London Weather: warmer conditions ahead?

People relax in the sun during lunchtime as they sit in Potters Fields Park, backdropped by the Tower Bridge, in London, Thursday, June 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

This weekend will be sunny, temperatures around 15°C are expected in London.

Next week should also continue the sun and average temperatures for February. We expect 16°C next Wednesday in London. This month could be the warmest February since 1998 when 19.7°C was recorded in Greenwich (London). Average February temperature is between 8°C and 9°C.

This nice weather will bring sooner spring flowers in the park all around London and a lot of Londoners will probably enjoy lunch in parks and outside activities this weekend.

Are ill-informed politicians a blight on the tech industry?

Yesterday, Donald Trump called on American tech companies to step up their game. The President tweeted that he wanted “5G, and even 6G” technology to be made available in the United States “as soon as possible”.

There’s just one problem… 6G doesn’t exist yet.

It’s not unheard of for President Trump to make unsubstantiated demands like this. However, a lack of comprehension from politicians when it comes to the technology industry is also not unusual. Last year in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before members of the U.S. Senate to answer questions about digital privacy and had to explain to several members basic workings of the internet. It was concerning to some that the lawmakers in charge of regulating the industry did not appear to grasp how technology works.

In the UK, with Brexit looming, those employed in technology are nervous that the impact on their industry is not being properly considered by the government. Insiders are concerned that, due to uncertainty caused by Brexit, leading tech cities like London, Manchester and Birmingham are being overtaken by European rival hubs. As well as this, agreements such as the digital single market, which was launched in 2015 and covers areas like data regulation, privacy and copyright, are presumably going to be removed following the UK’s official withdrawal. This puts the UK’s digital businesses and start-ups at a disadvantage.

Oliver de Montfalcon works for the tech startup Soda. With Brexit on the horizon, his concerns over for the industry are two-fold: as well as the confusion over the terms of the UK’s withdrawal and the impact it could have, the issues that existed before the vote continue to prevail. Topics like net neutrality may have been pushed to the sidelines, but are no less crucial to ensuring the continued success of the industry. “Preserving net neutrality and a level playing field for early stage start-ups is important toprevent monopolies and oligopolies from forming or becoming further consolidated.”

Oliver de Montfalcon, pictured left, is a marketing creative at tech startup Soda.
Oliver de Montfalcon, pictured left, is a marketing creative at tech startup Soda. Credit: Soda (Facebook)

Going forward, he believes that politicians and government departments “would do well to listen to their policy support teams and academic consensus” on the multitude of complex issues that affect the tech industry. This is to limit the reach of lobbyists in an increasingly susceptible area: “The people doing the research, applying specialist knowledge and working across disciplines are equally, if not more qualified to advise policy and decision making than powerful industry advocacy groups and senior multinational executives.”

Karl Lagerfeld’s cat legally unable to inherit £150 million fortune

Before his death, Karl Lagerfeld declared his cat Choupette as his heir. But is it legal?

Lagerfeld adopted Choupette in 2011 from famous model Baptist Giabiconi. He did this after he fell in love with her when he looked after her for a few days.

Four years ago, in the French TV show Le Divan, Lagerfeld claimed Choupette had her own little fortune. “She is a heir. If anything happens to me the person that will take care of her will no live in misery. […] Choupette is a rich girl.”

Reminding him that it’s not legal in France, Lagerfeld told the presenter, “well that’s great, I’m not French”.

Lagerfeld  recently confirmed this information. On 10th April 2018 he confessed to magazine Numero that among others, Choupette was named in his will.  He also added, “don’t worry, there is enough for everyone”.

But despite his assertions, is it legally possible to name a pet in a will?

Well, it depends of the country.

Under German law, Lagerfeld’s nationality, such an arrangement can only be possible, according to Le Figaro, if the cat is nominated as the ‘heir’ through an association or foundation.

Elisa Leroux, Clerk in France. Credit: Aurelie Denieul

Under French law, however, Elisa Leroux, a French clerk says that although there is only part of a will reserved for direct descendants, the remainder must be given to what is considered a ‘legal character’.

“A cat or any pet is not considered like this,” she explains. “Under French law, a cat is just a belonging. The cat has to be given in the will just as any other goods. So here, the person who inherits Choupette will probably also inherit her fortune and will have to pay 60 per cent taxes to the state if this person is not a close family member.”

Under US law, according to Le Figaro, Choupette would be legally allowed to inherit his fortune. Indeed, the famous US presenter Oprah Winfrey has declared her dogs in her will and they will inherit $30 million.

