Una Marson became the BBC’s first black radio producer and presenter in the 1940s, she brought Caribbean voices and culture to a global audience, but her name is now little known. Sir Lenny Henry explains why he is reviving Marson’s story.

When I think of Una Marson, I think of a trailblazer – a pioneer who connected the Caribbean to the world through her radio programmes. But most people don’t even know who she was, let alone anything about her work at the BBC.

It would take many, many hours to uncover her story but my production company, Douglas Road Productions, makes a valiant attempt to tell it in a new documentary.

We mix rare archive of Una from the 1940s with reflections from historians and writers, and actress Seroca Davis skilfully brings this remarkable woman to life.

Born in 1905 in rural Jamaica, Una was the daughter of a Baptist preacher. She had a middle-class upbringing, learned to type and attended a boarding school. From an early age, she had drive, ambition and the smarts to go far. By 1926, she was assistant editor of a political magazine, the Jamaica Critic. Two years later, she had started her own magazine, The Cosmopolitan, aimed at a young, politically-aware Jamaican audience.

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In the years that followed, she wrote Tropic Reveries, a collection of poems challenging traditional notions of womanhood, and At What Price, a play about a mixed-raced relationship that would later be staged in London’s West End.

By the time she came to London in 1932 to find new opportunities for her writing, Una was a force to be reckoned with. But she found herself in the midst of the colour bar that blocked non-whites from entry into certain jobs and restricted their access to housing and social and cultural life.

In her poem, Little Brown Girl, Una spoke about her isolation in “a white, white city” at that time.

“You speak good English little brown girl, how is it you speak English as though it belonged to you?”, she wrote.

Not one to stand back and do nothing, Una got involved in political activism in the UK. She shared a house with Dr Harold Moody, the founder of civil-rights organisation The League of Coloured Peoples.

Though its name sounds like a Marvel movie franchise waiting to happen, the League had a serious objective – eliminating the colour bar. As its assistant secretary, Una organised receptions, meetings, trips and concerts. The fight against racism inspired her, made her tough and gave her a manifesto for a career.

Source – https://www.bbc.co.uk/

Una Marson – The story of the BBC’s first black producer
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The NAGCC formally unveiled its new and beautiful offices at their Dubai Headquarters located at Silver Tower, Cluster I, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, on the 26^th of July 2022.

By opening this new office in the heart of the business district in Dubai, it provides the opportunity for companies with a desire to do business in the vast Nigerian and the Arab Gulf markets to physically visit and meet with high-level members of the NAGCC face-to-face.

This will significantly enhance trust and confidence by meeting with senior individuals who have the ability to provide knowledgeable guidance, market intelligence, expertise and most importantly the right contacts. This will assist potential investors in navigating an unfamiliar terrain in the most populous country and largest African market Nigeria and the Gulf States.

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The unveiling was graced by several dignitaries including;

• H.E. Amb. Zubairu Dada, Hon. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nigeria.
• H.E. Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the UAE.
• H.E. Dr. Fahad Al Taffaq – the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria,
• Amb. Tayyibat  Atinuke Mohammed, Nigeria’s Consul-General to the UAE,
• NAGCC President Mahmood Ahmadu
• Shaikh Abdulrahman Saif Al Sharqi alongside other VIP’S.

The NAGCC is a model investment association dedicated to the development of prosperous business relationships and economic contacts between Nigeria and the Arabian Gulf. The NAGCC board is made up of leading entrepreneurs who enjoy excellent business relations in Nigeria and the Arabian Gulf Countries.

The objectives of the NAGCC are to promote trade and investments in Nigeria and the Arabian Gulf States, to facilitate excellent economic relations between Nigerian and Arabian Gulf companies, and to provide trade information and business consultancy services to its clients and other potential partners.

For more information please email: info@nigeriaarabgulf.com

Article contributed by;

Charles Ajayi-Khiran

Inspirational leadership speaker

Corporate trainer & Consultant

NAGCC Unveils State of the Art Offices in Dubai
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Prince Charles – The Prince of Wales had a “very emotional and wonderful” first meeting with his granddaughter Lilibet and a “very special” reunion with grandson Archie, it has been revealed.

Prince Charles met his two youngest grandchildren earlier this month when their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, briefly visited the UK.

