weekly news

Three women have been arrested in connection with last week's anti-terror operation in London in which a woman was shot by police. (BBC NEWS)

The women, two aged 18 and one 19, were arrested on Monday on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts. It follows a counter-terror operation on Thursday in which a 21-year-old woman was shot at a house in Willesden. The three arrested women are in custody outside London, police said.  They were arrested after counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police Force carried out warrants at three addresses in east London.  The Met said the arrests were made as part of an ongoing intelligence-led operation in connection with an address on Harlesden Road. The 21-year-old who was shot during the police raid on Thursday was discharged from hospital on Sunday before being arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts.  A further six people were also arrested in connection with the incident, including five at or near the Willesden address and one in Kent.

Weekly news

"Utah girl, 14, shot in the head by teenage boys, leaves hospital after more than two months" (Daily Mail) 

Deserae Turner, aged 14, was shot in the head by two teenage boys who she thought were here friends on the 17th of February 2017. The two boys apparently lured her to a remote spot and left her for dead in a ditch. She has declined to talk about the injuries or the circumstances of the attack. Deserae was reported missing by her parents after she didn't come home from school.

She was found by two women walking along the canal that evening. Initially th women assumes she was suffering from hypothermia before they found the gunshot wound at the back of her head.

Prosecutors have asked that the two teenage boys stand trial in an adult court however the case may remain in the juvenile court. If the case remains in the juvenile court then the maximum penalty the teens could receive is a stay in jail until they are 21. 

This story represents age as it involves young teenagers in crime and it represents issues of the misuse of guns. I think that teenagers should not have any access to a gun as they are unresponsible and will misuse it. Fortunately, this girl survived a fatal injury.

weekly news

Spanish police have arrested a Russian programmer for alleged involvement in "hacking" the US election, Spanish press reports have said. ( BBC news)

Pyotr Levashov, arrested on 7 April in Barcelona, has now been remanded in custody. A "legal source" also told the AFP news agency that Mr Levashov was the subject of an extradition request by the US. The request is due to be examined by Spain's national criminal court, the agency added. El Confidencial, a Spanish news website, has said that Mr Levashov's arrest warrant was issued by US authorities over suspected "hacking" that helped Donald Trump's campaign.Several cybersecurity experts, including Brian Krebs, have also linked Mr Levashov to a Russian spam kingpin, who uses the alias Peter Severa.

weekly news

Ohio nightclub shooting: One dead, 15 injured in gunfight (BBC NEWS)

A "dispute" between several men escalated into a gunfight in the crowded venue, Police Chief Eliot Isaac said. A 27-year-old man died in the incident, which occurred early on Sunday. There was no indication the shooting was terrorism-related. Police Chief Isaac said a "couple of hundred people" were inside the "very large establishment" when the incident occurred. "Several local men got into some kind of dispute inside the bar and it escalated into shots being fired from several individuals," he said. The police chief said that despite security checks, several firearms had been brought into the nightclub. Investigators are still trying to identify the shooters.

I think that they need to increase the security checks as this has put may innocent people's lives in danger. It represents issues of gun violence and crime

Exam answer

with detailed reference to two or three examples you have studied, explore how media texts are constructed to position audiences and/or users (30 marks)

In contemporary media, the dominant ideology create most media texts and images such as on magazines and newspapers meaning that we only see what they want us to see and what they deem as important. However in recent years there have been some campaigns and videos on changing people's  stereotypes and perceptions.

Typically, women are seen to be objects in the media which is why there are images of half naked girls on magazine front covers. All these covers include girls with the dominant ideologies idea of a perfect body which makes other women feel like they're not good enough because they don't look like magazine cover girls. Even though most of those pictures are photoshopped or edited somehow, it gives women expectations that they need to look like that. Although, the This Girl Can campaign created by Sport England has changed they way some women see themselves and their bodies. The campaign was designed to show women that anyone of any race and body size can take part in sports whether they are stereotypically female or not. Also, upbeat music by Missy Elliot is playing for the duration of the campaign which is supposedly meant to empower women. This has positioned the target audience to realise they can be happy with their bodies no matter what shape or size it is and they can be happy and healthy while taking part in sports as it will make them feel good.

