Kneecap cancel all US tour dates over clash with court hearing in London

Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh faces terrorism charge in UK for alleged display of Hezbollah flag mid-performance

The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have cancelled their scheduled US tour dates in October, citing the proximity to a court hearing in London involving band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s alleged mid-performance display of a Hezbollah flag.

Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence in the UK in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a concert in London last November.

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Continue ReadingKneecap cancel all US tour dates over clash with court hearing in London

Kneecap cancel all US tour dates over clash with court hearing in London

Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh faces terrorism charge in UK for alleged display of Hezbollah flag mid-performance

The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have cancelled their scheduled US tour dates in October, citing the proximity to a court hearing in London involving band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s alleged mid-performance display of a Hezbollah flag.

Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence in the UK in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a concert in London last November.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingKneecap cancel all US tour dates over clash with court hearing in London

UK gender pay gap underestimated for two decades, report says

Findings suggest since 2004 ONS failed to properly account for fact it received more data from larger employers

The UK’s gender pay gap has been underestimated for more than 20 years, according to research that could raise fresh questions about the quality of data used to inform key pay decisions across the UK.

The findings, released in the British Journal of Industrial Relations on Monday, suggest that, since 2004, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had failed to properly account for the fact that it received more data from larger employers, when it reported its annual survey of hours and earnings (Ashe).

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Continue ReadingUK gender pay gap underestimated for two decades, report says

UK gender pay gap underestimated for two decades, report says

Findings suggest since 2004 ONS failed to properly account for fact it received more data from larger employers

The UK’s gender pay gap has been underestimated for more than 20 years, according to research that could raise fresh questions about the quality of data used to inform key pay decisions across the UK.

The findings, released in the British Journal of Industrial Relations on Monday, suggest that, since 2004, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had failed to properly account for the fact that it received more data from larger employers, when it reported its annual survey of hours and earnings (Ashe).

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Continue ReadingUK gender pay gap underestimated for two decades, report says

Blood, sweat and cigarettes – why there’s nothing cute about school uniform | Zoe Williams

The charm is intoxicating at first. But wait till their expensive kit is mired in mud, the blazer takes on a flammable sheen and the PE kit stinks up the house

The first time you put your kid in school uniform, there’s an intoxicating charm to the moment. There he is, your precious firstborn, and you’ve dressed him up like a grown-assed man who’s managing the fanciest restaurant on a very large ferry. Slacks and a well-pressed shirt are just the baseline; there’s also insignia on everything – jumpers, shorts, bags, pencil cases and water bottles – and the crest is something egalitarian, such as a tree or a leaf, but whatever it is, only that will do. After a full and overall pretty happy life of not sweating the small stuff, suddenly there’s a person in your house whose every clothing item is absolutely irreplaceable, and that person is four, and has squashed a beetle into it. On that first day, though, all you’re thinking is, “How adorable, this is like his first Christmas, when we dressed him up as a pudding.” The next 12 years, though, are going to be hell.

The first year, you’ll spend the whole time looking for the insignia jumper.

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Continue ReadingBlood, sweat and cigarettes – why there’s nothing cute about school uniform | Zoe Williams

Blood, sweat and cigarettes – why there’s nothing cute about school uniform | Zoe Williams

The charm is intoxicating at first. But wait till their expensive kit is mired in mud, the blazer takes on a flammable sheen and the PE kit stinks up the house

The first time you put your kid in school uniform, there’s an intoxicating charm to the moment. There he is, your precious firstborn, and you’ve dressed him up like a grown-assed man who’s managing the fanciest restaurant on a very large ferry. Slacks and a well-pressed shirt are just the baseline; there’s also insignia on everything – jumpers, shorts, bags, pencil cases and water bottles – and the crest is something egalitarian, such as a tree or a leaf, but whatever it is, only that will do. After a full and overall pretty happy life of not sweating the small stuff, suddenly there’s a person in your house whose every clothing item is absolutely irreplaceable, and that person is four, and has squashed a beetle into it. On that first day, though, all you’re thinking is, “How adorable, this is like his first Christmas, when we dressed him up as a pudding.” The next 12 years, though, are going to be hell.

The first year, you’ll spend the whole time looking for the insignia jumper.

Continue reading...
Continue ReadingBlood, sweat and cigarettes – why there’s nothing cute about school uniform | Zoe Williams