, simply not true. In fact, transgender people are far more at risk of being attacked physically, verbally or sexually by a cisgender person than the

other way around. People who claim to be feminists by promot ing these false views are not do ing so out of a desire to protect women, they are using this as a weak excuse for their bigoted views and it is important for the safety of trans people that these myths continue to be dispelled. As long as someone with as large a platform as JK Rowling is al lowed to express these views un challenged, transgender people will continue to live in fear.

In schools which restrict bathroom and locker room access aligning with stu dents’ gender identity, 36% of transgender students report ed being sexually assaulted in the last 12 months.”

It’s that time of year again, after Halloween and in the run up to Christmas, the end of daylight sav ings time inevitably means the start of daylight shaving time. Movember is back. Moustaches are sweeping the nation by storm again, fundraisers are being set up and the discussion around male mental health is back in the spotlight again.

However, Movember has only ex isted since 2003. Even though the movement has grown exponentially from 30 “Mo-Bros” in its first year to nearly 7 million in 2021, how much has this actually had an effect on the stigma of men talking about their mental health?

Well, it is no secret that the prob lem of male mental health is still very much unsolved. According to the Of fice of National Statistics, each year

75% of the people who take their own life in the UK are men. Now that is a harrowing statistic and considering how much it has been published by outlets across the political spectrum should, in theory, invoke more of a change. However, the statistics repeat year on year and it is abundantly clear that cis men tend to find it harder to reach out and seek help compared to others.

Historically, there has existed a presumption that the ideal state of masculinity, and thus what every man is supposed to strive to be. According to former Mind Cymru Ambassador Lee Cambale this can be summed up as “the idea that strong and silent is alluring/attractive”. Now this is not to say that there are not other problem atic presumptions on the other side of the coin when it comes to femininity or that there still definitively exists a gender binary, but it is important to acknowledge that the cultural status quo means that men are not expected

to be expressive about their feelings. So how has the stache changed this? Well for a start, the movement has undeniably opened up a conver sation due to its prominence in popu lar culture, especially starting from the mid to late 2010s. Secondly, the fi nancial juggernaut it has become has

also helped fund 1,250 men’s health projects since 2003 as well as mas sively contributing to prostate cancer research.

However, Movember’s biggest im pact comes from just how many sec ondary movements it has spawned. From the Premier League’s Head’s

Up campaign to rugby’s LooseHeadz, there now exists so many more spe cific avenues to spread awareness and support than before in male domi nated arenas. Furthermore, there has been an increase in sports personali ties, celebrities and musicians who have talked about their mental health struggles honestly and openly, which only helps break down the traditional notions that male idols are somehow devoid of emotion.

Now is all this specifically because of the Movember movement? No, of course not. But it is undeniable that Movember is changing the face of men’s mental health to make the discussion wider, more inclusive and more honest. So if that continues to be the case, long may Movember grow.

Each year 75% of the people who take their own life in the UK are men.”

Frances

Radical Feminists are re-framing transphobia as an attack on the rights of cisgendered women (Source: The F-Word)

- how the ‘stache has changed the face of men’s mental health

Clelia Frondaroli

Evan Johnson-Charteris

Frances Marsh gairrhyddcomment22@gmail.com

Evan Johnson-Charteris Comment Editor

Evan Johnson-Charteris

reflects on the impact that Movember has had on awareness of men’s mental health

How transgender people have become scapegoats for Radical Feminists

Ignorance in an era of information

Just Stop Oil: Helping or Harming the Climate Cause?

Roy Contributor Clelia Frondaroli Head of Comment

Hasmore information really made us more knowledge able? I found myself won dering this when, on a Sunday morning, I looked at my coffee and realised I wouldn’t be able to explain how a coffee bean grew. Although embarrassing to admit, I am not alone in my ignorance: over 69% of young adults in America could not locate the UK on a map; over 23% of them believe the Holo caust was a myth. In the current age of the internet, google alone processes more than 200 peta bytes of data each day (where one petabyte of data would be equiva lent to 11,000 HD movies); the world’s knowledge through books, journals, and research all made available to us in a matter of a few seconds. Yet, as hate speech and racial slurs increasingly grow and disseminate across social media platforms and the internet, it is dif ficult to believe that whilst our ac cess to information has improved exponentially, our ignorance has not.

However, why is this the case?

When Donny Miller stated, ‘In an age of information, ignorance is a choice’, he failed to acknowledge that this ‘age of information’ does not exist without flaws. The sheer

volume of information amassed over the last two decades has shown that quantity of informa tion has not necessarily equated to quality of information and given the rise of phenomena such as fake news and echo chambers, the information we see online to day can be deeply misleading. In a study conducted by Journolink, they found that there were over 200 million monthly engagements with fake news stories on Face book, with 86% of American adults admitting to have not fact-checked

the news they read before sharing it with their family and friends. Al though it is currently understood that ignorance arises from (as de fined by Cambridge dictionary) a ‘lack of knowledge, understanding, or information about something’, the same could be said about it arising from inaccurate or false in formation.

Furthermore, in an era of anony mous freedom of expression and a plethora of viewpoints that all op pose and contradict one another, the internet has given ignorance a

It is difficult to believe that whilst our access to information has improved exponentially, our ignorance has not.”

platform to breed. The lack of reg ulation on these sites has meant that conspiracy theorists, radi cal nationalists and extremists all have a space to freely disseminate harmful ideas to a wider audience, where it is shared, multiplied, and believed.

Perhaps then, the act of igno rance is not a choice but rather a product of our complacency to take the information we come across as fact. Ignorance, like knowledge, must be revised and checked, and if we fail to critically examine and research the news we read; the amount of information we receive will not make us less ignorant. Go ing by the words of one proverb, ‘There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out’ and to not find out is where our ig norance truly lies.

86% of American adults admit to have not factchecked the news they read before sharing it with their family and friends.”

Qatar 2022: how the world is dealing with the

Rubie Barker Contributor

In 2010, Fifa made the unprece dented and surprising decision to award Qatar the 2022 Fifa World Cup. As the tournament approach es, conversations have begun again over the controversy of the compe tition being held in a country whose track record on human rights has been questionable. Temperatures in the summer months in Qatar reach over 40 °C and never dip below 30 °C, meaning the 2022 Football World Cup will be held for the first time in the autumn season. With thousands of construction workers dying, hos tility towards the LGBTQ+ commu nity and questions about whether the country’s transport system is equipped to welcome thousands of visitors (if not millions), many have been left wondering why Qatar was chosen to host in the first place?

When Fifa awarded the world cup to Qatar, Sepp Blatter was the presi dent of the football’s governing body but said later this month that it was a “mistake” to have given the event to the Arab nation. Since then, Blat ter has been forced to step down over allegations of illegal transfers along with Michel Platini, the UEFA President at the time. The alleged il legal ongoings, led some to speculate

about the legitimacy of the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, with alle gations of widespread corruption and investigations being launched, which ultimately cleared Qatar and Russia of any wrongdoing.

The controversies that surround this decision have not disappeared.

To prepare for the event Qatar has built seven stadiums for the finals and 100 new hotels. Amnesty Inter national last year released a research paper into ‘The state of Migrant Worker’s Rights in Qatar’ saying that workers have been abused since work began to build the stadiums in 2010.

