What Britain Talks About This Week – Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice | Prince Andrew vs Virginia Giuffre | BooHoo advert banned | Novak Djokovic could be banned from Wimbledon | The meaning of Caulk (Wordle)

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UK Battered by Two Storms – Thousands lose power to Storm Dudley, Eunice Hits with record winds

Weather alerts warn millions of people across the UK to stay at home as damage and disruption continue by Storm Eunice in the wake of Storm Dudley.

Storm Dudley hit Capel Curig in North Wales on Wednesday with gusts of winds as high as 81mph. Emily Moore in West Yorkshire recorded 74mph.

Tens of thousands of homes suffered power outages, trees uprooted, cars crushed, flights cancelled, and blanket travel warnings issued as the storm ensued destruction across the UK, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Twitter account for Galway tourism shared a glimpse of the force of Storm Dudley.

Storm Dudley was followed by Storm Eunice, as Britain’s meteorological service issued its first-ever ‘danger to life’ red weather warning with the army on standby.

Similar red and yellow warnings of high winds were issued by the Met Office in different parts of the country:

 

Storm Eunice hit with record-breaking winds in the Southwest of Ireland before barrelling across Britain. The Isle of Wight recorded gusts of 122mph.

London’s iconic O2 arena was even hit by the storm, with parts of the roof coming off.

Talk Radio shared a video of people struggling to move due to winds, getting blown and battered on the ground in South London as Storm Eunice hit the UK.

London Live shared a video of pilots struggling to land at Heathrow Airport amidst the catastrophic winds.

A Twitter user also shared a clip of a flying dustbin that has now gone viral!

Prince Andrew settles US civil sex assault case with Virginia Giuffre

Prince Andrew has reached an out-of-court settlement in a civil sexual assault case against him by Virginia Giuffre, an American woman, and victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

The settlement is of an undisclosed amount along with Prince Andrew voicing regret for his association with Jeffrey Epstein in the court filing. According to many news reports, it is believed to be £12million.

English Broadcaster and Journalist Piers Morgan tweeted that the British public is entitled to know if the settlement money came indirectly from taxpayers and that Prince Andrew should not have put the Queen in such a position.

Many UK citizens echoed the sentiment with some demanding to know the source of the money on social media. Mike Galsworthy, Presenter at Byline TV and co-founder of Scientists for EU, tweeted about the same.

Many also questioned the turn of events as the settlement of this lawsuit came as a contradiction to Prince Andrew’s demand in January for a jury trial.

British Solicitor Nazir Afzal exclaimed how this was in line with no wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph has reported that the Duke of York will pay the reported £12million settlement using money from the Queen. He has also agreed to make a ‘substantial donation’ to Ms. Giuffre’s charity for victims of abuse.

Sources close to Prince Andrew say he ‘wholly maintains his innocence’ and ‘believes he can still find a way back into public life’. The Firm wanted a settlement agreed to avoid overshadowing the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

Boohoo Advert Banned for Sexualizing & Objectifying Women

Fast fashion retailer ‘Boohoo’ used photos of a model wearing thong-style bikini bottoms while posing to sell the brand’s oversized T-shirt. Following a complaint to UK’s watchdog – the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the promotion was banned for being ‘offensive, harmful and irresponsible.

Among the many photos, the shots in question were the ones taken from the rear with her kneeling and another of her sitting with legs apart, as the ASA noted that, ‘neither the partial nudity nor the bikini bottoms were relevant to the product’.

Boohoo has been criticized in the past for racy marketing. This time the retail giant said, ‘the model was wearing the T-shirt with a bikini as part of the swimwear range’. A spokesperson for the Group expressed their ‘disappointment’ for the findings of the ruling.

However, Boohoo removed the images from its website before ASA’s ruling was published.

Amidst the criticism and a series of reactions from social media users, some particularly stood out.

Author and award-winning freelance journalist, Rebecca Reid tweeted that the company’s landfill fashion track record should be the reason for being offended rather than a portion of a woman’s body.

 

British entrepreneur and multi-unicorn founder, Brent Hoberman, pointed out that ‘whenever the ASA blocks ads, that seems to generate so much free PR’, indicating that the coverage is almost certainly good for Boohoo!

Novak Djokovic may miss out on Wimbledon and French Open amidst Vaccination chaos

In an interview broadcast with the BBC on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic said he is ‘prepared to skip the French Open and Wimbledon’ if vaccination against Covid19 is required for him to play. The 20-time Grand Slam Champion said, ‘it is the price I am willing to pay’.

Djokovic also thanked his fans for their patience and supporting him, especially in the past few weeks as he fought deportation in Australia where he was not allowed to play for the Australian Open title in January.

In the interview, the Serbian tennis star also clarified that he is not opposed to vaccinations but believes in ‘the freedom to choose what you put into your body.

Retired professional tennis player, Tim Henman who is also on the Wimbledon Committee believes that Djokovic will be able to compete at Wimbledon this year.

On BBC Radio 4, he expressed his support for the six-time Wimbledon Champion saying that ‘by missing a chance to play in a Grand Slam, he jeopardizes his chances of becoming the greatest male player of all time, which speaks to his courage and belief that this is best for him.

UK-based communications consultant James Melville shared the news in a tweet.

However, in a debate conducted by talkRADIO TV, journalist Benjamin Butterworth said what Novak Djokovic is doing is ‘dangerous’ and ‘has given a platform to anti vaxxers’. He went on to say that if he were in the stadium, he would ‘boo Novak Djokovic’.

The Meaning of Caulk and the Confusion around the Word in Wordle Game

For many, the world of Wordle changed overnight from basic to intellectual ever since New York Times has acquired the game from its original creator. The five-letter word ‘Caulk’ has been at the center of news since it became the ‘word of the day’ in Wordle.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is a substance used for filling in the gaps around the edge of something, for e.g., a shower or bath.

While some exclaimed that ‘the word does not even exist’, many fans feel the game has become more difficult since the takeover.

A Twitter user expressed their unhappiness by wishing ‘good morning to everyone except all the staff at New York Times, their families, friends, pets, and acquaintances.

 

On the contrary, a Twitter user said she could not believe the controversy around the word ‘caulk’, as though people have never decorated anything in their lives.

In fact, many users felt it exposed a class divide among the game’s players. One such tweet went viral where the user called it a ‘win for the working class.

Needless to say, the word ‘Caulk’ caused quite a stir on social media and over 200K+ searches for its meaning on Google in the UK.

And that’s it for another week of hot topics in the UK.

Post curated by Nidaa Koreishi & Manuela Willbold

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