World News
How the mother of UK’s first Black ‘Finance Minister’, Kwasi Kwarteng faced down racial prejudice after moving to the UK
Kwasi Kwarteng’s mother is a top lawyer who faced down prejudice to reach the top of her profession – after coming to the UK from Ghana in the 1960s with his father.
Charlotte Boaitey-Kwarteng, 78, is head of 12 Square Chambers, which is based in Holborn in north London and specialises in human rights, immigration and public law.
A profile online tells how her ‘journey to the Bar as a black woman in the 1980s involved overcoming prejudice’ from other members of the legal profession.
The new Chancellor of the Exchequer’s father, Alfred, who is 75, was an economist for the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The couple’s listed address is a modest semi-detached home on a quiet street in Middlesex.
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The pair moved from Ghana to the UK in the 1960s, before marrying in the St Pancras area of London in 1972.
The spotlight has fallen on Mr Kwarteng’s family and background after he was appointed as Chancellor by the new Prime Minister Liz Truss yesterday.
Ms Boaitey-Kwarteng’s profile on the website of the Inner Temple, which is one of the four Inns of Court, tells how she gained a law degree from London University in 1970.
She initially worked for the Community Relations Commission, which was set up in the late 1960s as part of efforts to help immigrants from Commonwealth countries integrate into Britain.
She then researched international law while living in Geneva as a ‘stay at home mother’.
The lawyer then went on to study Social Anthropology at Oxford in 1980, before working as the consultant anthropologist for a TV programme made by Granada Television that looked into the Asante women of Ghana.
Inner Temple’s profile adds that Ms Boaitey-Kwarteng’s background is now in ‘general common law’, but says she has ‘considerable experience’ in ‘criminal law, both defence and prosecution, as well as in employment and local government law.
It continues: ‘She now focuses on arbitration, family law mediation, wills and probate and providing expert opinion on African (especially Ghanaian) customary law (marriages and divorces).
‘She attended the Ghana Law School in 1997 to study Ghanaian customary laws and was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Ghana that same year.
Ms Boaitey-Kwarteng has ‘considerable experience’ in criminal law. ‘She is a member of the Nigerian branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration and a member of the African Arbitration Association.’
Ms Boaitey-Kwarteng was appointed as a judge on mental health tribunals in 2004, and served in the role until she retired from it in 2014.
The lawyer was also appointed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to conduct an inquiry into racism in connection with the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people in 2017.
According to a friend of Mr Kwarteng who spoke to The Times, his mother is a ‘particularly important figure in his life’.
They added: ‘She is religious and ingrained a love of public service in him.’
Mr Kwarteng, who was born in east London in 1975, is the only child of his parents.
They first sent him to a state primary school in Waltham Forest, before transferring to the private prep school Colet Court in Richmond, west London.
Mr Kwarteng then won a scholarship to Eton, where he was regarded as one of its brightest pupils.
He went on to study at Cambridge University, where he read classics and history. He later earned a PhD in economic history from the same university in the year 2000.
His doctoral thesis was on the ‘recoinage crisis of 1695-7’.
World News
Major step in malaria prevention as three West African countries roll out vaccine
In a significant step forward for malaria prevention in Africa, three countries—Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone—today launched a large-scale rollout of the life-saving malaria vaccine targeting millions of children across the three West African nations. The vaccine rollout, announced on World Malaria Day, seeks to further scale up vaccine deployment in the African region.
Today’s launch brings to eight the number of countries on the continent to offer the malaria vaccine as part of the childhood immunization programmes, extending access to more comprehensive malaria prevention. Several of the more than 30 countries in the African region that have expressed interest in the vaccine are scheduled to roll it out in the next year through support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as efforts continue to widen its deployment in the region in coordination with other prevention measures such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
Benin, which received 215 900 doses, has added the malaria vaccine to its Expanded Programme on Immunization. The malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from around 5 months of age.
