Iran grants visa to pro-Palestine American porn star


Our Foreign Staff
Mon, 5 February 2024 

Whitney Wright has shared pro-Palestinian information online, including material that supports armed militancy against Israel - X/TWITTER

Iranian women have criticised the Tehran government after it granted a tourist visa to a pro-Palestinian American porn star, despite its brutal hijab crackdown.

Oklahoma-born Whitney Wright shared snippets of her trip to Tehran on social media despite her work in pornography exposing her in theory to criminal charges that carry the death penalty.

Her visit amid the imprisonment of Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women’s rights activist, sparked criticism of the country’s attitude towards women.

Whitney Wright, a US porn star, stands outside the entrance to the former US Embassy in Tehran - X/TWITTER

As an American citizen, Ms Wright would need a visa to visit Iran. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to questions about the porn star’s trip.

Nasser Kanaani, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, was asked about Ms Wright during a Monday briefing and said he had no information about her.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted an anonymous official claiming that the government issued Ms Wright a visa while not being “aware about the nature of her immoral job”.

The Iranian actress Setareh Pesiani used Ms Wright’s visit as an opportunity to criticise Iran’s hard-line government for its mandatory headscarf policy, which led to the arrest of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and her death in police custody.

“You punish people of this country in various methods for removal of hijab but you allow a porn actress to come here for tourism!?” Ms Pesiani wrote on Instagram.

Masih Alinejad, a US-based activist who has faced assassination and kidnapping attempts by Iran, also denounced Ms Wright’s visit.

“We the women of Iran want [to] be like Rosa Parks and not Whitney Wright,” Ms Alinejad wrote, referencing the American civil rights icon. “The true warmongers are the agents of the Islamic Republic who will execute you if you be true to yourself.”

An anonymous government official said Tehran was not aware about the nature of Whitney Wright’s “immoral job” - X/TWITTER

The porn star travelled to Iran and visited the former US Embassy in Tehran, which was abandoned after the 1979 hostage crisis.

She described the embassy as a place she “HAD to visit”. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard now runs it as a museum.

Iranian students backing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overran the compound after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

“I’m sharing exhibits from a museum that are never seen,” Ms Wright wrote on Instagram. “It’s not an endorsement of the government.”

Ms Wright has previously shared pro-Palestinian information online, including material supporting armed militancy against Israel.
‘Risk of wrongful detention’

In 2016, a British porn star known as Candy Charms travelled to Iran, prompting criticism. But there has been no media coverage of Ms Wright’s visit inside Iran, which is probably a sign of how tightly controlled journalists are after the 2022 demonstrations.

Asked about Ms Wright’s visit, the US State Department told the Associated Press that it had warned Americans to avoid travel to Iran and “exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detention”.

Americans and those with Western ties can be detained and convicted in secret trials to later be used as bargaining chips by Tehran in negotiations with Washington.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a primary driver of instability across the Middle East region, and it has been since 1979,” the State Department said.

“If Iran actually cared about peace and stability in the Middle East region, or the welfare of the people there, it would cease its support for terrorist organisations.”

Ms Wright did not respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.

American porn star Whitney Wright sparks anger after visit to Iran

Sky News
Updated Mon, 5 February 2024 



An American porn star has sparked anger after visiting Iran - despite the risks of being detained and sentenced to the death penalty.

Whitney Wright, 32, filmed herself in Tehran and visited the abandoned US embassy which has been turned into an anti-American museum.

In remarks made on social media, Wright, whose real name is Brittni Rayne Whittington, said she "HAD to visit" the embassy where Iranian students held staff members hostage for 444 days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.


"I'm sharing exhibits from a museum that are never seen," Wright, from Oklahoma, wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post. "It's not an endorsement of the government."

She filmed herself throughout the Iranian capital despite her work in pornography putting her at risk in theory to criminal charges that carry the death penalty.

Wright also posted several pictures of her visit, including one that showed her in a headscarf and conservative clothing - required by law in Iran - standing next to a lowered US flag at the former embassy.

Posting on her Instagram story on Monday, the adult actress said she doesn't know "half of what is being said here, but I'm no longer in Iran, but elsewhere".

Her visit comes in the wake of Iran imprisoning Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, as well as the country's mandatory headscarf law and nationwide protests over the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini two years ago.

Backlash to visit

Masih Alinejad, a US-based activist who faced assassination and kidnapping attempts by Iran, condemned Wright for making the trip and for alleged remarks where the actress said "if you respect the law, you will be safe in Iran".

She wrote on X: "Iranian women don't want to obey a discriminatory law. Rosa Parks stood up against racist laws in America and became a symbol of resistance.

"We the women of Iran want be like Rosa Parks and not Whitney Wright. And by the way, the true warmongers are the agents of the Islamic Republic who will execute you if you be true to yourself."

Iranian actor Setareh Pesiani also said on Instagram: "You punish people of this country in various methods for removal of hijab but you allow a porn actress to come here for tourism!?"

Questions over visa

Under Iranian law, making pornography is illegal and can carry the death penalty.

Iran Human Rights reports that so far in 2024, some 74 people have been executed by the government.

US citizens also require a visa to visit the country, and it is unclear how the actress obtained one.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, quoted an anonymous official who claimed those who issued the visa were not "aware about the nature of her immoral job".

Iran's foreign affairs spokesman Nasser Kanani said during a weekly news conference: "Naturally, US citizens face no impediments in travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Iranian citizens are able to travel to the US."

The US State Department, when asked about Wright's trip, said it has warned Americans to avoid travelling to Iran and "exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detention".

