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⏳ Friday Fix: And That's A Wrap

⏳ Friday Fix: And That's A Wrap

Morning all,

The insurrection at the Capitol, the coup in Myanmar, a global pandemic, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the death of Prince Philip, and of course, Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

These are just some of the historic moments we have witnessed in the 18 months since NewsFix began. It has been the greatest privilege to summarise the news to all of you, but after more than 400 editions - that's a wrap!

Until next time,

Hilary


GOOD LISTENER?

Click the screenshot below to access the podcast version of today's NewsFix.


ON TODAY'S AGENDA...

Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is expected to be sentenced in London today, where he could possibly face up to seven years in jail relating to his bankruptcy.

Background: The tennis legend filed for bankruptcy back in 2017. Earlier this month, he was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act. Basically, Becker has been accused of hiding his assets in an effort to avoid paying his debts.

Not familiar with who Becker is? He won Wimbledon three times, and as The Guardian noted, he "won 49 singles titles in 77 finals over 16 years".


UKRAINE - WHAT'S THE LATEST?

RTÉ News led with a headline this morning saying "Russian strikes hit Kyiv as UN chief Guterres visits".

The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, was in Kyiv after visiting President Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. According to Al Jazeera, at least ten people were wounded.

Meanwhile, Sky News had a report saying roughly 8,000 British troops were to be deployed to eastern Europe, describing it as "one of the biggest deployments since the Cold War".

The energy angle: One of the biggest energy firms in Germany has agreed to pay for Russian gas in roubles, Russia's currency.

There are some reports that officials in Transnistria - the breakaway region of Moldova run by pro-Russian separatists - have allegedly "stopped all men of fighting age from leaving its territory". Moldova's deputy prime minister has also been quoted as saying the country is facing "a very dangerous moment".

Source: The Guardian

Ever wanted to know more about Transnistria? Here is an excellent article, undoubtedly the most easy-to-read we have come across.

"In 1992, the separatists fought a war with Moldova’s pro-western government, which ended in hundreds of deaths and the intervention of the Russian army on the rebels’ side. In a 2006 referendum that was not recognised by the international community, 97.1% of voters backed joining Russia, dealing a blow to Moldova’s hopes of following Romania and other ex-communist eastern European states into the EU." - Background from The Guardian

KEEPING AN EYE...

The premier of the British Virgin Islands was arrested in Florida on "charges related to drugs trafficking and money laundering".

According to Sky News, Andrew Fahie was arrested "after DEA agents posed as cocaine traffickers from the Mexican Sinaloa cartel". The DEA is the Drug Enforcement Administration in the US, and the Sinaloa cartel was formerly run by Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.

A BBC News report said Fahie "agreed a $700,000 payment to allow traffickers to use ports with an undercover informant".

In a statement, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was "appalled" by the serious allegations.


COMING UP...

Today marks a week until the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, a vote that could be highly consequential and historic.

Why? Well, recent polls have put Sinn Féin ahead of the Democratic Unionist Party. If this were to happen, the party - who have long sought a referendum on a united Ireland - would then be entitled to hold the first minister position for the first time ever.

Worth noting: given the nature of the power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland, the DUP would have to agree to take the position of deputy first minister.

"That would mean a party that is avowedly republican with past links to the IRA, that favours a united Ireland, and that retains a policy of absenteeism in relation to its MPs in Westminster, leading the government in one of the four countries of the UK." - Analysis from The Guardian
Source: The Guardian

The elections takes place on Friday, May 5.


LOOKING AHEAD...

There's a couple of other things in the coming weeks that we think will make news. Namely, the sentencing of R Kelly, a presidential election in the Philippines, the Queen's jubilee, and a highly consequential Supreme Court ruling on abortion in the US.

What do we recommend reading more about? Whatever way the Supreme Court in the US rules, it will be a huge story later this summer. To wrap your head around what it is all about, have a read of our piece from February - Abortion in the US: The Divided States of America.

Or, you could listen to our podcast episode on this 😎


MEDIA MATTERS

British comedian James Corden will next year leave his gig as host of the Late Late Show in the US.

Corden has been in the role of eight years, and might be best known for the Carpool Karaoke segments he did with some of the most famous singers in the world.

The New York Times said he had been "signalling for some time that he was strongly considering leaving the show". The article also said viewer numbers across late-night talk shows had dropped significantly in recent years.


MOST READ


WATCHING OUT FOR...

Downton Abbey is back! The second movie based on the hugely popular series releases in cinema today. In reviews, The Telegraph gave it four stars, The Guardian gave it three, and The Times said the "hollow plot is a dismal downturn for Downton".

Trailer 👇🏽


ON A FINAL NOTE...

Here we are, at the end of our final daily newsletter. What an experience this has been. I will forever be grateful to those who gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and give this a try.

Thank you to the fantastic team who joined me along the journey, and most of all to you - each and every subscriber who loyally stuck by us, and gave us so much encouragement along the way.

I couldn't think of a better way to round off this last newsletter than by looking back at some of the most fun times we shared in recent months.

Until next time 💜