Latest news with #Laurence
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
UN: Concerned about killing of aid workers in Israeli attacks in Gaza
Geneva – Saba: Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence expressed "deep concern" on Friday over the killing of aid workers in "Israeli" attacks on the Gaza Strip, including five from the International Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). In a written response to a question from Anadolu Agency, Laurence said: "Our office is deeply concerned about the continuing killing of humanitarian workers, the latest of which was the killing of five members of the International Humanitarian Relief Foundation." He added: "These crimes occurred at a time when the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was worsening, and most Palestinians were in need of food assistance." Laurence continued: "Humanitarian workers enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law, and their deliberate targeting may constitute a war crime." He added: "Israel", as an occupying power, must ensure and facilitate the access of essential goods and services to Gaza." Two days ago, the International Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) announced the deaths of five of its members working on a project implemented with the World Food Programme in Gaza, as a result of Israeli attacks. With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has been committing genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 54,321 civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 123,770 others, as of Friday. This is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulance and rescue crews. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Writer on Waking the Dead behind fascinating exhibition in Bolton
A screenwriter behind series such as Waking the Dead and DCI Banks, has recently shifted his focus to sculpture, unveiling his debut exhibition at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station. Heralding from Painswick in Gloucestershire, Laurence Davey moved to South Manchester five years ago after accepting a position at Bolton University (now the University of Greater Manchester) teaching the undergraduate course for Film and Television Production. SCENE took Laurence around a year to fully complete. (Image: Leah Collins) The opening night for his debut exhibition, SCENE, which was unveiled at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station, was a roaring success. The monumental wood ensemble, the tallest being 12 feet high and eight feet across, has evoked powerful and conflicting feelings in spectators. SCENE was unveiled on May 22 at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station. READ MORE: There is a fascinating tension exuding from the exhibit. Laurence's 10 sculptures are made from trees all over the UK, including his hometown. One of the key themes that SCENE explores is the idea of bringing the rural back to one of the centres of the Industrial Revolution, to the train station that once brought so many rural people to cities to make commodities and perhaps be commodified. Laurence said: 'I've had a life-long interest in sculpture, but I decided to study English Literature at Oxford University, which put me on a different path entirely. 'Growing up in Painswick, famous for its 99 Yew trees in the Churchyard next to my primary school, these trees left us frightened and enchanted. They were menacing and had presence. "Each sculpture is made from a different wood; Sycamore, Birch, Holly, Apple wood, Cherry wood, Pine, Walnut wood. The sculptures are vastly different in size, with each one made from a different type of wood. (Image: Leah Collins) 'I used power tools in addition to gouges to create the sculptures, which were then finished with a beeswax polish. I'm a father of two and have a full-time job, so this was certainly a jobs" target="_blank">work in progress. Overall, it took around a year to complete. 'Initially, I sketched an outline, two orbs pulling away from one another but still connected. In this piece, the sculpture as made from a walnut log from Staffordshire. 'I wanted to create this feeling in the viewer when they held the sculpture, interacting with it, of a solid form that becomes fragile and infantile – a collision of protectiveness and violence. 'One of my personal favourites is the maternal figure, placed on the left of the circular exhibit. It has a womb-like body with a protective hand-like figure protruding from it. A mother turned out violent and religious with wings. 'The largest of the figures, passive and male, I first took inspiration from the idea of a crown. It's made from a sawn up birch tree. This figure is mounted on a steel bolt to give the appearance that is erupting from the void.' The largest of the figures was initially inspired by the form of a crown, Laurence adds. (Image: Leah Collins) Each sculpture is placed on a suspended black circular base, which Laurence says was painted with an expensive paint, the closest to military-grade Vantablack in order to absorb the surrounding light and create the impression of a 'void'. Laurence added: 'SCENE explores the return of animism; the combined sculptures are anthropomorphic and zoological. 'It's also uncanny; there's resonance between structures of our sentience – perhaps aspects that we would rather deny. There wasn't a direct inspiration for SCENE and each viewer responds to the sculptures differently. 'Part of the meaning of SCENE comes from the space in which it is exhibited: trees have been bought into Bolton Railway Station. The viewer experiences various encounters with Guardian Trees, Sentinel Trees and Trees of animism.' SCENE is available to view at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Railway Station until June 15.
