Latest news with #Kensington
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Grenfell Uncovered on Netflix: First-rate journalism highlights how working class victims were left waiting for answers
There are obvious parallels between the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London and the Stardust fire in Artane, Dublin , in that they were preventable calamities where the families of the dead were left waiting far too long for answers. There is also the fact that, in both cases, the victims were mainly working class. That element of the story is tackled head-on in Grenfell Uncovered, Olaide Sadiq's hard-hitting documentary about the 2017 London catastrophe, which claimed 72 lives. 'We were treated as if we didn't matter. We're working class, we're poor,' says one former resident of the west London tower block in comments that carry clear echoes of the official response to the Stardust blaze. Grenfell and its aftermath are told via eyewitness testimonies, including those of Luana Gomes, who was 12 at the time and had to be put into an induced coma after she and her family descended 21 flights of stairs in pitch-black smoke. 'We covered ourselves with the blankets my dad had put in the bathtub. I grabbed my dog. Dashed for the stairwell,' she says. The cause of the fire was the highly flammable cladding attached to the outside of the building in a penny-pinching makeover intended to address complaints that the tower had become an eyesore in affluent Kensington. One expert likens the covering to 'sticking a petrol tanker to the outside of the building'. Safer cladding would have cost extra – but not a lot, around £40 per renovated flat. [ Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died, 'to be demolished', families are told Opens in new window ] By the time of the fire, this cladding was already prohibited across much of Europe (although the situation in Ireland is not specified). But not in the UK, where Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron had led a campaign against state regulation of the private sector. 'The driving ideology was deregulation,' says one contributor. 'The state had no place telling private businesses what they should or shouldn't do.' READ MORE Cameron had been replaced by Theresa May by the time of Grenfell, and she was widely criticised for not visiting the tower block the morning after the fire. To her credit, she is the only prominent politician to appear in the Netflix film, and she accepts her share of culpability. 'One of the issues was the way in which authority had failed to listen to [the residents],' she says. 'I merely exacerbated that by not going to see them first off. It was important given the scale of the tragedy.' Were it possible, some politicians come off even worse than Cameron and May. There is Eric Pickles, now 'Lord Pickles' but, at the time, secretary of state at the Department for Communities and Local Government. At the official Grenfell inquiry, he urged officials not to waste his time – before confusing the death toll from Grenfell with that of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield. [ 'The fire broke our family': Grenfell was, above all else, a human tragedy Opens in new window ] 'Seventy-two residents died. 96 was the number of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster,' says housing journalist Peter Apps. 'That number should sit with everybody. If it's not important, you'll mix it up with another disaster where lots of working-class people died.' Grenfell Uncovered is important public service journalism, and it's a shame that the film couldn't resist a cheesy stunt at the end by appearing to imply that Luana's mother had died in the fire – only for it to be revealed at the end that she survives (though her unborn son did not). That one lapse aside, however, the film is first-rate long-form reporting. It makes you wonder, if Netflix were to apply the same journalistic rigour to Ireland, what might come wriggling out from under the rocks? Grenfell Uncovered runs on Netflix from Friday, June 20th
CBS News
11 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Nonprofit in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood working to prevent HIV infections
In a quiet corner of Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, Kareem Mims is doing work that could one day put him out of a job, and he hopes it does. As a prevention healthcare coordinator at Prevention Point Philadelphia, Mims tests people for HIV, the virus that has taken the lives of over 700,000 people in the United States since the start of the epidemic in 1981. "HIV is still an easy virus to spread. It's still an easy virus to contract, and it can go unnoticed for years," Mims said. "So, the more people getting tested, especially our at-risk folks, if they are infected with HIV, we can get them in treatment and have them undetectable, which means un-transmittable, within 30 days." Mims works for Prevention Point, a nonprofit that has been on the front lines of harm reduction for over 30 years. The organization launched Philadelphia's first legal syringe exchange in 1992, at the height of the AIDS crisis, a time when nearly 50% of new HIV infections in the city were linked to drug use. Today, thanks to expanded access to testing, treatment, and prevention, Prevention Point said that figure has dropped to just 5.8% as of 2023. One of the people getting tested is Maryann Parken, a regular at Prevention Point. "These people are awesome," she said. "I get a lot of services here. I get PrEP. I get everything. So, I come here like every day." Parken said she tests regularly because her partner had hepatitis C. "Just in case," she said. The science around HIV prevention has evolved dramatically. Antiretroviral medications now allow people living with HIV to become undetectable, meaning they cannot transmit the virus to others. There's also PrEP, a once-daily oral medication that prevents HIV infection, and more recently, long-acting injectable versions. "When I first started working here four years ago, we only had oral PrEP like Descovy," Mims said. "Now we're doing long-acting injections, which I really recommend to all of our patients, especially our unhoused patients." "In this population, people lose their pills," he added. "People get their pills stolen." Despite the progress, Mims said there's still work to do. He hopes treatment continues to advance and that one day, the virus will no longer be a threat. "I'm currently trying to work myself out of a job," he said. "When we have zero HIV infections, I'll feel satisfied."
