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In the News

  • Times (£): Parents warned over 13 Reasons Why, Netflix's teen suicide drama
    May 14th, 2017

    Schools have written to parents about the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why out of concern that it romanticises teenage suicide.

    The series, which is popular with schoolchildren despite having an 18 certificate, focuses on a teenager who kills herself, leaving seven cassette tapes explaining why. It is the most tweeted about show of 2017.

    A letter to parents of pupils at the American School in London expresses fear that "the creation of an elaborate suicide note that has a revenge-like quality to it may be appealing to students who are already looking for a 'way out'." The drama includes a scene in which the central character slits her wrists.

    Read more. 

  • BBC: Hull Minster: Holy Trinity Church re-dedicated
    May 13th, 2017

    Hull's Holy Trinity Church has been re-dedicated as a minster by the Archbishop of York.

    A flotilla of about 20 boats travelled down the Humber into Hull Marina ahead of the outdoor service, with Dr John Sentamu carrying a lantern lit at All Saints Church in Hessle.

    The flame was then used to light the Hull Minster candle.

    The minster is currently undergoing a £4.5m regeneration project, with the interior being restored and remodelled.

    Read more.

  • BBC: Decriminalise prostitution, Green Party urges
    May 13th, 2017

    The Green Party of England and Wales says it would decriminalise the sale and purchase of sex as part of its manifesto for women.

    It said the measure, following UN and Amnesty International recommendations, would keep sex workers safe.

    It is also promising to end asylum detention, starting with the release of vulnerable female detainees.

    Deputy leader Amelia Womack said detention was "inhumane, costly and totally unnecessary".

    Read more.

  • BBC: LGBT Awards: Prince William honoured for supporting community
    May 13th, 2017

    Prince William said "nobody should be bullied for their sexuality", as he was recognised for supporting the LGBT community.

    He told the British LGBT Awards on Friday evening via a video message: "It's so important to be proud of the person you are."

    The Duke of Cambridge was named "straight ally of the year" and was among several celebrities given awards.

    Read more.

  • Mail: Let shops sell cannabis to raise £1bn in tax for the NHS, say Lib Dems
    May 13th, 2017

    The Liberal Democrats have pledged to legalise cannabis and allow it to be sold on the high street, with users also free to grow it at home.

    In a first for a British political party, its manifesto will commit to bringing in a fully regulated cannabis market that could raise up to £1billion in taxes.

    But last night critics said legalising the class B drug sent out a 'bad message' to young people and described it as a bid for headlines by the Lib Dems.

    Read more.

  • Telegraph: Families demand DNA tests on head of Dutch fertility clinic accused of using his own sperm to father children
    May 12th, 2017

    The head of a Dutch fertility clinic has been accused of using his own sperm instead of that of chosen donors to father dozens of children.

    Twenty-three parents and children of those born through IVF treatment from the Bijdorp medical centre, near Rotterdam, have gone to court to ask for tests on the DNA of Jan Karbaat, who died aged 89 last month.

    Read more. 

  • Christian Today: Justin Welby is a heretic, say breakaway conservative Anglicans
    May 12th, 2017

    Justin Welby is a 'heretic' and a 'wolf in sheep's clothing', according to the conservative Church responsible for consecrating a breakaway bishop in Newcastle outside the authority of the Church of England.

    An explosive lecture delivered at the Jesmond Conference for conservative evangelicals earlier this year further reveals the depth of division and distrust as traditionalists plot a splinter Anglican Church in the UK.

    Highlighting the level of concern over the CofE's teaching on homosexuality, Bishop Martin Morrison of the conservative breakaway Anglican Church in South Africa that oversaw the consecration of Jesmond's senior minister as a bishop, accused the archbishops of an ancient Christian heresy called Arianism.

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  • UN News Centre: UN rights office urges protection for Salvadoran LGBTI community
    May 12th, 2017

    The United Nations human rights office today urged the Government of El Salvador to take urgent measures to protect a prominent transgender human rights defender, Karla Avelar, and other activists and individuals working on similar issues.

    The vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in El Salvador is of "deep concern," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva.

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  • BBC: Children going 'days without seeing parents'
    May 12th, 2017

    Many UK children are going for days without seeing their parents because of the stresses and strains of modern life, a charity is warning.

    Some 27% of 1,207 parents surveyed for the British Heart Foundation said they were too busy, in an average day, to spend any time with their children.

    Nearly three in 10 parents said they left the house, without seeing their children, at least once a week.

    The charity said the "daily grind" was driving families apart.

    One in 10 of the 2,300 UK adults surveyed on the issue said the last time they spent quality time with their family was over a year ago.

    Read more.

  • Telegraph: Facebook U-turns on banning abortion page after claims it was stifling human rights
    May 12th, 2017

    Facebook has reinstated the page of a pro-choice group that helps women access abortion pills hours after it was banned for breaking the site's rules. 

    The social network blocked the Amsterdam-based Women on Web group on Thursday for violating its policies against "promoting and encouraging drug use". But it soon backtracked, apologising to the group and saying it was blocked "in error". 

    Women on Web helps women in countries where abortion is restricted access pills so they can conduct the procedure themselves. It offers advice on ways to access abortion pills and connects them with international doctors who can help. 

    Read more.