Striking out
An England vs Wales rugby match was nearly called off after Welsh players threatened to go on strike over the terms of their new contracts. Although rare, industrial action is certainly not unheard of in the sporting arena.
– In June last year the Canadian men’s football team went on strike demanding they share at least three quarters of World Cup prize money, rather than the 40 per cent they were being offered. A friendly against Panama was called off.
– In August 2020, shortly after the BLM protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, US basketball, soccer and baseball teams went on strike in protest at the shooting of another black man by police in Wisconsin.
– Players in the US American National Football league went on strike in 1974, 1982 and 1987.
Citizen journalism
How many people have been deprived of British citizenship, like Shamima Begum? The law was changed in 2006 to allow the withdrawal of citizenship. Since then, 464 people have had it withdrawn, 175 on the grounds of national security and 289 as a result of fraud. The annual totals are:
2012 – 6
2013 – 18
2014 – 23
2015 – 19
2016 – 38
2017 – 148
2018 – 73
2019 – 82
2020 – 42
Source: freemovement.org.uk
The green stuff
UK supermarkets rationed green vegetables because of a shortage caused by poor weather in Spain and Morocco. Which countries were the biggest producers of vegetables in 2020/21? In tonnes:
– Cabbages: China 35m; India 9.6m; South Korea 2.5m
– Carrots and turnips: China 18m; Uzbekistan 3.2m; US 1.4 m (the UK is sixth on the list with 888,000)
– Cucumber and gherkins: China 76m; Turkey 1.89m; Russia 1.65m
– Cauliflower and broccoli: China 9.6m; India 9.2m; US 998,000
– Leeks: Indonesia 604,000; Turkey 219,000; Belgium 169,000
– Lettuce: China 14.3m; US 3.6m; India 1.1m
– Tomatoes: China 67.6m; India 21.2m; Turkey 13.1m
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
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