LONDON: Transport for London (TfL) staff will stop saying ‘ladies and gentlemen’ when greeting passengers and should instead use inclusive words like “good morning everyone” to make passengers feel more welcome.
All new pre-recorded announcements at the London Underground will also be changed to use the new phrases, TfL said.
“We want everyone to feel welcome on our transport network,” said Mark Evers, director of customer strategy at TfL.
“We have reviewed the language that we use in announcements and elsewhere and will make sure that it is fully inclusive, reflecting the great diversity of London.”
The change of phrases follows similar moves in other companies, universities and schools across the country to use gender-neutral language.
London mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the move, after he expressed concern last month that some customers did not feel comfortable about how certain station announcements were made.
“I am keen that TfL addresses these concerns by speaking in a more neutral way when referring to gender,” he said.
“TfL has made a commitment to transition from gender-specific phrases like ‘ladies and gentlemen’ which are currently used in announcements, to a gender-neutral alternative such as ‘good morning/good afternoon everyone”.
TfL said it had told staff about the use of the new phrases, but that “from time-to-time, well-meaning staff may still use the term “ladies and gentlemen”.
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London Underground to ditch ‘ladies and gentlemen’ for gender-neutral greeting
London Underground to ditch ‘ladies and gentlemen’ for gender-neutral greeting
Romanian court sentences US rapper Wiz Khalifa to 9 months for drug possession
- A court in Romania has sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail on drug possession charges
- Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the festival in Costinesti
BUCHAREST, Romania:American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country.
Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.
The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence after Khalifa was convicted of “possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption,” according to Romania’s national news agency, Agerpres. The decision is final.
The decision came after a lower court in Constanta County in April issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for “illegal possession of dangerous drugs,” but prosecutors appealed the court’s decision and sought a higher sentence.
Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a US citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.
The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice.” On stage in Romania last summer, the popular rapper smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit “Young, Wild & Free.”
Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.
The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence after Khalifa was convicted of “possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption,” according to Romania’s national news agency, Agerpres. The decision is final.
The decision came after a lower court in Constanta County in April issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for “illegal possession of dangerous drugs,” but prosecutors appealed the court’s decision and sought a higher sentence.
Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a US citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.
The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice.” On stage in Romania last summer, the popular rapper smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit “Young, Wild & Free.”
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