Sanum Ghafoor takes a look at the last seven days in a week that saw the truth about Hillsborough finally revealed, the real cost of clothes and more royal exposures

Hillsborough - liverpool shirt

With Prince Harry caught playing billiards naked in a £,6000-a-night hotel suite whilst partying in LA, you’d think that the Windsors would be a bit more careful before taking their kit off.
But no, less than three weeks on, the latest victim to be photographed nude by the hawk-like paparazzi is Kate Middleton. With all the taxpayers’ money, can’t the Royal Family purchase some clothes? Let’s just hope they don’t send her to Afghanistan like they did with Harry, to ‘carry on promoting the war in the face of all evidence which says it should be ended immediately.’

Pakistan, riddled with poverty, corruption, famine and drones week after week, always has something worth discussing.
This week, two clothes factories, one in Lahore and one in Karachi, were both engulfed with flames resulting in the death of over 300 people, women and children included. Hundreds more were injured, including a pregnant woman who leapt from a window in the five floor building.

There was no health and safety protocol, emergency fire exits, extinguishers or fireproof blankets to protect workers whilst they were burnt to their deaths. Exit routes were blocked by piles of clothes, hazardous toxic chemicals left unsupervised and except for one door, the rest were all firmly locked with iron bars placed upon all windows.
Many have offered explanations for the caged up factories, ranging from preventing workers trying to get out of their shift early to preventing a break in from occurring.
But the most likely reason for the tight security and prison like conditions enforced in the factories, one of which was illegally built, was in fear the underpaid, overworked workers would steal the fruits of their labour. By keeping poor working conditions in the sweatshops and exploiting labour, and with safety inspections being ‘passed’ with the exchanging of a few notes, this allowed for low manufacturing costs and the ability to maximise on profit. Capitalism; sell your labour and for those Pakistanis, it was at the cost of their lives.

And the main story of the week, a story which has gone on for 23 years-Hillsborough. We’ve got the truth, now we want justice.

Hillsborough - Thatcher
Steve Bell cartoon
Sun Cover