Kim Kardashian buys Princess Diana’s necklace Page 12
Amazon Prime: the treatment of their workers is not in its prime Page 2
Carole Baskin – she didn’t kill her husband Celebrity news page 10
Trump and socials are back together Page 7
I think we can all agree that Amazon Prime is an absolute Godsend. From last-minute birthday presents to spontaneous purchases, the multibillion-dollar company is internationally recognised for its efficiency, productivity, and success.
Despite this, the corporation is often accused of mistreating its workers and neglecting their rights. Amazon workers in the UK have gone on strike in a protest over pay.
Two Amazon workers, who are part of the GMB (a trade union for all workers in the UK), claimed that the robots in the warehouse “are treated better than us”. They described that to achieve perfect productivity, their toilet breaks are timed by Amazon, and an extra few minutes of “idle time” can lead to a series of questions from managers.
Garfield Hilton, one of the workers, stated that Amazon wants “every minute in that building to be maximised” It’s no surprise that the company ensures their employees are working their very hardest. Hilton said that there are many “virtually in ghost mode”, perhaps due to strenuous 60-hour weeks to keep up with the cost of living.
You have probably seen the words “cost of living crisis” and “inflation” in every other headline. This has made it much more difficult for people, including Amazon’s workers, to live comfortable lives without worrying about what will be on their dinner table that night or how to keep their homes warm during winter.
On Wednesday, 300 workers staged a walkout at Amazon’s Coventry Warehouse over a 5% pay rise to £10.50 an hour- which the GMB Union says is simply not enough. Inflation in the UK, the rate at which prices rise, is at a 40-year high. To keep up with this, Union members want to be paid £15, not just the
extra 50p. One said, “We just want to be able to live. I just want to be able to pay my bills at the end of the week. That’s all we’re asking for.”
Amazon seems to be downplaying the importance of this strike, dismissing the “tiny proportion” of its workforce that was involved. They said that the warehouse strike would have “zero impact” on customers.
However, many Union Members are still determined to see this through. Darren Westwood, an Amazon worker and GMB Union Member, told the BBC, “I know it’s going to be a long slog, but these people need someone who’s not frightened. And I’m not frightened.”
It seems like these strikes are not going to be ending anytime soon and so, all we can do is hope that they grant Amazon workers the basic rights they are entitled to.
By Selin A
As of late, it appears that the US department of Justice (DoJ) have been spending more time on President Joe Biden’s property than Biden himself. Although Biden may want to venture into the Air B&B business, the DoJ were not looking for a place to stay when they conducted a 13-hour search of his home in Delaware a week ago. In fact, they were looking for classified documents, six of which they found.
However, this was not the first search of Biden’s property to happen In January, Biden’s lawyers established that a ‘first batch’ of classified documents had been found on 2nd November at the Penn Biden Centre, a think-tank Biden founded in Washington DC (BBC). This was just days before the midterm elections. A second array of files was found on the 20th December, at his Wilmington home, and a third on 12th January in the garage of this home yet another document was found(BBC).
Although these classified documents only came to light recently, it has been established that some are from Biden’s time as vice-president under Barack Obama, and some from his time as senator.
Earlier on, a similar issue faced the Republican ex-president Donald Trump, as allegations of the ‘mishandling of hundreds of classified documents’ came to light. Trump refused to hand over these documents until the FBI had to raid his Florida residence to retrieve them The Florida Mar-a-Lago was also yet to be listed for Air B&B usage. Additionally, the former vicepresident under Trump, Mike Pence, held classified documents in his house in Indiana. It seems that illegally holding classified documents on private property has become the new bleached eyebrows among politicians.
These actions are all classified as being illegal, as under the Presidential Records Act, White House records should go to National Archives, post-administration. They should not be kept on private property. However, Biden allowed access to a search of his property for ‘potential vice-presidential records and potential classified material’ said lawyer Bob Bauer in a statement on Saturday, displaying Biden’s cooperative nature in the face of the allegations against him. Nevertheless, BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher claims that the classified documents pose ‘awkward questions for the president about transparency’.
By Ai Yi W
This year’s Lunar New Year celebrations have been eagerly anticipated by many Chinese people, as the Year of the Rabbit begins, especially as many are finally able to travel back home to visit their loved ones, now that restrictions for Covid-19 are mostly over. It has been three years since these Covid-19 restrictions limited the annual celebrations, which has led many to anticipate the event this year.
