A leaked dossier has predicted nearly 6,000 job losses in Scots councils in the next few years.
10.10.2022 - 19:35 / variety.com
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor One of the new honors the Grammy Awards will introduce at their next ceremony is song for social change — a special-merit award that “recognizes creators of message-driven music that responds to the social issues of our time and has the potential for positive global impact.” While the honor is “curated by a blue-ribbon committee,” there’s little question that the number of submissions will have an impact — and according to the Recording Academy, 95,000 of the 115,000 submissions received have been for Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour’s song, “Baraye,” a protest song about 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested and beaten by Iran’s so-called morality police for not wearing a proper head covering, in line with the country’s Islamic law.
The country has been wracked by protests — including women burning their hijabs, or headdresses, in front of police — in the weeks since her death was made public, despite the government’s efforts to suppress them and attempts at media coverage. The lyrics to “Baraye” are taken entirely from messages that Iranians have posted online regarding their reasons for protesting: Each begins with the word baraye, which means “For …” or “Because of …” in Farsi. In the song, Hajipour sings lyrics such as, “For dancing in the streets, for kissing loved ones” and “for women, life, freedom,” which crowds have often changed during the protests following Amini’s death. Hajipour released the song online late last month and it quickly went viral, racking up millions of pageviews and being sung by schoolgirls in Iran, blared from car windows in Tehran and played at solidarity protests in the U.S. and Europe, according to the Guardian. Not
A leaked dossier has predicted nearly 6,000 job losses in Scots councils in the next few years.
Nearly a quarter of police vehicles in Scotland have clocked up more than 100,000 miles, figures have shown. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are now urging Holyrood ministers to provide Police Scotland with the vehicles it needs for the job.
Lily Moayeri “Protest art arises when the society is full of anger and the artist is part of the angry society.” That’s a statement made by Justina, an Iranian rapper, singer and songwriter, on the Oct. 15 episode of BBC program “The Cultural Frontline.” Justina and Iranian singer-songwriter and activist FarAvaz Farvardin were guests on the show, speaking about protest songs in Iran. Experts of sorts, their 2020 song, “Fatva,” was a protest song ahead of its time. Perhaps the most notable of the recent Iran protest songs is Shervin Hajipour’s “Baraye,” which was written in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death after being arrested and beaten by Iran’s notorious morality police for not wearing a proper head covering. After receiving nearly 100,000 submissions, it is now the frontrunner for the Recording Academy’s new song for social change Grammy award.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., has spent nearly $500,000 in campaign funds on private security services despite her recent doubling down on her support for defunding the police, federal filings show. Bush's campaign paid out over $100,000 for "security services" throughout the third quarter of 2022, according to Federal Election Commission records.
TRICARE, the health care program for active-duty service members, military retirees, reservists and their families, will drop more than a quarter of the pharmacies in its current network later this month, a move that will force an estimated 400,000 beneficiaries to find new pharmacies. The program said nearly 15,000 independent, community pharmacies will no longer be in the TRICARE network as of October 24.The network will still include more than 40,000 pharmacies across the country.
Sevdaliza has released a new song in support of women in Iran, amid ongoing protests there, called ‘Woman Life Freedom’.“I wrote a song for oppressed women around the world”, she says. “I stand proud as an Iranian woman and I am supporting the fight of my sisters who shed their blood, hair, hearts and brains to give us all the hope, that one day, we will be free”.“At a young age I became aware of the systematic means of forcing women into obedience through violence and intimidation”, she goes on.
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Of all the issues currently threatening U.S. democracy, attacks on the voting system may be the most severe. Yet as the 2020 election showed, despite those threats, the system can still work — and the best thing people can do is, in order, vote, and get involved. Leading the charge for the music industry for the past 18 years is HeadCount, the not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that you’ve probably seen at any number of concerts, registering voters at a table in the venue’s lobby or merch areas at festivals including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and many more. With support from Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Panic! At The Disco, David Byrne, Anderson .Paak, Tinashe (pictured above), Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews Band, Dead & Company, Paramore and many more, the organization has registered more than 145,000 voters already this year — the most it has seen to date for a midterm election (the previous peak was 89,000), and has led hundreds of thousands of others to check their registration status. (Head here for information on the organization and volunteering.)
Eurovision fans have been warned after accommodation in Liverpool for next year’s contest has reached astronomical levels.In June, the event’s organisers said “with deep regret” that it will not be possible to provide the security and operational guarantees required to host the contest in Ukraine, after the country’s Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest.After securing second place at the event, the United Kingdom was chosen as host country. A shortlist of seven potential cities was announced in August before it was then confirmed that either Glasgow or Liverpool would be staging next year’s event on behalf of Ukraine.
The state broadcaster of Iran appeared to be hacked on air this weekend, including a news bulletin being interrupted with a protest.
Loretta Lynn has died at the age of 90. The country music icon - who sold more than 45 million albums during her career - passed away at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, on Tuesday (04. 10.
It’s a sad day for country fans across the world.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn has sadly passed away aged 90, her family have confirmed. The Coal Miner's Daughter singer, whose songs about life and love made her a music legend, died at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, her family said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Award-winning filmmakers Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Audrey Diwan (“Happening”), Julia Ducournau (“Titane”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Jacques Audiard (“Dheepan”), and actors Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Lea Seydoux are among nearly 1,000 prominent French film figures who have signed an open letter to support Iranian women and civil rights activists in their revolt over the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini, as well as denounce the “murderous violence” of the Iranian regime. Amini, a Kurdish woman, died in custody on Sept. 16, three days after being arrested in Tehran because she allegedly breached the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. Her death has sparked protests across Iran, including in Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd, and in cities around the world, including in Paris, Istanbul and Los Angeles. Amnesty International said Iranian authorities have been “intentionally using lethal force against the protesters,” causing more than more 52 deaths (as of Sept. 30). The organization has urged international action “beyond statements of condemnation” to prevent more people from being killed.
Editors note: The death of Mahsa Amini earlier this month after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to official dictates has sparked outrage and protests within the Islamic Republic and around the world, with Global Day of Action for Iran set for Saturday with rallies around the globe (more information below). Currently seen as one of the stars of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Iran-born actress and Amnesty International UK ambassador Nazanin Boniadi reflects on Amini’s tragic death and the potentially pivotal time for her homeland.
Angelina Jolie has joined in with those demanding freedom for Iranian women, as protests continue after the death of Mahsa Amini.
It has been over a week since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested in Tehran by the Islamic Republic of Iran's morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. Amini, who died in a hospital after falling into a coma, was allegedly beaten for not wearing a proper headscarf.
A jilted bride who went ahead with her wedding anyway has been 'overwhelmed' by the support she has received, with strangers donating nearly £7,000 and a free 'honeymoon' from Holly and Phil. Kayley Stead found out on the morning of her big day that her partner of four years would not be there.