Police apologize in Canada hockey gang rape case

AFP
Mon, 5 February 2024 

London Police Service Chief Thai Troung apologized to the victim of an alleged gang rape in 2018 by men who were part of Canada's junior national ice hockey team -- and for how long the investigation took (Peter POWER)

Canadian police confirmed Monday charges against five current and former NHL players over an alleged 2018 gang rape, and apologized for the six years it took to investigate the accusations.

The players, who were part of Canada's junior national ice hockey team at the time, each face one count of sexual assault.

Those charged are Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils; Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart; and Alex Formenton, formerly of the Ottawa Senators who now plays in Switzerland.


McLeod has also been charged with being a party to the offense -- in other words, aiding or encouraging others to commit a crime.

"I want to extend on behalf of the London Police Service my sincerest apology to the victim (and) to her family for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point," Thai Truong, the police chief of London, Ontario, told a news conference.

"As a police officer working in this space for many years, I can tell you that this is a difficult, difficult situation for all victims and survivors of sexual violence," he said.

The five players are accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at a London, Ontario hotel after a Hockey Canada gala in June 2018.

The police investigation was closed without charges in 2019 but a second look at the case -- following a Hockey Canada scandal and public uproar -- uncovered additional evidence and more witnesses that led to the charges, according to lead investigator Katherine Dann.

All five suspects surrendered to police last week and have been released pending the trial, she said.

Earlier Monday, lawyers for players made a first court appearance via video link and were told to expect a substantial amount of evidence to be disclosed over the coming weeks.

None of the players were present for the hearing. Their lawyers have said the players denied any wrongdoing and would fight the accusations.

A next court hearing was scheduled for April 30.

In May 2022, Hockey Canada was rocked by press revelations accusing it of trying to cover up the gang rape allegations made by the young woman in 2018.

The federation quietly paid the woman several million dollars from a secret fund -- one that was supported in part by fees paid by young Canadian hockey players.

The backlash was swift, leading to a flight of sponsors and a 10-month suspension of federal funding for the federation, as well as the ouster of Hockey Canada chief executive Scott Smith.

amc/bfm

Canadian police apologize to woman for taking 6 years to bring charges in sexual assault investigation involving hockey stars

Paula Newton, Lindsay Isaac and Jason Hanna, CNN
Mon, 5 February 2024 



New information uncovered during a reopened investigation led to sexual assault charges being brought last week against five professional hockey players, four of whom are playing in the NHL, Canadian police said Monday, six years after the offense was allegedly committed.

The case against the players, who were members of the Canada world junior hockey team at the time of the alleged incident, was closed in early 2019 and reopened in July 2022 after an outcry from the Canadian public.

The charges relate to an unnamed woman’s accusation that multiple members of Canada’s world junior hockey team sexually assaulted her in London, Ontario, in 2018. The five men facing charges were members of that team.


The players, New Jersey Devils center Mike McLeod; Devils defenseman Cal Foote; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart; Calgary Flames center Dillon Dube; and former Ottawa Senator forward Alex Formenton are each charged with one count of sexual assault, according to an official police charge sheet released by Hockey Canada.

McLeod is charged with an additional count of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence,” which relates to “aiding the behaviour of someone else,” Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann said during a news conference in London on Monday. The players have all been released with undertakings, which are used when police feel confident the conditions placed on the accused will sufficiently protect the safety of the victim and witnesses, according to Dann.

London Police Chief Thai Truong apologized to the victim for the length of time it has taken to file charges. “I want to extend on behalf of the London Police Service to the victim and her family for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point,” he told reporters.

Earlier Monday, lawyers for the accused appeared in a London court for the first time via video link for a procedural hearing. None of the players were seen on video, according to CNN news partner CTV News, and no pleas were entered, though they are all expected to plead not guilty.

In previous statements by their lawyers, the players have all denied any wrongdoing and said they plan to defend their innocence in court.

CTV News reported the prosecution presented its case and said a “significant” amount of “disclosure,” which refers to forms of evidence, would be sent to defense attorneys in the coming days. The next court date is set for April 30, CTV reported.

The current NHL players have been told to surrender to authorities, London police have said.
How the case came to light

The case garnered widespread attention in May 2022 when Canadian broadcaster TSN reported the woman had settled a lawsuit she’d filed against Hockey Canada – the nation’s governing body for the sport – and members of the junior team over the assault allegations.

A cascade of developments followed, including parliamentary hearings in June 2022 over Hockey Canada’s handling of the case and announcements in July 2022 that London police and Hockey Canada would reopen their investigations.

Formenton, who was playing professionally in Switzerland, “will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence,” his attorneys Daniel Brown and Lindsay Board said in a statement. Formenton, who played for the Senators in 2017, has taken an indefinite leave of absence from Swiss hockey club Ambri-Piotta.

McLeod “denies any criminal wrongdoing,” his attorneys David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein said in a statement. “He will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case.”

Foote “is innocent of the charge and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name,” his attorney said. “What is most critical at this time is the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial that everyone in Canada is entitled to.”

Hart “is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law,” his attorneys Riaz Sayani and Megan Savard said in a joint release.

Dube “will plead not guilty and maintains his innocence,” and “will defend the allegations in court,” his attorneys Louis P. Strezos and Kaleigh Davidson said in a statement.

The Flames are “aware of the charge of sexual assault that has been laid against Dillon Dube,” the club said. “We take this matter very seriously. Because the matter is now pending legal proceedings, we will have no further comment at this time.”

The Flames had said January 21 that Dube was “granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team while he attends to his mental health.” Last week, the club said it had “no knowledge of pending charges at the time Dillon’s request for a leave of absence was granted.”