However, a sudden rise in cases in the recent weeks have smothered the holiday spirit for people in China. The traditional red colour –representing prosperity, luck, and joy – is unmissable at this time of year, as families hang decorations to bring in the luck of the new year, but unfortunately, white, has also become especially prominent. White is the colour of mourning in China, and amongst the red decorations, it has become very visible. The country remains torn between families eager to gather and celebrate, while others mourn loved ones, and pray for recovery for sick relatives.
For some, Lunar New Year has become a bittersweet reminder, as the number of empty chairs becomes apparent for all they have lost over the past few years. Nonetheless, the majority remain happy to be able to finally celebrate again and reunite with friends and family, despite the difficult circumstances.
Happy Lunar New Year to everyone who celebrates!
On Wednesday, Tory MP, Dean Russell presented a new law to Parliament, requiring businesses to offer mental health first aid training.
He told the Commons that this legislation will lead to “early signposting [and] guidance”, preventing the loss of lives because of poor mental health.
Currently, many businesses do offer mental as well as physical health first aid training, yet a law to make this compulsory could encourage more to do the same.
Mr Russell referred to the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace despite increasing recognition, saying “many learn to hide their pain in fear of damaging their careers.”
The additional mental health training would cost businesses some money, but it may help reduce workdays lost due to poor mental health in the future.
As Russell references in his speech, “the Centre for Mental Health estimates that 10 million more people will need mental health support as a direct result of the pandemic”.
The Bill was proposed as a Ten-Minute Rule Bill. While these rarely become laws, they allow MPs to raise awareness of certain issues in society, in this case, mental health.
This is the second time the Bill has been proposed, but Russell says he will “never give up”.
Considering the current state of the NHS, perhaps awareness of methods of prevention is the way forward. While this proposed law and campaigns such as “Where’s Your Head At!”, mentioned in Russell’s proposal, will not bring back lives lost due to poor mental health, through early prevention, they might make a significant difference in the future.
Nicola Sturgeon defends plans to allow 16-yearolds to change their legal sex.
Scotland’s gender recognition bill has been blocked by the UK government as the Secretary of State for Scotland believed it would heavily impact the equality laws across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon believes the age to legally change your sex should be lowered from 18 to 16, stating that there are large inconstancies in the law with 16-year-old being legally around to drink in pubs, get married and join the army.
Kier Stammer, the leader of Labour, believes 16 is too young for people to make such important life decisions.
Concerns raised before blocking the legislation include difficulty running single-sex clubs at schools and rules on equal pay for men and women.
Sturgeon believes that the block is “an attack on the democratically elected Scottish parliament”, with the row being bound to end up in court.
The fallout is widening in the city of Newport News, Virginia where earlier this month a sixyear-old shot his teacher in her classroom, with a potential lawsuit against the child’s family and administration. Abigail Zwerner, 25, was released from hospital after being shot through the hand and in the chest on the 6th January in Richneck Elementary School. Many have wondered about what legal consequences may follow and for whom.
The attack was allegedly “intentional” and carried out using the student’s mother’s legally purchased gun. The family of the young boy has made a statement saying he suffered from an “acute disability” and the day of the shooting was one of the rare days that he attended school alone, without his parents being present. Virginia law prohibits anyone from carelessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm in a way that might endanger a child under 14 years of age and the
On Wednesday, the school board voted to fire district superintendent George Parker, and this was followed by the resignation of the vice principal of the school. A lawyer for the teacher, attorney Diane Toscano said, “On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different timesthree times- school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered.” After complaints that the young boy had a gun in his pocket at recess, the school official allegedly responded “Well, he has little pockets” and refused to search the boy or his backpack. The attorney has announced that she intends to sue the district for “failing to act” despite imminent danger.
The school has been shut since the shooting, with plans to open on Monday. Frustration over gun violence has increased, as yet another school in the US faces a traumatic school shooting. police chief has indicated that the boy’s mother could potentially face charges.
By Alana
After a two-year suspension, Trump may be coming back to Facebook and Instagram. Banned in 2021 for his glorification of violence in the Capital riots - Nick Clegg says the public “should be able to hear what their politicians are saying”.
