⏳ Friday Fix: Facebook Gets a Facelift
Morning all,
Facebook gets a facelift, Biden to get a blessing, and thousands get ready for the COP 26 climate change summit.
Until tomorrow,
Hilary
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Our apologies, but there will be no podcast version of today's newsletter - I have completely lost my voice! Back to normal programming on Monday 🤞🏼 Hilary
FACEBOOK GETS A FACELIFT
Call it Meta. Facebook, as reported last week, has changed the name of its parent company to Meta.
The name change is part of an effort to be seen as more than just a social media company, but it's a change to the name of the parent company. Facebook, the app we've been logged into for over a decade will keep its name.
What are the future plans for the company? They're quite ambitious, if Mark Zuckerberg's statement is anything to go by. Somewhere in the future (no specific timeline just yet) Zuckerberg says you can expect to "teleport instantly as a hologram" to be either at the office, at a concert with friends, or even in your parents' living room without needing to leave the house.
The environmental angle: He claims this will enable people to "cut down time in traffic, and reduce your carbon footprint".
Where did the name 'meta' come from? The Greek word meaning 'beyond'.
"For me, it symbolises that there is always more to build, and there is always a next chapter to the story." - Mark Zuckerberg
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
President Biden has arrived in Italy on the first stop of his European trip. He will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican later today.
Remember: Biden is America's second ever Catholic president, and already has a very warm relationship with the Pope.
LOOKING AHEAD
There'll be an election in Japan on Sunday. As Al Jazeera pointed out, the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party could lose its sole majority in the lower house of parliament - but let's see.
A THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ
"Is a lesbian transphobic if she does not want to have sex with trans women?"
The opening line of this BBC article got right to the point, and offended many on the way.
Since its publication on Tuesday, more than 16,000 people have called for an apology, saying the article was an "incredibly dangerous" article based on a "deeply flawed study".
The BBC has defended the publication of the article, saying "it is important that journalism looks at issues even when there are strongly held positions".
Here is a link to the original article that received the criticism.
LOOKING AHEAD...
On Sunday, the COP26 climate change summit begins, and will last for the first two weeks of November. Tomorrow's #DeepDive will look at the key bits to know and understand ahead of this summit.
In case we've missed out on anything, we've put a question box on our insta story for anyone who has a particular question about it - and we'll do our best to have it answered in Saturday's piece!
While we're on the topic, here's a fascinating read - US vs China: How the world's two biggest emitters stack up on climate change.
MOST READ
- BBC News: Biden lands in Europe with domestic plans in limbo
- The Guardian: Mocking Meta: Facebook's virtual reality name change prompts backlash
- The Financial Times: Democrats' proposed billionaire tax collapses after resistance from moderates
- Al Jazeera: Death toll rises as Sudan's capital rocked by more clashes
- The Irish Times: Irish rail staff speak out: 'I'm sick of seeing heroin be sorted out at the tables'
TWITTER TRENDS
#ZaynMalik
Why? Usually incredibly private, the former member of One Direction released an extraordinary statement on Thursday, addressing an argument he had with a member of Gigi Hadid's family.
Remember: Zayn and model Gigi had been in a relationship for years and share a one-year-old daughter, Khai. Minutes after the statement below was released, TMZ published an article stating Gigi's mother, Yolanda Hadid, was accusing Zayn of striking her. Multiple media reports now suggest Zayn and Gigi broke up as a result of the alleged incident.
ED IS BACK
Ed Sheeran's new album, 'Equals' released early this morning. Here is a link to his full album of songs on Youtube, which were released at about 5:00am.
The singer actually has nobody to celebrate this with - he's currently isolating, having tested positive for coronavirus.
Will it divide opinions, or multiply his success even further? #DadJokes
HAPPY NEWS
Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced they are expecting twins, which will make them parents of six. Ronaldo made the announcement to his (🤯) 360m Instagram followers.
Heads up: While little is known about Georgina, Netflix is actually set to release a reality TV series about her in the coming months. It will be in Spanish with subtitles, but given their news we thought some of you might be interested in keeping an eye out for it - no release date as of yet. Click the photo below to watch the trailer.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Happy Halloween guys, from all of us at NewsFix! Watch out for our fear quiz on our Instagram page on Sunday... 🎃👻🧙🏽♀️💀
