WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP: SIMONE BILES PULLS OUT OF OLYMPICS, SKEPTA ANNOUNCES NEW EP & MORE

In a world where a different breaking story dominates the headlines every day, it can be easy to miss out on the stories that 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.

SIMONE BILES PULLS OUT OF TEAM GYMNASTICS EVENT FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS
The greatest gymnast in the US Olympic history, Simone Biles, has officially pulled out of all individual and team events in this week’s Olympic schedule . The decorated World Champion decided to put her mental health first after a shaky start to the competition and the pressure of millions of fans left her fearing that a injury would have occurred had she competed in the wrong headspace. Her decision has been widely herald by fellow athletes around the sporting world such as Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and NBA superstar Steph Curry for breaking the traditional constructs that athletes must perform through injuries, drawing attention to the need for further conversation about mental health in sports. In a press conference following the withdrawal, Simone bravely stated, “I am more than my accomplishments”.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK JOINS THE LA LAKERS 
In a blockbuster deal, Russell Westbrook has been traded from the Washington Wizards to the LA Lakers in order to join forces with Lebron James and Anthony Davis . This is easily the biggest trade of the offseason and reshapes the whole landscape of the entire NBA 2021 season. The trade comes after LA fell short of their hopes of another NBA championship after losing in the first round of the playoffs.

STORMZY PARTNERS WITH THE HSBC TO SEND 30 NEW KIDS TO CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
As part of the Merky scholarship fund, Stormzy has partnered with HSBC to send 30 new students from low economic backgrounds to Cambridge University this year. Each student will receive a £20,000 annual scholarship as part of the new fund that will cover tuition fees and maintenance costs for students each year over the next three years . Stormzy’s scholarship program launched in 2018 and has so far supported 6 black students. When asked about the new program he said, “For 30 more black students to have the opportunity to study at Cambridge, the same year or initial 2018 scholars graduate, feels like an incredible milestone”.

TRAVIS SCOTT DROPS CACTUS JACK X FRAGMENT COLLECTION 
Travis Scott has just dropped a surprise new Fragment collaboration merchandise range that has fans drooling ahead of the release of his upcoming Air Jordan 1 collab. La Flame unveiled the new collection via Instagram, sharing a video the showed Scott answering a call inside of a phone booth in the pouring rain. The video was captioned ‘It was just my imagination. Well…a fragment of it’. The collection features an array of graphic tees with colourful graffiti as well as sweatshirts, jackets and accessories including handbags, socks, and a rug.

RUSSIA IS IN HOT WATER OVER MISHAP ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
NASA and the International Space Station were left in disarray this week after a new Russian module ignited its engines unexpectedly, sending the ISS out of it’s current trajectory. US and Russian officials have stressed that the 7 crew members currently on board the ISS where never in any danger during the module’s malfunction; however a full investigation is now underway. The Russian segment that caused the frustration ignited 3 hours after docking on the ISS following an 8 day flight from earth.