Alcohol is normally strictly allowed

only in hotel bars, and while rules have been loosened slightly, there are zones dedicated for fans to go and so ber up.

The treatment of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar has been a sense of tension and worry for those at tending, whether as players, fans or commentators. Qatar law means that male homosexuality is punishable by 3 years in prison, and although there are no known cases, under Sharia law the death penalty can be enforced. In September, Harry Kane said that he was honored to join his “fellow na tional team captains in supporting the important OneLove campaign”

when he first wore the OneLove arm band, promoting diversity and inclu sion in football as he will be doing at the World Cup.

There is a suggestion that Qatar seeks to improve its public image by hosting this event, proving that it is a country of openness and progression. Could this be another case of ‘Sport swashing’, where groups/countries use sports to clean up their reputa tions? While hosting Have I got News for you?, Gary Neville was called out by the panelists for commentating in Qatar although he said the position will allow him to “highlight the issues and challenges in these countries and speak about them”.

It is clear then, that the world is talking, and that the issues this World Cup has raised are being spoken about. Whether the World Cup will help Qatar clean up their reputation as perhaps hoped or whether it has just highlighted the human rights issues in the country, remains to be seen.

Qatar law means that male homosexuality is punishable by 3 years in prison, “

In the past weeks, news of protests from ‘Just Stop Oil’ have overcrowded the internet, making many wonder what exactly is happening. With both ‘Insulate Britain’ and ‘Extinction Rebellion’ at the leadership, Just Stop Oil is an environmental activism organization. The movement first received prominence following a string of protests in March 2022. Pitch invasions at several Premier League football stadiums were among them, with one activist hanging himself to a goalpost in one instance.

Just Stop Oil’s way of protest has been quite different from the beginning as the organization and its members have taken radical measures to spread their core agenda of stopping the usage of oil and other fossil fuels. Its members have organised a range of protests from throwing soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the London National Gallery to attempting disruption of the British Grand Prix. Adding to the list are the recent demonstrations on the M25 motorway over the last weeks.

There is no disputing that many people’s attention has now been on Just Stop Oil’s current strategies. The disruptive protests frequently backfire, alienating prospective followers and, in some cases, escalating into physical altercations with members of the public. The most recent blockade of key London roadways by demonstrators prevented traffic from moving for several hours. As a result, there was intense public outrage. The legitimacy of the entire cause is eventually harmed by this kind of demonstration, which disrupts everyday people. In addition to increasing pollution, stopping traffic forces emergency vehicles to take a different route, possibly endangering lives.

After pouring soup on the painting, two Just Stop Oil activists were detained. Whilst the canvas was covered by glass and unharmed, witnesses furiously questioned the group’s decision to target one of the most well-known and cherished works of art in the whole world. Although Bob Geldof asserted that the demonstrators were “1,000% right,” many find it difficult to support such strategies.

The organization’s language choice has not helped in the positive development of their issue either. Calls for “climate justice” and “civil resistance” against the “carbon elites” are difficult to understand for many. This usage of this language may have gained activists support but the general public has remained on the whole unconvinced.

In the end, whilst Just Stop Oil doesn’t appear to have trouble garnering headlines, it remains unclear whether it will actually impact government policy. If the group is to actually make a positive change, it may need to change from these radical demonstrations to other strategies of protest. The group could start organising events which aim to inform the public, engage in activities to show how this positive change can start from the people, engage in civic dialogues with industry leaders, and work with the government to promote policies for the aim they are working towards.

This organization’s aim is much needed in today’s world. But, until it can discover a way to convey its message which actually convinces the public, Just Stop Oil will struggle to make an actual dent.

Megha

Why is there still ignorance in a time of too much information? (Source:

Patina Photo, Via USF Oracle)

moral consequences of the tournament

Clelia Frondaroli analyses the impact that the volume of information on the internet has had on ignorance in today’s society

Saftey on darker November nights

Lucy Matthews Advice Editor

As the November darkness starts to settle in the early evening, music is turned off and vigilance is turned on. Late nights bring threats in the form of eerie back alleys and the stranger who is walking a little too close be hind you- elements that women in particular are familiar with. Girl’s pace their rooms awaiting) texts from friends making fateful journeys across the evening dark, as it was re vealed last summer that one in two women felt unsafe walking alone af ter dark in a quiet street near their home. Tips and tricks on how to stay safe at night are an exhausting yearly and daily occurrence, however they do prevent harm and, in some cir cumstances - save lives.

Safety is in numbers and if a latenight lecture means a long walk back across a dimly lit street where a catcall may be encountered, ensure that you are accompanied by some one making the same journey. Don’t feel guilty for keeping friends on the phone whilst you venture under a

dark sky, even ringing them to come meet and walk with you is a safer op tion than not. On top of this, Cardiff Bus Service runs into the late even ing, with some lines even providing a twenty-four-hour service. Check ing these out to avoid uncomfortable paranoid walks is beneficial for all students as it starts to get darker. Strut Safe, a hotline set up by two students to help women feel more safe and secure when walking at night is one call away on 0333 335 0026. This will provide support in

the form of reassurance from pro fessional volunteers, who also have a direct line with emergency ser vices if your journey gets particu larly chilling. Alongside this, Cardiff Nightline offers an 8pm-8am service where callers make uncomfortable journeys easier and Dragon Taxi’s offer a more personalised student taxi service where you can get into a vehicle that you can put your entire trust in.

Two out of three women aged 16-34 experienced either cat calls,

Two out of three women aged 16-34 experienced either cat calls, unwanted sexual comments or whistles in the last twelve months when walking home alone"

unwanted sexual comments or whis tles in the last twelve months when walking home alone at night. This is further heightened by the 29% of women who felt like they were being followed. These statistics reflect the appalling reality of being a woman in society today, where traumatic uni versal experiences are continually brushed under a sexist mat of mi sogyny and neglect.

Get home safe tactics are depress ing solutions within a society that refuses to address the issue at its core. Ditching shoes that are easy to run in and putting keys in pockets instead of in-between shaking fin gers should be priorities in a future that put women’s safety at night first. After all, the dark is not the unset tling main factor in the conversation around women’s safety at night- so ciety is.

Strut Safe, a hotline set up by two students to help women feel more safe and secure when walking at

Productive things to do whilst being stuck inside on a winter's day

Megan Shinner Head of Advice

With the shorter days upon us, and the rain pouring nonstop over Cardiff, it becomes very easy to write the day off and climb into bed once 5 pm rolls around. It’s that time of year when academically you need to get things done, but your motiva tion has disappeared with the sun shine. However, you don’t have to be in an academic mindset to be productive! Just because the light has ended, it doesn’t mean your day has too. Here are some useful things you can do when stuck indoors on a dark night.

First of all, let us start with de cluttering your space. A tidy room is a tidy mind, after all! If you’ve been avoiding taking the bins out or folding that laundry, now is the time to get cracking. Also, if you know you’ve got some new clothes coming your way for Christmas or during the Black Friday sales, maybe it’s a good time to go through your ward robe and get rid of some of your old summer clothes. There are plenty of charity shops scattered across Cardiff and surrounding areas that would appreciate donations.

