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Canada News.Net
18 hours ago
- General
- Canada News.Net
London: International Widows Conference issues call to action "Don't Leave Widows Behind" in global push for gender equality
London [UK], June 26 (ANI): Global leaders and advocates gathered at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on Tuesday for the International Widows Conference, marking the 15th UN International Widows Day, to call for a renewed global commitment to ending the widespread discrimination faced by widows and integrating their rights into the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Widows Conference was convened by The Loomba Foundation, as per a release. Under the theme 'Don't Leave Widows Behind', the conference brought together distinguished speakers including Cherie Blair CBE KC, President of The Loomba Foundation; Lakshmi Puri, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women; Lord Khan of Burnley, UK Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement; the High Commisioner of Rwanda to the UK, HE Johnston Busingye, and representatives of grassroots organisations from Africa and South Asia. Opening the conference, Cherie Blair reflected on the 28-year journey of the Foundation and the fight to have International Widows Day recognised by the United Nations in 2010. Speaking at the event, she said, 'This is not a day for self-congratulation. It is a day to focus the world's attention on the 258 million widows around the globe--and the tens of millions among them who are trapped in poverty, stigma, isolation and abuse... When widows are given even half a chance, they feed their families, send their children to school, and lead. Yet, the promise of International Widows Day remains unfulfilled for far too many.' The conference served as a powerful platform for reflection and recommitment, underscored by the findings of the Loomba Foundation's landmark 2024 study, Not Leaving Widows Behind. Cited by multiple speakers including Puri and Lord Loomba, the study highlighted that while awareness has grown, the everyday realities for most widows--dispossession, marginalisation, and lack of protection--remain largely unchanged, press release stated. Puri called for 'transformational investment' and laid out five 'vital energies' for widow empowerment: legal reform, economic upliftment, data and accountability, leadership inclusion, and cultural change. 'Widowhood remains one of the most overlooked global injustices,' she said. 'A UN day cannot alone resolve entrenched injustice. That duty falls to all of us.' Representing the UK Government, Lord Khan of Burnley reaffirmed Britain's continued commitment, saying, 'Widowhood is not a marginal concern. It is a global human rights issue affecting over 280 million women. The UK stands with the Loomba Foundation in calling for policies that uphold widows' rights and challenge harmful norms rooted in faith or tradition.' Grassroots leaders such as Dr Lily Thapa of Nepal, Roseline Orwa of Kenya, and Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi of Nigeria shared firsthand experiences of supporting widows in some of the most challenging environments, reminding attendees that meaningful change begins in communities, release stated. Kumar Dilip, President of Sulabh International, invoked the legacy of his late father, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, and the transformative work done with widows in India. He said, 'Let us be clear: the pain of widowhood is often compounded not by fate, but by society... Widows do not need pity--they need power.' Tabitha Morton, Executive Director of UN Women UK, echoed this message in her remarks: 'This is not a peripheral issue. It is central to achieving equality. Let's stop treating widowhood as a side-effect of gender inequality, and start treating it as a structural injustice that demands urgent action.' In closing the conference, Lord Raj Loomba CBE, Founder and Chairman Trustee of The Loomba Foundation, reaffirmed the Foundation's mission: 'No woman should be punished for outliving her husband. That is why we are here. That is why we fight. And that is why, together, we will make sure that widows are never left behind.' (ANI)
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
The ultimate disruption: What if Reform promised a referendum on Scottish independence?
