Latest news with #Naida
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Iwi Chairs Launch Anti-Racism Website
Press Release – PAPARA The launch of the PAPARA website provides a much-needed, community-driven response a living toolkit to challenge racism, amplify resistance, and help hold institutions accountable. The Iwi Chairs Forum-led People's Action Plan Against Racism Aotearoa (PAPARA) Launches Timely Website to Tackle Racism Head-On From harmful policy being pushed through Parliament, to Māori artists facing public ridicule for using haka on national and international stages — racism in Aotearoa is constant, visible, and intensifying. These experiences are headline news, viral content, and a daily reality for our people. The launch of the PAPARA website provides a much-needed, community-driven response — a living toolkit to challenge racism, amplify resistance, and help hold institutions accountable. The National Iwi Chairs Forum's antiracism working group Maranga Mai will launch the website for PAPARA – the People's Action Plan Against Racism Aotearoa on Wednesday 4 June at 7:00pm with an online webinar open to the public. The launch of signals a new chapter in Aotearoa's response to racism, led by iwi and communities, after the Government abandoned its own commitments to a national action plan. PAPARA is a living, independent movement and resource hub designed to track, challenge, and respond to racism in all its forms – especially colonial and institutional racism. The website features: A public repository of resources for communities, educators and researchers Advice on staying safe during times of racial hostility Updates on the racist impacts of policy and legislation A reporting and contact tool for public input into the action plan The working group includes a rangatahi caucus to support strong youth input into the plan, and is overseen by Kahurangi Dame Naida Glavish, Rahui Papa and Pou Tikanga co-chairs Professor Margaret Mutu and Aperahama Edwards. Both Dame Naida and Rahui Papa have expressed their deep concern at the direction of the current government and the continued and urgent need for this kaupapa. 'When a government turns its back on a commitment to eliminate racism – a commitment made not only to Māori, but to the world through the United Nations – it becomes our responsibility to step forward,' said Dame Naida. 'This plan is not just about responding to racism – it's about confronting its root: colonisation, and restoring the dignity of tangata whenua and all communities impacted.' 'PAPARA is one of our many responses to political neglect,' added Rahui Papa. 'We will not allow silence to be mistaken for consent. This kaupapa will gather stories, evidence, and solutions from the ground up. It is by the people, for the people – and it will endeavor to hold power to account while educating and informing communities.' The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with the National Iwi Chairs Forum, began developing a national action plan against racism in 2022, following recommendations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It was also a key response requested by the working group on the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Attack on Christchurch Mosques. However, in early 2024, after attempts by Minister Paul Goldsmith to diminish the plan's focus on colonial and institutional racism, the Tangata Whenua caucus to the action plan withdrew from the process, declaring the partnership untenable. From that point on, the government has failed to progress its own action plan against racism, abandoned all action on hate speech and hate crimes, and has concluded its response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry, leaving multiple recommendations unmet. These matters have become even more relevant in light of the Regulatory Standards Bill currently being advanced by the Government. The bill has raised alarm for its potential to undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and roll back protections against structural racism. This is just one attempt of many by this government to try and erode human rights in Aotearoa. A draft of the independent People's Action Plan Against Racism is expected to be completed by October 2025. To attend the launch webinar on 4 June at 7pm and learn more about PAPARA, register at
Scoop
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Iwi Chairs Launch Anti-Racism Website
The Iwi Chairs Forum-led People's Action Plan Against Racism Aotearoa (PAPARA) Launches Timely Website to Tackle Racism Head-On From harmful policy being pushed through Parliament, to Māori artists facing public ridicule for using haka on national and international stages — racism in Aotearoa is constant, visible, and intensifying. These experiences are headline news, viral content, and a daily reality for our people. The launch of the PAPARA website provides a much-needed, community-driven response — a living toolkit to challenge racism, amplify resistance, and help hold institutions accountable. The National Iwi Chairs Forum's antiracism working group Maranga Mai will launch the website for PAPARA – the People's Action Plan Against Racism Aotearoa on Wednesday 4 June at 7:00pm with an online webinar open to the public. The launch of signals a new chapter in Aotearoa's response to racism, led by iwi and communities, after the Government abandoned its own commitments to a national action plan. PAPARA is a living, independent movement and resource hub designed to track, challenge, and respond to racism in all its forms – especially colonial and institutional racism. The website features: A public repository of resources for communities, educators and researchers Advice on staying safe during times of racial hostility Updates on the racist impacts of policy and legislation A reporting and contact tool for public input into the action plan The working group includes a rangatahi caucus to support strong youth input into the plan, and is overseen by Kahurangi Dame Naida Glavish, Rahui Papa and Pou Tikanga co-chairs Professor Margaret Mutu and Aperahama Edwards. Both Dame Naida and Rahui Papa have expressed their deep concern at the direction of the current government and the continued and urgent need for this kaupapa. 