Going along with this theme of women being objectified, it could also be said that the yearly Victoria's Secret Fashion Show subliminally tells women they will only look good in lingerie if they have the bodies of models. As the show only has slim models with the 'ideal' body, it makes other women wish they had bodies like that even though it's very hard to maintain. It also makes males think their their girlfriend or wife can only look good if they have a body like those models. This makes women try to live up to a standard that is very hard to achieve.

Weekly news

Don't forget us, says Chibok schoolgirl as third year of captivity approaches (BBC News)

A Chibok schoolgirl who escaped from Boko Haram militants in Nigeria has called on the international community not to forget those still in captivity. Next month will mark the third anniversary of the abduction of more than 270 girls. The militants are still holding about 195 of the young women.

The pupil, speaking under a pseudonym, told an education conference in Dubai: "These girls are human beings, not something that we can forget about." The abduction of the schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria in April 2014 by the Islamist militant group caused a global outcry - and prompted campaigns about girls' right to education. But almost three years later most of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls are still being held by kidnappers.

weekly news

"German 'thrill-killer' posed with bloodied knife inside flat of second victim he stabbed 68 times as it emerges the 'military mad' teenager was rejected by the army for being unstable"

Marcel Hesse was arrested for luring a young neighbour called Jaden into a cellar in Herne, on Monday. He was stabbed 56 times. The teenager is believed to have taken shocking video and photos of Jaden's murder before posting it on the 'dark web' of the Internet and going on the run which caused a massive police manhunt.  He also shared messages and photos on WhatsApp and in online chat rooms and some of that material was later posted back on to the dark web. It has been shown that that Marcel Hesse, who had also rejected by the German army for being unstable, had sent an image to a friend showing him holding up a blade in the same apartment.

In one message on an internet chat room, he wrote: 'I have cut myself in the hand as I fought the 120kg beast'. Pictures show him washing a knife and posing for a selfie with blood on his hands while in another message he said: 'I know that people die slowly when you slaughter them.' Another note believed to have been posted by Marcel Hesse was translated as saying: 'I just killed the neighbour's child, doesn't feel bad tbh, my hand bleeds lil' which is the only thing annoying me' and 'I actually wanted to get a girl in here so I can rape her.'  

This story has representations of issues of the dark web, mental disorders and knife crime. It also has representations of age and gender.

Demographic VS Psychographic

A demographic audience profile categorises an audience from A to E according to their class, occupation and income. Categories A and B are the wealthiest and most influential members of society and are therefore assumed to have the most disposable income. Retired people used to be in category E because of their loss of income, but with the rise of early retirement, this group have moved to a higher category to reflect their disposable income.

A psychographic audience profile defines an audience by their values, attitudes and lifestyles. As the concept of class and income became a less appropriate way of defining and audience, advertisers considered different ways of categorising an audience. They came up with the categories of mainstreamers, aspirers, explorers, succeeders and reformers.

- Mainstreamers: they make up 40% of the population. They like security, tried and trusted brands and like to think they belong to a group of like minded people.
- Aspirers: this group wants status and prefer brands that show their place in society. They are happy to live on credit and will buy items like designer labels.
- Explorers: like to discover new things. They are attracted by brands that offer new experiences and instant results.
- Succeeders: these are people who already ready have nothing to prove. They prefer that are serious and reliable and believe that they deserve the best.
- Reformers: this group are defined by their self esteem and self fulfilment. They tend to be innovative and less impressed by status. They are not materialistic and are socially aware.

Review of Black Mirror

Black mirror is a British television series written by Charlie Brooker. This series has two main genres: science fiction and psychological drama. It is based around satirical themes that looks around modern day society and how we are controlled by new technology.  It scored an 8.9/10 from IMDb and 96% from rotten tomatoes.

Each episode has a complete different set of characters with a different story to tell. It also has different settings and different themes and ideas for each episode however it is supposedly all based on the way we live now. Each person has a different reality.

