Trump confuses Sweden
In a recent speech to a group of his supporters, the President of the USA, Donald Trump, appeared to reference a non-existent terrorist attack in Sweden. In his speech, which highlighted the presence of terrorism in Europe, he said “you look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this”. Unsurprisingly, many did not believe him, calling on Trump to explain exactly what terrorist attack he was referring too. Many swedes took to twitter to reassure everyone that there had been no reported attack, and soon the hashtag #lastnightinSweden was trending. Trump has subsequently announced that he was actually referring to a news item on Fox News by reporter Ami Horowitz, which argued that there has been an increase in gun violence and rape since Sweden’s decision to allow more refuges in 2013.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39020962
Heterosexual couple lose court appeal for a Civil Partnership
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a heterosexual couple are unable to have a civil partnership despite their claims it breaches equality. The couple, Ms Steinfled and Mr Keiden, have been in a seven-year relationship and have a 20-month-old daughter. They wished to cement their relationship in legal terms but did not believe marriage was the right option for them. The court highlighted that this was a potential breach of their human rights but did not rule in their favour, deciding to allow the government more time to consider the issue of civil partnerships. Currently in the UK, same-sex couples have the option of either a civil partnership or marriage, whereas heterosexual couples are only able to marry.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39039146
House of Lords debates Brexit bill
The House of Lords have begun their debate over the governments proposed Brexit bill, with a surprise appearance by Prime Minister Theresa May. May sat to watch the opening speeches of the debate, which will see over 190 peers speak over the course of two days. Lady Evans, who opened the debate, has urged peers that ‘this bill is not the place… to attempt to re-run the referendum’. Meanwhile, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords has argued that peers should not be averse to seeking to amend the bill and sending it back to the House of Commons. He stated that there was a ‘world of difference between blocking… and seeking to amend it’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39020260
Where you live can affect your University aspirations
A recent study has highlighted that an individual’s likelihood of applying to University is dependent on where they live. The study, conducted by the Press Association (PA) news agency, outlined key areas with high and low application rates. The PA looked at applications from UCAS to assess whether location had an impact on the likelihood of applying to University. London was found to be the area with the highest application rate with 47% of teenagers applying. The South West had the lowest rate, with only 32% applying for University. The study also highlighted a correlation between application rates and Conservative/Labour seats. Statistically young people living in Conservative seats were ‘slightly more likely to apply’ to University than those teenagers living in a Labour seat. In response to the study, Universities UK stated that efforts should be made to boost social mobility by the institutions in those areas.