'When a government turns its back on a commitment to eliminate racism – a commitment made not only to Māori, but to the world through the United Nations – it becomes our responsibility to step forward,' said Dame Naida. 'This plan is not just about responding to racism – it's about confronting its root: colonisation, and restoring the dignity of tangata whenua and all communities impacted.' 'PAPARA is one of our many responses to political neglect,' added Rahui Papa. 'We will not allow silence to be mistaken for consent. This kaupapa will gather stories, evidence, and solutions from the ground up. It is by the people, for the people – and it will endeavor to hold power to account while educating and informing communities.' The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with the National Iwi Chairs Forum, began developing a national action plan against racism in 2022, following recommendations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It was also a key response requested by the working group on the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Attack on Christchurch Mosques. However, in early 2024, after attempts by Minister Paul Goldsmith to diminish the plan's focus on colonial and institutional racism, the Tangata Whenua caucus to the action plan withdrew from the process, declaring the partnership untenable. From that point on, the government has failed to progress its own action plan against racism, abandoned all action on hate speech and hate crimes, and has concluded its response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry, leaving multiple recommendations unmet. These matters have become even more relevant in light of the Regulatory Standards Bill currently being advanced by the Government. The bill has raised alarm for its potential to undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and roll back protections against structural racism. This is just one attempt of many by this government to try and erode human rights in Aotearoa. A draft of the independent People's Action Plan Against Racism is expected to be completed by October 2025. To attend the launch webinar on 4 June at 7pm and learn more about PAPARA, register at
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Brenda Lang, Wren at Bletchley who decoded messages on submarine and ship movements
Brenda Lang, who has died aged 100, was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park from 1943 to 1945. Having joined the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) from school, she was selected – along with her identical twin sister, Naida – for possible deployment to Station X (as Bletchley was then referred to). The interviewer told her it was important and secret work: 'It's also nowhere near the sea, you won't get any promotion and you won't see many sailors.' Owing to the Official Secrets Act, years later even her future husband did not knew what she had done during the war. But in old age Lang recalled some of her routine work. 'The submarines and [Admiral] Donitz was my particular thing. Most of it was boring: 'To so-and-so. Your wife has given birth to a baby girl. Heil Hitler.' ' The interesting work might involve tracing specialist technicians being posted from Paris to Brest, so a deduction could be made that a major German ship was in port and there was an opportunity to attack it. Brenda Lang's time at Bletchley was enlivened by the informality of the place, the inspirational boss of the Naval Section being Frank Birch, an Old Etonian and West End stage actor noted for his Widow Twankey. Her time was enhanced by having a sister as a co-worker on the same watch, both living (because they were Wrens) at Woburn Abbey, a cushy billet where there were revues, dances, and off-duty jaunts on bicycles to drink cider in local pubs. In 1945 Brenda Lang was relocated to Ceylon, where she looked after liberated prisoners from the war in Japan. These broken, emaciated young men worried that they would never get a date once they got home. Lang instilled in them a rosier assessment of their future love lives, saying: 'Look, you are a returning hero and there'll be a ravening horde of girls waiting to catch any man who's still alive.' Her duties in Ceylon involved finding and rerouting mail to widely dispersed servicemen from their mothers, wives and sweethearts. A girl in the Land Army wrote a love letter to a man: 'I've never done this before but I promised at that dance I would write to you. But if you don't reply I'll know it was just a passing thing…' Lang pinned the letter to the wall, writing above it: 'This man must be found!' Brenda Lang, née Bentley, was born on February 26 1924. Her father, Frank, a teacher, who had won the Military Cross in the First World War, had