Latest news with #Channel4News
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Diamond dreams go global, slay queens set to shine on British screens
London meets Jozi in a glam-fuelled documentary set to turn heads and rewrite the rules of reality TV. Tebogo Ramokgadi, the executive producer behind South Africa's dazzling reality hit Diamond and Dolls, is officially going global and the UK is watching closely. British powerhouse Channel 4 News has tapped Tebogo for an upcoming documentary delving deep into the glittering (and sometimes controversial) world of 'slay queens' in South Africa. With 1.49-million followers and more than 187-million YouTube views, Diamond and Dolls isn't just a show — it's a phenomenon. Now, it's poised to sparkle on an international stage as Channel 4 brings its stars — and their stories — to a new legion of global fans. Why Tebogo? The British broadcaster was drawn to his unmatched insight into the South African reality TV scene — and, of course, his sharp understanding of the cultural powerhouse that is the slay queen. But this isn't just about Diamond and Dolls. Tebogo is curating a hand-picked line-up of both his show's cast and fresh faces to paint a portrait of life, hustle and fame in Mzansi.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Left has fallen right into Jenrick's trap on fare-dodging
Robert Jenrick knows how to grab headlines. More importantly, he knows exactly how to lead his critics down a blind alley from which they cannot escape. Yesterday the shadow justice secretary released a video of himself in the London Underground confronting those who had avoided paying their fare. The political point was hardly subtle: why should the rest of us pay for those who can't be bothered paying their way? Just as he must have hoped would happen, his vigilantism sparked a massive debate on social media, with users dividing along the traditional Right and Left lines: Jenrick was either a hero who was unafraid to tackle lawlessness on behalf of the majority, or a cynical villain who was at least in part responsible, while a government minister, for the reduction in police and Underground staff who might otherwise have been available to tackle the fare-dodgers themselves. It all fell so neatly into place for Jenrick. The Left really cannot help itself, and he must have known this before he embarked on his publicity stunt. Channel 4 News spoke for much of progressive Britain who felt offended by his initiative: having watched the footage, they decided that the main news story was not that a worrying level of passengers were skipping ticket checks (nearly one in every 25 passengers, according to Jenrick) but that the Tory MP didn't have Transport for London's permission to film there at all. Twitter users with more time on their hands than I have since pointed out that TfL rules seem only to apply to commercial filming, which obviously didn't include Jenrick's exercise. But his point was made: confronted with systematic and expensive fare-dodging, the Left would rather ignore the problem if it's identified by someone whose politics they disagree with. Let us be clear: Jenrick was offering no actual solutions to the problem. This was an exercise in populism that Nigel Farage himself might have envied, and it is straight out of the Reform playbook to provoke voters' anger without explaining how they would fix the issue other than a few superficial slogans. Nevertheless, it was a PR triumph for Jenrick. The tidal wave of indignation that followed the posting of his video could hardly have suited his purposes better. Here he was, standing up for hard-pressed, law-abiding Londoners while eight 'officers' (it was not clear if this was a reference to British Transport Police officers or Underground staff) stood nearby. 'It's also just annoying,' says Jenrick to the camera, 'watching so many people break the law and get away with it…It's the same with bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops. It's all chipping away at society. The state needs to reassert itself and go after law-breakers.' The reference to 'weird Turkish barber shops' was also ingenious: most people share Jenrick's suspicion about the motivation behind their recent proliferation in high streets across the country, but it is exactly the kind of accusation that makes the red mist descend in the eyes and brains of many on the Left who would rather not bring foreigners into it. At root, there is a fundamental and more complex policy issue which a minute-long video on Twitter can hardly be expected to analyse – the differing approaches to crime and its causes by the Right and the Left. Judging from many of the responses to Jenrick's original Tweet, there are very few Labour supporters who took to heart Tony Blair's view that the party should be 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime', preferring to emphasise the latter and completely ignore the former. Fare-dodging is caused, it seems, either by poverty or by the state not devoting enough resources to prevent the rest of us from behaving badly. Meanwhile, the Right, as represented by Jenrick, believes it's all about personal responsibility and personal choices. It is not difficult to see whose side most voters will take in that debate. Labour and the Left in general should never have fallen into Jenrick's trap. Just as Blair and Jack Straw caused outrage for a few on the Left in the 1990s by criticising 'aggressive' beggars and squeegee merchants, yet won the support of a majority of voters who were fed up with the practice and who felt, until then, unable to complain about it, so Jenrick is empowering others to object to a pretty straightforward injustice that is pushing up prices for the law-abiding majority. Cynical? Undoubtedly. Opportunistic? Without question. Effective? Certainly. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
The Left has fallen right into Jenrick's trap on fare-dodging
Robert Jenrick knows how to grab headlines. More importantly, he knows exactly how to lead his critics down a blind alley from which they cannot escape. Yesterday the shadow justice secretary released a video of himself in the London Underground confronting those who had avoided paying their fare. The political point was hardly subtle: why should the rest of us pay for those who can't be bothered paying their way? Just as he must have hoped would happen, his vigilantism sparked a massive debate on social media, with users dividing along the traditional Right and Left lines: Jenrick was either a hero who was unafraid to tackle lawlessness on behalf of the majority, or a cynical villain who was at least in part responsible, while a government minister, for the reduction in police and Underground staff who might otherwise have been available to tackle the fare-dodgers themselves. It all fell so neatly into place for Jenrick. The Left really cannot help itself, and he must have known this before he embarked on his publicity stunt. Channel 4 News spoke for much of progressive Britain who felt offended by his initiative: having watched the footage, they decided that the main news story was not that a worrying level of passengers were skipping ticket checks (nearly one in every 25 passengers, according to Jenrick) but that the Tory MP didn't have Transport for London's permission to film there at all. Twitter users with more time on their hands than I have since pointed out that TfL rules seem only to apply to commercial filming, which obviously didn't include Jenrick's exercise. But his point was made: confronted with systematic and expensive fare-dodging, the Left would rather ignore the problem if it's identified by someone whose politics they disagree with. Let us be clear: Jenrick was offering no actual solutions to the problem. This was an exercise in populism that Nigel Farage himself might have envied, and it is straight out of the Reform playbook to provoke voters' anger without explaining how they would fix the issue other than a few superficial slogans. Nevertheless, it was a PR triumph for Jenrick. The tidal wave of indignation that followed the posting of his video could hardly have suited his purposes better. Here he was, standing up for hard-pressed, law-abiding Londoners while eight 'officers' (it was not clear if this was a reference to British Transport Police officers or Underground staff) stood nearby. 