A Black town’s water is more poisoned than Flint’s. In a white town nearby, it’s clean
The water at her Benton Harbor, Michigan, home had started coming out of the tap looking “bubbly and whitish”. The twin cities are practically photo-negatives of one another: Benton Harbor is 85% Black; St Joseph is about 85% white. And while Benton Harbor has struggled for years with lead-contaminated water, those problems have not appeared to plague its neighbor. “If it were St Joe, it would be getting done,” said Mary Alice Adams, a Benton Harbor city commissioner. In the EPA petition, the NRDC, the Benton Harbor Community Water Council and 18 other groups said the water in Benton Harbor posed an “imminent and substantial endangerment to public health” and called on the EPA to act now to resolve it.
Source:The Guardian
September 21, 2021 09:00 UTC
Sudan coup attempt has failed, government says
Sudan’s fragile political transition has been plunged into uncertainty after a reported coup attempt by soldiers loyal to the former autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019. As Sudan woke up to the government’s claims of the alleged coup, details – including the individuals behind it – remained murky. Bashir himself came to power after a military coup in 1989. Sudan’s state-run television called on the public to “counter” the coup attempt but did not provide further details. The prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, said the coup plotters involved military personnel and civilians, adding that the attempt was aimed at undermining the country’s political transition.
Source:The Guardian
September 21, 2021 08:45 UTC
Brighton talent opens up on club exit and playing against Mason Greenwood and Callum Hudson-Odoi
They said I wouldn't be playing next season so it was best for me to go out and play regularly. His father was convinced of his talent and took him to goalkeeping sessions with former Southampton and Wales stopper, Paul Jones. Rees began to blossom at the club but he was quick to thanks those who had helped him along the way. Rees said in regards to matches, they went from playing smaller sides to the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, and more. "They said I wouldn't be playing next season so it was best for me to go out and play regularly.
Source:Express
September 21, 2021 05:03 UTC
New Zealand police arrest pair trying to enter Auckland with ‘large amount’ of KFC
The men were arrested after allegedly trying to flee from police near the Auckland border. When their car was searched, police said they found a large quantity of KFC, as well as the cash and a number of empty ounce bags. Last week, a man was charged by police after posting a social media video of crossing the Auckland boundary in search of McDonald’s. New Zealand police also found more than $100,000 in cash when they arrested the two me. The men will appear in court for breaching the health order, and police said further charges were likely.
Source:The Guardian
September 20, 2021 23:59 UTC
‘Incredible’ Cole Palmer one of several Manchester City youngsters to be given a chance by Pep Guardiola
It may have escaped your attention at the time but Cole Palmer scored an early contender for goal of the season a fortnight ago. The setting for Palmer’s extraordinary strike was Stadium MK, where England’s Under-21s were playing Kosovo in a European Championship qualifier. SponsoredThe 19-year-old attacking midfielder received a cross at the back post, but was ushered away from goal and out of the box by Florian Hoxha, the Kosovan left back. Then, in the blink of an eye, Palmer Cruyff turned Hoxha, strode into the box and curled a shot into the far corner. It was a majestic piece of skill that surprised many in the crowd, but not the manager in the home dugout.
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
Demand for tests to spot cancer early
Patients want to be seen faster if their is a chance their symptoms could indicate cancerGPs should be allowed to make urgent cancer referrals sooner, experts argue, as a study shows that the majority of British people want regular blood tests for the disease. Research on public attitudes towards cancer research and treatment, carried out by a team at University College London, has found that there is a great demand for early diagnosis. SponsoredHalf of all British adults say that they want better protection for themselves and their families against cancer, the paper found. Three quarters of the UK population say they want regular tests for cancers when they are available. GPs only refer NHS patients for urgent tests when there is a 3 per cent or greater chance of their symptoms being indicative of cancer.
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
Ruder Cup: Bad blood between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau a ‘non issue’ for American team
Steve Stricker said he is confident that the USA’s Ryder Cup campaign will not be undone by the season-long spat between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. “It is a non issue for me and the team,” he said of the bickering between two of his premier players. “We got together a few weeks ago and I had conversations with them both and they have assured me it’s not going to be an issue. I don’t think so at this point, but things could change. We had a great conversation, great talks.