Next, how about getting some personal admin done? I know, I know – we said no work! However, this is different, I promise! Some easy organisational tasks can help

your future academic self out.

This is a great time to sit down with a playlist to delete all those spam emails and respond to some of the important ones that have been sitting in the inbox for a while. Does your placement offer a study day next Friday? How about writing out a structure for the day? Maybe you have loads of meetings coming up, and it is becoming overwhelming.

Sit down with your diary for twenty minutes and organise your life onto those pages. From shopping lists to fridge door post-it notes, it is some times the little things that keep us from falling apart.

Now, food is fuel, and there’s nothing worse than having a day so swamped that you barely have time to sort your dinner out. Batch cooking is a brilliant use of time if

you can’t think of anything to do. Any type of curry, spaghetti bolog naise, soup, and pasta bake are just a few ideas of delicious meals that you can make in large portions and spread throughout the week. Some of these are also safe to freeze, so every weekend you can treat your self to a hearty meal with minimum effort. By using your spare time now, you may save your future-self

In order for self-care to be effective, you have to fully engage with it. You must re member that we work to live, not live to work!

lots of stress!

The final and most productive thing you can probably do is take some time out for self-care. Some people see it as a waste of time as they can be doing something else, like essay writing, in this time in stead. However, if you can’t take care of yourself, then how do you expect to take care of your work? Self-care is individual for every per son. Some like to exercise, and some like to run a hot bath with lots of essential oils and bath bombs. I also heard that retail therapy is a genu ine thing, right?

Personally, I like to read a book I’ve been looking forward to or re-watching one of my favourite shows with an unhealthy amount of pesto pasta. However, no matter what form of self-care you engage in, make sure you have work mode fully switched off. Yes, this includes checking the work group chat about shift swaps and forwarding your classmate the reading for next week.

In order for self-care to be effec tive, you have to fully engage with it. You must remember that we work to live, not live to work!

Lucy Matthews provides important things to consider whilst out and about in the dark.

Megan Shinner shares some non-academic activities to help you feel productive in the colder months.

Nightime Safety: With the days getting shorter, it's really important we keep safe on the dark commute in a big city. Source: Fidan Jafarova (via Pexels)

Productivity: . When motivation is lacking this winter, there are many ways you can stay productive!

Source: Taryn Elliott (via Pexels)

the

dark is not the unset tling main factor in the con versation around women’s safety at night- society is"

Megan Shinner

Lucy Matthews

Shaniece O'Keeffe

gairrhyddadvice@gmail.com

Sharing with Shaniece Advice Column

How to cope with Bereavement

Freya Johns Contributor

When you go through a be reavement it can feel like your whole world col lapses around you. Suddenly, eve rything is cold and unfamiliar, and you are completely at a loss of what to do.This article aims to offer some advice, and hopefully in turn some comfort through such a painful time.

Give yourself grace

After experiencing a death,you cannot expect to keep going as if nothing has changed. You have to be kind to yourself and adjust your expectations about what you are go ing to be able to get done. As a stu dent this can be difficult with a busy workload, but I urge you to speak to your tutors and apply for extensions if you need them.

Don't focus on how you “should” feel

It can be very easy to feel guilt around the emotions you experi ence as part of your grief, but there is no right or wrong way to feel. Try to remember that grief is an incred ibly personal and individual experi ence, with no good to come from comparing yourself to others.

Let yourself grieve

Dating someone with different political views

Shaniece O'Keeffe Advice Editor

Throughout life we all en counter people with differ ent upbringings, and univer sity only exemplifies this. This usually coincides with political views. With our country being in constant turmoil politics is on everyone's minds. When dating someone new conversations will begin to arise about where you or they may stand politically and this can sometimes make or break a relation ship. So, is it really possible to date someone with different political views than you? There isn't one answer to this question. It highly depends on where your views differ and how im portant politics is to you and your po tential or new partner.

First question you should ask your self is: Do our views differ but morals align? If you have differing views yet you have the same principles which you both stand by, this is a relationship that can blossom and have no obsta cles in regards to ideology. If anything, it can allow you both to learn to listen to different opinions and engage in in tellectual conversion which can often be insightful. This doesn't mean that you need to change your opinion but instead allow you to remember that not everyone has the same view of the world and if your partner is also on the same page with this view then why should it matter whether you agree on everything or not. Allowing your self to learn and listen to both sides of an argument can be so beneficial for your own life skills and can often al low you to view how a country should

be run and parts of society differently. There can be benefits of dating some one who doesn't just agree with you, and as long as you both respect each other and set boundaries when having these conversations) it doesn't need to be a problem for your relationship. Sometimes challenging one another on why they believe what they believe can strengthen your opinion and that's okay, it's about where you both pri oritise having the exact views as the person you are dating. If differing in certain ideas and opinions isn't some thing that is a deal breaker then it's very much possible to date someone with different political views.

However, if politics, morals and beliefs are important to you when dating,then speaking about this early on would be the best way to under stand whether this is the person you can see yourself having a future with. When believing in a certain party of ideology there are conflicting beliefs and all parties strive for different out comes when it comes to social issues, international issues, economic issuesand the list goes on. As someone who supports labour I don't think this gov ernment and the conservatives share the same ideas when it comes to many of the issues mentioned before, nor does the party share the same values and vice versa. Personally I would like a partner that shared common values and beliefs with me. Of course, this doesn't mean I want someone to agree with me completely, healthy disagree ments are great in a relationship, how ever if you vote a certain way which isn’t on or near the political spectrum I believe in, we don’t agree on the same fundamentals and that causes an issue

for me. If you are politically active then I think it is quite difficult to date some one who votes the opposite side to you. A question you may ask yourself is, ’can I sit and watch the news with them without hating them for simply voting a certain way?’. If you identify as someone from the LGBTQ+ com munity or have family/friends who do, dating someone who votes for a party which does not support these people and their rights can be a major stand point on how you view that person. There are many oppositions with the main political parties in the UK and dating someone who votes for a leader with a track history of Islamophobia and misogyny is something that cer tainly is not attractive.

There are exceptions and although someone votes for a certain party does not mean they agree with many politicians within the party. One way you can find out if that person is for you is to get to know them before you pass judgement on them. Find out their character, they could be the most amazing person but because you instantly were put off with their party politics you would've missed a great opportunity to get to know them more. You could also get to know them and be instantly turned off and that's okay too. It's about learning what you need from a relationship. Dating apps now have a setting on them to show in your profile where you are on the political spectrum. When scrolling through Hinge for instance, you may see a person who is a smoker and not send a like to them because you don't like the act and that can be the same for their politics. This is a great way to filter the people you want to date and

If anything, it can allow you both to learn to listen to dif ferent opinions and engage in intellectual conversion which can often be insightful."

get to know.

