In a world where a different breaking story dominates the headlines every day, it can be easy to miss out on the stories that truly affect the things we care about. Therefore it is essential that we combat this struggle against distraction by recapping the most important developments in the worlds of sports, media, youth culture, politics and human rights. The first step to progress is always to be well informed and aware of the wider world so that we can hold those in power accountable for their actions. If you want to catch up on the news you care about without any of the noise, The CULTED Weekly News Round-Up is your curated look back at the biggest stories from around the world this week.
TEAM USA BASKETBALL LOSE TO NIGERIA IN UNPRECEDENTED OLYMPIC OPENER
In a shocking start for USA Basketball’s Olympic campaign, the team fell to a skilled Nigerian team on Saturday evening. Despite the US team comprising of NBA superstars like Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard, they were unable to clinch their first win of the competition losing 90-87. The US previously beat Nigeria 156-73 in the London 2012 Olympics, making this the first time the US team has ever lost to an African country in a major competition.
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TOP EU COURT RULES THAT THE HIJAB CAN BE BANNED AT WORK
The European Union’s top court has ruled that employers will be allowed to forbid employees to wear symbols of religious devotion such as a headscarf under specific circumstances. The controversial decision passed on Thursday will give employers legal protection when asking employees to remove religious attire as long as they can prove a ‘genuine need’ to remove it.
BRITNEY SPEARS GRANTED OWN LAWYER IN CONSERVATOR FIGHT
On Wednesday, an LA judge ruled that Britney Spears is entitled to independent legal representation in her fight to remove her farthers’ control over her financial and social affairs. Britney first entered into the conservator agreement in 2008 after her father, Jamie Spears, took control of her finances claiming she was unable to safely manage her own affairs. This resulted in Jamie being the sole beneficiary of Britney’s $60M estate.
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LEBRON JAMES ATTENDS THE PREMIERE OF ‘SPACE JAM 2: A NEW LEGACY’ AS THE FILM IS RELEASED AROUND THE WORLD
25 years after the original Space Jam movie starring Michael Jordan arrived on the silver screen, a sequel is finally being gifted to fans by its new protagonist, Lebron James. Once again, the NBA ad Loony Tunes worlds will collide as Lebron teams up with Bugs Bunny to save the world with a high stakes game of basketball. Space Jam 2: A New Legacy arrives in theatres on 16/7/2021.
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BORIS JOHNSON ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BAN ‘ONLINE RACISTS’ FROM FOOTBALL MATCHES
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a plan to ban those responsible for online racism from attending football matches in an urgent attempt to kick racism out of football. This decision comes following a tirade of racist attacks directed at England internationals Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho after they missed penalties in England’s Euro Finals game against Italy on Sunday. Public pressure forced Boris to act quickly after a Change.org petition calling for racists to be banned from games received over a million signatures in the days following the match.
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SOUTH KOREA BANS GRIME AND DANCE MUSIC
In an unusual attempt to halt the escalating COVID infection rates in Seoul, the Korean government has banned all music over 120BPM from being played in any group context. This atypical response is grounded in the idea that high energy music in group workout classes is likely to make you exhale more, therefore increasing the likelihood of spreading the Corona Virus. Other strange measures such as all treadmills being kept under 6km per hour have also been enacted to varying degrees of success.
POLICE OFFICER WAYNE COUZENS PLEADS GUILTY FOR THE MURDER OF SARAH EVERARD
Disgraced former Met Police Officer Wayne Couzens has officially pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard in a London court on Friday morning (July 9th). Sarah was abducted and murdered while walking home from a friends house in Clapham on the evening of March 9th. Couzens was later charged on the 12th after Sarah’s body was found in the Ashford area of Kent. He will now face a mandatory life sentence.
POP SMOKE’S FIRST POSTHUMOUS ALBUM HAS BEEN RELEASED
The estate of US rapper Pop Smoke has released a posthumous album of unreleased tracks titled ‘Faith’ featuring a star-studded lineup. The announcement was made in a very creative way as fans had to scratch a digital lottery card to reveal the official tracklist. Highlights from the album include appearances from Kanye West, Pusha T, Dua Lipa, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Future and many more. ‘Faith’ was released today 16/7/2021.
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JAY-Z AND ROC NATION ENTER NEW AGREEMENT WITH UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Roc Nation and United Rugby Championship have announced a new agreement that will aim to help the new international tournament bring rugby to new audiences. Roc Nation will aid in the construction of a URC Player Advisory Group that aims to bring players into the boardroom allowing them to have input into how the tournament is marketed and run.
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OVER 100 DEAD IN UNPRECEDENTED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS GERMANY AND BELGIUM
Devastating scenes have emerged from Germany overnight as severe rainfall has washed away whole towns in the remote rural area of Rhineland-Palatinate. Rescue efforts are still underway to find over 1500 people still unaccounted for as emergency services attempt to clear roads blocked by the flooding. In a recent statement from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while visiting the White House, she stated that the number of dead was likely to rise further: “We still don’t know the number. But it will be many.”
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See also: THE CULTED WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP 09/07/2021
See also: VIRGIL ABLOH IN BOSTON, NEW BALANCE IN TOKYO – THIS WEEK IN SNEAKERS
