Simone Biles
The US gymnast was the breakout star of the Rio Olympics, capturing the imagination of viewers across the globe with her winning smile and uncomparable excellence and astounding even the most grizzled of gymnastic veterans with her swivel-of-the-hip showmanship. Biles's upbringing was troubled, but her attention to detail and consummate ease in the limelight has brought her to the hearts of many.
Jo Cox
On 16 June, Labour MP Jo Cox died after being stabbed and shot outside her constituency surgery by Thomas Mair, a 53-year-old inspired by White Supremacism. Her death in the middle of the heated EU referendum campaign shone a light on the increasingly inflammatory rhetoric used by modern politicians. Cox bucked the trend of unpopular MPs and was lauded for her tolerance and good grace, using her maiden speech to celebrate her constituency's ethnic diversity, campaigning on issues relating to the Syrian civil war, founding and chairing the all-party parliamentary group Friends of Syria. The Independent described her as having "campaigned tirelessly for refugees" and she was held as a beacon for the Labour Party's future.
Lamiya Aji Bashar and Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar were abducted with other Yazidi women in August 2014, when their home village of Kocho in northern Iraq was attacked by Islamic State jihadis. Their subsequent escape and refuge in Germany is inspirational in itself, but both women have become public advocates for the Yazidi community in Iraq, a religious minority that has been the subject of a genocidal campaign by IS militants. The pair were awarded the prestigious Sakharov prize for freedom of thought by the European Union this year with the committee describing them as "inspirational women who have shown incredible bravery and humanity in the face of despicable brutality".
Gary Linekar
The nation's favourite crisp-eater, Gary Lineker has cemented his national treasure status with a series of tweets concerning the plight of child refugees. His stance was widely applauded by numerous charities and he even managed to appear on Match of The Day in just some ill-fitting boxers without turning people against him.The fact he went from "England football hero" to "leftie luvvie" literally overnight in the pages of some of the nation's tabloids didn't seem to bother him neither.
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Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
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In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
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Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
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Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
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Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
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Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
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Motherhood: why are we putting it off?Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
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Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