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
Scottish doctors approved breast removal for 51 trans teenagers
Campaign groups have argued against Scottish government plans to lower the age at which people can change their genderMore than 50 transgender boys under the age of 18 have been approved for double mastectomies in Scotland, it has been revealed. The figures, released under freedom of information, have been seized upon by a campaign group to argue against Scottish government plans to lower the age at which people can legally change their gender to 16. SponsoredFifty-one teenagers aged 16 and 17 who were born as females were sent to hospitals in England to undergo further assessment for “specialist chest reconstruction” over the past six years, The Telegraph reported. In theory, those as young as 17 can undergo the procedure, and children aged 16 have been “referred for assessment for surgery”. For Women Scotland, a campaign group opposed to gender reforms that would make
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
What’s on TV and radio tonight: Tuesday, September 21
For full TV listings for the week, see thetimes.co.uk/tvplannerViewing guide, by Ben DowellThe Great British Bake OffChannel 4, 8pmFalling leaves, the glow on young cheeks and the warm smell from the oven. Yes, Bake Off is back, albeit with a slightly cringe-worthy opening montage: a revised version of Achy Breaky Heart performed by the presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith in the guise of an impromptu country and western band. “Don’t bake my tart,” Hollywood sings, “my flaky pastry tart,” or something like that. My ears were bleeding. The comic bits have always been the most annoying thing about this show, but the format continues to rise beautifully every time, with nary a soggy
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
Pupils offered coronavirus jabs as consent letters go out to parents
Routine vaccination of children is under way in England with the first jabs given in schools yesterday morning. Hundreds of schools are due to begin offering Covid vaccination to pupils aged 12-15. Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, explained in The Times on Saturday that concerns relate to very rare cases of damage seen in children’s hearts as a result of the vaccine. He said that in normal times vaccination would not yet have been recommended and said parents should feel justified in opting to wait six months if unsure. SponsoredNadhim Zahawi, the education secretary and former vaccines minister, said: “Whatever decision teenagers and parents take, they must be supported and not stigmatised in any way.
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
Don’t worry about food shortages, I’m at the wheel of an HGV
There is a law of the motorway jungle: the skinny motorbikes are vroomed past by the plump guys on their more muscular Harley-Davidsons; the Mini Cooper cuties are looked down on from on high by the SUV mums. There’s a testosterone sizing-up — who would win in a fight for speed or territory? And then comes the HGV, so large it barely fits in the jungle. It is in its separate category, gliding serenely through space and time more like a blue whale: no predators, only massive deadly bulk. We can talk all we like about the post-Brexit, post-Covid shortage of lorry drivers in this country — 90,000 short, which is a lot — and the scale of the problem seems yet more vast when
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC
More than 41m dementia cases globally are undiagnosed – study
More than 41 million people living with dementia worldwide have not yet been diagnosed, according to a report by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). However, research by McGill University in Montreal, Canada, shows that in some countries as many as 90% of people with dementia have not been diagnosed. The stark findings, revealed in a report published by ADI, suggest that more than 41 million cases globally remain undiagnosed. He said: “Low dementia diagnosis rates were already a global problem, but these new figures show the scale of the crisis. The cap detects subtle changes in brainwaves that occur when remembering an image, which are different in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Source:The Guardian
September 20, 2021 22:52 UTC
Times letters: Diction and the value of standard English
Sir, I welcome Clare Foges’s excellent defence of standard English as precisely that (“No, professor, speaking properly still matters”, Comment, Sep 20). I have taught literacy and English as a second language for more than 30 years to children and adults. Non-readers are confused because the phonic system falls down when words are mispronounced, and developing readers, who use understanding to fill in the gaps, rely on consistent grammar for that to work. It constitutes neglect, I would argue, not to teach all students these basics and to maintain the standard at every stage of education and in the media. As infants, we learn our mother tongue from what we hear, which is why mastering a second language draws on both the spokenSponsored
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 20:04 UTC
Biden’s UN speech will try to convince member states that ‘America is back’
The White House sees the speech to the UN general assembly as a chance to reclaim the global initiative and convince UN member states that “America is back”, as Biden promised when he took office. “It’s an important, consequential week for President Biden and his leadership on the world stage,” a senior administration official said. In his speech, Biden will say he wants to avoid a new cold war with the world divided into blocks. However, at the start of UN general assembly’s summit week, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, expressed concern that US-Chinese rivalry was stopping progress on urgent global issues. Now things are more complex,” the secretary general said.
Source:The Guardian
September 20, 2021 19:14 UTC
Emma Raducanu’s US Open victory is an opportunity British cannot waste, says Andy Murray
Raducanu’s US Open triumph was watched by more than nine million people on Channel 4Andy Murray has passionately urged the LTA and the government to “take the opportunity” that the US Open champion Emma Raducanu has created to increase the profile of tennis in the United Kingdom and shake off the sport’s elitist image. Murray, 34, has previously criticised the British tennis authorities for failing to capitalise on his own considerable achievements as a three-times grand-slam winner. SponsoredIn 2019, when it appeared that he was on the brink of retirement at the Australian Open because of a hip injury, he delivered a damning assessment of the LTA’s efforts to build on his legacy, stating that it was “madness” so few indoor courts had been built in Scotland during his career. Now Murray believes that the recent success of Raducanu
Source:The Times
September 20, 2021 18:13 UTC