The Devils, for whom McLeod and Foote play, are “aware of the reports” and have “been told to refer all inquiries regarding this to the league,” the team told CNN.

The NHL declined to comment last week when reached by CNN. CNN also has sought comment from the woman’s lawyer and Hockey Canada.
Hockey Canada apologized for its handing of the case

A month after the TSN report, the Canadian government announced in June 2022 that it was freezing federal, public funding for Hockey Canada until the organization had submitted the complete results of its original, two-year investigation and plans for implementing change within Hockey Canada.

During parliamentary hearings in June 2022, executives for Hockey Canada disclosed that it was notified of the incident the day after it was alleged to have taken place in 2018.

“We immediately initiated a process to investigate, beginning by contacting police.
We commissioned an independent investigation and appointed an independent adjudication panel of judges to review the findings of that investigation,” testified Tom Renney, Hockey Canada’s former CEO.

Renney confirmed during the hearings that Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit that the woman filed in April 2022, but he did not reveal the settlement amount.

In July 2022, Hockey Canada published a letter apologizing for it said was inadequate action regarding the assault allegations, and said it was reopening an internal investigation. Three months later, the organization announced its CEO and board of directors were being replaced.

CNN’s David Close contributed to this report.


Police apologize to woman at center of 2018 sexual assault case that has rocked Canadian hockey

JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO
Mon, Feb 5, 2024,

LONDON, Ontario (AP) — The police chief of London, Ontario, issued a public apology on Monday to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by five hockey players on Canada's 2018 world junior team — including four now currently in the NHL — for the length of time it took to complete an investigation of a case that has rocked the sport for years.

It will, however, take much longer for Chief Thai Truong to provide any specifics as to why it took nearly six years for charges to be filed, and what led to the initial investigation to be closed in 2019 before being reopened in 2022.

“I want to extend on behalf of the London Police service my sincerest apology to the victim, to her family for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point,” Truong said at a news conference with dozens of reporters on hand.

“This should not take this long. It shouldn’t take years and years for us to arrive to the outcome of today,” he added. “But I can assure you, I am confident, confident that this will not happen again.”

As for what caused the delay and how it reflects on his department, Truong repeatedly said he was unable to get into the details because they have the potential of compromising prosecution of the case; that could include having those involved in the initial and second investigation being called as witnesses.

The 45-minute news conference marked the first time police in Ontario’s fifth-largest city, about halfway between Toronto and Detroit, have commented on the case since filing charges against the players accused of assaulting the woman in a downtown hotel room.

The players charged with one count each of sexual assault are Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and former NHL player Alex Formenton. McLeod also faces a charge of “being a party to the offense,” which police said was for aiding someone else in committing the offense.

Attorneys for all five players have said their clients are not guilty and will defend themselves against the allegations. The players — who are all on leave from their teams — surrendered to London police over the past week and were released on unspecified conditions.

During a brief video hearing Monday with only attorneys present, prosecutors obtained an order protecting the identity of the woman, which is standard in sexual assault cases, as well as that of two witnesses. Prosecutor Heather Donkers also said defense attorneys would receive “substantial” evidence in the next few days. The next hearing was scheduled for April 30.

Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann of the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section said the reopened investigation found reasonable and probable grounds to bring the charges, which could bring jail time if there are convictions.

Dann oversaw the investigation once it was reopened under now-retired police chief Steve Williams, and was not part of the initial investigation. She said some of the evidence uncovered "was not available when the investigation concluded in 2019.”

Like Truong, Dann was unable to answer many specifics, including whether others might be charged. T here were 22 players on the 2018 team

The case has shadowed Canadian hockey for years.

A woman sued Hockey Canada in 2022, alleging she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room by eight members of the gold medal-winning world junior team after a fundraising gala in London in June 2018. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit, and then an investigation revealed the organization had two secret slush funds to pay out settlements on claims of sexual assault and abuse.

London police dropped their investigation in 2019 but began an internal investigation in July 2022. Around the same time, the NHL launched its own investigation, though the results of that likely will not be released until the legal case is resolved.

“At this stage, the most responsible and prudent thing for us to do is await the conclusion of the judicial proceedings, at which point we will respond as appropriate at the time,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday at All-Star Weekend in Toronto. Players on leave will continue to be paid through the rest of the season, though their respective clubs will get salary cap relief for them.

Bettman said the league found out about the allegations on May 26, 2022. He said the NHL interviewed every player from that team, adding the woman involved declined to take part in the investigation.

Hockey Canada said it has cooperated fully with London Police throughout its investigation.

“Hockey Canada recognizes that in the past we have been too slow to act and that in order to deliver the meaningful change that Canadians expect of us, we must work diligently and urgently to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary measures to regain their trust, and provide all participants with a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment on and off the ice,” said Katherine Henderson, who was named Hockey Canada president and CEO in July.

___

Whyno reported from Ashburn, Virginia. The Canadian Press contributed.

___

AP hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/hockey

London, Ontario, Police Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann, of the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section, speaks during a news conference in London, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. The police chief of London, Ontario, issued a public apology on Monday to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by five hockey players on Canada's 2018 world junior team— four of them currently in the NHL — for the length of time it took his department to complete its investigation of a case that has rocked the sport for years. 

(Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)

London, Ontario, Police Chief Thai Truong attends a news conference in London, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. The police chief issued a public apology on Monday to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by five hockey players on Canada's 2018 world junior team— four of them currently in the NHL — for the length of time it took his department to complete its investigation of a case that has rocked the sport for years.

 (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)

 Philadelphia Flyers' goaltender Carter Hart in action during an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. 

(AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)

 New Jersey Devils' Michael McLeod watches during a break in an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Philadelphia. McLeod has been charged in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team, his lawyers said Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. 

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

 Calgary Flames center Dillon Dube (29) skates against the Detroit Red Wings in the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Detroit. Michael McLeod of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and Dube of the Flames have been charged in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team. Lawyers for each player say they will plead not guilty in London, Ontario. 

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

 Ottawa Senators' Alex Formenton skates during an NHL hockey game, Friday, April 29, 2022, in Philadelphia. Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their respective clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges. 

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

 New Jersey Devils defenseman Cal Foote (52) during warm up before an NHL hockey game, against the Buffalo Sabres Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Newark, N.J. Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their respective clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges. Five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team — Hart, McLeod, Dube, Formenton, Hart and Cal Foote of the Devils — have taken leaves from their current clubs.

(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)


World Junior Assault Explainer Hockey
A giant jersey with a Hockey Canada logo is displayed at the CIS All-Stars exhibition hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011. Hockey is bracing for the next development in a scandal that has rocked the sport and led to multiple investigations into the actions of several prominent NHL players who were on Canada's gold-medal winning 2018 world junior team. Police in London, Ontario, scheduled a news conference for Feb. 5, 2024, to provide details about its sexual assault investigation involving members of Canada's world junior team. 

(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

- A Hockey Canada logo is displayed on a door at the organization's head office in Calgary, Alberta, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Hockey is bracing for the next development in a scandal that has rocked the sport and led to multiple investigations into the actions of several prominent NHL players who were on Canada's gold-medal winning 2018 world junior team. Police in London, Ontario, scheduled a news conference for Feb. 5, 2024, to provide details about its sexual assault investigation involving members of Canada's world junior team. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

The Canadian team poses for a photo after winning the gold medal with a 3-1 win over Sweden during the third period the title game of the IIHF world junior hockey championships, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, in Buffalo, N.Y. Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their respective clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges. New Jersey’s Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, Calgary’s Dillon Dube and former NHL player Alex Formenton have all been granted indefinite leave, with the absences announced this week

. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)


Media gather in front of the courthouse in London, Ontario on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. The sexual assault case against five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team will return to court at the end of April.

 (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)

GRAMMY'S
The end of the old boys club? How women took over pop music

James Hall
Mon, 5 February 2024 

66th Grammy Awards: Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus of boygenius, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers of boygenius - John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Women dominated this year’s Grammy Awards like never before with Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish taking home the evening’s three major awards. Female singer-songwriter SZA took home three statuettes, while Atlanta-born Victoria Monét was named the best new artist. As if this wasn’t enough, Sunday night’s most memorable performances at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena came courtesy of Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell.

Awards ceremonies have felt like an old boys club – and this has persisted until recently. Note the 2018 Grammys when only one woman, Alessia Cara, received a main award, which inspired the hashtag #GrammysSoMale. A study that same year found that over the previous five years, a whopping 90.7 per cent of Grammy Award nominees were men. Barring a few outliers over its 66-year history – Carole King’s haul of four Grammys in 1972 for Tapestry, Madonna’s three Grammys in 1999 for Ray of Light, Amy Winehouse’s five in 2007 for Back to Black, Beyoncé’s record 32 awards (although she notoriously lost on Best Album to Beck in 2015) – the ceremony has tended to rain concentrated volumes of its mini gramophones on blokes.

U2’s 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and Santana’s 1999 LP Supernatural both won nine awards apiece. Michael Jackson’s Thriller scooped eight. Female winners seemed a novelty. “That’s just the way it is when you’re a woman in a man’s world,” sang eight-time Grammy winner Tina Turner back in 1978. But, at last, no longer.


The astonishing thing about this year’s awards was the breadth and depth of female nominees. Seven of the eight nominees for the flagship Album of the Year category were female (it was won by Swift’s Midnights album). This is quite a feat when you consider that on 11 occasions since the Grammys were launched 65 years ago, no women were even nominated for the top award (most recently in 2013). There has been a complete inversion. In this year’s nominee lists for the three big categories – for Record, Song and Album of the Year, yes they really are separate things – the Louisiana multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste was the only man to appear.

The situation reflects a seismic change in the music industry. Over the decades there have always been breakout female superstars: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt in the country and bluegrass arena, Aretha Franklin and King in the Seventies and Madonna and Whitney Houston in the Eighties, for example. For much of the time, successful women artists were forced to be puppets, performing songs written by men and slickly packaged by male execs. Artists such as Mitchell, and Kate Bush here in the UK, were pioneers who for many years felt like the only women completely in control of their music.

Now, finally, women are dominating music comprehensively. Analysis of US and UK industry data going back decades shows that this change has been gradual, steady and irrefutable. A head of steam has now transmogrified into a new epoch. We are firmly in the era of female-dominated music.

The statistics are stark whichever way you look at them. Taking the Grammys as a starting point, the Album of the Year award was only won by female artists five times in the 30-year period following the ceremony’s launch in 1959 (this includes Fleetwood Mac’s 1978 victory for Rumours and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s win for Double Fantasy in 1982).

Billie Eilish poses with the Best Song of the Year award and the Best Song Written for Visual Media award - REUTERS/David Swanson

However, since the start of the 1990s it has been won by female artists 17 times with a ski jump-shaped uptick in recent years. Many would argue that the figure of 17 should be even higher because as rapper Jay-Z pointedly remarked at Sunday’s awards, his wife Beyoncé has, despite her success, never won the Album of the Year award. And neither, astonishingly, has Madonna.