moved to a post in Nottinghamshire where the twins went to school at Long Eaton. Demobbed in 1946, Brenda and Naida took up deferred places at Cambridge. It was university policy to separate twins, so Brenda went to Newnham College to read English and her sister Naida to Girton. Being identical twins caused inevitable confusion. Armed with vouchers for civilian clothing, Brenda picked out a nice dress in a local shop and got an odd look from the assistant, who explained that she was a bit surprised – 'because you bought the same dress yesterday.' She captained the university women's cricket XI (Naida kept wicket) attended lectures by FR Leavis, and took a shine to a good-looking South African student reading law, John Lang. Her mother could not believe she had picked a 'foreigner', given the legion of Englishmen she had known at Bletchley. But in 1951 the couple went to Pretoria, where they married, and then raised a family in Johannesburg. A Presbyterian lawyer very involved in the anti-apartheid movement, John Lang became part of a circle with Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and Ruth First. He was jailed twice. Brenda kept the fort at home with calm courage. She joined the Black Sash movement of white ladies, who conspicuously opposed the Pass Laws and the apparatus of apartheid. When life in South Africa became impossible, the family moved to London. They moved back to Africa, to Nairobi, in 1968. After her husband's death in 1996, Brenda Lang lived with her widowed twin in north Oxford for the best part of 30 years. The pair shared a bed, did crossword puzzles and shared an enthusiasm for watching televised cricket, tennis and heavy-weight boxing. She outlived her twin by seven months. She is survived by her children, Simon, Jonathan and Hilary. Brenda Lang, born February 26 1924, died February 14 2025 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
28-02-2025
- General
- Telegraph
One city's battle against ‘cat-sized' rats as bin workers go on strike
Naida Bi and her husband, Ali, have spent thousands of pounds repairing the damage that rats have caused to their back garden in Ward End, Birmingham – most recently £9,000 on a new garden shed, as the gigantic rats they see running around in broad daylight gnawed through the wood of their previous one and built a nest underneath it. 'They're massive, even my cat is scared of them,' says Naida, 48. 'My husband had to block off the fence as they ate through it. Small rat traps won't do, so I had to buy cages off Amazon.' She has caught three rats in the cages already. There has been a long-term rat problem here in Stechford and Ward End, two areas to the east of the city. Both rank within the top 10 per cent of deprivation nationally, according to council data. Last year, Birmingham City Council introduced a £24 surcharge for visits from pest controllers – a so-called 'rat tax'. But residents say a recent stand-off between striking refuse collectors and the Labour-run council, which is in financial crisis after effectively declaring itself bankrupt in September 2023, has made matters far worse. So too has a vast HS2 construction site just across the road. The result has been an influx of vermin. Even an unseasonably sunny day can't distract from the grim scene in Ward End. The pavements on Drews Lane, the road between the HS2 site and the rest of the neighbourhood, are an assault course of black bin bags, piles of cardboard pizza boxes, abandoned plastic bottles and other detritus. At night, residents say they are crawling with rats. Kim Blakeman, who has lived on Drews Lane for 16 years, said the rodents are the size of cats. '[They] are huge – they are like small cats and their tails are really chunky,' she told the BBC. Some claim their bins have not been collected since January. This has inevitably also led to an increase in fly-tipping. The grassy patch of land next to Naida and Ali's home is carpeted with rubbish. Ali points out holes in his garden fence that the rats have gnawed through, and the rat droppings littering his lawn. After a series of one-day strikes in January and February, the Unite union announced this week that Birmingham bin collectors would begin indefinite strike action on March 11. The 'all-out strike' over pay and working conditions, plus the scrapping of a 'waste collection and recycling officer role', will involve more than 350 refuse collectors. The council said the ongoing strike would cause further disruption to residents, even though it has made Unite a 'fair and reasonable offer'. What is clear is, in the meantime, the service is collapsing. The Bi family claims that their bins have not been collected in three weeks and their recycling in six. 'It has got so bad that it's spreading all over the street,' says Naida. 'When it's windy, the bins open up and everything flies into the road.' A neighbour called Mizan, 52, has 'emailed the council, emailed the housing association… I complain and they clear it up a bit, but people continue fly-tipping, and it's back to square one,' he says. 'We have rats running around, and there are still rats in [our garden.]' Some houses on the neighbouring road have bin bags piled in heaps, their sides split and their contents lying on the street, making it impossible for anyone with a pram or mobility scooter to navigate. On one shared driveway, five overflowing bins sit surrounded by open bags of rubbish. The super-sized rats have even been known to eat through car wiring. Adam, 20, who lives with his parents in the area, says 'the rats bite everything, leave droppings everywhere, it's just disgusting'. Adam's car is in the driveway with its bonnet up – this morning he discovered that it won't start. He blames the rats. 