This is amidst news that Trump is “more committed than ever” to his 2024 presidential campaign.
NAACP resident Derrick Johnson has accused Clegg of “putting profits above people’s safety” as it is known that Trump’s tweets have certainly generated a lot of engagement in the past.
Since his ban, Trump has founded Truth Social - a social media site modelled heavily on twitter,
where users are able to make posts (“Truths”, similar to tweets) and share other users posts (“ReTruths”).
It was self-proclaimed as a “big tent” platform without political censorship.1
Truth Social was also found to shadow ban more liberal users that did not fit in with the site’s narrative.
Are you more liberal or progressive? Unfortunately, you are not allowed to share your “Truths” since they do not fit with the site’s narrative. Public Citizen concludes that Truth social’s content is remarkably less moderated and concluded that Truth Social’s policies were “creating an echo chamber of violent views”2 .
As you might expect, Truth Social has banned content mentioning the January 6 hearing. However, within the space of one week, Newsweek reported that numbers of some 872,000 early adopters had fallen to 60,000 sign ups per week. It would make sense that Donald Trump awaits his return to Meta’s sites fondly.
By Sophia P
Warning: this article may contain distressing content for some readers
Former nurse at Countess of Chester hospital, Lucy Letby, has been charged for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder ten others. Ms Letby has denied all charges against her for several murders and attempted murder. One of the tragic murders occurred after an alleged attempts on 30th September and a further two more on the 12th and 13th October 2015 before Letby was finally successful. The child had been born prematurely in August that year at Liverpool Women’s hospital, before being transferred to the Countess of Chester hospital. She fatally injected air into the infant’s bloodstream and feeding tube, who then died on 23rd October 2015.
The child’s mother stated that the prematurely born child ‘looked like a full-term baby, she didn’t look frail or small’, adding that she thought ‘we are going home.’ Lucy had helped her to bathe her daughter for the first time, taking photos for the victim’s mother, and that her daughter ‘obviously enjoyed it because she was smiling.’ A few weeks later, Letby killed her.
It was in the early hours of 23rd October, when the infant’s parents received an urgent call, informing that they needed to get to the hospital immediately. Upon arrival, they found Lucy and another nurse, along with their consultant, trying to resuscitate her daughter. The doctors had already been attempting to resusite her for over twenty minutes before the parents said ‘You can't do any more'. After the baby was confirmed to be dead, Letby then asked if she wanted to bathe the body of her child, who agreed because she ‘didn’t want to look back and regret not doing it’ in the future.
During the post-mortem bathing, Lucy kept repeating how ‘she was present at the first bath and how [the infant] had loved it.’ She was smiling the whole time. The mother recalled thinking ‘I wished she would just stop talking.’ Though the mother did not want one, Dr Gibbs, their consultant, said ‘she didn’t have a say’ and the baby must have an autopsy ‘because her death was unexpected, and the results would be needed to clear the hospital.’
The baby killing nurse trial continues.
Warning: this article may contain distressing content for some readers
Isla Bryson was found guilty of two counts of rape at the High Court in Glasgow on the 24th January 2023. She committed the crimes in Clydebank and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019, before she changed her gender. After being convicted, she was taken to Corton Vale, a women’s prison, but was moved to HMP Edinburgh’s men’s prison on Thursday. This took place after Nicola Sturgeon announced she wouldn’t be allowed to serve her sentence at Corton Vale. She is due to be sentenced next month.
Currently, there’s a dispute between the Scottish and UK government about trans rights The Scottish gov. proposed a law to simplify and speed up the existing process by which people can get a gender recognition certificate. However, the UK gov. vetoed it on the premise of equality for girls and women, making it harder for people in Scotland to legally change their gender.
Sturgeon has said that these proposed changes did not play a part in the Bryon case.
As she was awaiting trial, she began transitioning. This case is believed to be the first time a trans woman has been convicted of raping women in Scotland.
Rhona Hotchiss, the former governor of Corton Vale said she would have refused to accept Bryson into the prison. She has frequently criticized the Scottish government’s gender reforms and suggested that cases like Bryon’s would become a “bigger problem” if the Gender Recognition Reform Bill was enacted.
She stated that it was “simply not acceptable” to allow all trans prisoners to go to a jail matching their gender identity- "It's unbalancing rights. They are not considering the rights of women; they are only considering one side of this equation. It seems to me quite wrong."