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
African Business Chamber (AfBC) announces 2025 African Business Awards in London
The African Business Chamber (AfBC) is proud to announce that the AfBC African Business Awards and Gala Dinner 2025 will be held on Thursday, 3 July 2025, in London. This prestigious annual event will celebrate the remarkable achievements of African businesses, entrepreneurs, and leaders across the UK and internationally. Now a highly anticipated annual event in the business calendar, the AfBC African Business Awards shines a spotlight on excellence, innovation, and impact among African and African diaspora-led enterprises. Honourees span key sectors such as finance, technology, trade, sustainability, healthcare, creative industries, and professional services. This year's edition will highlight individuals and organisations who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, made significant economic contributions, and shown a strong commitment to inclusive growth and sustainable development across Africa and the UK. Event Details: AfBC African Business Awards 2025 Date: Thursday, 3 July 2025 Venue: Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre, Kensington and Chelsea, London, SW7 4LH Website: Award Categories Include: Top 100 Business Leader of the Year Entrepreneur of the Year Start-Up & New Business of the Year Technology & Innovation Excellence Healthcare Excellence Creative Industry Excellence Financial Services Excellence Professional Excellence African Women in Business (WIB) Excellence International Trade Excellence Social Enterprise Excellence Diaspora Excellence Business of the Year Business Excellence In addition, Special Recognition and Honorary Awards will be presented to individuals who have made out- standing contributions and demonstrated exceptional impact in their respective professions, as well as in the fields of international business, leadership, entrepreneurship, trade, social enterprise, and diaspora community development. The evening will feature keynote speeches, high-level networking, and cultural performances, showcasing the vibrant diversity and contributions of the African business community in the UK and globally. Eugene Nizeyimana, CEO of AfBC, stated: ' The African Business Awards are more than just a celebration— they're a platform to inspire, connect, and elevate African excellence. This year, we are excited to honour those leading meaningful change and shaping the future of business in Africa and its global diaspora.' Nominations: AfBC invites businesses, entrepreneurs, organisations and individual professionals to submit their nominations by emailing: info@ Registration: Deadline: Friday, 27 June 2025 Attendance: Advance registration required. Limited spaces available. Register Now to reserve your space and ticket to attend
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Notting Hill Carnival deserves to die
With organisers of the annual Notting Hill Carnival reportedly worried its future is in doubt without urgent government funding, we are at the 'reform or die' stage for the event. At the end of last summer's Notting Hill Carnival, Metropolitan Police revealed that eight people were stabbed during the 'celebrations' and a total of 334 arrests were made – most for possession of an offensive weapon and drug-related offences. One of those stabbed was 32-year-old mother Cher Maximen, who later died after being attacked with a zombie knife by 20-year-old Shakeil Thibou in front of her three-year-old daughter on the Carnival's so-called 'Family Day'. During the latest edition of the weekend event, which is billed as Europe's biggest street carnival, thousands of Met police officers were deployed under difficult circumstances due to the sheer density of crowds and the scale of criminality; fifty of these officers were injured. The reality is the Notting Hill Carnival, which in its earlier stages was a hippie-style festival with a strong emphasis on cultural unity and fighting discrimination, has descended into an annual hotbed of violence and debauchery. Its disorderly nature is demonstrated by the fact that, in recent years, elderly residents on the Carnival route have been transported to the seaside as part of a Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council scheme to provide them with 'respite'. I suspect that some of the creators of Notting Hill Carnival, which was originally an indoor event focused on improving UK race relations following the 1958 riots in the area, would be turning in their grave over the sorry depths that it has plunged to. As currently constituted, it is not remotely sustainable. The