'Sometimes I park up in the evenings and hear loads of them scurrying in the bins,' he says. Adam can't even remember the last time their bins were collected. Another resident, who didn't want to be named, claims she was told her bins hadn't been emptied because refuse workers were 'blocked' by traffic from the construction site; she believes they are just 'refusing' to collect it. 'It's ridiculous,' she says. 'We pay our council tax for this to be done, and they're not even doing it. Frankly, everyone in the council should be sacked.' Gerry Moynihan, a resident of nearby Bordesley Green, has taken to documenting the impact of Birmingham's bin strikes online. The videos he posts on X, taken from across the city, show vast mounds of fly-tipped furniture and fridges, bin bags and loose waste. 'For the council, it's not costing them anything for the rubbish to sit here. And prosecuting is expensive for them,' he told one newspaper. In some cases, he says, the council has put safety barriers around piles of rubbish rather than removing it. @Bradford_St_Bhm Walked through just one part of inner city Brum this morning. I suppose I have become immune to the level of rubbish on Brum streets, but even I'm beginning to get depressed. @anna_manton — . (@BrummieGerryM) February 26, 2025 Neighbourhood Facebook groups are full of people offering discounted rubbish collection services, and local pest control companies have seen a marked increase in enquiries. William Timms, of WJ Pest Solutions, says: 'The calls have gone up 75 per cent, it's unbelievable. They've got rats outside, rats in their gardens, rats gaining access to kitchens.' Sharon Nichol of Birmingham Pest Control says: 'We have had to order in new bait stations because so many are out and we've run low. The bin strikes are ongoing, so there's been plenty of food for them.' The only saving grace is, in cold weather, there's not too much of a smell. If the rubbish piles up for three more months – a Unite representative said the union could not rule out the possibility of strike action lasting into the summer – imagine the stench. A spokesman for Birmingham City Council comments: 'While we acknowledge that industrial action is causing missed bin collections across the city, we continue to ensure every household in the city receives at least one collection per week at this time. If a reasonable amount of side waste is presented, this will also be collected, as long as it is bagged or bundled. 'We would like to thank residents for their understanding and patience during this period of industrial action. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. 'The council continues to treat for rats for a contributory fee; this is far less than the cost to deliver the service and that charged by some neighbouring local authorities. People can also purchase and treat themselves, as supplies are readily available in shops and online.' An HS2 spokesman says: 'The health and safety of our workforce and the public is HS2's number-one priority. As part of our ongoing work to actively support the local community around the site, the team has recently cleared fly-tipped rubbish and carried out regular litter picks in the local area.' While there are other contributing factors, Naida places the blame for the bin crisis squarely at the council's door. 'They're really bad, to be honest with you,' she says. She has lived in the area for more than 20 years, has carefully tended to her home and garden, and now she is living amid mountains of rubbish. 'It's everywhere,' she says. 'It's just horrible.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
One city's battle against ‘cat-sized' rats while bin workers go on strike
Naida Bi and her husband, Ali, have spent thousands of pounds repairing the damage that rats have caused to their back garden in Ward End, Birmingham – most recently £9,000 on a new garden shed, as the gigantic rats they see running around in broad daylight gnawed through the wood of their previous one and built a nest underneath it. 'They're massive, even my cat is scared of them,' says Naida, 48. 'My husband had to block off the fence as they ate through it. Small rat traps won't do, so I had to buy cages off Amazon.' She has caught three rats in the cages already. There has been a long-term rat problem here in Stechford and Ward End, two areas to the east of the city. Both rank within the top 10 per cent of deprivation nationally, according to council data. Last year, Birmingham City Council introduced a £24 surcharge for visits from pest controllers – a so-called 'rat tax'. But residents say a recent stand-off between striking refuse collectors and the Labour-run council, which is in financial crisis after effectively declaring itself bankrupt in September 2023, has made matters far worse. So too has a vast HS2 construction site just across the road. The result has been an influx of vermin. Even an unseasonably sunny day can't distract from the grim scene in Ward End. The pavements on Drews Lane, the road between the HS2 site and the rest of the neighbourhood, are an assault course of black bin bags, piles of cardboard pizza boxes, abandoned plastic bottles and other detritus. At night, residents say they are crawling with rats. Kim Blakeman, who has lived on Drews Lane for 16 