Navigating a relationship is always hard and finding that balance with a person can prove difficult sometimes. If you aren't looking for a long term partner and you can put aside certain opinions they may hold then date all you want. If you both agree with this then just avoid conversations which may lead to big disagreements. If poli tics is something that is non-negotia ble then don't waste your time dating someone who doesn't share the same beliefs. You shouldn't try to change them because it causes more conflict within the relationship and eventually something will come up which may break you or your partner; it's best to save yourself from heartbreak. Inevita bly you are your own person and have the decision to date who you want to date. If they have many other great qualities that override the dreaded ‘who did you vote for’ question then date who you want to date. It's about gauging what you're looking for in a relationship and whether where some one identifies on the political spec trum really matters to you. As a whole, politics is embedded within society and amongst young people, that poli tics is something which needs to be considered now when dating. Loving someone who doesn't share the same values as you is a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes the pain of grief can feel so sharp and overwhelming that it seems easier to push it down and avoid it. This will only prolong the difficulty and allow it to rear its head down the line when you think that you have moved forward.

Don’t hold other people's grief

It is important to look after your self before attempting to support others that are also grieving. If you take on other people's emotions be fore you have faced your own it can quickly become very overwhelming.

Find their presence in your life

Once you have felt the initial shock and pain of a bereavement you will start to slowly go back to your everyday life. It can be com forting to find the things or phras es that remind you of the person you’ve lost. If you can find the ways in which they are present in your life, the physical loss can become less painful.

Take

your time

Grief is not quick, nor is it linear. You will heal at your own pace and emotions will pop up at unexpected moments. As you start to see how your life looks without them you will understand that the loss of someone is not something that you ever truly “get over”, more that it is a part of your life that you grow around. You learn to make progress in your life alongside the loss.

Ultimately, being patient with yourself is the upmost important thing to remember when going through a bereavement. You won't feel like this forever, but healing al ways takes it's time and affects us all differently.

Grief is not quick, nor is it linear. You will heal at your own pace and emotions will pop up at unexpected mo ments. "

Disclaimer – this advice is written by a student. This is not professional advice*

Source: Element5 Digital (via Pexels)

Haris Hussnain gairrhyddreview@gmail.com

Streetfood Cinema at Splott Market

Alisha Ratcliffe Contributor

Last week I went to a drive-in street food cinema, and this was my experience.

First, the price; £25 with a £2 ser vice charge. This price was for one showing of your chosen film (Silence of The Lambs) for one car. This was a fair price considering all the effort that went into the event.

On the day of the event, I received an email with further details about the event, such as the location, time to ar rive, the food on offer and safety infor mation. The email suggests arriving at the location between 7:45pm- 8:15pm for the film, which started at 8:45pm. With myself and my partner not knowing the location well, we decided to start our journey early to ensure we wouldn’t be lost or late.

Before arriving, we went to get some snacks for the film and brought blankets and pillows to make the ex perience as comfortable as possible, which I’d recommend. We arrived at the warehouse in Splott at around 7:30pm, early and second in the queue. From the road, we could observe some

We were slightly disap pointed with the size as we paid £12 each for a small pizza, but it did taste nice.”

of the lights flashing while the film before ours was ending. Closer to the time of arrival, many more cars were gathering behind us and there was a large queue to enter.

A steward opened the gates and talked to the drivers of the cars one by one as we came into a car park area, then a different steward guided the cars individually to different rows, the smallest cars on the left-hand side and the larger cars/ vans on the furthest right-hand side. We were informed to set our radio stations to 87.9FM. When doing this, we could hear the

end of the film that was still going on inside the warehouse. Before arriving, I was concerned we would be listen ing to the film through a speaker and would have to have the windows down for the entirety of the film, but the ra dio was a very good solution. Around 8:30pm a steward was talking to us though the radio and giving us in structions on entering the warehouse. After being guided in, we were very pleased to find we were in the front row, being one of the smaller cars and being early was worth it! The location had amazing amounts of Halloween

All in all, this was a wonderful experience”

decorations and lights. There were toi lets located at the back and food stalls on the left of the cars. Before the start of the film, we were informed to turn the engines off and on again every 25 mins to avoid the battery dying and to put hazards on if there was any prob lems. A steward put a QR sticker on each car wing mirror with an indi vidual number on it. When scanning the QR code, we were taken to a web site with the individual food stalls (Big Apple Hot Dogs, Nachos and Wings, Bare Bones Pizza, Smoking Grid dle and Joe’s ice-cream). We chose to have a pizza each. These were swiftly delivered to our car. We were slightly disappointed with the size as we paid £12 each for a small pizza, but it did taste nice.

All in all, this was a wonderful ex perience, and I would highly recom mend trying it out. The location was incredibly decorated and the use of the radio was ingenious and made the experience so much more enjoy able. The film quality was amazing, the food was delicious but maybe a little expensive and the stewards were so helpful.

Revolver: Special edition of The Beatles album released

Edwards Review Editor

The reissue market is the lead ing reason why CDs still sit on shop shelves. ‘Super De luxe Editions’ is rather tempting to music fans: they encourage them to re-purchase albums with the prom ise of a new remix, outtakes, demos, and more in an attractive package. There is nobody the music busi ness would like to target than the generations with supplementary in

The reissue market is the leading reason why CDs still sit on shop shelves”

come who hold nostalgia for classic records. This is most apparent with the Beatles; to say they have a univer sal appeal would be a severe under statement, yet the limitations of re cording studios in the 1960s haven’t always ensured they’ve sounded the best they could. Since 2017, Ap ple Records have been souping up treasured music with producer Giles Martin. It is now the turn of 1966’s Revolver, which is a starkly cool and bonafide piece of pop-rock-inventing and psychedelia-personified Beatles.

For the brilliant Disney+ phenom enon ‘The Beatles: Get Back’, Peter Jackson was handed hours of footage of the Beatles rehearsing in 1970, but much of this had sound issues. He

Apple Records have been souping up treas ured music with producer Giles Martin”

then developed artificial intelligence to turn primitive recordings into fullblown modern stereo, and the result is undoubtedly impressive. Vocals are no longer restricted to one chan nel, and the instruments can be eas ily picked out and followed on good headphones. The bounce and snap of ‘I Want to Tell You’, namely, is joyous, and ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ fo cuses on the Beatles’ unrivalled har mony. It was the one fans were look ing forward to the most, and therefore it has been doubly disappointing to see its numerous shortfalls.

On this set, Apple has put the same tracks on both the CD and vinyl ver sions. For the former, there are only 162 minutes of music spread thin over 5 discs. If you remove a couple of takes that fans have heard before, it could easily fit on two CDs. Which makes this a gruelingly short listen for customers, all over in an hour or two. Also, it is common for these de luxe boxsets to feature a 5.1 mix on a Blu-ray Disc. For the price of the

The bounce and snap of ‘I Want to Tell You’, namely, is joyous, ”

Revolver set, this would certainly be a given, though a Atmos version is only available to stream on Apple Music and Tidal. To put it simply, this means all the music can be played and en joyed in far higher resolution without handing over money for the box.

It’s hard to not feel Beatle fans are being taken advantage of as Wilco’s ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ box set boasts eleven LPs for the same price as the four in the Revolver set. Even The Monkees, the sitcom-based band who were manufactured as an Ameri can counterpart to the Beatles, have shown how it’s done: they’ve reis

sued ‘Headquarters’ with 101 tracks – double the music for half the price. In all their efforts to keep the archive of the Beatles under severe lock and key, Apple Records have unknow ingly ended up cheapening the name and legacy of their star attraction and left a lot of fans unhappy to pay a lot more for a lot less.