Away from the Grammys, overall album sales figures from the US tell a similar story. Since Billboard started tracking annual album sales figures in 1956, the best-selling album every single year (barring film and musical soundtracks) was by a male singer or group until 1986 when Whitney Houston’s debut album broke the male grip. Since then, however, female artists have been behind the US’s best-selling album 18 occasions, with – again – a huge weighting towards recent years. Indeed, women would have had the best-selling album in the US every calendar year for the last decade were it not for soundtrack to The Greatest Showman being the top seller in 2018.


It’s the same pattern in the UK. The UK album charts started in 1956, when the biggest selling album of the year was the soundtrack to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Between 1956 and 2000, the year’s biggest selling albums were by female artists on just 10 occasions (this includes bands with female members or fronted by females: Blondie, The Corrs, ABBA and The Carpenters).

But since 2000, female artists have had the year’s best-selling LPs 11 times. On four occasions it was one woman: Adele. And consider this. In the decade between 2010 and 2020, the UK had more than twice as many number one albums by female artists than it did in the 1990s, and that figure was almost double the number in the Eighties.

Beyond the fact that women are putting out thrilling and adventurous music, what is behind the new epoch? It could be that the music pendulum has swung away from ‘groups’ and ‘rock’ (largely – and I am grossly simplifying things here – a male domain) towards solo pop stars (a more female domain). Received wisdom says that groups are dead. But the facts don’t really bear this theory out.

Miley Cyrus performs on stage during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards

 - VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

Plenty of bands have released fantastic albums in the last year. Besides, at this year’s Grammys, rock band Paramore became the first female-fronted group to win the award for Best Rock Album. In the UK, the big critical successes in terms of bands are the female outfits Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party. So much for an all-male cabal.

Some of the change is undoubtedly to do with a shift in sentiment. After the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the music industry had has a long hard look at itself. It has been fearfully male dominated for decades – it still is at the top of the chain – and “representation” has become a watchword. The days of male privilege are over. Witness the backlash last year when Harry Styles said that “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often” when he picked up his Album of the Year award. “What?” people asked. “It doesn’t happen to… white men?” It was a rare slip – whether real or perceived – from the usually sure-footed Styles.

There have also been changes in how the Grammys are voted for. The organisation removed gendered categories back in 2012, putting men and women on an equal footing. And organisers are increasing the number of female voters. Around 11,000 music professionals vote for the Grammy winners, and a few years ago the organising Recording Academy pledged to add 2,500 female voting members to its number by 2025. It is well on the way to doing this. Women now make up 30 per cent of total voters, while people of colour comprise 38 per cent. Men still dominate but the balance is shifting.

But the dominance of women is mainly down to hard work and high quality of the output of the artists themselves. Who else but Taylor Swift could be halfway through a mammoth world tour having broken ticket sale and cinema box office records, and coolly announce from the Grammys stage that she’s releasing yet another new album in a matter of weeks? You could almost hear jaws drop throughout the arena. I can’t lip read, but I’d love to know what Ed Sheeran was saying when the camera honed in on him.

Emma Hayes: 'Money is not my motivator' - Former Chelsea boss has eye on glory as US women's head coach

Sky News
Updated Mon, 5 February 2024 

Emma Hayes  English football manager

She's the standard-bearer for English coaching - the most successful manager in WSL history - and soon to take the biggest women's football job in the world.

But sometimes it takes a family chat for Emma Hayes to be reminded of all she achieved at Chelsea that has earned her a shot at World Cup glory with the United States.

"My mum said it to me the other day, 'You don't realise what you've done'," Hayes recalled in an interview with Sky News.

"And I said, 'Why would I? I have not worked a day in my life. I do something I love'."

Her Chelsea team have reciprocated the affection and attention to detail from the sharpest of managerial minds.

Six Women's Super League titles have been won since landing at Chelsea in 2012, alongside five FA Cups and two League Cups.

No wonder the US came calling when needing a coach to lead them into this summer's Paris Olympics and 2027 Women's World Cup which could be hosted by the Americans.

Leading the record four-times Women's World Cup winners will elevate Hayes' profile.

And the 47-year-old has the character and charisma to charm the US far beyond football.

"I've had a really amazing career and...I come from a household where you had to work hard and nothing was a given," Hayes said.

"So for me to be even in a position to lead a team to an Olympic medal is just what dreams are made of. And I intend to make the most of it."

'Money no motivator'

The US role is one that achieves a rarity in football - pay parity with the men's team counterpart.

It means Hayes could be the highest paid women's coach in the world by earning more than £1m a year.

She said: "I get to go to an Olympics. I get to go to a World Cup. There is no cash machine in heaven. Money is not my motivator.

"However, I felt valued, and that was important. But for me, the memories will be the things I cherish the most. And hopefully some more medals."

There is a bigger mission too - paving the way for future generations of coaches.

It is why she is speaking to Sky News at a McDonald's Fun Football project alongside anti-discrimination group Kick It Out - a mission to encourage coaching and playing careers and a more diverse talent pool.

The fear is people are being priced out of football - seeing the sport as becoming too middle class.

"There's no denying that, which is why here we can't scoff at the idea of half a million kids being able to access weeks and weeks of free football and coaching," she said.

"And most importantly, given the opportunity to bring people together with different backgrounds."

'Focus on youth'

And, in this election year, what would Hayes do if she was in Downing Street?

"I've always valued looking after young people," she said.

"I would make sure that there is certainly more support for young people up until the age of 18, so that we can develop people into the best adults they possibly can, and to give them the most amount of opportunity. I would absolutely focus on youth.