“The introduction of the malaria vaccine in the Expanded Programme on Immunization for our children is a major step forward in the fight against this scourge. I would like to reassure that the malaria vaccines are safe and effective and contribute to the protection of our children against this serious and fatal diseases,” said Prof Benjamin Hounkpatin, Minister of Health of Benin.
In Liberia, the vaccine was launched in the southern Rivercess County and will be rolled out afterwards in five other counties which have high malaria burden. At least 45 000 children are expected to benefit from the 112 000 doses of the available vaccine.
“For far too long, malaria has stolen the laughter and dreams of our children. But today, with this vaccine and the unwavering commitment of our communities, healthcare workers and our partners, including Gavi, UNICEF and WHO, we break the chain. We have a powerful tool that will protect them from this devastating illness and related deaths, ensuring their right to health and a brighter future. Let’s end malaria in Liberia and pave the way for a healthier, more just society,” said Dr Louise Kpoto, Liberia’s Minister of Health.
Two safe and effective vaccines — RTS,S and R21 — recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), are a breakthrough for child health and malaria control. A pilot malaria vaccine programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi reached over 2 million children from 2019 to 2023, showing a significant reduction in malaria illness and a 13% drop in overall child mortality and substantial reductions in hospitalizations.
In Sierra Leone, the first doses were administered to children at a health centre in Western Area Rural where the authorities kicked off the rollout of 550 000 vaccine doses. The vaccine will then be delivered in health facilities nationwide.
“With the new, safe and efficacious malaria vaccine, we now have an additional tool to fight this disease. In combination with insecticide-treated nets, effective diagnosis and treatment, and indoor spraying, no child should die from malaria infection,” said Dr Austin Demby, Minister of Health of Sierra Leone.
Malaria remains a huge health challenge in the African region, which is home to 11 countries that carry approximately 70% of the global burden of malaria. The region accounted for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of all malaria deaths in 2022, according to the World Malaria Report.
“The African region is taking positive steps in scaling up the rollout of the malaria vaccine – a game-changer in our fight against this deadly disease,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Working with our partners, we’re committed to supporting the ongoing efforts to protect, save the lives of young children and lower the malaria burden in the region.”
Aurelia Nguyen, Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted: “Today we celebrate more children gaining access to a new lifesaving tool to fight one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. This introduction of malaria vaccines into routine programmes in Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alongside other proven interventions will help save lives and offer relief to families, communities and hard-pressed health systems.”
Progress against malaria has stalled in these high-burden African countries since 2017 due to factors including climate change, humanitarian crises, low access to and insufficient quality of health services, gender-related barriers, biological threats such as insecticide and drug resistance and global economic crises. Fragile health systems and critical gaps in data and surveillance have compounded the challenge.
To put malaria progress back on track, WHO recommends robust commitment to malaria responses at all levels, particularly in high-burden countries; greater domestic and international funding; science and data-driven malaria responses; urgent action on the health impacts of climate change; harnessing research and innovation; as well as strong partnerships for coordinated responses. WHO is also calling attention to addressing delays in malaria programme implementation.
World News
Kid Cudi cancels tour after breaking foot at Coachella
Kid Cudi has been forced to cancel his tour after breaking his foot at Coachella over the weekend. During the fest’s Weekend Two on Sunday night, the rapper went to the hospital with a broken foot after jumping off the stage at the Sahara Tent. (more…)
World News
The Un Certain Regard Jury of the 77th Festival de Cannes
The Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer Xavier Dolan will be the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury of the 77th Festival de Cannes. He will be joined by French-Senegalese screenwriter and director Maïmouna Doucouré, Moroccan director, screenwriter and producer Asmae El Moudir, German-Luxembourg actress Vicky Krieps, and American film critic, director, and writer Todd McCarthy. They will be in charge of awarding prizes for the Un Certain Regard section, which showcases art and discovery films by young auteurs.
This year, 18 films have been selected, including 8 first films. The 2023 Un Certain Regard top prize went to director Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature How to Have Sex.
When the light breaks by Rúnar Rúnarsson will open the Un Certain Regard section on Wednesday May 15, 2024.
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Additions to the selection of the 77th Festival de Cannes
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