It’s hard to not feel Beatle fans are being taken advan tage of ”

“The location was incredibly decorated and the use of the radio was ingenious”

Billy Edwards shares his thoughts on the re-release of the “starkly cool and bonafide piece of pop-rock”

Billy

Alice Moore

Billy Edwards

Credit: Alisha Ratcliffe

Credit: Eric Koch (via Wikimedia Commons)

The album was first released in 1966. Credit: Tony Hall (via Flickr)

The Shoemaker: Reinventing Opera

Alex Kerr Contributor

When telling my friends of my Friday night plans, I was met with blank stares, lifted eyebrows, and looks of confusion. Was I seriously going to the Opera? The answer was yes, yes, I was. After talking through the premise of The Shoemaker, a collaboration between The Welsh National Opera and the charity Oasis Cardiff, their curiosity grew. I am not surprised in the slightest, after all that is what WNO is looking to do – become more accessible, appealing and generate interest in a wider audience. The ques tion now is: did they deliver?

From the start of the night, our at tention was captured. On handing our tickets to an usher at the door, we were given a slip of paper with a password on it and let into the Weston Studio. As we entered the darkened space, it was hard not to notice the atmospheric beams from the overheads illuminating the central stage where Isabella the Shoe maker sat at her table crafting shoes. To the sides were various crops of wheat

and props that encroached the audi ence space, whilst the musicians sat at the front of the room facing forward for us to see and enjoy. Barely a minute had passed and we were greeted by one of Isabella’s helpers who asked us for the password: ‘My feet are bleeding.’ Then we were pulled into the performance being asked what we needed for our journey as well as being welcomed to move around the space to follow the action. As we settled, we heard a steady clapping rhythm from perform ers who led myself and my fellow audi ence members. An interactive start that worked in pulling each member of us into the stunning performance from the beginning.

The plot followed Isabella (Marion Newman, WNO’s Migrations) who makes shoes for weary travelers who were seeking refuge and asylum from their homelands. However, King Dun can (Kenneth Overton, WNO’s Migra tions) of Belotho dislikes these travelers coming into his kingdom and seeks to end this by arresting the one responsi ble. When given away by one of those

she helped, Isabella is taken before the King and imprisoned, her shop and what she had worked for burnt to the ground as punishment for her compas sionate crimes. When Safin (Neil Bal four, Hull Urban Opera’s Crocodile), one of the kings’ guards, has a change of heart after learning of all the good Isabella has done, he works to let her go which is when the final message of the Opera is delivered: ‘None of us are free until all of us are free.’ Whilst this ends the acting, the musical score and visual media elements were far from over. The screens that had, apart from their func tional role of displaying subtitles, lay dormant underneath the scaffolding at the back exhibited a mixture of clips of protest and settled, smiling refugees on a screen at the back of the room to real ly drive home the point. Subtlety was a foreign concept in this opera with each Act firmly bearing down on the obvi ous metaphor for today’s current social climate. Though, with how change is so obviously needed, a clear-cut message is necessary until everyone takes note. The music was composed as a fusion

Llais Festival – Pussy Riot: Riot Days

Alice Moore Head of Review

Iwas given the opportunity to watch

Pussy Riot’s ‘Riot Days’ show at Lla is Festival. Llais, held at the Wales Millennium Centre, is an international music and arts festival that welcomes talent from across the globe. Ventur ing around the foyer before the show, the festival was in full swing. The cen tre was bustling with life as people of all ages and backgrounds gathered to watch eclectic performances of im mersive art. A true sense of commu nity filled the air, as I eagerly awaited to see what ‘Riot Days’ had in store.

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist pro test group, sporting provocative punk rock and pop music. The group’s music is predominantly themed in opposi tion to Russian president Vladimir Pu tin and his authoritative regime. Their global fame and notoriety began when five members of the group staged a performance inside Moscow’s Cathe dral of Christ the Saviour in February 2012. This was to protest Putin’s links to the leadership of the Russian Or thodox Church, despite being a secular state. Three members were arrested and subsequently, two were impris

oned. Pussy Riot has since used this to fuel both its music and political agenda, continuing to oppose authority figures and the dystopian world within Russia.

The ‘Riot Days’ show itself can only be described as a work of art. Producer Alexander Cheparukhin initially gave a speech on the ideology of the band, de nouncing Putin and rallying in support of Ukraine. He poetically spoke of their conquests over the past decade, giv ing adequate context to the successive

show, and was met with mountains of applause. Then, it was time for the main event to begin.

Four members of the band marched onto the stage to aggressive electro and strobe lights, donned with coloured balaclavas and haunting stares. They began to tell their story: an aggressive spoken-word mantra over a punk-pop backdrop. The entire show was in Rus sian, with a presentation of subtitles and video footage above the stage. To

World of Warcraft:Wrath of the Lich King

Haris Hussnain Review Editor

WOTLK Classic came out earlier this year. It’s a re-release of an old game that I played back in primary school. It origi nally was an expansion of the popular MMORPG game World of Warcraft.

However in recent years, Blizzard has been rereleasing old WOW expansions as separate games to give new players a taste of what the original expansions were like. But, also for old players to ex perience nostalgia.

I signed up earlier in the year for the Beta program which meant I could play the game whilst it was still in its

test phase. The first thing I saw was a cinematic from the original expansion that shows the features of that particular expansion. It reminded me of the days when everyone used Windows XP and the times when online gaming was more communal. As soon as it hit the char acter creation screen, I made my Death Knight.

I launched into the game and was nostalgic about the graphics quality. It looked amazing and the old charac ter models were something I’ve always loved about WOW. I actually forgot that Death Knights in the classic version had different powers and that there were dif ferent quests in parts of the zone that

got removed from the current game. One of the things that I missed from the original game was the world events that would happen, such as the Scourge Inva sion. Lots of rare items would drop from mobs that new players can’t get in the current retail edition.

Whilst my experience has been great, there are a few things that I encountered that made the experience more challeng ing. Since the game is a re-release, all the bugs from the original are still present which makes for an interesting game time experience full of glitches. Another thing I wish existed in the original was the quest marker on the mini-map. Lore is one of my favourite things and I love

of contemporary culture. Along with aspects of the traditional classical score, the romantic sounds of Latin America came forward through the strings and leitmotifs alongside certain charac ters, not to mention the Persian influ ence. The result was an enjoyable score that helped carry the action forward. Each act was carefully separated by a contemporary dance movement that beautifully linked the action together. Throughout the performance, screens around the studio show subtitles in both English, Welsh and at times Span ish as well as a multilingual programme to accommodate anyone in the audi ence.

So, to answer the earlier question, yes. Not only did the diverse cast en sure an experience to be appreciated by any culture, but personally the superb performance created by so many indi viduals both on and off the stage made for something remarkably interesting and new for all to enjoy.

The Fortune Man

Sam Edwards Contributor

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year and now a Welsh book award winner, Nadifa Mohamed’s novel shines new light on the poignant and heart-wrenching story of Somali sailor Mohamed Mattan. It was the first case to be brought to the Court of Appeals when it began in 1998, the story centers around Mattan’s wrongful execution for a murder he didn’t commit. This was in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay in 1952.

