The Know Daily - Friday 1 December 2023

_{Read in 5m 54s ∙ Listening to Sugababes}

Happy Friday, all - Calypso here!

Through my work as a self-discovery coach, I am aware of just how many people have a negative association with the word “no” - especially in the workplace. 

But saying no is quite simply setting a boundary - and setting boundaries is essential for protecting our emotions, personal space, time and energy. That said, it’s not something that comes naturally to many of us - and that’s why you’ll find my guide to saying no in this week’s edition.

Keep scrolling for our usual roundup of the week’s biggest headlines, culture recs from the team, our quiz and lots more!

Big love,

Calypso x 
The Know’s resident careers expert

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POLITICS & GLOBAL AFFAIRS

🗞️ Middle East latest: The seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas appears to have ended this morning, although reports suggest that mediators are continuing efforts to reach an agreement between the two sides.

🌍 COP28, the UN climate summit, began on Thursday in Dubai. World leaders approved a climate disaster fund which aims to “help vulnerable nations cope with the impact of drought, floods and rising seawater”, said Al Jazeera. 

📝 Senior UK politicians including Michael Gove and Matt Hancock gave evidence before the UK Covid inquiry. Hancock, who was health secretary throughout the pandemic, said his department “rose to the challenge”.

CULTURE

🇺🇸 The Apprentice, a biopic focusing on Donald Trump’s journey to becoming a New York real estate tycoon, began production this week. Avengers actor Sebastian Stan has been slated to play a young Trump, alongside an all-star cast.

📺 Two unnamed contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge threatened legal action against Netflix and the show’s producers, claiming they obtained “hypothermia” and “injuries” during filming.

🏛️ A diplomatic row broke out between UK PM Rishi Sunak and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the Parthenon sculptures.

WORK & INNOVATION

🫘 The first commercial crop of British-grown baked beans were canned in a Lincolnshire factory. It took scientists 12 years to produce the specially-bred haricot beans, designed to withstand the UK’s climate.

🗑️ Google will begin deleting accounts - including emails, photos and Drive files - that have been inactive for two years or more from today. 

🎞️ Sony Pictures Entertainment struck a deal with The Guardian to develop the media group’s content for film and TV adaptations. The deal includes access to The Guardian’s archive, “containing 200 years of history across articles, blogs, columns, videos and podcasts”.

UPLIFTING STUFF

🇨🇲 Cameroon received its first shipment of new malaria vaccines, in what the World Health Organization described as a “historic step” towards broader vaccination against the disease. 

🌈 Nepal registered its first same-sex marriage, a move hailed by activists as a win for LGBT rights in the country. “We are both very happy,” the couple told Reuters.

🥳 A critically endangered mole was rediscovered in South Africa more than 80 years after the species was lost to science.

📰 Read: Eight women writers from across the generations explaining what being single means to them. This beautifully written piece hones in on why we shouldn’t see being single as a “stopping-off place” but rather the destination itself - and it’s definitely an empowering read.

📺 Watch: Napoleon and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (out in cinemas now), Reservation Dogs S3 (Disney+), Slow Horses S3 (Apple TV+), The Couple Next Door (Channel 4). 

🎧 Listen to: Normal Women, a “radical retelling” of British history by novelist Philippa Gregory, who looks back at the lives of millions of women from 1066 to modern times. Want something fictional instead? We’ve been loving Underwater, a romantic thriller starring Jason Derulo.

🧑‍🍳 Do: Make your own granola! It’s the perfect homemade festive gift for any foodies in your life. Bake under expert guidance at this three-hour workshop - or check out Samin Nosrat’s recipe for olive oil and sea salt granola if you’re going it alone.

We list jobs with qualities we know our readers are looking for: purpose-driven opportunities, flexible and female-founded environments, and employers who champion mental health.

Our top jobs this week include roles at sustainable clothing brand Vegan Outfitters, the world-renowned performing arts centre Shakespeare’s Globe and Jamie’s Farm, a charity which transforms the lives of young people at risk of social and academic exclusion.
 
Want to reach 200,000+ women with your latest roles? Email [email protected] if you’d like to list a job with us.

In our Monday email, we featured the news that two Toyota SUV adverts had been banned in the UK on environmental grounds, marking the first ruling of its kind. The campaign group Adfree Cities had criticised the fact that off-road driving is a common theme of SUV ads - despite research showing that three-quarters of new SUVs in the UK are registered to people in urban areas.

Off the back of the news, we asked you whether you would like to see SUVs banned from town centres in the UK, and this was the (fairly unanimous) result:

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes (221)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No (25)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not sure (13)

It was really interesting to read your views on the topic. “Why stop at town centres? They are incredibly polluting and cannot be justified,” said one reader. Another wanted to take things even further, writing: “All cars, except for those for people with needs, should be banned from town centres.”

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