⏳ Friday Fix: In Contempt

Morning all,

Alec Baldwin, Steve Bannon, Novak Djokovic and Juan Carlos - four men who would much rather not be in the headlines this morning.

Until Monday,

Your Fixers

GOOD LISTENER?

THURSDAY'S TOP LINES

Actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer on the set of his new film, using a prop gun. The director of the movie was also said to be injured, and has been hospitalised. Sky News cited a spokesman of Baldwin's, who confirmed the accidental shooting.

While Baldwin has been interviewed by investigators, no charges or arrests were made relating to the incident.

Queen Elizabeth spent Wednesday night in hospital before returning to Windsor Castle on Thursday. According to the Buckingham Palace statement, the Queen stayed overnight for "preliminary investigations," but no further detail was provided.

The Guardian noted it was the Queen's first overnight stay in hospital in eight years.

"It is thought the Palace had not planned to release the Queen's overnight hospital stay to the press were it not for a newspaper story due to be published on Friday morning." - context from ITV News

A majority in the US House of Representatives have voted to hold Trump's former aide, Steve Bannon, in criminal contempt of Congress. The votes included nine Republicans.

Why? If you remember, he was asked to testify to a committee inquiring about the January 6 breach of the Capitol. Bannon refused to speak to them and ignored the subpoena.

What's the bigger picture here? The House voting to hold him in contempt means it now passes to the Department of Justice (DoJ). They will decide whether Bannon might receive a fine, or even jail time, though CNN noted that rarely happens.

Juan Carlos, Spain's exiled former king, was given female hormones to lower his sex drive which was considered a "danger to the state". That's according to "Spain's most notorious police chief," who faces decades in jail, and made the explosive comments during a parliamentary hearing.

The man making the allegations claims to have a recording of Carlos' former mistress confirming it.

Juan Carlos - who abdicated in 2014 amid numerous allegations of corruption - has been living in the UAE since last August.

Want to know more? We have a full profile piece on this most complex public figure releasing Saturday morning.

KEEPING AN EYE...

There is some speculation that the BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, is set to step down from the role after six years. According to a Guardian exclusive, talks are continuing, with Kuenssberg potentially making an internal move to become presenter on the Today programme.

Worth noting: While there is a report in The Times about this also, they are citing The Guardian.

AS EXPECTED...

The remains found in Florida are those of Brian Laundrie. NBC news reported the skeletal remains were identified through dental records.

PANDEMIC

The UK reported more than 50,000 cases yesterday, for the first time since mid July. Sky News said there has been a 17.9% increase in cases recorded this week in comparison to the week before.

In Ireland, after 600 days closed, nightclubs can open to full capacity from tonight. Also, live events can go ahead with 100% of seats used, but a maximum of 1,500 people can be standing. You can also now book a table for ten adults, 15 if it includes children.

STARK STATISTICS

The World Health Organisation estimates that somewhere between 80,000 and 180,000 healthcare workers have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

Context: There are roughly 135 million healthcare workers around the world, with the WHO saying about 40% of them are fully vaccinated at this point.

"Fewer than one in 10 healthcare workers were fully vaccinated in Africa, he said, compared with eight in 10 in high-income countries." - BBC analysis

SOCIETAL SHIFTS

Barbados has elected its first ever president, more than a year after the island voted to remove the Queen as its head of state, and become a republic.

As Al Jazeera noted, the island was a British colony until its independence in 1966.

MOST READ

• BBC News: Alec Baldwin fatally shoots woman with prop gun
• The Guardian: Alec Baldwin fired prop gun that killed woman on film set of Rust, authorities say
• The Financial Times: Inside the John Lewis nightmare
• Al Jazeera: Barbados elects first-ever president, replacing British monarchy
• The Irish Times: Miriam Lord: One little flag stands out as Armagh service passes quietly after all the palaver

#HAVEYOURSAY

The world's number 1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, might miss out on the upcoming Australian Open if he is not fully vaccinated. Under current restrictions, nobody can enter Australia without being vaccinated.

We asked you all on our Instagram about this yesterday, and an overwhelming majority (87%) felt professional athletes should not be exempt from travel restrictions.

A much slimmer majority (54/46%) felt athletes should not be forced to publicly reveal their vaccination status.