Mohamed’s compassionate, intensive research brings the bay to life, placing us in the melting pot with the slick, spiky Mattan as he grafts his way through the Cardiff streets. Through Mattan, Mo hamed traces an often-overlooked his tory, as we see the aspirational Somali flee home and land in Cardiff in search of a better life.

me, this truly encapsulated the band’s message; I couldn’t understand a word, and yet I understood everything.

The performance was split into chapters, starting with the corrupt background of Putin’s presidency as context for their 2012 protest. They de tailed their preparation for their gueril la gig in the Moscow cathedral, as well as having to abandon their families to flee from the police in the following days. The next segments detail their tainted trial, imprisonment, and finally, their release. Their story was riveting; I couldn’t believe that the women on the stage in front of me had been through all this strife and still lived to tell the tale. It exposed me to a world outside of my protected life, and I am forever grateful for that.

Instead of auditions, record deals, and sold-out stadiums, Pussy Riot is founded on radical action and genuine want for a better world. Their connec tion with the audience was unlike no other, venturing off the stage to create a more immersive experience. In all, I would highly recommend the ‘Riot Days’ tour to anyone seeking a mov ing, yet exhilarating concert. Pussy Riot truly gives ‘Girl Power’ a whole new meaning.

Mattan reads as a compelling and complex character, with his obvious flaws balanced by charisma that sees him cross societal boundaries to marry his white Welsh wife, Laura. This depth is even more impactful when contrasted with his shallow perception in the eyes of the law. We see through Mattan, a collision headon with the justice system, which consist ently perceives him as base-level guilty for the crime of his heritage and skin. The charge, whether it’s petty theft to murder, appears irrelevant.

This theme continues into Mattan’s imprisonment, as Mohamed homes in on the frustration of a man attempting to struggle free from a tailor-made convic tion, evidently constructed by the pros ecution. Mohamed Mattan stays strong, refusing to play along to a game where he realizes the rules are constructed against him. Here we see some of the most im pactful moments of the story, as we fol low Mattan’s journey from rage to resig nation as he hands off his fate to a higher power. All the while, his wife and three sons remain visible in the distance from his cell window, arranging to meet him and wave.

questing. But, it’s hard to navigate when the old version didn’t have tool tips or quest markers. From an accessibility perspective, I found the user interface to be smaller than the current retail edi tions interface. This has caused me to encounter some accessibility issues but this is mainly because the game is a rerelease.

Overall, the game is an interesting experience since it’s the first time classic players got to play a Death Knight and the first time many players decided to join the MMORPG community. I would recommend this game to any new WOW players who want to experience the golden age of gaming.

Ultimately, however, you should read this novel not just because I or award ing bodies believe it’s well-written. You should read it because it’s part of your history, and to know your history is to start taking control of the present, shap ing your perception, and understanding of the world. Mohamed’s assured and deeply empathetic adaptation ensures that Mattan’s story reaches us with due consideration. Her work hands us an im perative as readers, to take some of these lessons forward and apply them to how we see our world today. One that is still very much wrapped in the same roots of injustice that took hold of and moored Mohamed Mattan’s life.

If the contemporary relevance of Mat tan’s story needs underlining, it can be further found in the fact that his fam ily was only given an official apology by South Wales Police in September of this year. This was 70 years after his execu tion, and 24 years after his case was first brought to the Court of Appeals. For more on Mattan’s story, you can listen to BBC Radio Wales’ recent podcast ‘Mat tan: Injustice of a Hanged Man’.

Mohamed triumphs in her retelling of one of the largest miscarriages of justice in

Source: Alice Moore

Alice Moore shares her experience at Llais Festival at the Wales Milennium Center

‘Something remarkably interesting and new for all to enjoy’

ELSEWHERE IN SCIENCE Satelites

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Can some green hope bloom at this desert COP?

Edward Sutton discusses the importance of fulfilling the promises made at COP27

Science and Tech Editor

The world has descended into Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for this year’s UN Climate Change Conference - and the stakes could not be higher.

We are reaching a major turning point in our attempts to stay under 1.5C of global temperature increase, and if we don’t ( it’s possibly already too late), major devastation will fol low with the collapse of ecosystems, extreme weather, and severe rises in sea levels.

World leaders will now gather in Egypt in an attempt to avert this crisis, sharing strategies on how to best man age our deteriorating climate. Notably, 87% of emissions are covered with a Net Zero plan. Progress is being made, but not all targets are made equal, with the dates of reaching Net Zero differ ing from 2030 to 2070. The hope is that the world will build on the com

mitments laid down in last year’s COP in Glasgow. Much of it was building on the Paris Accords of 2015 but new commitments to ending coal use and transitioning to zero emission vehicles were important additions.

A major sticking point for action is climate funding. A big part of these

climate agreements made at Paris and Glasgow were made on the under standing that richer and developed na tions would help fund climate change initiatives in poorer countries. How ever, the money being received is low er than initially expected, and with the rise in the cost of living, inflation, and

domestic issues – richer countries are still not likely to hit funding targets. This relates very heavily to the na tion hosting – Egypt. Egypt are using their position as the chair of the COP to push for action that will help poorer nations, especially in its home conti nent of Africa. “We need a compre hensive vision to support African na tions in their effort to adjust to climate change,” President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt said at a climate conference before COP. However, the COP has brought much needed scrutiny of Egypt’s authoritarian leadership and their record on human rights abuses. It is unclear whether leadership will see the environment as a true goal as it pushes to export more natural gas. We’ll have to wait and see what the final agreement will be at the end of the summit. With luck it will bring some hope to these dark winter months.

We need a comprehensive vision to support African na tions in their effort to adjust to climate change,”.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Egypt

The most famous tomb in the Valley of Kings still has its secrets

Freya Shepherd Sciene and Tech Editor

Ahundred years after its discov ery by archaeologist Howard Carter, the tomb of ancient Egypt’s King Tutankhamun still has se crets to reveal. The story, which starts all the way back on the 4th of November, 1922 when Carter and the team of exca vators led by him discovered a step cut into the floor of a very unexplored area in the Valley of Kings in Egypt continues till today.

Tutankhamun assumed power around 1334 B.C., when he was merely 10 years old and his reign only lasted another 10 years until his untimely

Tutankhamun assumed power around 1334 B.C., when he was merely 10 years old”

death at the young age of 20. Although an obscure and irrelevant figure among Egyptian pharaohs, Tutankhamun buri al chamber is one of the most well pre served.

The first thing researches have come to realise is that Tutankhamun might not have been a fragile young man who walked with a limp and died early due to a weakened immune system as presumed earlier. The frail storyline stemmed partly from the potential dis covery of a deformity in the young boy’s left foot and partly from the 130 walk ing sticks found in his tomb. However, researchers’ opinions vary drastically about whether images of Tut’s bones reveal serious deformities which would cause him to walk with a laboured gait thus explaining the walking sticks or if the deformity wasn’t that serious and the walking sticks were symbols of a royal official’s authority. The discovery and analysis of the king’s mummy made it clear that he died barely an adult, at the

young age of 19. However, the theory that his cause of death was malaria as well as an underlying issue of bone ne crosis is not accepted by many research ers.