The heir to the throne and the Duchess of Cornwall were “absolutely thrilled” to see Prince Harry and Meghan and their children when they travelled from California for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, according to a royal source.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, also known as Lili, had her first birthday during her stay and also met her namesake great-grandmother, the Queen, for the first time.

Harry, who quit as a senior working royal in 2020, has had a troubled relationship with his father, telling US television presenter Oprah Winfrey how he felt let down and how Charles stopped taking his calls at one stage.

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The monarchy was hit by a crisis when the Sussexes, in the same March 2021 interview, accused an unnamed royal of being racist towards their son before he was born, and the wider institution of failing to help Meghan when she had suicidal thoughts.

But a senior royal source said it had been “wonderful” to have the family back in the UK.

“It was fantastic to see them. It was wonderful to have them back in Britain,” the source said.

“The prince and the duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them.

“The prince, of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him.

“He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional a very, very wonderful thing.

Source – https://news.sky.com/

Prince Charles has ‘very emotional’ first meeting with granddaughter Lilibet
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Amber Heard = The juror, who gave an anonymous interview to Good Morning America, has revealed some of the thinking behind the jury’s decision to come out against the actress, who lost a multimillion-dollar libel case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Amber Heard was “ice cold” and “didn’t seem natural” in court, a juror in the multimillion-dollar libel case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp has said.

Speaking anonymously to Good Morning America, he revealed one of the reasons that the jury ruled against the actress was because her testimony “didn’t come across as believable”.

“It seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions,” the juror said.

“She would answer one question and she would be crying and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. It didn’t seem natural.”

By contrast, Depp “just seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions”.

In her first interview since the verdict on 1 June, Heard said she and Depp were “awful to each other” during their “toxic” relationship and admitted she made “a lot of mistakes – but always told the truth”.

Heard, 36, told NBC News that she still has love for her ex-husband and has “no bad feelings or ill will towards him”.

Asked whether Depp’s claim that he never hit her is a lie, Heard told the journalist Savannah Guthrie: “Yes it is.”

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Depp has denied he abused Heard.

The actor, 59, was awarded $10.35m (£8.2m) in damages.

At the conclusion of the six-week trial Judge Penney Azcarate ruled that the identities of the seven jurors would remain secret for at least a year.

The juror criticised Heard’s legal team for “cutting off” witnesses and said they gave her poor advice, such as looking directly at the jury when responding to questions.

“All of us were very uncomfortable” at that, he said.

He also said the arguments over her charitable donations were “a fiasco”.

During the trial, Heard was challenged over why she had not yet donated her $7m (£5.7m) divorce settlement to charities as promised.

The juror also said there were inconsistencies in Heard’s testimony about her use of make-up.

Heard’s team failed her by telling the jury she “never goes outside without make-up on”, he said.

Source – https://news.sky.com/

Amber Heard went from crying to ‘ice-cold in two seconds’ 
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Boris Johnson has warned the world against letting “Ukraine-fatigue” set in as he returned from a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

Mr Johnson had pulled out of a planned appearance at a conference of northern Tories on Friday in order to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Asked if he had timed the visit to dodge a frosty reception from red wall MPs following the partygate scandal, he said it was important to show support for Ukraine at a “particularly critical time”.

Speaking to reporters at RAF Brize Norton upon his return, Mr Boris Johnson said it was important to demonstrate the UK’s support at a time when the Ukrainians were “suffering terribly” in the face of the ongoing Russian offensive in the Donbas.

“The worry that we have is that a bit of Ukraine-fatigue is starting to set in around the world,” he said.

It is important we show “we are with them for the long haul” and provide the “strategic resilience that they need,” he said.

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He warned it would be a “catastrophe” if Russian President Vladimir Putin won the war.

In his talks with President Zelenskyy, Mr Johnson said Britain would be prepared to train tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops as they continue to fight back against the Russians.

He said Ukrainians deserved help to regain territory but stopped short of calling for the recovery of all the lands Ukraine had lost since 2014, including Crimea.

The PM said that it was important to prevent the Russians from “freezing” the conflict in order to consolidate their gains before mounting another attack.

“We’ve got to make it clear that we are supporting the Ukrainians in their ambitions… to expel the Russians, expel Putin’s armies, from everything that he has obtained since February 24, and make sure the Ukrainians are not encouraged to go for a bad peace, something that simply wouldn’t endure.”

Plagued by challenges at home, Mr Johnson enjoyed a warm reception in Ukraine.