years, said the rodents are the size of cats. '[They] are huge – they are like small cats and their tails are really chunky,' she told the BBC. Some claim their bins have not been collected since January. This has inevitably also led to an increase in fly-tipping. The grassy patch of land next to Naida and Ali's home is carpeted with rubbish. Ali points out holes in his garden fence that the rats have gnawed through, and the rat droppings littering his lawn. After a series of one-day strikes in January and February, the Unite union announced this week that Birmingham bin collectors would begin indefinite strike action on March 11. The 'all-out strike' over pay and working conditions, plus the scrapping of a 'waste collection and recycling officer role', will involve more than 350 refuse collectors. The council said the ongoing strike would cause further disruption to residents, even though it has made Unite a 'fair and reasonable offer'. What is clear is, in the meantime, the service is collapsing. The Bi family claims that their bins have not been collected in three weeks and their recycling in six. 'It has got so bad that it's spreading all over the street,' says Naida. 'When it's windy, the bins open up and everything flies into the road.' A neighbour called Mizan, 52, has 'emailed the council, emailed the housing association… I complain and they clear it up a bit, but people continue fly-tipping, and it's back to square one,' he says. 'We have rats running around, and there are still rats in [our garden.]' Some houses on the neighbouring road have bin bags piled in heaps, their sides split and their contents lying on the street, making it impossible for anyone with a pram or mobility scooter to navigate. On one shared driveway, five overflowing bins sit surrounded by open bags of rubbish. The super-sized rats have even been known to eat through car wiring. Adam, 20, who lives with his parents in the area, says 'the rats bite everything, leave droppings everywhere, it's just disgusting'. Adam's car is in the driveway with its bonnet up – this morning he discovered that it won't start. He blames the rats. 'Sometimes I park up in the evenings and hear loads of them scurrying in the bins,' he says. Adam can't even remember the last time their bins were collected. Another resident, who didn't want to be named, claims she was told her bins hadn't been emptied because refuse workers were 'blocked' by traffic from the construction site; she believes they are just 'refusing' to collect it. 'It's ridiculous,' she says. 'We pay our council tax for this to be done, and they're not even doing it. Frankly, everyone in the council should be sacked.' Gerry Moynihan, a resident of nearby Bordesley Green, has taken to documenting the impact of Birmingham's bin strikes online. The videos he posts on X, taken from across the city, show vast mounds of fly-tipped furniture and fridges, bin bags and loose waste. 'For the council, it's not costing them anything for the rubbish to sit here. And prosecuting is expensive for them,' he told one newspaper. In some cases, he says, the council has put safety barriers around piles of rubbish rather than removing it. Neighbourhood Facebook groups are full of people offering discounted rubbish collection services, and local pest control companies have seen a marked increase in enquiries. William Timms, of WJ Pest Solutions, says: 'The calls have gone up 75 per cent, it's unbelievable. They've got rats outside, rats in their gardens, rats gaining access to kitchens.' Sharon Nichol of Birmingham Pest Control says: 'We have had to order in new bait stations because so many are out and we've run low. The bin strikes are ongoing, so there's been plenty of food for them.' The only saving grace is, in cold weather, there's not too much of a smell. If the rubbish piles up for three more months – a Unite representative said the union could not rule out the possibility of strike action lasting into the summer – imagine the stench. A spokesman for Birmingham City Council comments: 'While we acknowledge that industrial action is causing missed bin collections across the city, we continue to ensure every household in the city receives at least one collection per week at this time. If a reasonable amount of side waste is presented, this will also be collected, as long as it is bagged or bundled. 'We would like to thank residents for their understanding and patience during this period of industrial action. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. 'The council continues to treat for rats for a contributory fee; this is far less than the cost to deliver the service and that charged by some neighbouring local authorities. People can also purchase and treat themselves, as supplies are readily available in shops and online.' An HS2 spokesman says: 'The health and safety of our workforce and the public is HS2's number-one priority. As part of our ongoing work to actively support the local community around the site, the team has recently cleared fly-tipped rubbish and carried out regular litter picks in the local area.' While there are other contributing factors, Naida places the blame for the bin crisis squarely at the council's door. 'They're really bad, to be honest with you,' she says. She has lived in the area for more than 20 years, has carefully tended to her home and garden, and now she is living amid mountains of rubbish. 'It's everywhere,' she says. 'It's just horrible.' 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.