The next realisation is that King Tut’s initial obscurity is what has led to his current fame. After Tutankhamun’s death, ancient egyptian officials did their best to erase any references and traces to him because of his father, the “heretic king” - Akhenaten who alienated him self from his people with his monothe ist beliefs and banished the worship of all but one of the Egyptian gods. Tut’s tomb, which was given no significance and treated dismissively, was what saved it from tomb robbers.

Another interesting, though obvious discovery was that King Tut’s tomb was a very rushed job. Pharaohs usually had their tombs prepared over decades and built many large rooms with extrava gant coffins and various other treasures. However, Tut’s unexpected demise gave

Closest known black hole to Earth discovered

Aditi Kallanagoudar Grish Science and Tech Editor

Astronomers have discovered a black hole, which at just 1,560 light years from the Earth becomes the closest black hole discovered. The black hole, now named Gaia BH1 is nearly 10 times the mass of the sun and orbits a star in the constellation Ophiuchus.

The team initially identified “a sun-like star orbiting a dark object” using the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft. Then, within the

The black hole, now named Gaia BH1 is nearly 10 times the mass of the sun . ”

next four months made an addi tional 39 observations with various telescopes around the world before finally being able to say with assur ance that the “dark object” initially observed was indeed a dormant black hole.

Most known black holes are “hun gry” - they steal and consume the gas from their companion stars. This gas then forms a ring around the black hole and glows bright in x-rays which lets them be discovered by astronomers. However, our galaxy is filled with a significantly larger amount of “tranquil” black holes which have evaded detection from astronomers for decades.

This is why astrophysicist Kareen El-Badry and his colleagues turned to data from the Gaia spacecraft

which maps the exact position of billions of stars. Their idea was to detect the dormant black holes by detecting the back and forth move ment caused by their gravity to the stars close to them. However, there were thousands and thousands of stars that seemed to be tugged by an unseen force out of which only one seemed like a possible black hole. After the extensive review with several other telescopes which all seemed to be consistent with the findings of a blackhole the team fi nally published a paper in the peerreviewed Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Gaia BH1 becomes the closest known black hole to the Earth by a large amount with the next closest black hole being 3,200 light years

away. However, considering the fact that our galaxy has over 100 million mostly invisible black holes, it may not be the closest black hole to ex ist or even the closest we’ll ever find. El-Badry, of the Harvard-Smith sonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge hopes to find more black holes like Gaia BH1 during the next data release from the Gaia space craft in 2025. “Just finding one sug gests there are a bunch more to be found,” he says.

Gaia BH1 becomes the closest known black hole to the Earth by a large amount with the next clos est black hole being 3,200 light years away . ”

craftsmen absolutely no time to make important tomb items which took a year, if not more to make. Evidence even shows that workers repurposed objects from other people’s tomb preparations for King Tutankhamun. The biggest evidence of the hurried job is that the sarcophagus King Tut was buried in has a cracked lid that isn’t even a match for the bottom half. This along with unfin ished carvings and reused containers to hold the king’s organs are all signs of the worker’s frenzied actions.

Despite all its mysteries, one thing that is undeniable about King Tut’s tomb is that it set the benchmark for future ex cavations and will go down in history as the most famous tomb in the Valley of Kings.

Tut’s unexpected demise gave craftsmen absolutely no time to make important tomb items ”

Edward Sutton

PM Rishi Sunak speaks at COP27, despite originally hav ing no plans to attend. Source: Number 10 (via Flickr)

Aditi Kallanagoudar Girish

Edward Sutton

87% of emissions are covered with a Net Zero plan ”

Freya Shepherd

Source: Terry Ballard(via Flickr)

Breaking British Records at the World Championships

Molly Openshaw Contributor

Cardiff University student of Architecture, James Mill er, recently flew to Cairo, Egypt to participate in the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) Rifle and Pistol World Championships. James performed exceedingly well in Cairo in the 10 metre Men’s Air Pistol com petition, coming 38th, however, it was in the Mixed Pairs competi tion where history was made.

Alongside Jess Liddon, the Brit ish Ladies Air Pistol Champion, James competed in the 10-metre Mixed Team. In this momentous match, Jess and James came 16th,

James has said “obvi ously as a team, we are looking to perform to the best of our ability because we know that all

missing the opportunity to com pete in the medal match by only four points! This was an incred ible achievement as they both smashed the British record by eight points.

Speaking about the team per formance, James has said “obvi ously as a team, we are looking to perform to the best of our ability because we know that all the hard work we put into it will all pay off. Once we enter the competi tion, put our kit on the range and load our first pellet into our pistol we know that all the work we’ve put in will be worth it and there’s nothing more we can do, we’ve put in the effort we just need to allow it to happen.”

The ISSF World Champion ships are renowned for their tough competition and their sig nificance in the shooting world.

James described this competition as “the big one to aim for - the one normally at the end of the fouryear cycle, usually bigger in terms of athlete numbers and perfor

“the big one to aim for - the one normally at the end of the four-year cycle, usually bigger in terms of athlete num bers and performances than the Olympics”

mances than the Olympics”.

With the Paris Olympics com ing up in 2024, athletes all over the world are working hard to achieve quota places, this com petition signalled the beginning of the qualifying events for the Olympics, and Jess noted that it was “a promising start”. Jess has said that her experience at the World Championships has “left [her] in a great place to go into a winter of hard training and [she’s] positively optimistic about what the next season will look like”.

With James now in his fifth year at Cardiff University, working hard to be an architect whilst also competing in these high-stress competitions, these achievements

Astros fly to world series glory

Ryan Harris-Jewell Sport Editor

Baseball’s greatest showpiece came to a close on Sunday when the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win the 2022 world series title.

The Astros clinched the sevengame series 4-2 with a sixth-game win against the Phillies that saw Yordan Alvarez star in a 4-1 win

at the Minute Maid Park stadium.

The Cuban hit a 3-run homer to help steer his side toward their second world series title.

Thanks to a dominating pitch ing display from Framber Valdez who struck out nine batters, the Astros were able to limit the scor ing through the first half.

The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Phil lies’ Kyle Schwarber hit a home run over right field to keep alive

his side’s dream of getting back into the series.

Desperate to avoid being forced into a seventh game, the Astros were able to put two men on base before Alverez launched a pitch from Jose Alvarado 450 feet over centre field.

Christian Vasquez then struck an insurance run from Phillies Alex Bregman to further extend the home side’s lead.

The Astro’s bullpen continued

World Cup heartbreak for the Roses

are so impressive and hopefully, we can see him achieve even more medals over the next few months before the next World Champion ships in Baku in August 2023.

Jess has said that her experience at the World Championships has “left [her] in a great place to go into a winter of hard training “

their fine form throughout the second half of the game, with Kyle Tucker’s catching Nick Castella nos in the ninth inning to crown his side world series champions.

The Astros clinched the seven-game series 4-2 with a sixth-game win against the Phillies

Eloise Martin reflects on England’s defeat to New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup Final

Eloise Martin Sport Editor

It was heartbreak down un der for the England Roses on Saturday as they partook in a thrilling World Cup final against the reigning champions and hosts, New Zealand, which went down to the wire and ended in a 34-31 victory for the Black Ferns. Despite staying on top for most of the game and losing Lydia Thompson to a red card in the early stages, it was not enough to keep the Black Ferns at bay.