Television footage following Mr Zelenskyy as he showed the prime minister the wreckage of burned out Russian tanks and other vehicles on display in Kyiv’s St Michaels’ Square.

The Tories are widely expected to lose a crucial by-election in Wakefield in West Yorkshire on Thursday.

Source – SkyNews

Boris Johnson warns against ‘Ukraine-fatigue’
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Zverev – World number three Alexander Zverev faces an eight-week ban from tennis if he repeats the behaviour which led to his expulsion from the Mexican Open.

In February, the Olympic champion was fined $40,000 (£31,000) and forfeited all his prize money for striking the umpire’s chair in Acapulco.

Zverev has now been found guilty of a ‘major offence’ after an ATP review.

The German 24-year-old will be banned if he commits another similar offence within 12 months of the incident.

Similar offences include unsportsmanlike behaviour and verbal or physical abuse of anyone at a tournament.

As well as the eight-week ban, Zverev has been handed a further suspended $25,000 (£19,000) fine.

The biggest penalty in men’s tennis to date was a 16-week suspended ban given to Australian Nick Kyrgios in 2019 for verbally abusing a chair umpire and smashing two racquets.

Zverev has until 11 March to appeal against the decision.

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‘Some will consider it too lenient’ – Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

As with Nick Kyrgios, who was also deemed to have committed a major offence for an ugly pattern of behaviour in 2019, Zverev’s extra punishment is on hold.

Kyrgios’ 16-week ban was suspended for six months, but due to injury the Australian only played half a dozen tournaments in that time.

Zverev, in contrast, will expect to play about 20 events over the next 12 months.

In that long period of time, he cannot afford to be disrespectful or aggressive to any officials, players or spectators.

Some will consider a suspended sentence too lenient, but the ATP’s decision does put the onus on Zverev to change his behaviour in a permanent and meaningful way.

Source – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60658371

Zverev given suspended eight-week ban for striking umpire’s chair
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Adele – Australian TV reporter Matt Doran has made a lengthy, unreserved apology to Adele for failing to listen to her new album before an exclusive interview with the singer, calling the bungle a “terrible mistake”.

Doran made international headlines this week for his interview with the singer, which was canned after he conceded he had only heard one track from her latest work, 30. Sony is refusing to release the footage.

Live on Channel Seven program Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, Doran concluded the show by lamenting that he had “insulted” Adele and apologising to the singer, her fans and viewers of the station.

“This is a story that has sparked a torrent of abuse and mockery from around the world and, if I’m being honest with you, the bulk of this savaging I deserve and I totally own,” Doran said.

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Doran was flown to London for the exclusive interview with Adele in the lead-up to the release of her fourth album, which he described as an “unspeakable privilege””.

The interview was reportedly part of a A$1m package including broadcast rights to Adele’s One Night Only television special. It would have been Adele’s only Australian interview.

“I made the terrible mistake of assuming we weren’t to be given a preview copy of this album because our interview was airing before it was released and Adele’s album was the industry’s most prized secret,” Doran said.

“The day after we landed in London an email came through from Sony, it didn’t mention Adele but it did contain a link to her album.

“The genuine, deadset, hand on heart truth is that I missed it. By an absurdly long margin the most important email I’ve ever missed in my life.”

Doran said contrary to media reports, Adele didn’t walk out on the interview, which ran overtime and was at least 50% focused “squarely” on the new music.

“I thought it was reductive to describe [the new music] as simply being about divorce, that it was about empowerment and would inspire people to summon the courage to steer their lives in a new direction,” Doran said of the interview.

“We spoke about of the paradox that is being the world’s most famous artist but hating fame, we also discussed at length the concept of pure artistry, the majesty of Adele’s voice, what it must be like to hear that sound come out of one’s own mouth.

“How go Easy On Me was conceived in part by singing acapella in the shower, and how the album helped repair her relationship towards the end with her now late father,”

Source – https://www.theguardian.com/

Adele – Australian TV reporter Matt Doran gives lengthy on-air apology
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Grindr – A man from north London who raped two men he met on a dating app has been jailed for 14 years.

Aaron Goodey, 23, met his victims on Grindr before going to their houses and raping them.

He then took them to a cashpoint and forced them to withdraw cash while threatening further violence.

Both attacks took place in the Enfield area.