The first episode I watched was Season 1 Episode 1 called The National Anthem. I don't even know where to begin. I didn't understand the episode at all. It had too much swearing and it was vile. I didn't want to even watch the next episode after seeing the priminster have sex with a pig however it was 12:30am and I was bored so I gave the second episode a try.

The second episode I watched was Season 1 Episode 2 called Fifteen Million Merits. This episode wasn't too bad but it was just very confusing. It started off with a man sleeping and all four walls around him were digital screens. When it was time for him to wake up a rooster would appear on the screen and do its wake up call. He then had to swipe his hand to get rid of the rooster. Everything around his was touch screen or body movement sensitive. Every day the people would have to sit on a gym bike and ride it to gain points so they can buy food or buy toothpaste or whatever they needed. This shows how technology is taking over as we become more dependent on it.

Once they reach 15 million points they an decide to try out for a TV show called Hot Spot which is where they can show off their talents. One woman tried out for it and she had a beautiful voice however she couldn't move forward in any career unless she showed everyone her boobs. This shows how women in society are treated unfairly as all men want to do is use them for their body.

Weekly News

REMAINS OF BABIES AND CHILDREN FOUND IN DISUSED SEWERS AT FORMER CATHOLIC HOME AFTER DECADES OF SUSPICION (Source: Daily Mail)

At a catholic home for unmarried mothers in Ireland, a grave has been discovered that had the remains of very young children in there. These remains were found in a sewer that isn't in use during excavations at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam, Galway. The enquiry to dig up the ground was granted after the local historian, Catherine Coreless, said there was evidence of an unmarked graveyard at the home.

And analysis of the remains showed that the aged of the remains ranged from 35 fetal weeks to around 3 years old. These body's are thought to have been buried in the 1950's. It was also said that "significant quantities of human remains have been discovered in at least 17 of the 20 underground chambers which were examined earlier this year."

Records have shown that up to 800 children died at the home between 1925 and 1961 but there was a burial record for only one child. There had also been reports in the 1970's that local boys playing football had seen a pile of bones in a hidden underground chamber there.

Cordless said "everything pointed to this area as being a mass grave". She also found records stating that's the sewage systems were used until 1937, when the home was connected to a water supply.

This story is very shocking and heartbreaking to hear. This represents issues of single mothers who can't take care of their children by themselves, it also represents issues of age as only young children were killed.

Weekly news

Storm Doris winds reach 94 mph in wales (BBC)

The UK's strongest storm was recorded at Capel Curig in Snowdonia. The Met Office had issued yellow and amber warnings when the storm hit.

Scottish power said around 60,000 properties in wales has no power on Thursday and around 9,000 properties had no electricity.

Many railways lines in wales are closed and there is limited transport due to local road conditions.

weekly news

TERRIFYING MOMENT DEADLY CHICAGO AMBUSH CAPTURED ON FACEBOOK LIVE (source: daily mail)


A two year old boy was murdered in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon in a gang related shooting that was streamed on Facebook Live. Lavontay White is the two year old boy riding in a car with his pregnant aunt and her boyfriend. The incident occurred at around 1:30pm.

Devonte, the pregnant aunt, happened to be filming their journey at the time and recorded herself running out of the car as gun shots were fired. The video started off with Devonte and her boyfriend singing along to music while Lavontay was sitting in the back seat of the car. As soon as gun shots are heard, Devonte runs out of the car down an ally where she asks someome to call 911 because Lavontay was dead and she had a bullet in her stomach.

(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/two-year-old-boy-killed-facebook-live-stream-video-lavontay-white-breunna-devonte-chicago-a7582256.html)

Unfortunately, Lavontay is the third child to be shot in Chicago this week and also the second to die.

This story represents issues of gun violence and gangs

weekly news

INDONESIAN WOMEN SOBS WITH PAIN AS SHE'S WHIPPED WITH A CANE FOR HAVING SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE (source Daily Mail)

Pictures have sown an Indonesian woman forced to take 26 lashes with a whip as punishment for having sex outside of marriage. The woman and the man accused of having sex outside of marriage faced the punishment as it is against the Islamic Sharia Law.