"One of the things I've always wanted to champion is equal access. I want girls and women to be provided with the same opportunities.

"So we talk about having more youth workers or youth clubs. Also I want to get more access for girls in PE in schools. It's still below that for boys and something that absolutely should be challenged."

Hearing Hayes talk shows she is thinking of a legacy far beyond the silverware collected in an illustrious career that, at Chelsea, is just missing a Champions League title that could still come this season.

"The joy is in the service of giving to something, not in the rewards of those things," she said.

"Not medals, not achievements. And I'm just grateful I've been given the opportunity

Mary Earps: Misogyny against women footballers like Joey Barton’s ‘a reflection of society’


Tom Morgan
Mon, 5 February 2024 


Mary Earps is on the cover of the next issue of Women's Health - Women's Health UK/Mark Cant

England goalkeeper Mary Earps believes attention-seeking criticism of women’s football such as that from Joey Barton reflects sexist views shared by “people across the country”.

Rallying behind Emma Hayes’ claim that the sport is “routinely used to dealing with systemic misogyny”, Earps said the “biggest disappointment” is society-wide prejudice.

Hayes had indirectly addressed comments made by those such as ex-footballer Barton, who said women “should not be talking with any kind of authority” about men’s football.

But in a new interview, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner says further sexist reaction to the outgoing Chelsea manager’s comments effectively proved her point.

“Sport is a vehicle for change, but it’s also a representation of society,” Earps says in the March issue of Women’s Health UK. “The [sexist] comments on that [video of Emma, speaking at a press conference] are really telling. This isn’t just what one person thinks, this is what people across the country think – probably in the world. And that’s the biggest disappointment to me.”

Earps said that it can be “hard to give a calm response” when asked about misogyny in football, but added she is unsure an “aggressive response actually helps our cause”.

“That’s the irony of the whole situation,” she said. “And I think anyone who’s a woman knows that; it’s not just football. I don’t think there are many women in the world that will have not experienced sexism and misogyny of some kind.”

Mary Earps was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year after helping England reach the Women's World Cup final - Women's Health UK/Mark Cant

In an apparent attempt to drive up interest in his new media platforms, out of work manager Barton has repeatedly attacked football coverage by women’s pundits and presenters in recent weeks.

Hayes and Earps have not named the former Manchester City and QPR player directly, but Hayes said in January: “I don’t expect any individual personality to understand their privilege. Nonetheless you only have to see scores of women across the internet or in the business - whether that’s coaches, presenters, players - we’re routinely used to dealing with systemic misogyny, bullying and behaviour that has been pretty normal for a large part of the football public.”

Earps, who also landed the Fifa Best women’s goalkeeper of the year also addressed her long-standing disappointment with Nike for failing to sell replicas of her goalkeeper jersey during last year’s World Cup in Australia.

“It was sad on a personal note that my friends and family couldn’t buy my shirt, but it wasn’t about me,” she said. “It was more about, I felt, the message being sent to young kids especially, but [also] to a whole demographic of people who have a huge passion and interest in goalkeeping. I felt like they were being shunned.”

She said she “one million per cent” had doubts about whether she should speak out against Nike.” I really like to lead by example and be really focused on football,” she added.” Unfortunately, when it comes to this sort of stuff, sadly that isn’t always enough…If I hadn’t performed well at the World Cup [the narrative would have] been like, ‘Yeah, no wonder no one likes the goalkeeper,’ [and] ‘just focus on your job’.”

In October, Nike finally relented to pressure and released a replica for the high street. “Ultimately, the end goal was to get the shirts on sale, and I feel we’ve achieved that,” Earps said.

‌Read the full Mary Earps interview in the March issue of Women’s Health UK, also available as a digital edition

Sexist language increasing in schools as more boys are exposed to misogyny online

Louisa Clarence-Smith
Tue, 6 February 2024 

A study found 70 per cent of teachers have seen a rise in sexist language in the classroom over the last year -

Sexist language is increasing in schools as more boys are exposed to misogynistic online content, a study has suggested.

Research commissioned by Vodafone found 70 per cent of teachers have seen a rise in sexist language in the classroom over the last year, while 69 per cent of boys have encountered posts promoting misogyny.

The study, commissioned to mark Safer Internet Day, warned that AI-powered algorithms pushing content to boys online was a key part of the problem. The research indicated that hateful content was often being seen when users were searching for other innocent material, such as fitness or gaming content.

The research also found that 42 per cent of parents had heard their sons make inappropriate comments because of what they have seen online, including comments that were sexual, violent or degrading about women and girls.

The study included a survey, carried out by Opinium, of 1,000 parents and boys aged between 11 and 14, as well as a poll of more than 4,000 secondary school teachers.
Hateful ideologies moving offline

Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Vodafone UK, said: “Every parent knows being online is part of everyday life for kids today – but it’s imperative we don’t miss the boat on AI when it comes to baking in safety at the start of the journey.”

The research comes as another study, conducted by University College London, the University of Kent and the Association of School and College Leaders, found that social media algorithms were amplifying misogynistic content to teenagers.

Researchers who interviewed young people and school leaders found that hateful ideologies and misogynistic tropes had moved offline and into schools and were becoming embedded in youth culture.

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, the study’s principal investigator, said “algorithmic processes” on social media sites “target people’s vulnerabilities” and “gamify harmful content”.

“As young people microdose on topics like self-harm, or extremism, to them, it feels like entertainment,” she said.

“Harmful views and tropes are now becoming normalised among young people. Online consumption is impacting young people’s offline behaviours, as we see these ideologies moving off screens and into school yards.