'It's also just annoying,' says Jenrick to the camera, 'watching so many people break the law and get away with it…It's the same with bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops. It's all chipping away at society. The state needs to reassert itself and go after law-breakers.' The reference to 'weird Turkish barber shops' was also ingenious: most people share Jenrick's suspicion about the motivation behind their recent proliferation in high streets across the country, but it is exactly the kind of accusation that makes the red mist descend in the eyes and brains of many on the Left who would rather not bring foreigners into it. At root, there is a fundamental and more complex policy issue which a minute-long video on Twitter can hardly be expected to analyse – the differing approaches to crime and its causes by the Right and the Left. Judging from many of the responses to Jenrick's original Tweet, there are very few Labour supporters who took to heart Tony Blair's view that the party should be 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime', preferring to emphasise the latter and completely ignore the former. Fare-dodging is caused, it seems, either by poverty or by the state not devoting enough resources to prevent the rest of us from behaving badly. Meanwhile, the Right, as represented by Jenrick, believes it's all about personal responsibility and personal choices. It is not difficult to see whose side most voters will take in that debate. Labour and the Left in general should never have fallen into Jenrick's trap. Just as Blair and Jack Straw caused outrage for a few on the Left in the 1990s by criticising 'aggressive' beggars and squeegee merchants, yet won the support of a majority of voters who were fed up with the practice and who felt, until then, unable to complain about it, so Jenrick is empowering others to object to a pretty straightforward injustice that is pushing up prices for the law-abiding majority. Cynical? Undoubtedly. Opportunistic? Without question. Effective? Certainly.
Channel 4
5 days ago
- Channel 4
Campaigners warn seasonal farm workers at risk of exploitation
Since Brexit, tens of thousands of seasonal workers have been given visas to come to the UK to pick fruit. Farms say the seasonal labour worker scheme is vital for the nation's food supply. But some lawyers and campaigners believe it creates a risk of exploitation. Channel 4 News has spoken to one woman who came here from South America as she prepares for an employment tribunal with her former employer.
Channel 4
5 days ago
- Health
- Channel 4
‘Time is muscle' – children trapped in postcode lottery for life-extending drug
In the Duchenne community they say time is muscle. So the clock is always ticking for the loved ones of those suffering with this form of muscular dystrophy . Six months ago those families were given hope – only for it to be dashed. Duchenne causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Becoming non-ambulatory – not being able to walk – can happen anytime between the ages of 8 and 12. People with Duchenne live into their twenties and thirties on average, but access to better treatments and care can help extend their lives. And in December, there was potential good news when the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (the MHRA) approved a new drug. Givinostat is the first drug to show a slowing down of that degeneration – to give boys – and it is mainly boys affected – longer literally on their feet. And the drug company that makes it said it would provide it to patients free. But Channel 4 News has found that across England though hospitals are either delaying or are refusing to give the new treatment. This has become a postcode lottery. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has said it will begin to treat Duchenne boys next week with the drug, but said its introduction has been challenging at a time when resources across the whole NHS are more stretched than ever, and they are working hard to identify the funding required. In South London, at the Evelina children's hospital, they have told parents treatment will begin in late summer. Meanwhile other centres have not even gone that far – and patients are left waiting to see if they will get the drug at all. We spoke to Alex Clarke, whose son Ben has Duchenne. Their local trust, Oxford University Hospitals, has told families that despite the drug itself being provided free, they cannot afford to use it to treat their patients. Channel 4 News has now seen internal emails from the Oxford Trust, discussing the potential costs of introducing the drug. Professor Andrew Brent, the trust's medical officer, writes: 'Unfortunately, however, given the current financial climate and the expectation … to make significant savings, we are not in a position to fund services/treatments that are not nationally approved without stopping doing something else.' The trust's chief finance officer responded, stating: 'It is not our job to fund new medicines that are not NICE approved.' Later in a statement Professor Brent said: 'It is a measure of the importance we place on Givinostat that we have been working on a business case before the drug has been approved by NICE. We will continue working towards being able to offer the treatment once approved by NICE, as we hope it will be.' That business plan seen by Channel 4 News said it will cost just over £66,000 for about 35-40 patients. While waiting for evaluation, and hopefully approval, from the National institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), patients can be treated under the early access programme. This was set up at the same time as the MHRA approval but it took until March this year for the first trust to agree – that was the Leicester Royal Infirmary, followed by Cardiff and Swansea. Under the early access programme trusts have to pay out of their own budget for the administration and monitoring of the drug. In March, parents met with the Health Secretary Wes Streeting but today the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'We are aware of the immense challenges faced by people living with rare diseases such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, and their families. 'The department is committed to supporting access to specialist care, treatment and drugs for those with these conditions.' It would appear their hands are tied. Progressive MS patients given new hope in world first drug trial Batten disease: Fears drug treatment may be withdrawn New HIV drug 100% effective – but why does it cost $40,000?