Sharia is the body of the Islamic law, meaning "path". Google says 'it is the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam'.

Both the woman and the man were punished on a stage in front of a mosque in Aceh province in front of a crowd who were taking pictures and videos. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia Law. Under the strict laws, men and women who aren't married are not allowed to get too close due to the 'khalwat' offence (being in too close proximity). This punishment for this is public caning.

This is a representation of religion and issues of torture and public humiliation. Personally I think this punishment is too harsh because sex outside of marriage happens on a daily basis around the world and I don't think anyone should be punished for doing it. However, as it is the region and laws they believe in then they shouldn't have committed the act because they knew what would happen if anyone found out.

Weekly news e

(BBC news) BOY CHARGED OVER QUAMARI SERUNKUMA-BARNES STAB DEATH

A teenager has been charged with murder after 15 year old Quamari was stabbed near his school in north-west London. Quamari was attacked in Doyle Gardens around 3:30pm on Monday while making his way home from school. The suspect of his murder is also 15, but cannot be named.

The post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a "haemorrhage and a stab wound to the chest".



(The Guardian) TEENAGER ARRESTED AFTER PUPIL STABBED TO DEATH OUTSIDE LONDON SCHOOL

A 15 year old boy hasn't been arrested on suspicion of murder after a boy of the same age was stabbed outside a north-west London school. Quamari was attacked while waiting at a bus stop at about 3:30pm on Monday, shortly after the end of the school day at Capital City Academy. According to a family friend he was threatened at a bus stop and his assailant chased him as he fled towards the school for safety. The motive for the attack is not yet known.



These are both the same stories yet told differently. The guardian seem to care about the boy a lot more than the BBC does. Either way, no one should be carrying knives with them at all. It is dangerous. This has representations of issues of knife crime and age.

Stacey Dooley

Girls, Guns and ISIS

In this documentary, Stacey goes on a journey to meet ladies who have previoulsy been held captive by ISIS. They are Yazidi followers which ISIS believed they worship the devil. They were raped, torchered and some murdered being in the hands of ISIS, including a 9 year old girl. These women have come a long way and have now trained to stand on the front line and fight ISIS. Each woman has horrific stories of their struggles. This has representation of age, issues, gender and religion.

Reggie Yate

"Extreme UK: Gay and under attack"

Okay so before I begin talking about this documentary, I have very strong opinions on the LGBT community. I believe that there should be equality for all, no matter what race, religion or sexuality you are. Everyone deserves love and I find it horrible that people won't accept others happiness. We should live in a society where individuals are not afraid to be who they are. So what if you like the same sex? That's your choice in your life and it shouldn't affect anyone's opinions of you. I could go on forever but let's move onto the documentary.

He starts off by going into a south London barber store to meet a black male who has accepted that he is gay. This man has West African parents who are also very religious so he found it hard to accept who he was. His parernts found out about his sexuality through a friend and his father said "pack your bags, I want you out of this house by midnight" and they haven't spoken since. A woman in the store then joined the conversation saying that if her son told her he was gay, she'd have to ask him why. She also said "it would be hard for me to accept that because... gay... I don't even get it". A Muslim man then joined the conversation and he said he would not be able to accept it if his son or daughter was homosexual. He believes that being gay is a choice. A comment from the black male backfired this discussion by saying "If you look at the world today, being gay has never been a good thing, it's never been something easy. Why would anyone at any age wake up today and say i want to be a homosexual so people in the streets can throw rocks at me and so that Ivan be rejected by my family."

Reggie Yate then drives to meet a transgender woman who lives with her mum and nan. She lives in a mostly Asian community and has received nasty comments such as "you f*****g battyman go and die",physical abuse and even death threats. It is totally unacceptable to tell someome to die just because they were not happy being their previous gender. It makes no difference to my life knowing someone is transgender, it is THEIR choice of who they want to be; not what ignorant people in society want them to be.