Under UK law, according to April King, a Legal Service Group, pets are considered as property and therefore can’t inherit money. “For the purpose of your will, your pet is considered to be personal property,” they explain. “The exception to this is if the pet is a working animal, in which case they might be a business set. You can’t therefore leave money directly to your pet, but you can nominate someone to look after them and leave a gift to that person to cover associated expenses.”

Heir Hunters law firm also confirmed this. “In the UK, people can leave legacies for animals in wills,” they said. “Although generally in some sort of trust.”

And so, if you’re looking to name your pet in your will the only viable country to do this is the US. In Europe, you will only be able to do it through a person or an association who will look after your pet.

BREAKING: Jussie Smollet suspended from ‘Empire’

Jussie Smollett, the embattled actor accused of staging a hate crime -against himself – will not be featured in the final two episodes of the television show “Empire”.

The executive producers announced the decision in a statement on Friday: “The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” they said.

“Jussie has been an important member of our ‘Empire’ family for the past five years and we care about him deeply.”

The actor was charged Thursday on the suspicion of filing a false police report claiming to have been the victim of a hate crime.

Study finds one in 13 young people suffer from PTSD by the age of 18 – but what about those undiagnosed?

A new study published in the Lancet Psychiatry found that one in 13 young people in England and Wales experience post-traumatic stress disorder by the age of 18.

The study looked at more than 2,000 18-year-olds and found that a third had experienced some form of trauma in their childhood. And a quarter of these then developed PTSD, which led to insomnia, flashbacks, and feelings of isolation.

The study found that those who suffered PTSD had experienced a depressive episode and one in five had attempted suicide.

Dr Stephanie Lewis, lead researcher in the Medical Research Council said: “providing effective treatments early on could prevent mental health problems continuing into adulthood.”

The prominence of PTSD in young people is a sobering reality check for health professional and parents alike.

Whilst it highlights just how common the disorder can be within young people – it also begs the question of how dangerous is it for those who have the disorder but leave it untreated.

Especially after entering adulthood where some people begin to prioritise work and studying over their mental health. It is important to recognise PTSD in any of its forms.

Hana Stuart, a graduate from University of the Arts London, suffered physical abuse when she was younger.

Although she identified the cause of her Trauma at a much younger age, she only began to connect her symptoms to PTSD a year ago at the age of 21.

Hana said: “I began to have unwanted thoughts and memories of my childhood trauma completely out of the blue. I was anxious all the time and I began to become depressed. When I was younger I had spoken about these problems quite a bit, but in hindsight, I remember I tried to ‘feel better’ as soon as I could.”

Hana’s PTSD only became obvious to her just last year, but she had occasional episodes whilst she was a teenager.

“When I was younger I would have moments where I would remember a specific thing or something I didn’t want to think about but I’d brush it aside pretty easily.”

What is PTSD?

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PTSD is often associated with soldiers and others who have seen the front lines of war, but anyone – including children – can develop it after a traumatic event. Traumas that can cause PTSD include:

Causes:

  • Violent attacks
  • Physical or sexual abuse
  • Road accidents
  • Military combat
  • Seeing someone else suffer something traumatic
  • Illness
  • Repeated exposure to events like those mentioned above

Symptoms:

Those who have PTSD usually have symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. This includes:

  • Intrusive thoughts or memories of the events which are unwanted and keep coming back
  • Feeling Jumpy, startled, or nervous when something triggers memories of the event
  • Avoidance of any reminders of the event, by avoiding certain activities, places, or people
  • Forgetting important parts of what happened
  • Negative thinking or mood, and feeling detached / estranged / anger, shame fear, guilt
  • Trouble sleeping, focusing, and looking out for danger and looking startled

If you find yourself having these sorts of symptoms, or someone you know may be having these sorts of symptoms, it is best to consult a professional. People with PTSD can recover from a traumatic event after a period of adjustment. But if you find that symptoms continue for longer than a month, it is best to consult a professional.

Treatment:

  • Consults a psychologist, psychiatrist, or bereavement specialists
  • Consult a licensed clinical social worker, professional counsellor, or trauma professionals

Hana said therapy was the best thing for her: “speaking about it and going through it with a professional helped me a lot – and I urge anyone who thinks they might have PTSD to reach out.”

Do you think you could have post-traumatic stress disorder?
Find a psychological therapy service near you

And read more about the treatment of PTSD here

Alternatively, you can contact the UK Samaritans at 116 123

 

Alesha MacPhail’s killer named as Aaron Campbell

The sixteen year old teenager who brutally raped and murdered six year old Alesha MacPhail on the Isle of Bute has been named as Aaron Campbell.

Judge Lord Matthews agreed to lift a legal restriction on revealing the teenagers identity following an application by media outlets.

