Career Changing Decisions
THE MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION RESIGNED AFTER HIRING AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Mark Harper is the guy behind last year’s “go home” campaign
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Britain’s immigration minister Mark Harper, who launched last year’s “go home” campaign, has resigned for hiring an illegal immigrant as a cleaner.
In his resignation letter, Harper admitted that he “should have checked more thoroughly” that the cleaner’s documents were genuine, and said that he hadn’t broken the law as an employer, but believed his position meant he should “hold myself to a higher standard than expected of others”.
Downing Street said that there was “no suggestion that Mr Harper knowingly employed an illegal immigrant”, but that the Prime Minister had “accepted his decision with regret”.
This news may overshadow what was previously set to be Harper’s political legacy: the Home Office vans he launched last year that drove through racially mixed areas warning illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest”.
The vans were criticised as a divisive gimmick and scrapped not long after they were unveiled, with Theresa May labelling them “too much of a blunt instrument”.
Presidential Races
EGYPT’S GENERAL AL-SISI HAS HIS FIRST ELECTION OPPONENT
Hamdeen Sabahi is making sure the army chief doesn’t run unopposed
(Screen grab via)
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Veteran left-winger and former political prisoner Hamdeen Sabahi has announced he will run for the Egyptian Presidency.
Although military chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi hasn’t formally announced his own candidacy, he was given the blessing of his fellow generals last week, so Sabahi’s bid will ensure al-Sisi is not elected unopposed.
The news has already divided the leadership of Tamarod – the protest group that led last year’s overthrow of Mohamed Morsi – with two co-founders declaring their support for Sabahi, while its leader has maintained his allegiance to al-Sisi.
Considering new laws introduced by Egypt’s military-led interim government effectively ban any form of public dissent, it is unclear how exactly Sabahi will campaign.
His party have already claimed that two men who displayed posters of the presidential candidate in their cars were arrested this week.
Flooding Fuck-Ups
ERIC PICKLES APOLOGISED FOR THE GOVERNMENT’S FLOOD RESPONSE
He admitted they should have dredged the Somerset Levels
Floods in the Somerset Levels (Photo via)
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Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has admitted that the government “made a mistake” in its handling of the UK floods.
Speaking about the flood-hit Somerset Levels, he said that “we recognise now that we should have dredged”.
The Tory MP blamed the decision on advice from the Environment Agency, adding, “I’m really sorry that we took the advice – we thought we were dealing with experts.”
The agency weighed in, but didn’t directly respond to Pickles’ remarks, stating: “The Environment Agency’s immediate priority is to protect people and property in the face of this extreme period of weather. Until the danger to people and property has passed, we are putting all our energy and focus into this vital work which is recognised by government.”
Postponed Surrenders
THE OWNERS OF BANGLADESH’S FIRE FACTORY TURNED THEMSELVES IN
The Tazreen factory fire killed 112 workers in 2012
(Photo by James Pogue)
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Two owners of the Bangladeshi garment factory where 122 workers died in a fire have handed themselves in to the authorities.
Delwar Hossain and his wife, owners of the Tazreen factory in Dhaka that burned down in 2012, were charged with homicide in December.
An investigation uncovered that managers and guards had told workers that it was a routine drill, meaning many didn’t have enough time to escape, and that doors had been locked from the outside.
It’s unclear why the couple decided to give themselves up, but they face a maximum sentence of life in prison if they’re convicted.
Racial Stereotypes
A SCHOOL CELEBRATED BLACK HISTORY MONTH BY BEING RACIST
They put corn bread, watermelon and fried chicken on their lunch menu
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To celebrate Black History Month, a North Carolina high school included fried chicken, corn bread and watermelon on its lunch menu.
Because the best way to celebrate important people and events in the history of the African diaspora is to perpetuate food-based stereotypes about black people.
Confusingly, students and parents at the Carondelet High School for Girls didn’t agree with this line of logic.
In response to their outrage, principal Nancy Libby sent out a letter apologising for the menu, in which she said: “Please know that at no time at Carondelet do we wish to perpetuate racial stereotypes.”