PA Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It was billed as a new forum to pose 'the big questions' about Scotland's future, and in fairness Tuesday's Scotland 2050 conference offered a decent line-up, with an intriguing pairing of economy secretary Kate Forbes and Cherie Blair and keynote speeches from First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. They are, of course, always 'keynote' speeches, shorthand for a solo spot without interruptions in which little of any note, key or otherwise, is said, and judging by transcripts and subsequent coverage, the presentations at Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms lived down to expectations. 'We were expecting great visions of the future and what we got were stump speeches,' said one attendee who knows about these things. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it received extensive coverage, so those who bankrolled the free event, presumably the property companies who put up panellists, will have been satisfied with their investment. However, it was who was not there that was most revealing. The faces and names might have been different, but the line-up was drawn from the same sort of bien pensants who have dominated the Scottish Parliament since its inception, and before that the Scottish Constitutional Convention and other 'Civic Scotland' talking shops. 'Scotland 2050 will be Scotland's most inclusive one day conference,' said the blurb, 'We believe that new thinking is required to reimagine what can be achieved to deliver a new enlightenment'. Perhaps, but whether by accident, absence or design, Scotland's most inclusive one day conference did not include anyone from the Scottish Conservatives, and there was no-one from Reform, the party which won 26 per cent of the vote at the Hamilton by-election. I was, however, at an event that evening which was attended by four of the emerging party's leading figures, some of whom I doubt are even household names in their own households, but all the same they are people who are making the political weather; disruptors, bogeymen, crypto-fascists, denigrate them however you like, but poll after poll indicates there will be around 15 Reform MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. While plenty of their more prominent candidates are former Conservatives, as a party Reform is unburdened by a past political record, and while a clean slate, blue-sky thinking or whatever might produce quite bonkers ideas like Nigel Farage's suggestion that a Reform government would re-open South Wales coal mines, it does reveal a party prepared to think the unthinkable in the quest for votes. The other side of the Hamilton coin was the trouncing of the SNP, finishing second in a seat it had held, with vote share down nearly 17 per cent, compared to the Conservative loss of 11 per cent. Speaking separately to two prominent Nationalists this week produced the same analysis; that the SNP is a hollowed-out party in which critical thinking has been crushed, controlled by a failed hierarchy unable to produce workable ideas to take Scotland forward economically and advance the independence cause. Both saw opportunities arising around the time of the next general election, in the next ten years certainly, but with the party as it stands incapable of taking advantage, a spent force in a state of financial and intellectual collapse. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am not close enough to vouch for its accuracy, and of course the SNP leadership would claim it's fighting fit, but when the number of people who say they currently favour independence is about 20 per cent higher than those who say they will vote SNP, then something is badly wrong. The failures of the UK Labour government so soon after a general election victory based on hope is making no difference to SNP support, but even if independence is less of a priority for most voters than the cost of living, NHS, immigration, schools and crime, Unionists can have no cause for complacency. In the run-up to a general election in 2028-29, what if an ostensibly Unionist, but ultimately opportunist UK party like Reform were to make a manifesto commitment to offer the chance of a referendum with few strings attached? Maybe if independence support polling at 55 per cent for a year. No other Unionist party would match it, and neither could the SNP because it can never be in power in London. There is an obvious risk some Conservative defectors would return to the fold ─ and one, but not all, of the Reform folk on Tuesday night was quick to say it won't happen ─ but Nigel Farage could easily promise Reform would campaign for the Union while agreeing a referendum, as did David Cameron when signing the Edinburgh Agreement in 2012. He could argue that the principle of sovereignty and self-determination is consistent with the position taken by UKIP and the Brexit Party, and there would be no shortage of ordinary English voters who would be quite happy for Scotland to depart and for the Barnett Formula billions to stay south of the border.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kate Forbes says she is 'unsuccessfully' juggling motherhood and her Cabinet job in chat with Cherie Blair
Kate Forbes has admitted she is 'unsuccessfully' trying to juggle bringing up her daughter and doing her Cabinet job – and also warned that misogynistic abuse will put a generation of women off entering politics. Speaking alongside women's rights campaigner Cherie Blair at the Scotland 2050 conference in Edinburgh, the Deputy First Minister was asked about the 'stigma' which forces many women out of work. She said: 'I have the T-shirt, I have all the failures, I know how to unsuccessfully juggle a two-year-old and this job.' Ms Forbes said childcare issues may have contributed to many women leaving politics at the last election, and she urged the Scottish Parliament to follow the lead of the House of Commons and set up its own nursery. Ms Forbes also condemned actor Rupert Everett for branding Nicola Sturgeon a 'witch' on social media. She said such misogynistic abuse was 'despicable' and 'exhausting' and will have an impact on women in politics for a generation. Last year Ms Forbes bravely laid bare the devastating impact of the postnatal depression she suffered after the birth of her first child. The Deputy First Minister said the condition left her uncharacteristically 'out of control' and even fearing she would be attacked by a madman with a machete. In brutally candid interview, she said the symptoms left her with such heightened feelings of terror that she would only dare spend 30 seconds in the shower. Ms Forbes, who gave birth to her daughter Naomi in August 2022, said the trauma of an 18-hour labour left her with irrational thoughts, and she believed it would be 'better for me to be elsewhere'. The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch said her nightmare appeared to be triggered by a difficult birth, which saw Naomi being delivered by forceps. She said: 'I thought if I kept breathing, if I kept moving, kept positive and in control, it would be fine. 'But I didn't count on a baby's heart rate almost disappearing, I didn't count on starting to lose blood, I didn't count on the room 'Ifilling with professionals and I didn't count on interventions - you can start to see the experience of being out of control.'
