Good news/bad news: our weekly round-up
The stories we’ve been loving, laughing and cringing about over the past seven days.
It’s been a good week for …
Women in Ireland
Ireland made history this week by voting to lift its ban on abortion.
Thousands travelled home to vote in the referendum — with nearly two in three voting for the practice to be made legal.
Previously women had to travel to the UK to get an abortion or bought pills online.
The punishment for having an abortion in Ireland — even in cases of rape and incest — is up to 14 years in prison.
This is because current laws give equal right to life to both the mother and the unborn child. Abortion is only available when the mother’s life is at risk.
The vote marks a extraordinary victory for women’s rights, as 40 years ago Irish women couldn’t legally buy a condom, divorce was banned and abortion was never spoken of in public.
Cancer breakthroughs
A new ‘groundbreaking’ blood test has been developed which can detect cancer years before it even develops.
The test, which is up to 90% accurate, was able to pick up traces of multiple cancers, including breast, ovarian, bowel, and the often fatal pancreatic cancer.
It was less effective at detecting stomach and early stage prostate cancers, but is still billed as a promising ‘multi-cancer screening test’.
Experts hope the findings will be key to future prevention of the disease, and lead to advances in medicine which will “dramatically transform” cancer treatment.
Cheese chasing
It was that time of the year again — when people chuck themselves down a hill in Gloucestershire chasing after an 8lb slab of cheese.
But this year was extra special as one man broke records to become the most successful cheese-chaser ever!
Chris Anderson took home his 21st Double Gloucester cheese — but he won’t be scoffing it as he only eats cheddar.
His secret to success? “Just run and try to stay on your feet.”
It’s been a bad week for …
Breaking down workplace barriers
In the same week the Bank of England picked the only man on a shortlist of five for a top job, the 10 worst excuses for not promoting female staff were revealed.
They included ‘most women don’t want the hassle of being on a board’, ‘all the good women have been snapped up’, and ‘not many women have the right experience or credentials’.
It comes as the government wants women to make up at least a third of boards for the UK’s 350 biggest companies by 2020.
Find out what the other excuses for turning women down were here:
Roseanne Barr
US sitcom Roseanne had only just returned to TV screens, but this week it was axed following a racism row involving its star, Roseanne Barr.
The actress and comedian was accused of racism after comparing an African American woman to an ape in a tweet.
She later apologised and blamed it on being under the influence of sleeping pills at the time she wrote it — a claim the drug manufacturer disputes.
TV Network ABC said the show would not be back for a second season and called the social media post “abhorrent”.
Have we reached ‘Prosecco peak?’
Our love of prosecco could be on the way out as figures showed sales are at their lowest since 2011.
The sparkling wine is a firm favourite, particularly during the summer months, but it seems we might be getting a bit sick of it.
Experts say brand overexposure could be to blame from too much of the stuff being stocked in supermarkets.
So what will we drink with our bottomless brunch now? 🍾
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