weekend event is arguably the most high-profile and well-known expression of Caribbean culture in modern Britain. But the level of knife-related violence, public degeneracy and aggression towards police officers means that it now does far more harm than good for race relations. In fact, it only serves to reinforce the view that the UK's black Caribbean population is a culturally broken one. The fundamental reform of Notting Hill Carnival is long overdue. While I would not want to see such an iconic event completely wiped from the British cultural calendar, it must radically change. It cannot continue to exist in its current form. It should be relocated to a more spacious area in the name of public safety; Hyde Park is one option. Holding it as a streamlined celebration based on ticketed entry and robust private security would provide a safer environment as well as being kinder to the taxpayer. This would make it more appealing for family-friendly visitors and return the Notting Hill Carnival to being a culturally enriching event of national pride and community spirit. Those who wish to protect it in its current form and trivialise the levels of violence at the event are signing its death warrant. If they want it to survive, they must accept that it needs to completely change course.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Notting Hill Carnival ‘in jeopardy without government funding'
Notting Hill Carnival organisers have said the event is in jeopardy without government funding. Ian Comfort, the carnival's chairman, has written to the Culture Secretary to demand funds to keep its two million visitors safe. The August bank holiday event has long been overshadowed by crime. Last year's event saw two deaths, eight stabbings, 334 arrests and 50 injured police officers. In the letter to Lisa Nandy, first reported by BBC News, Mr Comfort warned that failure to secure funding 'risks compromising public safety and jeopardising the future of the carnival'. The letter comes after an independent safety review commissioned by the carnival's organisers found 'critical public safety concerns' at the festival. The review, whose findings and recommendations have not been made public, cost £100,000 which was covered by the taxpayer-funded Greater London Authority (GLA), Kensington and Chelsea Council and Westminster Council. The Government has previously supported the carnival through bodies such as Arts Council England, but it is understood that the organisers are requesting direct funding for the first time since its inception in 1966. Mr Comfort has told the Culture Secretary that investment was needed for stewarding and crowd management to allow police to focus on 'crime prevention and public protection'. He warned that the GLA and two councils could no longer 'meet the growing operational requirements' of stewarding the event. It is unclear how much funding the carnival organisers are asking for. The Met Police deployed 7,000 officers to the 2024 event, with a total of around 14,000 officer shifts allocated to the whole event. Matt Twist, the force's assistant commissioner, has previously raised concerns that the carnival could turn into a 'mass casualty event'. He told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee in September: 'While we acknowledge that crime often gets the headlines, the thing that worries me most is the crowd density and the potential for a mass casualty event.' The committee later published its own report, which warned that the force was being put under an increasing strain which 'has not been matched with an increase in funding from the government'. Two people died in separate attacks at the carnival last year. Cher Maximen, 38, was stabbed in the groin in front of her three-year-old daughter while attempting to break up a fight on Sunday. She died after losing five litres of blood. Mussie Imnetu, a 41-year-old Swedish chef who had trained under Gordon Ramsay, was kicked and punched outside of a restaurant on Monday, dying four days later. He had been visiting the UK on business from Dubai, where he worked as head chef of the Arts Club. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: 'This violence is shocking, completely unacceptable, and a betrayal of the values that Carnival was founded to celebrate.' Commander Charmain Brenyah, the Met's Carnival spokesman, said at the time: 'Carnival is about bringing people together in a positive celebration. That it has ended with the tragic loss of life, amongst other incidents of serious violence, will sadden everyone involved.' The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC it would 'respond to the letter in due course'.