“Further, adults are often unaware of how harmful algorithmic processes function, or indeed how they could feed into their own social media addictions, making parenting around these issues difficult."

‘We need to give children a voice’

Over the weekend, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey called for social media apps to be banned on smartphones for under-16s, and for searches for inappropriate material to be flagged to parents.

One of Brianna’s killers, Scarlett Jenkinson, who was 15 at the time of the murder, had watched videos of torture and murder online.

New research from the UK Safer Internet Centre found that about three quarters of parents and carers had safety worries as advances in technologies such as AI, virtual reality and new social media apps continue to accelerate.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said it was important young people were also given a voice on online safety.

He said: “Today’s children are the first generation to be truly growing up online, but decisions about the online world are still being made without them.

“And while technology is more popular than ever, avoiding online harm has become more complicated. This year’s theme of young people inspiring change draws attention to the importance of adults listening to and acting on the valuable insights and expertise of children.

“If we are to ensure that every child is safe online then we need to give children a voice on what that safety looks like to them.”

'Missing' girls: sex selective abortion in Albania fuels gender gap

Briseida MEMA
Tue, 6 February 2024 

A dominant patriarchal culture across the Balkans has pushed many families to pin their hopes on a son (Adnan Beci)

When Lina discovered she was pregnant with another girl, she decided to terminate the pregnancy, after her husband grew increasingly violent over the prospect of having a fourth daughter instead of a boy.

The decision was one that has become relatively common in her native Albania and across the Balkans, where a dominant patriarchal culture has pushed many families to pin their hopes on a son.

"When my husband learned that our fourth baby would still be a girl and that I would not be able to give him a boy, he became so violent he almost killed me," Lina, who used a pseudonym to hide her identity, told AFP through tears.

"I was ready to risk my life not to give birth to this baby," the 40-year-old added.

She said she continues to suffer from genital lesions caused by the procedure, administered in unhygienic conditions three years ago.

By even the most modest estimates Albania is "missing" thousands of girls, following years of sex-selective abortions that led to the termination of pregnancies by families hoping for male children.

"When parents learn that the foetus is a girl, they choose, for various reasons, to abort rather than keep it," Manuela Bello, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative in Albania, told AFP.

"Over the past ten years 21,000 girls have been missing in Albania."

For families that already have a daughter, roughly a quarter said they would choose to have an abortion rather than have another girl in the household, according to research compiled by the UN.

- 'Social imbalance' -

Between 2000 and 2020, Albania ranked fourth in the world for the size of its difference between births of girls and boys -- with an average of 111 males born for every 100 girls, UN figures show.

An uptick in education has helped reduce the margin slightly in the past four years, including an awareness campaign by the UNFPA office in Albania.

Figures remain "higher than the biological average which is around 105 boy births for every 100 girls," explained Arjan Gjonca, a professor specialising in demography at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

"But if the phenomenon persists and if there are no rapid legal measures... the consequences in the near future could lead to social imbalance," warned Gjonca.

Abortion is legal in Albania until the 12th week of pregnancy, with special permission from doctors needed for later-term terminations.

Terminations linked to prenatal gender screenings are illegal.

But the growing availability of a blood test which makes it easier to know the sex of a foetus much earlier means it is harder to stop the practice.

"It is increasingly difficult to prove that the pregnancy was interrupted because the foetus was a girl," said Tirana-based gynaecologist Rubena Mosiu.

Women in Albania are increasingly turning to the simple test, which is available during the seventh week of pregnancy and can tell the baby's gender with more than 90 percent accuracy.

Permission from a doctor is not required for the screening.

- 'Bitter family history'-

Despite a rise in awareness, deep-seated values can be hard to overturn.

Across large swaths of the Balkans, a male child is believed to be "the pillar of the family", while girls are seen as a "burden or a weaker sex in an aggressive society", said Anila Hoxha, an investigative journalist and women rights activists from Tirana.

In neighbouring Montenegro, sex-selective abortions remain a perennial issue, despite recent improvement to the country's demographic imbalance.

"There is a direct correlation between patriarchal social norms and the preference of sons over daughters," said Maja Raicevic, who heads the Women's Rights Center in the capital Podgorica.

Women's subordinate role in the family, along with their economic dependence on men because many do not inherit property, only fuels greater levels of inequality.

In 2017, the centre launched a campaign called "#Unwanted".

The programme aims to dispel basic patriarchal notions by calling on Montenegrins "to ask themselves what values are taught that makes one sex desirable, while another does not even have the right to be born", explained Raicevic.

Often the biggest challenges come from tensions within the family.

Back in Albania, Maria -- who spoke on condition of anonymity -- said she confronted enormous pressure from her mother-in-law and brother-in-law after finding out she was pregnant with a baby girl.

"They were very unhappy," she said during an interview with the UNFPA.

"My mother-in-law even offered to take me to have an abortion at the home of someone she knew who performs abortions in the old, risky ways," she added.

But in the end, Maria refused to give into their pressure.

"I decided to keep the baby," said Maria. "But I won't tell my daughter about our bitter family history."

bme-ljv/cbo/ds/rox

Colombia and ELN rebels announce ceasefire extension


Leticia PINEDA
Tue, 6 February 2024 

Rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) patrol the Baudo river in Choco province, Colombia on October 26, 2023 (Daniel Munoz)

The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group on Tuesday announced a six-month extension to a ceasefire in effect since August, with the ELN agreeing to suspend kidnappings for ransom.

The two sides had started a sixth round of peace talks in Cuba last month, seeking to agree an extension of a ceasefire that expired at the end of January.

