| No Images? Click here   A slump in the number of people prosecuted for rape in England and Wales – coupled with record volumes of cases being reported to police - has prompted campaigners to brand the phenomenon “the effective decriminalisation of rape.”The annual Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) report from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) shows there were just 1,925 convictions for rape or an alternative lesser offence during the financial year 2018-19, down from 2,635 in the previous 12 months - a drop of 26.9%.  Boris Johnson has denied lying to the Queen over the suspension of parliament, insisting such claims were “absolutely not” true.The Court of Session concluded on Wednesday that the prime minister’s controversial decision to suspend parliament was unlawful.  A no-deal Brexit could lead to outbreaks of disease and shortages of medicine, fresh food and fuel, with the poorest hit worst, official government documents show.The papers – marked “official sensitive” – also warn of “a rise in public disorder and community tensions”, “panic buying” at supermarkets, and huge traffic jams in Kent as the EU imposes tariffs and checks on UK goods.  The number of households classed as either homeless or threatened with homelessness has increased by more than 10% in England, government figures reveal.Between January and March 2019, a total of 70,430 households were assessed as falling within this category – a 10.7% increase from 63,620 in the previous quarter (October to December 2013).  The government has dumped radical plans to use anti-terror surveillance laws to spy on shopkeepers who sell children high-energy drinks.The announcement came after HuffPost UK revealed that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had sought an exemption under the revised Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Act to allow it to enforce a proposed ban on drinks like Red Bull and Monster being sold to under-16s.   Going vegan might mean missing out on a few foods you’ve always loved. For some, it might be cheese or hot buttered toast. For many, it’s a bacon roll after a hangover on a Saturday morning. Mmm.But, you needn’t go without your porcine fix (well, almost): because a vegan bacon roll is now on the market – and it’s said to taste as good as the real thing.  Exactly one year ago, I took the painful decision to resign my membership of the Labour Party, writing to party general secretary Jennie Formby that the party had “deliberately and recklessly allowed antisemitism to emerge, and even more concerningly, flourish”.Aside from brief social media abuse and being told by a senior civil servant that the Jewish community were responsible for Brexit (riddle me that), the past year has overwhelmingly proven to me that I made the correct decision. The first time I attended a group for transmasculine folx, I stood nervously in the breakout room watching three men drool over a car on their phone. In so many ways it felt like I was a kid again, standing with my brother and his friends while they talked about rugby and girls and cars.Sometimes I think that the nature of being trans is that you’re born in the world with a tally in your head. A certain number of points make you a girl, a certain number of points make you a boy, and good luck to the rest of us floating around in between. The room was filled with a palpable feeling of desperation. I was surprised at how many people actually showed up.I had wondered five minutes before if anyone else would even come. I mean, who really wants to commiserate about having painful, weeping bumps in their lady parts?  New to this email? You can sign up here.©2019 Oath (UK) | Midcity Place, 71, High Holborn, London WC1V 6EA |
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