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
American Moves in With British Boyfriend—and Uncovers Baffling Daily Ritual
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An American woman has gone viral after sharing her confusion about a surprising British bedtime habit—storing pajamas behind the pillow. Cameron (@camabroad), 29, a former product operations program manager in the tech industry, moved from New York City to London in April 2024 and soon met her now-boyfriend, Laurence, 30, a finance consultant from Manchester. Since moving in together, she's been adjusting to British quirks—including where Laurence keeps his sleepwear. The revelation came one morning while she was making the bed and discovered a pair of Laurence's shorts tucked behind the pillow. The video she posted about it has since racked up 14,200 likes and 484,400 views. "I thought they'd accidentally gotten caught in the pillowcase in the wash, so I placed them on the bed for him, assuming he'd been looking for them," she told Newsweek. A split image of Cameron finding her boyfriend's pyjamas under her bed. A split image of Cameron finding her boyfriend's pyjamas under her bed. @camabroad/@camabroad "The next day, they were folded back under the pillow and I was like, 'What is going on here?' He looked at me, completely confused, and said, 'What do you mean? That's where PJs live!'" Laurence explained it was something he'd done since childhood. At first, Cameron thought it was just one of his eccentricities—but after asking around, she learned it was a common practice across the UK. "I told my American friends, who either fold theirs at the foot of the bed or wear a fresh pair nightly, and we all agreed it was both adorable and hilarious. Honestly, at this rate, I'll probably be doing it too soon," she added. She also noted another bedtime difference: she stands the pillows upright, while her boyfriend lays them flat. The couple became official in October 2024 and have been inseparable since. "Discovering daily cultural and language differences has been an added level of entertainment in our relationship," Cameron said. Beyond the pajama placement, Cameron has picked up on many cultural nuances in the UK. She told Newsweek she initially misunderstood casual greetings like "You alright?" thinking they required a full emotional update. She's also adjusted to British etiquette—like standing on the right side of the escalator—and has grown to love the dry, sarcastic humor. "When I first moved, people seemed surprised that I understood sarcasm—as if it's a second language. Honestly though, sometimes it is. "As someone who's always rushing, discovering that everyone stands on the right side of the escalator felt like a dream come true," she added. She admitted it took time to grasp British slang, the UK date format (beginning with the day, rather than the month) and even pub culture posed challenges—the first time she ordered a Guinness she attempted to grab it mid-pour, not knowing there was a two-stage serving process. "Very embarrassing. To make it worse, I had originally ordered a "baby Guinness," a term I heard here, thinking it was a half-pint of Guinness—not a shot made to look like one. Safe to say, I've learned a lot about pub etiquette since then," she added. To keep up with the new dialect, she and her American friends even made a glossary for their British partners, decoding words like "knackered" meaning tired, "faff" meaning a waste of time ,and "pants" meaning underwear—the latter leading to workplace confusion when describing her new pants in the office. However, the move hasn't been without its struggles. Cameron shared that being far from her family in Florida and friends in San Francisco has been tough, and making new friends in London in her late twenties hasn't always been easy. Professionally, she said she took a significant pay cut when moving, despite similar living costs. Still, she highlighted the many upsides: exploring British culture, enjoying green space and slower living compared to New York, and the ease of traveling to nearby European countries. On TikTok, many users chimed in to validate the pajama-under-pillow phenomenon. "I think it's an European thing as I'm French and used to do this as a child," said Ana. "Too clean to put in the laundry, not clean enough to put back in the dresser so we put them under the pillow to wear them again that night," added Carys. "This is absolutely normal," wrote Kimberley. Meanwhile, Cameron confessed, "I put them in the laundry after each wear!!"
Evening Standard
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
The Image of Her review: De Beauvoir's 1960s heroine shows little has changed since
But really, the problem is that Laurence is bored by absolutely everything except her daughter and, but only in the first throes of passion, by sex. Like a refrain, when our author describes Laurence's situation, she will remind us parenthetically that others are experiencing just the same thing: '(At exactly this moment, in another garden, completely different, but exactly the same, someone is pronouncing these same words and the same smile appears on someone else's face…)'. That ennui may be the reason for Laurence's malaise, not her mother's vengeful fury when her 56-year-old lover — a type that in recent years has been exposed to merciless scrutiny, the sexually entitled French male — goes off with a 19-year-old, nor Laurence's daughter's anxiety about the world.
Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Late-hour NCR assessment ordered for Laurence Bistoyong, found guilty in stabbing murder of cousin Mark
A judge has ordered an assessment that will offer a mental-health opinion on whether Laureano Bistoyong was 'not criminally responsible' (NCR) when he stabbed his 16-year old cousin Mark to death in the summer of 2023. Last October, Laureano (known as Laurence by family) was found guilty of second-degree murder. He had stabbed Mark in the chest with a large knife at a family gathering. Mark died from blood loss. Laurence's sentencing hearing began in late December, with victim impact statements read in court, and had resumed Jan. 10 when the process was delayed pending a mental-health assessment for Laurence — but one that did not ultimately include the NCR component. In court Friday, Laurence's lawyer, Jaime Stephenson, asked Justice Andrew Goodman to grant the NCR assessment. Stephenson quoted from a letter dated April 15 from Dr. Joe Duboff, a forensic psychiatrist at St. Joseph's Healthcare, that said based on a reading of Laurence's file, the 'defence of not criminally responsible may be available.' Laureano (Laurence) Bistoyong in an undated photo. He was found guilty of second-degree murder in his cousin Mark's death in October 2024. Crown prosecutor Michael Dean countered in court that he had 'concerns' about granting the NCR assessment, in part because 'nothing was ultimately produced' by the defence at trial regarding Laurence's mental health. He added that to the extent Laurence has exhibited a decline in his mental health, 'it is consistent with someone who has been in custody for nearly two years,' but that there is no 'nexus' between his current state of mind, and the stabbing on July 2, 2023. When Goodman found Laurence guilty, he had told court that he was 'still left with a single question' of why Laurence — who was 22 at the time of the homicide — had stabbed his cousin. NCR assessments, when ordered, are typically conducted for a defendant after a finding of guilt is made in court. It's unclear what weight the judge will place upon the medical opinion that comes out of Laurence's NCR assessment, that will occur over the course of 60 days. Several of Mark's family and friends gathered in court Friday, and were visibly upset with the NCR assessment development. St. Thomas More Catholic High School football players gather for a prayer following a game in October 2023 that was played in honour of teammate Mark Bistoyong, who was stabbed to death by his cousin three months earlier. Merl Bistoyong, Mark's mother, told the Spectator that permitting the assessment 'at such a late juncture … sets a bad precedent considering the defendant has no history of mental illness and was found mentally fit to stand at trial.' She added that repeated 'concessions and considerations' toward Laurence, 'who has already been found guilty of the murder of our son is truly shocking and disappointing.'