"We have agreed to extend as of 00:00 hours on February 6, 2024, for one hundred and eighty (180) days, the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire (CFBNT)," read a joint statement posted by the ELN delegation on X, formerly Twitter.


"The (ELN), in order to contribute to the development of the bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire, is unilaterally and temporarily suspending economic kidnappings", the statement, signed by both sides, added.

The ceasefire, which expired on January 29, had been extended by seven days last week to give negotiators more time.

Colombia's Minister of Defense, Ivan Velasquez, had travelled to Havana just over a week ago to take part in the negotiations.

The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place in the Cuban capital on Tuesday morning.

- 'Total peace' -

The rebel group had jeopardized the peace process, which began in 2022, when it kidnapped the father of Colombian footballer Luis Diaz last October, releasing him 12 days later.

Talks with the ELN resumed in November 2022 after the election of Colombia's first-ever leftist president, Gustavo Petro.

The ELN pledged during the previous round of peace negotiations in December to suspend kidnappings as part of the last ceasefire extension.

Petro's administration has held talks with Colombia's main armed groups, including the ELN, dissidents of the Marxist Farc group -- who reject a historic 2016 peace agreement -- paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.

Petro took office with the stated goal of achieving "total peace" in a country ravaged by decades of fighting between the security forces, leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

But he has faced many obstacles and has been severely criticized by the opposition, while some armed groups have sought to increase their territorial influence.

Several rounds of negotiations with the ELN have been held in Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba, which act as guarantors along with the governments of Brazil, Chile and Norway.

The group, which is estimated to have around 5,800 fighters, has been fighting the Colombian state since it was founded in 1964 in the wake of the Cuban revolution.

lp-jb/dhw/aha

Thai government says will ban recreational cannabis use

"The use for fun is considered wrong."


AFP
Tue, 6 February 2024 

A cannabis dispensary store in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok (MANAN VATSYAYANA)

The Thai government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis, the health minister said on Tuesday, after the kingdom decriminalised the drug in 2022.

Cannabis was taken off the list of banned narcotics in June 2022 under the previous government, which included the pro-legalisation Bhumjaithai party.

The move prompted hundreds of cannabis dispensaries to sprout around the country, particularly in Bangkok, provoking concern from critics who urged the need for tighter legislation.


On Tuesday, the kingdom's health minister said the new bill -- which bans the recreational use of cannabis -- will be proposed to the cabinet meeting next week.

"The new bill will be amended from the existing one to only allow the use of cannabis for health and medicinal purposes," Chonlanan Srikaew told reporters.

"The use for fun is considered wrong."

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who took office last August, has frequently voiced his opposition to the recreational use of the drug and said it should only be allowed for medicinal use.

There was fresh pressure from the public last weekend after attendees of British rock band Coldplay's shows in Bangkok complained on social media saying "the entire concert smelled like marijuana".

tak/pdw/aha

New species of flying dinosaur discovered on Isle of Skye

Joe Pinkstone
Tue, 6 February 2024

The specimen belongs to a group known as Darwinoptera, with many similar dinosaurs found in modern-day China - NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND WITTON/PA

A new species of flying dinosaur has been discovered on the Isle of Skye.

The winged reptile lived between 168 and 166 million years ago and has been named Ceoptera evansae by the palaeontologists who discovered it.

The animal lived during the Middle Jurassic period and was first unearthed during a field trip in 2006. Painstaking excavations revealed an incomplete skeleton made up of the shoulders, wings, legs and backbone.

Almost two decades of work on the fossil at Elgol have involved physically preparing the specimen and taking scans of the bones, some of which remain completely embedded in rock.

Researchers say the specimen belongs to a group of pterosaurs known as Darwinoptera, with many similar dinosaurs found in modern-day China.

Excavating the fossil has involved almost two decades of work

 - KEVIN WEBB/TRUSTEES OF NHM LONDON/PA

The Skye individual is rare, the scientists say, and could help shed light on the evolution of pterosaurs.

The study, published in the Journal Of Vertebrate Paleontology, suggests Darwinoptera may have been considerably more diverse than previously thought, persisting for more than 25 million years.

Professor Paul Barrett, a researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: “Ceoptera helps to narrow down the timing of several major events in the evolution of flying reptiles.

“Its appearance in the Middle Jurassic of the UK was a complete surprise, as most of its close relatives are from China.

“It shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than we thought and quickly gained an almost worldwide distribution.”

Ceoptera evansae gets the first part of its name from the Scottish Gaelic word “cheo”, meaning mist or fog, and the Latin word “ptera”, meaning wing.

The second part, evansae, honours British palaeontologist Professor Susan E Evans for her years of scientific work, particularly on the Isle of Skye.

A 3D model drawn up of the newly-discovered species

 - MARTIN-SILVERSTONE ET AL/ JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY/PA

As the Elgol coastal site is classed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the team led by Prof Barrett could only collect specimens from rocks that had fallen on to the beach.

But while crawling over boulders to examine these fossils, the researchers noticed a few bones sticking out, which has now been revealed as the new pterosaur.

The researchers said that pterosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period are rare and mostly incomplete, hindering attempts to understand more about how these creatures evolved.

Lead author Dr Liz Martin-Silverstone, a palaeobiologist from the University of Bristol, said: “The time period that Ceoptera is from is one of the most important periods of pterosaur evolution, and is also one in which we have some of the fewest specimens, indicating its significance.

“To find that there were more bones embedded within the rock, some of which were integral in identifying what kind of pterosaur Ceoptera is, made this an even better find than initially thought.

“It brings us one step closer to understanding where and when the more advanced pterosaurs evolved.”