Later on in the documentary, Reggie meets up with a young Asian man who has admitted to being gay. This may shock a few of you as he was/is a Muslim but he doesn't practise his religion anymore due to him realising he is homosexual. He is forced to keep the location of his student flat a secret due to his families views. His dad believes that any gay person should be killed, stoned to death, including his own son. His mum also said to him "if you had murdered someone, I'd still accept you. But you being gay, I can't accept you for that". His parents assumed that he wasn't possessed and they wanted to get the demons out of him so they performed many exorcisms to try change him. This got very overwhelming and he ended up trying to take his own life in his bedroom.

There are many more other sad stories about how LGBT people feel and it hurts me to think that they're not accepted in societies. Although gay marriage is legalised in the U.K., it doesn't mean that's everyone agrees with it. People still get hated on every single day and it is unfair.

Stacey Dooley

"My hometown fanatics: Stacey Dooley investigates Muslim extremists"

In this episode, Stacey Dooley goes to visit her hometown, Luton, after not being there for many years. Since she left, Luton has become heavily populated with Muslim and other Asian people.

 As she is walking around around the town centre, an extremism march is taking place. Muslim men and women are shouting and holding banners and signs saying "UK go to hell" and "British police go to hell" which I was a bit confused about. If they don't like living in the UK and don't like how the police force is run then why not move somewhere else? However, later on in the show it was revealed that the march was for a situation where a 'terrorists' wife was jailed. The husband bombed Stockholm in 2010, it's been called as a suicide attack. I am still unsure as to why the wife was jailed, I'm assuming she either took part in this attack or at least knew about it. Everyone has a right to protest however I thought that this protest was too extreme.

Stacey tried to talk to one of the women in this march but it turned out that this woman wasn't nice at all. She said to Stacey "this is a message to stop oppression" and Stacey backfired with a comment saying "no real Muslim wants anyone to burn in hell". This started off a heated arguement which then lead to the woman saying "you look naked on the street wearing that dress, who are you trying to seduce", even though her dress was almost floor length and the sleeve stopped at her elbows. I thought this statement was completely wrong, everyone has the right to decide what they wear as it is how they want to present themselves. I understand that muslims believe they should cover up their skin, and in some cases their face, due to their religion but it doesn't mean to say they can be rude to non muslims about what they're wearing.

She then goes around her town and asks both Muslims and non muslims about their views on Islam and how it is preached around Luton. Many extremists had the view of "if you're not a Muslim then you're on your way to hell, all non muslims are destined for hell". It was said that if the land was Muslim then they'd obey it but if it wasn't then they wouldn't. Many men hated on Stacey because she was a non Muslim even though she was trying to understand their religion.

Unfortunately a lot of  the Muslim women are scared to go out of their homes because people stare at them and make comments about their religious clothing. One man shouted "take off your mask" at a young Muslim girl.

This video really made me upset as to how extreme muslims radicalise children from such a young age. I think that all religions should live in peace and harmony with each other so we can celebrate cultural and religious differences. Everyone needs to drop stereotypes of all religions and they actually need to try and understand why a religion is the way it is. It must be horrible to be judged on a daily basis because of what you're wearing and especially when other make harsh comments about it.

Weekly news

ISTANBUL MASS KILLER WHO SLAUGHTERED 39 PEOPLE IN NEW YEARS EVE CLUB ATTACK WAS SENT 3 WOMEN BY ISIS AS A REWARD (source : daily mail)


The Istanbul night club killer, Abdulkadir Mashaipov, was sent three women by ISIS as a reward for the massacre in a night club on New Year's Eve, killing 39 people. Authorities have identified him as being from Uzbekistan and trained in Afghanistan to carry out the attack from ISIS.

In some sections of Islam, it is understood that those who die in the name of God are gifted with 72 virgins upon reaching heaven.

Some resources have said that the Istanbul shooter received orders directly from the main station of ISIS in Syria. It is to be believeed that the original target was istanbuls famous Taksim Square however he said it didn't seem possible due to instense security measures. He then found a new target (The Reina Night Club) and suggested that to his handler, who approved.