Campbell,16, who is from Rothesay was convicted of raping and murdering Alesha at the High Court on Thursday and will be sentenced on 21 March 2019.

Campbell abducted the child at knifepoint from her bedroom at her grandparents home on the Isle of Blue in July 2018.

He then took her to a woodland clearing on the Scottish holiday island where she was sexually abused and murdered.

Upon conviction, Judge Lord Matthews told him he had committed “some of the most wicked and evil crimes this court has ever heard of in decades of dealing with depravity.”

Campbell was found to have Googled ‘how do police find DNA’ the day after the six-year-old’s body was found dumped in the wood.

More to follow

Drag kings massively under-represented

Over the last 10 years, largely due to smash TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag queens have gone viral. The most popular stars from the show have amassed millions of followers on social media, and travel all over the world to perform.

However, one margin of the industry still feels under-represented.

Valentina, one of the stars from the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, has over a million followers on Instagram.
Valentina, one of the stars from the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, has over a million followers on Instagram. Credit: Instagram/allaboutvalentina

Drag kings have not enjoyed the same meteoric rise in popularity. Performer Adam All (real name Jen Powell) finds that a lot of the public is still unaware of what a drag king is, making booking gigs outside of drag circles “hard work”.

But far from being deterred, he believes the only way forward is to continue performing, and encourage others to follow suit.

Adam, who identifies as gender neutral when not in drag, hopes that the whole drag scene can work together to raise the profile of the community for the better, and further awareness about LGBTQ+ issues along the way.

Tune in at 3:30 pm to City News TV themed LGBTQ+ History Month show to catch the full story.

The Hawley Arms launches crowdfunding campaign

Famous Camden pub, The Hawley Arms, has been put on the property market.

Rising fears that owner, Greene King, will sell the land to developers has sparked a crowdfunding campaign.

Representatives of the pub have called for the public to donate whatever they can in a bid to buy the property and save the cultural hotspot.

The pub used to be favourite to the late singer Amy Winehouse, and has become somewhat of an institution for British musicians. Greene King has owned the freehold since 2004 and said that they have no control over who buys the new lease.

Patrons of the pub have been asked to donate between £10 and £1000 in exchange for drink tokens, t-shirts and a named inscription on the pubs new “Wall of Heroes”. Donations of £20 or more will be entered into a competition to win a signed Amy Winehouse setlist.

The pub continues to be a celebrity magnet and has been visited by Alexa Chung, Noel Fielding and Russel Brand. Bands that frequent the pub include Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks and Wolf Alice.

You can donate to The Hawley Arms crowdfunding page here.

Asthma poses a threat to young people in the UK

Young people in the UK are more likely to die from Asthma or long-term illnesses than the other high-income European countries, according to a recent study by  Nuffield Trust and the Association of Young People’s Health (AYPH). 

Asthma affects 5.4 million people in the UK and the study shows even though young people  are making healthier choices, they still have the highest Asthma death rates compared to eighteen other countries.

Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive of Nuffield Trust says:

“Making sure we have a healthy population requires us all to do our bit. More than ever, young people are holding up their side of the bargain, with more of them choosing to smoke and drink less, yet our health system seems to be getting something badly wrong. I worry this reflects a dangerous complacency.”

The study revealed that the UK has the highest death rates among young people (aged 10-24) compared with fourteen other high-income European countries.

Scott Smith (AP)
The number of people receiving basic care for asthma has doubled since 2013. Credit: Scott Smith (AP)

Additionally, The UK asthma mortality rate is twice as high as the second worst country in Europe, placing  fourth highest overall behind USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Scarlett Westbrook, a fourteen year-old dancer, has lived with asthma for twelve years. She describes the illness as “silent but deadly” and says that it gets in the way of doing things she loves, which is why she is raising awareness about living  with asthma as an athlete. “The rise of air pollution is definitely a large contributor,” she states. “In the summer we have thick smog and the rest of the time the air is thick with CO2.”

The annual asthma survey revealed that although the number of people receiving basic care for asthma has doubled since 2013, only 2/5th  get this care, with 18-19 year olds receiving the worst care.

Jessica Creron, MSc Psychology student at University of York, was diagnosed with Asthma at twelve years old. She would like to see extra funding into the NHS so that everyone can get the proper treatment and feel supported, rather than managing it alone.

“With GPs usually being too busy to gain a quick appointment and almost all hospitals being constantly at capacity, it’s hard for the healthcare service to make efficient time for lower tier chronic illnesses like asthma,” she explains.

Having lived with asthma for ten years, Creron has learnt how to avoid circumstances that may bring on an attack, including learning techniques to do before relying on her inhaler. Although asthma does not greatly effect her daily life, she says she must carry her inhaler on her everyday in case off an attack.