| | War graves inquiry finds ‘pervasive racism’ |
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“Entrenched prejudices, preconceptions and pervasive racism of contemporary imperial attitudes” were the reasons behind tens of thousands of predominantly black and Asian troops not being properly commemorated, a report has found. At least 116,000 mostly African and Middle Eastern casualties from World War One "were not commemorated by name or possibly not commemorated at all", the Commonwealth War Graves Commission inquiry discovered. Some were remembered collectively in memorials - unlike their white counterparts who had a headstone with their name - and others who were missing were only recorded in registers rather than in stone.
The failure to give fair and proper recognition was "influenced by a scarcity of information, errors inherited from other organisations and the opinions of colonial administrators”. But underpinning all these decisions was “pervasive racism”, the commission, tasked with commemorating those who had died in the war, said. Six million soldiers from the British Empire served in World War One. Between 45,000 and 54,000 Asian and African personnel who died in the conflict were "commemorated unequally". Apologising after finding service personnel weren’t formally remembered in the same way as their white counterparts, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission says "the events of a century ago were wrong then and are wrong now". The commission will now be “acting immediately to correct" the wrongs of the past. | | |
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| | Labour calls for PM-Dyson texts probe |
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| | | Labour has called for a "thorough investigation" into Boris Johnson's contacts with inventor Sir James Dyson. In texts revealed yesterday, the prime minister says he could "fix" tax issues relating to Dyson staff who came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic. While Mr Johnson "makes no apology" for trying to get ventilators for the NHS, Labour says this was part of a pattern of government "sleaze" and wants a cross-party investigation with senior MPs "as soon as possible". The "revelations seem to confirm a growing feeling that if someone has access to a telephone number of someone like the prime minister or the chancellor, then they are able to gain special treatment", shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves says. | | |
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| | US climate summit to push for 'immediate' action |
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| | | An updated pledge to nearly halve carbon emissions by 2030 is expected to be unveiled by the US at a global virtual summit later. Hosted by President Joe Biden, the US will attempt to re-assert its global leadership on climate change. It follows on from his work in the early days of his administration to make climate change a key focus. China's President Xi Jinping is one of the 40 leaders expected to attend the summit in the White House and he has shared views with the US despite serious tensions between the two countries. "It's quite clear that there is a distinctly shared level of ambition. Both countries see this as a crisis. Both countries see the need for action in the 2020s,” said a senior Biden administration official ahead of the meeting. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | Travon Free was co-writing a romcom screenplay last year when George Floyd died. Free decided the romcom would have to wait - as an African American, he wanted to create a serious screenplay addressing the police killings of black people in the US. But the resulting short film, Two Distant Strangers, which is nominated at this week's Oscars, still borrows a lot from one of the big comedy hits of the 1990s.
Following Mr Floyd's death, Free said to Martin Desmond Roe, a white British writer and director, that he wanted to switch tracks. "There were all the George Floyd protests in America and marches around the world," he says. "So at the beginning of our work day I just told Martin I had a new idea for a short film, and after that it just consumed our lives." | | |
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| | | | | Vincent Dowd | | Arts correspondent | | |
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| | | | | | | No one story dominates the papers today. "Fight racism in the UK in George's name" headlines the i, Britons will be "welcomed with open arms" to European hotspots says the Sun and “Whitehall chief’s fears over access to Johnson” reports the Times. The Guardian leads on another story about a report finding “neglect” of Commonwealth victims of war was “fuelled by racism”. You can read the papers here. | | |
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| | | | | Russia Thousands defy ban on pro-Navalny rallies |
| | | | | | Coronavirus Driving tests resume but dates like 'gold dust' |
| | | | | | Football European Super League a 'closed chapter' says Guardiola |
| | | | | | UK £500m humanitarian aid cuts a 'tragic blow' |
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| | If you watch one thing today |
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| | If you listen to one thing today |
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| | If you read one thing today |
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| | Need something different? |
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| | | What’s lasted longer than the two days it took for the European Super League to come crashing down? Lots of things, I hear you say. Well, here’s five things we’ve thought of while catching up with the whirlwind caused by that football tournament announcement.
And if you get the chance today, look up at the sky to see if you can spot any shooting stars. A meteor shower, caused when meteorites enter Earth's atmosphere, is supposed to peak about 13:00 BST but the best time to see them light up the sky is this morning or after sunset, according to astronomers. I hope you get a good view. | | |
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| | On this day | | |
| | | | 1969 Robin Knox-Johnston becomes the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe non-stop - watch the final moments of his record-breaking voyage. |
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| | | Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing [email protected]. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | | |
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