This article has representations of gender, religion and issues of terrorist attacks and sex slavery. Personally, I think that this is a very sensitive subject due to stereotypes of Muslims and Islamic people. ISIS say they are doing these attacks in the name of God/Allah however I don't see what they gain from murdering innocent people? Religion just confuses me.

weekly news

STOLEN BABY FOUND ALIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA 18 YEARS ON (source: BBC news)


A girl stolen as a newborn from a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, has been found alive in South Carolina after more than 18years.

 Kamiyah Mobley was abducted in July 1998. She was only 8 hours old when she was taken by a woman pretending to be a health care worker at the University Medical Centre, now known as UF Health Jacksonville. The woman told Kamiyah's mother that her baby had a fever and needed to be checked. She then took the baby out of the room and disappeared.

Authorities in South Carolina have charged Gloria Williams with kidnapping after recieving over 2,500 tips including her whereabouts and images.

Similarly on the 27th of February 2015, a South African woman appeared in court as she kidnapped a baby in Cape Town and kept it for 17 years. The woman and her husband were arrested after Beijing found guilty. She was charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children's act, as she pretended she was the biological mother of that child.

The girls biological parents were reunited with their daughter after she was enrolled in the same school as her sister. After seeing how much they looked alike, the biological family invited the girl for coffee and the contacted the police. DNA tests confirmed the identity of the girl was their missing daughter.

I think it is disgraceful that someome can easily steal someone's child, whether it was newborn or a toddler or a child of any age. It is unfair on both the mother and the father who have unconditional love for their child. It is said that having kids is one of the best things you can do in life as they make you happy but imagine someone taking your happiness away that easily. It's heartbreaking to hear and to see stories of children being kidnapped. Especially if it's a toddler or older and being taken away from their family would make them terrified. Another story that is worldwide is about young Madeline McCann who has been missing for over 10 years yet her parents never stopped looking for her. It's horrible how messed up some people's minds are to be able to steal someone's child. This also shows that it happens globally, not in just one area.

This represents issues of child theft.

Weekly news

TILIKUM THE SEAWORLD ORCA FROM BLACKFISH DOCUMENTARY DIES AGE 36 (source: the sun)

Tilikum is an Orca whale that is mostly known for killing a SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010. The trainer was interacting with Tilikun before a live audience at SeaWorld Orlando when he pulled her from a platform by her am and held her under the water. An autopsy report said that she drowned but also suffered severe trauma, including multiple fractures.

Theme park officials said that Tilikum died but they didn't reveal the cause of his death. The statement given had said that Tilikum faced serious health problems. SeaWorld president and CEO, Joel Manby, said "Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired".

The Blackfish documentary is about "The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man's relationship to nature, and how little has been learned about these highly intelligent mammals."  The documentary argued that killer whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive towards humans and also each other. After the documentary aired at film festivals and on TV, many entertainers pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld. Many animal rights activists increased their demonstrations outside the parks. In March, SeaWorld CEO saw that the publics attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive and so the company would end its orca breeding programme. (The documentary is on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in case any of you wanted to watch it).

After watching the documentary over a year ago, I've realised that it's unfair to keep wild animals in such contained spaces for human pleasure and enjoyment. The Atlantic Ocean itself covers 106,460,000 squared kilometres and that's only one ocean. Big wild animals such as Tilikum need a vast amount of space considering the average whale size is 22 feet and 11,800 pounds. SeaWorld confines orcas, who could swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild. Studies show they would need to swim 1,208 laps around the perimeter of the tank or 3105 lengths back and forth to equal what they'd swim in the wild.

Also, for any animals that are kept in captivity or confined spaces are most likely to have a premature death which may lead to why some animals are becoming extinct. Some animals are also known to bite the iron bars and concrete due to stress, anxiety and boredom which shows those animals go through a lot of mental breakdowns and pressures as they are kept in such small spaces. There are many other reasons as to why it is cruel to keep such large animals, or any animals in captivity.

This is a representation of an issue of keeping animals in captivity.