However, it’s important to remember that Bryson’s case does not represent the trans community, as Sturgeon made clear- "This individual case is not about whether they are trans or not, in this individual case this is a person who's been convicted of rape, so this individual is a rapist and a sex offender and that is what's important."
Sturgeonclaimedsomecriticsofherlegislationhad "decidedtousewomen'srightsasasortofcloakof acceptabilitytocoverupwhatistransphobia".
Source: BBC website
Director Chinonye Chukwu has accused Hollywood of blatant misogyny towards Black women after her movie, Till, missed out on an Oscar nomination, with no actors receiving nominations for the movie either. Chukwu made a post on her Instagram regarding the lack of nominations stating how “we live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women”. (Her Instagram post on the 24th of January contains her full statement).
The movie is based on the true story of Emmett Till’s mother who pursued justice after Emmett was lynched in 1955. Till was a fourteen-year-old African American boy who was accused of offending a white woman on her family’s grocery store. He was abducted, tortured, and lynched (killed by a group of people for an alleged offence with no legal trial or proof) due to this accusation. At his funeral, his mother insisted that his coffin would remain open so that his injuries could be seen by the thousands of people who paid their respects to him.
Angela Bassett was the only Black actress to be nominated for an Oscar this year for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and was nominated for best supporting actress. In previous years, actresses such as Cynthia Erivo and Viola Davis have been nominated for best actress.
The Oscars have been criticised for their lack of diversity in recent years and no women were nominated this year for Best Director. After the backlash The Academy received in 2016, and the OscarsSoWhite movement, The Academy promised to double its female, Black and ethnic minority members. They claimed that they met this target in 2020 however this debate is sure to be continued.
Source:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainmentarts-64396730
Beyonce recently performed for the first time in four years at a private concert in Dubai and requested that all the people attending not record her performance. Still, not everyone in the audience honoured her wishes. The invite-only show was part of the opening a new hotel in Dubai. It was attended by many celebrities, including Halle Bailey, Chloe Bailey, Ellen Pompeo, Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson, and Jay-Z!
Also in Dubai, Tarte Cosmetics held a ‘tone deaf’ influencer event where they flew 50 guests to a lavish all-expenses-paid hotel. The participants engaged in a handful of activities like riding camels through the desert, driving dune buggies and promoting Tarte’s new beauty products. Fans weren’t too pleased with Tarte for ‘hosting an extravagant getaway under the current economic hardship the average person in the U.S. is facing.’
In a resurfaced interview with ‘This Morning’ on ITV from November 2021, Carole Baskin is seen declaring her missing ex-husband, Don Lewis, was found alive in Costa Rica. The discovery is just now going viral – a year later. However, whether this is true remains to be proven as her husband has not been seen since his disappearance in 2002 when he was declared dead.
Conservative party’s chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, is coming under political pressure to explain his five million pound tax settlement. The tax bill originated from his shares in YouGov, a polling company that he co-founded in 2000, before he was an MP.
Usually, residents of the UK are taxed based on profits from the sale of shares in a certain company. However, YouGov allocated 42.5% of its shares to Balshore Investments, which was described in YouGov’s 2009 annual report as a “family trust of Nadhim Zahawi”. Zahawi claimed that his father also took founder shares in YouGov “in exchange for some capital and his invaluable guidance”. So, when YouGov became successful, Balshore sold its shares, that were estimated in 2018 to be worth £27M. However, Mr Zahawi has denied any involvement with Balshore. How? Or rather, why?
On the 9th July 2022, the Independent reported that HMRC (tax authorities) experts were investigating Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs. A day later, the Observer reported that a “flag” has been raised by officials about the same. However, Mr Zahawi claimed that “I was clearly being
smeared”, and that the tax issue was settled before his appointment as chairman.
But this is where Mr Sunak gets involved. His opinions on the matter went from fully trusting Mr Zahawi to asking “the independent adviser to look into the matter” in mere days. He says this is due to new information coming forward. Sir Keir Starmer, however, has other thoughts. He comments that the PM’s “failure” to sack Mr Zahawi showed “how hopelessly weak he is – a prime minister overseeing chaos, overwhelmed at every turn.” Then, he took it a bit further.