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Cherie Blair says Barbara Taylor Bradford was ‘inspiration to me and millions'
Writer and barrister Cherie Blair has described Barbara Taylor Bradford as 'an inspiration to me, and to millions' at a memorial service for the author. The 70-year-old told the PA news agency she 'clicked' with the A Woman Of Substance writer when they first met in the early 2000s in New York. She paid tribute before the service at St Bride's Church in Fleet Street, London, on Thursday, which was attended by about 100 people, dressed in an array of colours, including actors, authors and fans of the novelist. Taylor Bradford died at the age of 91 on November 24 last year following a short illness, 'and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end', a spokeswoman said at the time. Mrs Blair, who is married to former British prime minister Tony Blair, said of the author: 'We're two northern girls of similar backgrounds, and we were friends ever since. 'Barbara was the woman of substance, she was elegant, she was warm, she was intelligent, she was feisty, she was an amazing person and a really good friend. 'Every time she wrote a new book, she would send one to me, but she also sent one to my mum too. 'She was a great novelist because she absorbed knowledge from all around her, she gave back so much, she never forgot her northern roots. 'She was my friend, and she's an inspiration to me, and to millions.' The ceremony began with the theme to the TV adaption of A Woman Of Substance, before a choir sang In Paradisum from Gabriel Faure's Requiem. The choir's performance was followed by a welcome and opening prayer from reverend canon Dr Alison Joyce, who spoke about Taylor Bradford's roots as a journalist at the Yorkshire Evening Post. Actor Liam Neeson, 73, who starred in the Channel 4 adaption of Taylor Bradford's book, also paid tribute to the novelist during the service, in a message read out by actress Jenny Seagrove. Neeson said in his message: 'In 1984, I had the great honour of playing Blackie O'Neill in the television adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman Of Substance, and again in its sequel, Hold The Dream. 'It was a landmark moment — the first television drama series to reach more than 13.8 million viewers on Britain's Channel 4 — and something we were all incredibly proud of. 'But more than the numbers, it was Barbara's vision, her storytelling, and her fierce dedication to her characters that made the work so special. 'She was a force — elegant, brilliant and unstoppable — and I feel deeply privileged to have been part of bringing her words to life.' Seagrove, 67, who played Emma Harte in the adaption, told PA: 'Barbara championed women before a lot of other people. It's now fashionable to give women a voice, but Barbara fought for strong women. 'She wrote strong women. She was a strong woman.' The actress continued: 'Barbara was a force of nature, she didn't suffer fools, she had great attention to detail, she always had a chuckle, and always saw the funny side of things. 'She was deeply, deeply in love and loved by her husband, it was one of the most extraordinary relationships. 'She loved her dogs, I used to ring up because I love dogs, and we talked about whatever Bichon Frise she'd got at the time. 'She used to say, 'I put my makeup on as a mask, and then I go to battle', she went out there and took on the world, and boy, did she succeed. 'She was a friend, she meant a lot to me, her work changed my life. But more than anything, I'm here because I loved her, and I think probably everybody here was here because they loved her, because she was a remarkably loyal woman. 'If she loved you, she stood by you. That was it.' Also in attendance was TV presenter Fern Britton, 67, who told PA the 'moving, yet rich and warm' ceremony had brought her to tears. She said: 'The books will obviously stand as her legacy. 'But for me, it is seeing her walk into a room with a beautiful suit on, carrying an Hermes bag with an Hermes scarf tied around it and fabulous jewellery and her big smile – that for me, is her legacy.' Taylor Bradford's best known book A Woman Of Substance is a rags-to-riches tale set in the 1900s that follows the life of Yorkshire servant Emma who later heads up a business empire. Other TV adaptations of her books included ITV's Act Of Will starring Elizabeth Hurley and Victoria Tennant, and To Be The Best, a sequel to A Woman Of Substance with Lindsay Wagner and Sir Anthony Hopkins. The former US editor in chief of Elle magazine, Eve Pollard, who is the mother of Claudia Winkleman, told PA she felt her long-time friend had been in the church with her. The 81-year-old said: 'I found the service very moving and very Barbara, that was what was wonderful. 