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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 23 June 2020
Prince says UK owes Caribbean community 'debt of gratitude'

LONDON (AP) — Prince sponded by setting up an-
Charles and Prime Minis- other commission, this time
ter Boris Johnson paid trib- to examine racial injustice
ute to Britain's Caribbean and other inequalities.
community Monday on Michael Braithwaite, who
Windrush Day, the 72nd an- came to Britain in 1961 but
niversary of the arrival of a lost his job as a teaching
ship bringing hundreds of assistant two years ago for
West Indian migrants to the not having an up-to-date
U.K. identity document, said the
Johnson said those immi- government had not done
grants and their descen- enough.
dants had made a "fantas- "Windrush Day is just an-
tic contribution to Britain," other lure to make us feel
and the heir to the throne good for the time," he told
said the country owed the Press Association news
them a "debt of gratitude." agency.
But critics say the Conser- "I think about the sense of
vative government has injustice and humiliation,
failed to eliminate the rac- the don't-care attitude
ism and injustice faced by about people who came
members of the "Windrush In this June 22, 1948 file photo, Jamaican men, mostly ex Royal Air Force servicemen, pose for a here to build this country.
photo aboard the former troopship, S.S. Empire Windrush, before disembarking at Tilbury Docks,
generation," some of whom England. I look at it and think we've
have fallen foul of rigid im- Associated Press not moved on."
migration policies. Prince Charles said in a
Windrush Day marks the wealth immigrants who prove their status. More Windrush victims. As of last statement that Britain owed
arrival of the Empire Win- came to Britain before than 100 were detained or month only 60 people, out the Windrush generation a
drush, a former troop ship 1973 had an automatic deported. of 12,000 who may be eli- "debt of gratitude."
that sailed from Jamaica right to settle in the U.K. But The government apolo- gible, had received pay- "Today, as we honor the
to England in 1948 carrying decades later, thousands gized, reviewed thou- ments from the compensa- legacy of the Windrush
hundreds of people who fell victim to the Conser- sands of cases and set up tion program set up a year generation, and the invalu-
had been invited by the vative government's aim a commission to look into earlier. able contribution of Black
British government to help of making Britain a "hostile what went wrong. Its report Thousands of demonstra- people in Britain, I dearly
rebuild the war-shattered environment" for illegal im- found that there had been tors have called for Britain hope that we can continue
nation. Many of the new migration. "systemic operational fail- to confront its history of to listen to each other's sto-
arrivals had fought against In 2018 it was revealed that ings" at the Home Office, racism and continuing in- ries and to learn from one
the Nazis in World War II people who had lived le- the government depart- equalities during protests another," he said.
and came to work as nurs- gally in Britain for decades ment responsible for immi- across the U.K. sparked by "The diversity of our soci-
es, railway workers and in had been denied housing, gration. the death of George Floyd ety is its greatest strength
other key jobs. jobs or medical treatment The government also in the United States. and gives us so much to
They and other Common- because they could not agreed to compensate The government has re- celebrate."q
EU lagging behind on climate, gender equality goals

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN tainable development, measures to combat the
Associated Press which contains 17 goals, spread of the coronavi-
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- was adopted in 2015 at the rus. The stringent measures
pean Union's statistical of- U.N. General Assembly. have plunged the EU into
fice says the 27-nation bloc "Progress towards the EU's a recession of colossal pro-
is lagging behind its goals climate and energy tar- portions.
in the fight against climate gets has in part stalled, as "We'll have to look at the
change and to promote has the shift towards a cir- consequences of the
gender equality. cular economy," Eurostat months behind us," he said.
In a report published Mon- said. "Pressures on ecosys- "We should (pay) particular
day assessing the EU's prog- tems and biodiversity have attention to gender gap in
ress in reaching the United therefore been increasing our activity."
Nations' sustainable devel- in some areas." Looking at the political side
opment goals, Eurostat not- Commenting on the data of inequalities, Gentiloni
ed improvement in reduc- during a press conference, took satisfaction in the in-
ing poverty and improving European Commissioner crease in female lawmak- European Commissioner Executive Vice-President Margrethe
health over the past five for economy Paolo Gen- ers in national parliaments Vestager talks during a video press conference at the EU head-
years of data. tiloni pointed to efforts to but insisted "there is still a quarters in Brussels, Wednesday, June 17, 2020.
But only slow progress, or reduce the gender pay long way to go." Associated Press
no overall progress at all, gap, but the report noted EU Commission president
was achieved toward en- a widening gap between Ursula von der Leyen, who has set up a gender-equal carbon-neutral continent
vironmental objectives. As men and women in acquir- was elected last year, has team of commissioners in by 2050, von der Leyen also
for gender equality, the re- ing education and on the made a priority of the fight charge of implementing wants to dedicate a quar-
port noted that the EU has labor market. -Gentiloni against climate change. her policies. ter of the EU's budget to
"moved away" from the expressed concerns that She also insists that gender As part of her Green Deal tackling climate change.
goals. the situation could worsen equality is a key element project aiming at mak- "Yes, we took very good
The 2030 agenda for sus- because of the lockdown of economic growth and ing Europe the world's first decisions. q