“He can’t say when ambulances will get to heart attack victims again. He can’t say when the prison system will keep streets safe again. He can’t even deal with tax avoiders in his own cabinet. Is he starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?” Mr Sunak, in retaliation, said it was Sir Keir who was weak because “he has no principles just petty politics”.
So, has the chairman’s financial matter turned into a catfight between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition?
By Kavya
While (Kan)Ye West’s lustre is fading with each antic and self-destructive action, Kim Kardashian is dazzling in the limelight – literally. She recently purchased the Attallah Cross during an auction at Sotheby’s for £163,800, where she won the piece five minutes into the auction. The cross has circular-cut diamonds and square-cut amethysts and was initially crafted in the 1920s by Garrard, a jeweller for the Royal court. Even then, £163,800 seems unnecessary for a pendant, which had a pre-sale estimate of £80,000 to £120,000 (BBC). But what makes the Attallah Cross so special is its former owner, none other than the beautiful, charming, and graceful “people’s Princess”, the late Princess Diana.
Princess Diana most famously wore the pendant at a charity gala for Wellbeing of Women in October 1987 and was loaned the Attallah Cross by her close friend and businessman, Naim Attallah. She was the only one to wear the pendant publicly, and it was never seen in public since her death until Kim purchased it. Kristian Spofforth, the head of jewellery at Sotheby’s describes it as “a bold piece of jewellery by its size, colour, and style which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement”.
This is not the first time that Kim has been in the spotlight for historic fashion. Her last tryst was the famous JeanLouis crystal gown at the 2022 Met Gala which turned out to be a controversial highlight of the night. The gown was previously worn by Marilyn Monroe when she famously sang to then President John F Kennedy. Kim later disclosed that she lost 7kg to fit into it.
It must be said - your taste in men may not be the best Kim, but your taste in fashion certainly is.
One of the greatest serving prime ministers, a global icon for left-leaning politics and a key voice in women’s leadership, Jacinda Ardern, is quitting her role as New Zealand’s prime minister after serving six years in office. The shock announcement comes after her Labour Party faced a demanding path to re-election on October 14th. The question is why?
Ms Ardern, aged forty-two, became the youngest female head of the government in the world when she was elected prime minister in 2017, aged 37. She led New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic, Christchurch Mosque shootings and the White Island volcanic eruption. She had choked up when she had described how six ‘challenging’ years in the job had taken a toll on her and that she had taken time to consider her future over the summer break. She stated that the past years had been the ‘most fulfilling’ years of her life but leading the country during a ‘crisis’ had been difficult. Although she was a political star globally, the polls suggest that she was increasingly unpopular at home. Defending this statement, Ms Ardern told the BBC that “[her] declining popularity was the price [her] government had paid for keeping people safe from Covid-19.”
However, the reaction to her announcement has been varied. One local from Auckland suggested Ms Ardern was ‘running away before getting thrown out’ due to the increased crime rates and rising living costs. For others, she is still known as ‘one of the greatest prime ministers in New Zealand’s history’. Ms Ardern hopes she will be seen “as someone who always tried to be kind” in the future by New Zealanders. She also hopes to “leave New Zealanders with a belief … [one] can be [their] own kind of leader one who knows when it’s time to go.”
By Zahra H
Around 200, mostly Albanian, children are missing from a hotel which houses asylum seekers, says minister. Labour described it as a “dereliction of duty.”
The immigration minister announced that about 10% of the child asylum seekers that arrived in the UK since 2021 have gone missing. He clarified; he had not seen evidence of abducted children but said he was "not going to let the matter drop".
There is concern that children are being taken from their accommodation and being trafficked into criminal gangs. Commons leader Penny Mordaunt talked of "stories of gangmasters turning up at hotels" and "taking people away".
A lack of clarity plagues the question of whether the Home Office or local councils are responsible for the children.
Robert Jenrick acknowledged that the authority of councils in this area remains unclear but clarified that the government objective was to ensure that young people were only kept in hotels for a short amount of time.
Sources:BBCNEWS
Mr Jenrick told MPs that of all the children that had gone missing:
• 88% were Albanian.
• 13 were under 16, one of which was female.
Last year, the Sussex Police pursued a car, after it had followed 2 children outside a hotel.