'I think Jenny Seagrove said she's in the room and you more or less felt she was and I said to somebody, 'can't we all go to our memorial services and then die quietly later?' because it was perfect. 'It had everything, it had New York in it and the Yorkshire side of it.' The author was often labelled 'the grand dame of blockbusters', with her books selling more than 91 million copies and having been published in more than 40 languages and in 90 countries. In April it was announced that Vera actress Brenda Blethyn will lead a new Channel 4 adaptation of A Woman Of Substance, playing protagonist Emma.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Liam Neeson remembers ‘brilliant' Barbara Taylor Bradford in memorial message
Northern Ireland actor Liam Neeson has paid tribute to novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford in a message praising her brilliance and elegance read out at her memorial service. The 73-year-old reflected on his role in TV drama A Woman Of Substance, adapted from one of the author's most well-known books, in the note that was read out on his behalf. Taylor Bradford died at the age of 91 on November 24 last year following a short illness, 'and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end', a spokeswoman said at the time. Actors, authors and other notable figures attended the service at St Bride's Church in Fleet Street, London, on Thursday. Neeson said in his message: 'In 1984, I had the great honour of playing Blackie O'Neill in the television adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman Of Substance, and again in its sequel, Hold The Dream. 'It was a landmark moment — the first television drama series to reach more than 13.8 million viewers on Britain's Channel 4 — and something we were all incredibly proud of. 'But more than the numbers, it was Barbara's vision, her storytelling, and her fierce dedication to her characters that made the work so special. 'She was a force — elegant, brilliant and unstoppable — and I feel deeply privileged to have been part of bringing her words to life.' Human rights lawyer Cherie Blair, wife of former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, was also in attendance and reflected on her friendship with the author in a speech. 'I can hardly believe it's been over 20 years since I first met Barbara in New York,' she said. 'Tony and I were attending an event while he was UK Prime Minister. 'Although I can't recall the specifics of the event, I vividly remember meeting Barbara and, of course, her beloved husband, Bob (Robert Bradford). 'Meeting her was such a thrill — not only because I had read her books but also because she was a favourite author of both my mum and grandma. 'Barbara and I instantly connected as Northern girls who had ventured far from our roots, yet never forgot where we came from. 'At the time of our first meeting, Tony had not read any of Barbara's books, but he was so struck by her intelligence, elegance, and charm that he subsequently watched the TV show and read the book. 'Barbara and I stayed in touch, regularly meeting when I was in New York or when she was in London. 'One memory I treasure is attending the Women of Substance Awards with her at the Dorchester in London in 2009. 'The awards were so typical of Barbara — her unwavering support for other women was truly inspiring. She even offered me invaluable advice when I was establishing my own foundation for women. 'Barbara seemed ageless. Whenever we met, she was always engaged, well-informed, feisty and, of course, impeccably dressed. 'She was the epitome of a woman of substance — wise, fun and endlessly inspiring. We will deeply miss her warmth, wisdom and friendship.' The service began with the theme music from A Woman Of Substance and included an address from actress Jenny Seagrove, who played a young Emma Harte in the TV mini-series. In April it was announced that Vera actress Brenda Blethyn will lead a new Channel 4 adaptation of A Woman Of Substance, playing protagonist Emma. The book is a rags-to-riches tale set in the 1900s that follows the life of Yorkshire servant Emma who later heads up a business empire. Taylor Bradford was often labelled 'the grand dame of blockbusters', with her books selling more than 91 million copies and having been published in more than 40 languages and in 90 countries. Other TV adaptations of her books included ITV's Act Of Will starring Elizabeth Hurley and Victoria Tennant, and To Be The Best, a sequel to A Woman Of Substance with Lindsay Wagner and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
