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Culture news

'Gone with the Wind' could have depicted slavery very differently

A historian paid $15,000 for an early copy of the 'Gone with the Wild' shooting script. In it, he's discovered that the production very nearly went a different way with its controversial depiction of slavery.

Europe News

Some EU nations have apologised for their colonial past. Is it enough?

The Netherlands became the latest country to apologise for its historical role in slavery and the slave trade.

Netherlands

Dutch PM Mark Rutte apologises for country's role in the slave trade

Rutte gave a 20-minute speech at the National Archives in The Hague, despite campaigners' requests to delay a formal apology until next year.

Netherlands

Dutch government 'set to officially apologise for slavery'

Slavery helped fund the Netherland's 'Golden Age', a period of prosperity and trade in the 16th and 17th centuries.

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France

French leftist parties call for public tribute to first black MP

After a racist incident in the French National Assembly on Thursday, a group of leftist parties are calling for a public tribute to the country's first black lawmaker and anti-slavery activist, Jean-Baptiste Belley.

United Kingdom

Cambridge University admits it profited from historical slavery

Several British institutions have been re-evaluating the central role that slavery had in enriching Britain and how they benefited from its injustices.

Europe News

How would the EU's ban on products made with forced labour work?

The European Commission is planning on cracking down on forced labour worldwide by banning products in part or completely made as a result of it from being sold in the EU.

Europe News

Brussels to unveil plans to ban products made using forced labour

China has been dogged by allegations of using forced labour against Uyghur Muslims in its western Xinjiang province.

United Kingdom

Prince Charles apologises for slavery as Commonwealth leaders meet

The heir to the UK throne said the Commonwealth “must find ways, new ways, to acknowledge our past”.

Netherlands

Utrecht mayor apologises for Dutch city's past role in slave trade

Mayor Sharon Dijksma said she was acknowledging the "dark side of our city's history".

Europe News

Holiday cruise giant MSC using Cuban workers as 'slaves', says NGO

The company allegedly works with Selecmark, the Cuban authority which "lends" Cuban workers all over the world.

Netherlands

Dutch king to stop using royal carriage over colonial criticism

The carriage features images of black and Asian people offering gifts to a seated young white woman.

Art

Art student had 'no racist motive' when plastering slavery statue

Modeste Testas (the subject of the statue), apparently Ethiopian, was bought as a teenager in 1781 by two brothers from Bordeaux then taken to their sugar plantation in the Caribbean

Netherlands

Amsterdam mayor apologises for city fathers' role in slavery

The mayor of Amsterdam apologised for the involvement of the Dutch capital's former governors in the global slave trade.

USA

What is Juneteenth and why has Biden just made it a federal holiday?

Biden signed into law a bill to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday.

My Europe Series

Why is it controversial to mark 200 years since Napoleon’s death?

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to commemorate the bicentennial of the emperor’s death, an act that some see as controversial.

World News

EU law on deathtrap factories can't be a box-ticking exercise | View

On April 24, 2013, the eight-story Rana Plaza building on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed within 90 seconds, killing 1,134 people.

Living

Woke-washing: How fast fashion brands use social issues for sales

“People shop with their values now - but brands haven’t changed theirs.”

Living

Lucy & Yak founder talks green buzzwords and fixing the supply chain

“We weren’t trying to start an ‘ethical, sustainable fashion brand’, we were just being decent humans."

World News

Report: 29 million girls, women victims of modern slavery

According to the report, titled "Stacked Odds," women account for 99% of all victims of forced sexual exploitation, 84% of all victims of forced marriage, and 58% of all victims of forced labour.