Further enquiries resulted in Goodey being linked to a third offence that occurred in Lambeth in January 2020 where a man was assaulted and forced to withdraw money by a man who he had met for consensual sex.

Forensic evidence taken from the victim of the first offence led to scientists identifying Goodey as a potential suspect. Officers carried out further enquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage and phone work, which linked him to the three incidents.

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Goodey was arrested and interviewed about the attacks. He denied any involvement, but the evidence collected by scientists and officers was overwhelming and led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising charges against him.

Goodey was found guilty of three counts of rape, two counts of robbery and one count of blackmail.

He was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 17 September.

Detective Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, from the local policing team in Enfield, said:“Aaron Goodey is a dangerous sexual attacker and posed a significant risk to men across London.

“He gained access to the victim’s houses before subjecting them to significant sexual attacks, while using and threatening further violence, to extort money.

“This sentence sends a clear message that sexual violence towards any person will not be tolerated in London and I acknowledge the bravery shown by the victims in this case who provided crucial evidence to ensure Goodey cannot offend again.

“I would urge anyone who had been the victim of such an offence to contact police immediately on 101. Any reports will be dealt with sensitively and your identity will be kept confidential. Always call 999 in an emergency.”

Source – https://www.standard.co.uk/

Londoner jailed for raping two men he met on Grindr
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Adele has posted an image of boyfriend Rich Paul on Instagram for the first time. Adele posts picture of boyfriend Rich Paul to Instagram

The singer shared an image of herself with the sports agent posing together in a photo booth.

Adele, 33, looked stunning in a strapless black dress with white sleeves.

Rich is a sports agent to several high-profile basketball stars including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and John Wall.

He is worth an estimated £33 million and has negotiated more than £73 million in active deals for his high-profile clients during his career.

The couple confirmed their romance last month after being spotted on a dinner date.

Adele finalised her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki earlier this year.

The Brit and Grammy-winner separated from the charity boss in April 2019.

The pair share custody of their eight-year-old son Angelo.

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Much of the divorce settlement, which was arranged through mediation, remains confidential and neither party will be paying spousal support.

Rich is a sports agent to several high-profile basketball stars including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and John Wall.

He is worth an estimated £33 million and has negotiated more than £73 million in active deals for his high-profile clients during his career.

The couple confirmed their romance last month after being spotted on a dinner date.

Source – https://www.standard.co.uk/

Adele posts picture of boyfriend Rich Paul to Instagram
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Prince Andrew – The Duke of York’s lawyers have one week to challenge a decision that he can be formally notified by the UK courts of the US civil sex assault case against him, the high court in London has said.

The high court on Wednesday accepted a request by lawyers for Virginia Roberts Giuffre to formally contact him if necessary about her legal proceedings launched in New York.

It is understood Prince Andrew’s legal team are contesting the high court decision, as the issue of whether the royal has been properly served with notice in the case continues.

The high court said on Friday: “Lawyers for Prince Andrew have indicated that they may seek to challenge the decision of the high court to recognise the validity of the Hague convention request for service made by Ms Giuffre’s lawyers.

“The high court has directed that any challenge must be made by close of business on September 24.”

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Giuffre is suing the duke for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law, and is seeking unspecified damages. She claims she was trafficked by Andrew’s former friend and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the royal. Andrew has denied all the allegations.

The question of whether Andrew has been properly served with notice of the case was contested during the first pre-trial hearing of the civil case on Monday in New York.

David Boies, representing Giuffre, said papers had been “delivered to the last known address of the defendant” and documents had also been sent “by Royal Mail”.

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Andrew B Brettler, the duke’s US lawyer, said the royal’s team contested the validity of service to date, adding he has not been properly served under either UK or international law. Brettler also described the civil action as a “baseless, unviable and potentially unlawful lawsuit”. He argued Giuffre appeared to have signed away her right to sue Andrew in resolving a separate lawsuit in 2009.

Under the Hague service convention, a treaty that governs requests between countries for evidence in civil or commercial matters, Giuffre’s legal team can ask the high court in London to formally notify Andrew about her civil action.

It has been reported that the judge in the case, the US district judge Lewis Kaplan, has ruled Giuffre’s legal team can try delivering the papers to Andrew’s Los Angeles-based lawyer, regardless of whether the duke authorised him to accept it.

Source – https://www.theguardian.com/

Prince Andrew has a week to challenge high court decision
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