And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth! - Monty Python, The Galaxy Song
In a week where NASA landed another rover on Mars looking for life, back at home we earthlings continued our battle with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
We were subjected to this attempted funny by the PM when he visited a vaccination clinic, in our moment of the week:
If it doesn't fit, you must look like a tit!
In other news, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard this week that Arconic, the company that provided the unsafe cladding which contributed to the deaths of 72 people, failed to inform the Government that the cladding had actually been involved in a fire in Bucharest in 2009. The president claimed his company did not feel the need to tell anyone about the danger of the polyethylene panels, despite receiving a report showing the risk following the fire in Romania. I hate to bash capitalism for a second day in a row, but this strikes me as yet another example of corporations prioritising profit over social responsibility. I sincerely hope justice is done, for the sake of those who lost loved ones in Grenfell.
The other big news story of the week involved Dubai's 'missing princess' Latifa, after a video of her accusing her father, billionaire Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, of holding her hostage when she tried to flee the UAE, went viral. The UN Commission of Human Rights and UK Government have asked for proof of life, which has not as yet been provided. As fears for her safety grow, the Dubai Royal family have released a statement insisting that the princess is being cared for at home, and that she was tricked into escaping the country by criminals, despite a British judge finding that she had been drugged, beaten, and detained following the attempt.
In our own Royal Family, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace this week that Harry and Meghan will not return to public service, and the Prince's honorary medals and titles will be stripped, as the feud continues. The couple responded with an expectedly reserved quip, commenting about serving in 'other ways'. Their upcoming interview with Oprah should be an interesting watch...
It was also announced this week that the Duke of Edinburgh had been admitted to hospital for observation, and will remain in hospital into next week. Prince Charles was spotted visiting him yesterday - given that hospitals are only allowing family to visit patients near the end at the moment, things may not be looking too promising for the Duke, unless an exception has been made. We of course wish him a speedy recovery.
In Government, Michael Gove was forced to hide his dismay this week as he lost his post-Brexit EU relationship brief to Lord Frost - who handled the Brexit negotiations - instead being deployed to tackle upcoming local elections. It seems Gove's ambitions of becoming a senior Government minister are dwindling by the day, and what a shame it is - couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
In the courts this week, Uber suffered a significant blow over worker's rights, and will now have to class drivers as employees, entitling them to sick and holiday pay. The workers can now enjoy employment security, free from the precariousness of the gig economy.
Across the pond, large parts of the US, particularly Texas, suffered a cold snap this week as temperatures plummeted as low as -25°C, cutting off electricity and heating supplies to many. As the severity of weather events like this continues to increase, we must ask ourselves if we are doing enough to halt the march of climate change. If we keep going down the path we are on, extreme weather like this will only become more and more common.
Over in Myanmar, the situation continues to worsen as protests this week turned violent when the military opened fire on the peaceful demonstration, killing two people. The UK and Canada have already sanctioned three military generals for human rights violations, after the military coup which overthrew the democratic government and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Further international response seems likely as the situation escalates, and another civil war looks ever more likely for the already war torn country.
Finally, it was revealed this week that notorious sex trafficker and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein did have recordings of former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. CBS producer Ira Rosen claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell, who is alleged to have procured girls as young as 14, told him that Epstein had incriminating tapes of both men, whose names were found in the sex offender's infamous 'little black book' of contacts. If the recordings do ever emerge, it will surely be the story of the decade. One thing is for sure - nothing would make me happier than seeing Trump's sad little orange face being thrown in prison for the rest of his days.
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