It was just eight minutes from time when New Zea land found their lead for the first time

It was just eight minutes from time when New Zealand found their lead for the first time through a fast and perfectly timed try. England had one last throw in with five seconds on the clock, but deflated mentally and physi cally, the Black Ferns were quick to regain possession of the ball and their World Cup Victory, ending England’s streak of 30 un

beaten games.

The tournament itself was an other pivotal turning point for not only women’s rugby but women in sports. The final at the home of rugby, Eden Park saw over 40,000 people flood through the gates to watch the spectacle! The time dif

The final at the home of rugby, Eden Park saw over 40,000 people flood through the gates

ference made it hard to build mo mentum in the partaking coun tries, but many flooded to pubs, which opened early on Saturday morning to watch the final!

Neighbouring competitors Wales and Scotland also featured in the game-changing tourna ment. Scotland had a more unfor tunate run as they were defeated in all three group games. Wales on the other hand will be proud of their achievements making it through to the quarterfinals, but were unfortunate to draw against New Zealand who thrashed them 55-3.

Scotland had a more un fortunate run as they were defeated in all three group games

Overall, it was undoubtedly a tournament to remember and another opportunity to showcase talented female athletes who go on to inspire the nation despite

It was undoubtedly a tournament to remember and another opportunity to showcase talented fe

- England win T20 World Cup in thrilling final match against Pakistan

Ben Stokes hit an unbeaten 52 to take his side to victory in Melbourne, Australia

Source: Steve (via Wikimedia Commons)

Ryan Harris-Jewell

Eloise Martin

Jasmine Jones

going unrecognised too often.

Rohan Kakar

Wales 23-55 New Zealand: All Blacks dominate campaign opening match

Jasmine Jones Head of Sport

Wales’ wait for their first win against New Zea land since 1953 contin ues as the All Blacks triumphed in the Principality Stadium in the first of the Autumn Nations Se ries. Given New Zealand’s recent narrow win against Japan and subsequent poor performances, there was great hope that Wales would cause an upset going into the match but the All Blacks showed us all why you should never doubt the most successful international team in the world.

Debutant Rio Dyer was amongst the squad ready to fight for the win, with Justin Tipu ric playing his first game since being named as Captain. Leigh Halfpenny was pulled from the lineup just hours before kick-off due to a hamstring injury, result ing in Gareth Anscombe switch ing to the full-back role and Rhys

Captain Justin Tipuric scored Wales’ second try, marginally diving over the line to make the score 23-29 with half an hour to play.

Priestland moving in as fly-half. Sam Costelow, who was ru moured to make his internation al debut, was left on the bench. Whilst it is fair to say both sides fought on level terms for the majority of the match, the first quarter saw New Zealand go 17-0 up within the first 20 minutes. Not the start Wales had

hoped for. Codie Taylor scored twice, unnerving the Welsh de fence who hadn’t played together in over 3 months.

In danger of a truly humiliating scoreline, Wales pushed back via debutant Dyer, scoring a superb try after a dummy run supported by George North. Celebrations didn’t last long however as the

All Blacks quickly hit back with a try scored by Jordie Barrett.

Captain Justin Tipuric scored Wales’ second try, marginally diving over the line to make the score 23-29 with half an hour to play. Within six points of their rivals, the belief of taking some thing from the match was rising.

3 minutes later though, Smith

of New Zealand scored his sec ond try of the afternoon. The wind was soon knocked com pletely out of the Welsh squad as Barrett, Savea, and Samisoni Taukei’aho all scored quick suc cessive tries leaving Wales physi cally drained, and no match for the strength of the All Blacks who came to Cardiff with some thing to prove to their recent critics.

Speaking candidly after the match, head coach Wayne Pivac stated that “there were moments to win the scoreboard area.

“there were moments to win the scoreboard area. We’ve got to make sure when we get into a game like that, we keep up the pressure rather than let them in.”

We’ve got to make sure when we get into a game like that, we keep up the pressure rather than let them in.”

“At the end of the day, we were beaten by a better side.”

After a triumphant win against Argentina on the weekend, Wales now have two games left in the Autumn Nation Series: Georgia and Australia.

MERKY FC: Stormzy creates opportunities for children to aid diversity

Rohan Kakar Sport Editor

Stormzy, or Michael Owu Jr, has re-emerged into the public eye with a brandnew initiative to be added to the Merky brand. In addition to a ground-breaking books company, a diverse Cambridge project and a festival celebrating BAME musicians all within the Merky namesake Stormzy has taken on football. Merky FC is a multi-year initiative in collaboration with 10 different leading organisations such as Fulham FC, Manchester United, and Sky Sports with an aim to increase minority representation within football. The initiative is not just consigned to the pitch with a focus on coaching and board roles in the very best football clubs in the country. This initiative will not have its efforts seen for a very long time, but it is vital for the progression of football. Over the last 4 years, the absence of problematic fans in football due to Covid saw English football able to express

Merky FC is a multi-year initiative in collaboration with 10 different leading organisations such as Fulham FC, Manchester United, and Sky Sports with an aim to increase minority representation within football.

its contempt at the racial hatred that is within the stands, but no action has been taken to increase BAME representatives within the boards and coaching staff of the Football League. Since the establishment of the modern football league in 1992 there have only been 28 managers with BAME backgrounds within the 5 tiers of English football and 10 of them have been in the Premier League. There have been reports that many English clubs are also failing to meet their pledged diversity targets given to them by the FA and Stormzy has used this as leverage to launch this campaign which will begin in 2023.

Since the establishment of the modern football league in 1992 there have only been 28 managers with BAME backgrounds

Stormzy, now 29, is preparing for the release of his third studio album This is What I Mean on the 25th of November, and in a frank and personal interview with Louis Theroux on the BBC he detailed stories about his past and how he wishes that someone was there to give him a helping hand to when he was spending time with the wrong people and could not see a way out, he regards himself as ‘one of the lucky ones’. He now has devoted a lot of time and effort to make sure that he can provide

The initiative, as told by Stormzy on Sky Sports News, mainly strives to develop a new string of BAME coaches but it also intends to protect the existing ones

opportunities that were simply unavailable to him when he was young. The initiative, as told by Stormzy on Sky Sports News, mainly strives to develop a new string of BAME coaches but it also intends to protect the existing ones, there are many young BAME coaches who are

attempting to be employed within the football league and Stormzy pledges that Merky FC will do so.

There is a strong embarrassment that must be felt by the FA. Many of the roles in coaching and above belong to former footballers who have earnt their badges but many of them are white, despite there being many BAME footballers who aren’t given the same opportunity post-retirement.

Players such as Rio Ferdinand and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have spoken saying that they know of multiple BAME players

who haven’t bothered even getting their badges because they know that they won’t be able to get a job. Merky FC hopes to be able to eventually change that. Merky FC is an open enrolment scheme that begins in 2023 and applicants can apply now to become involved.

Players such as Rio Ferdinand have spoken saying that they know of multiple BAME players who haven’t bothered getting their badges because they know that they won’t be able to get a job.

Source: NRK P3 (via Flickr)

Source: jeanfrancois beausejour (via Wikimedia Commons)