“When they managed to get the car to safety, they released two child migrants, and they arrested one of the members who was driving it – a gang leader who was there to coerce the children into crime.”
Now, the deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council has written to the immigration minister as they claim that the Home Office has “failed in its duty of care.” Sussex police have said 76 minors are currently missing and many were placed in Brighton with only 24 hours of warning.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of children and minors in our area is an absolute priority.”
Peru has recently closed its world-famous tourist site, Machu Picchu, due to ongoing protests against the country’s new President Dina Boluarte. This has left many tourists and Peruvians stranded on the foot of the historical location.
At least 58 Peruvians have been injured in the protests.
TheEuropeanUnionhas condemnedthewidespreadviolence andthe"disproportionate"useof forcebythepolice.
The site was closed by the Peruvian government in an attempt to keep tourists and citizens safe from a violent political protest, which left 14 dead. Rail services to Machu Picchu have been suspended since Thursday 19th January, after some tracks were damaged.
This left 418 people stranded on the site for several hours, however by the night of 21st January, the tourism ministry announced that everyone had been safely evacuated.
These protests began when Peru’s previous leader was ousted- and these aren’t the first visitors stranded due to civil unrest. Last month, hundreds of tourists were air lifted out after being stuck there for many days.
Demonstrators want Dina Boluarte, Peru’s first female president, to stand down and to release her left-wing predecessor, Pedro Castillo, from custody. He was removed from office and arrested on Wednesday 18 th of January for unconstitutionally trying to dissolve Congress ,
although he denies accusations and insists that he is Peru’s legitimate leader.
The protests have become increasingly aggressive, starting with a rock protest in the capital city of Lima, followed by burning police stations resulting in the death of a d ozen protestors.
Along with the demonstrators, the governors of the southern Puno, Cusco and Apurimac regions has called for the president’s resignation. However, Ms Boluarte has resisted calls to step down.
Source:BBC
After previously saying that they wouldn’t allow Poland to send German-made tanks to the Ukraine, claiming that it would only escalate the situation, the German government has now agreed to send tanks, and has allowed any European country to send German-made tanks as well. The US has joined Germany in support of the Ukraine.
This decision follows months of Ukraine asking European allies to send military support to help them defend themselves and their country. The tanks are thought to be a crucial point for the situation in Ukraine, thought Russia claims that these tanks are just ‘blatant provocation’ (BBC) and that they would be destroyed.
“It is not an offensive threat to Russia” Joe Biden says, “This is about helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land.”
The US tanks are more highly specialised and are being bought from private contractors, and so it will probably be months before this £323m provision (including recovery vehicles) arrives in the Ukraine. The German tanks, however, should arrive much more quickly.
Troops in Ukraine are going to be trained to use these tanks once they are delivered, but President Zelensky says that they will need many more tanks (at least 300) in order to defeat Russian forces. Many other European countries are considering sending tanks as well.
This decision is a huge relief to Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, after many weeks of debating and other countries building pressure on Germany to send the tanks. We all hope that this global move to help the Ukraine will provide significant military advantage against Russia, to claim back Ukrainian territory and to return Ukrainians to their homes.
By Lina M
Warning: this article may contain distressing content for some readers
Matteo Massino Denaro, the most wanted mafia boss for the last 30 years has finally been arrested last week. Over one hundred armed forces executed this arrested in the streets of Palermo in the morning. Everyone knew that this number of men meant only one fugitive could be in the area, and cheers broke out instantly.
You may ask why this man has such an infamous reputation, but it is barely surprising considering his notorious crimes. Aside from being one of the biggest mafia bosses at large, his crimes were nicknamed the height of the ‘massacre season’ in the early 1990s. Throughout his sustained murder campaign, more than 20 people were killed, and he reportedly boasted that the number of his victims could ‘fill a cemetery’. As well as this, in 1993, he kidnapped and murdered the 11year-old son of a mafioso-turned-state witness,
holding him in captivity for two years, before being killed and his body dissolved in acid. Despite his numerous crimes, he managed to constantly evade arrest, through his huge network of Mafia. According to the press conference following his arrest, it was most likely that he had been aided by local professional, entrepreneurs, and politicians, illustrating the scarily deep-rooted influence this man had on civilians, whom you would not suspect having any association to this man.
