Three religious leaders in the UK have called for a Covid memorial wall created by grieving families to be made permanent.
Imam Kazeem Fatai, rabbi Daniel Epstein and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, formed a united front after seeing the powerful, heart-wrenching artwork in London.
"It's affected a lot of people, it's a global tsunami. So, as believers we need to reflect … it should become permanent," the imam of south London's Old Kent Road mosque said.
The wall is comprised of 150,000 red and pink hearts, each representing a Covid-19 victim and painted by a grieving relative or friend.
It was created beside the Thames, in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament on one side and St Thomas's hospital, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson had his Covid-19 vaccination, on the other.
Last year, the prime minister spent time in an intensive care unit at the same hospital, undergoing treatment for Covid-19.
The memorial stretches for almost 500 metres between the Westminster and Lambeth bridges on the river, and is being added to as the death toll rises.
The archbishop said bereaved relatives must be allowed to decide if the memorial wall, which was installed as a temporary creation to raise awareness, should become permanent.
“It’s organic, not planned, it hasn’t been worked out by a committee, and that makes it all the more powerful,” the archbishop said.
“It’s like a huge wave that’s about to break over you of sorrow – it’s the most extraordinary sight, it’s quite overwhelming.
"It's very moving, very impressive, to think of the depth of love that they've shown been here and working their way down the wall where all these hearts are … it's a great privilege to be here."
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, the group behind the mural, began the wall as a way to tell the stories of lives lost and to push the government to learn lessons from the pandemic.
Rabbi Daniel Epstein, from the Cockfosters and North Southgate United Synagogue in north London, said the wall gives the personal stories behind the “overwhelming” coronavirus death toll.
“If you come back and focus on a single heart, and you have a name on it with a date and some words, and you take everything that is overwhelming as a statistic and it comes back to a single story … that’s the only way to find out about such an overwhelming experience,” he said.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
Read more about the coronavirus
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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The specs
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Torque: 400Nm
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
