Ever since the referendum result, the New York Times has adopted a decidedly gloomy tone in its Brexit coverage. The American paper even suffered a sense of humour failure when hacks read the Times‘s parliamentary sketch of an Emmanuel Macron rally as a serious news report — interpreting it as a sign of British superiority to their European neighbours.
But is this all about to change? Mr S only asks after the paper unveiled its ‘Brexit means Brexit’ UK tour, which will ‘examine the historic implications of a historic vote’. Attendees will look into the implications of Britain’s exit from the European Union ‘with the guidance of Steve Erlanger, the London bureau chief of the New York Times, and other experts’ — for a cool $5,995.
However, Mr S was disappointed to discover that the tour is somewhat London-centric. Over the six days, it seems that the group will remain in the capital for the full duration. Journey highlights include a visit to City Hall and the Houses of Parliament. But given that London voted to Remain, surely for a proper insight into what Brexit means, the NYT should venture outside the city and go to the areas that voted to leave the EU?
Then again, what New Yorker doesn’t want to come to the capital of the world?
Syria’s Alawite communities are in the grip of a fear that their women and girls could be kidnapped and held as sabaya, or sex slaves. After the Assad dictatorship fell, amid revenge attacks by militias loyal to the country’s new rulers, there were reports of abductions for rape and even of forced marriage. Alawite human
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