Despite the years of car bombs and violence perhaps being over, several experts have concluded that the Mafia has turned into a more sinister organization. This arrest is still being seen as a form of liberation, and one that may be the end of a violent era.
A hard-working grandmother who loved to dance, an immigrant mother of three, a man described as “the centre of entertainment.” Victims of a deadly shooting. The gunman is still at large.
On Saturday 21st January 2023 eleven people were killed and nine wounded at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio near Los Angeles in one of California’s deadliest mass shootings. The shooting in Monterey Park, which has a large Asian population, followed the celebration of the Lunar New Year Festival. The centre of Monterey Park was decorated with red lanterns and banners and tens of thousands of people had gathered throughout the day. Following the shooting celebrations meant to continue on Sunday, were cancelled by officials.
The gunman, who has not yet been found by the police, open fired on the dance studio in the downtown area of the city and fled the scene Officers arrived at 22:22 local time. According to Captain Andrew Myer people were found “pouring out of the location screaming.”
Officers are on the hunt for a male suspect between the age of 30 and 50 but have received varying descriptions of the attacker. Dozens of witnesses are being interviewed in an attempt to track down the gunman. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, “we need to get this person off the street as soon as possible.” He did not mention the weapon used but said the suspect may have fled in a white van. The motive for the attack is still unclear
Police are also investigating the possibility that the suspect entered another dance studio 30 minutes after the attack. His weapon was wrestled from him by someone at the Alhambra Dance Studio. No injuries occurred at that location. Sheriff Luna stated that a related incident is definitely on his radar.
The attack, despite occurring in California which has a reputation for having some of the strictest gun laws in the country, according to advocacy groups, raises the question of stricter gun safety laws in both California and more broadly in the US.
Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles told the BBC, the community had been stunned by the attack and added that he was worried for his friend, the owner of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. This was reiterated by Baptist Pastor Meko Seto, 41, who told the BBC that the community has been left devastated by the shooting.
Others in the area at the time of the shooting believed the sounds they heard were fireworks
“I thought it had something to do with the Lunar New Year,” said Tony Lai.
The mayor of Alhambra, Sasha Renée Pérez said it was “especially painful” that the tragedy happened on a Lunar New Year weekend. “Residents should be celebrating with family, friends and loved ones – not fearing gun violence,” she said.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom described the shooting as a “horrific and heartless” act of gun violence and expressed his sympathies.
According to White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, President Joe Biden has been briefed and has ordered the FBI to support local authorities.
Interviews by Ai Yi, Daksha and Jiya:
When asked whether he had watched any reality TV, specifically dating shows like Love Island, Mr Bryers asked if Indian Matchmaking counted! He has also watched 'Love on the Spectrum' and only watches dating shows when he can learn from them. For example, learning about how people date in other cultures or what dating is like for people with autism. His sister reportedly loves watching Love Island.
While Mr Hudson Reeve has heard about Love Island, he reports that he ‘would actively never watch it’ and would never watch any reality TV shows! Furthermore, he doesn’t pay attention to reality TV stars, having no opinion nor recognition of the Kardashian name, bar that of Kim’s.
Mr Dave does not watch much reality TV (except one episode of Big Brother a long time ago). Still, when commenting on the effect of shows such as Love Island and Keeping up with the Kardashians on their viewers, he mentioned that they set unrealistic beauty ideals, as well as an unrealistic expectation of wealth. He also noted that even though it is 'Reality' TV, people will not act realistically if they are aware of being filmed. When asked why shows such as these have such high viewership, Mr Dave firmly said it was because humans are inherently gossips and love shows that allow them to view other people's lives, offering them entertainment and others to relate to.
In Mrs Timoshina’s opinion, reality TV is a complete waste of time, and she informed, ‘If you enjoy reality TV, you need to rethink your life decisions!’
The Team:
Executive editor and layout editor: Zarah
Head editor: Ai Yi
Head reporter: Daksha
Head re-searcher: Lana L
Sub editors: Alana, Amber, Antara, Aryn, Dakshka, Dara, Fran, Imani, Karina, Lina, Mahi, Sania, Sophia M, Sophia P
Journalists: Finn, Samhita, Kishana, Antara, Aryn, Sophia P, Zahra H, Ai Yi, Kavya, Ilora, Lina, Selin, Mahi, Vanya, Mahi, Tara E, Alana, Aria
