Highlighted Image for the week: Ideal diving spot
A huge splash was made this week in the UK election campaign by Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats. In a clever use of self-deprecating political comedy, Davey consistently found himself taking a dip in Lake Windermere during a paddleboard photo shoot.
Acknowledging one of his stumbles into the lake was planned, Davey confessed that he subsequently “kept toppling over”. And honestly, Davey appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself despite being clad in a wetsuit.
This political publicity stunt aimed to deliver a clear message: if you appreciate clean waters and lakes devoid of untreated sewage, don’t cast your vote in favour of the Conservative Party.
In recent times, Windermere, England’s largest lake and a significant contributor to the Lake District’s tourism economy, has been a major target for considerable loads of raw sewage discharge. Environmental records indicate an upwards of 27,000 hours of unprocessed sewage being dumped into the lake since 2020 by water company, United Utilities.
A recent inquiry led by the BBC also revealed an incident in February when the firm neglected to disclose pumping sewage into the lake until 13 hours following the commencement of the action. This non-disclosure violated the law and was vastly inappropriate for a Unesco World Heritage Site. The company justified its failure to report the incident as being due to an unanticipated machine fault they were uninformed about for several hours.
Consequently, the lake has emerged as a hotspot not only for the Liberal Democrats to reaffirm their existence to the public but also for anti-pollution advocates rightfully appalled by hazardous pollution levels at UK’s popular sites for water sports and natural beauty. This has occurred following several decades during which eco-unfriendly water firms have prioritised dividends over massive investments necessary for environmental protection.
By the Numbers: A crucial shift
2%
Only a minor fraction of this percentage of US charitable donations is aimed towards organisations concentrated primarily on women and girl’s welfare, according to Melinda French Gates, a philanthropist and divorcee. In a New York Times editorial this week, she described women’s health as being “chronically deprived of funds”.
$1 billion
This is the amount that French Gates intends to pledge from now to 2026 in support of women’s rights across the globe and within the US. She plans on doing this through her newly established entity, Pivotal Ventures.
£200 million
French Gates is planning to include a significant number of grants dedicated towards the fight for women’s reproductive rights as part of her wealth distribution strategy. She noted the disturbing likelihood that her one-year-old granddaughter might face a future with fewer rights than herself.
In other news, the National Samsung Electronics Union in South Korea has made history by preparing for its first-ever strike scheduled for June 7th. This union, encompassing around one fifth of Samsung’s total workforce or 28,000 individuals, is seeking better wages and improved labour conditions. The workers, including those crafting some of the globe’s most sought-after smartphones, TVs and memory chips, have been protesting outside Samsung’s Seoul offices and a crucial chip production site in Hwaseong city. The union rebuffed any company claims of underperformance as a reason to ignore their demands, and experts warn of potential disruptions to international electronic supply chains.
Lastly, Google’s AI overview search feature, currently only available in the US, has drawn worldwide criticism for its misleading or farcical results, causing Google to manually remove some of these results. Examples include the assertion that astronauts have encountered and cared for cats on the moon, the claim that Barack Obama is a Muslim, the bizarre advice that children should consume at least one small rock daily, and even the absurd suggestion to use non-toxic glue as an ingredient for homemade pizza.
Before any human interaction, the Google AI tool held a strong conviction that dogs participate in professional sports like basketball, hockey, and American football. Quite a sporty take on our canine friends!