⏳ Monday Fix: RIP Gunther
Morning all,
A beloved character is gone, a dangerous drug trafficker has been captured, and a possible coup has occurred.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
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WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND?
The actor who played Gunther in Friends - James Michael Tyler - has died of cancer at the age of 59.
Gunther was a beloved actor in Friends, who spent the entire series pining after Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel. In an Instagram post following news of his death, Aniston said;
"Friends would not have been the same without you. Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all our lives. You will be so missed."
Vanessa Bryant - the wife of the late Kobe Bryant - revealed she found out about the deaths of her husband and daughter from messages on her phone saying 'RIP Kobe'.
Bryant is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department over graphic photos - including of the bodies of victims - that were circulated by police officers at the scene of the helicopter crash in January 2020.
Colombia's most notorious drug trafficker, "Otoniel", was arrested over the weekend. According to RTÉ News, the operation involved 500 soldiers and 22 helicopters, with one police officer killed.
The country's president described it as "only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar".
A report in Al Jazeera suggests he will be extradited to the US "as soon as possible".
Colombia's most-wanted drug lord Otoniel has been captured by authorities in what has been heralded as the biggest blow to the country's narcotics traffickers in decades. https://t.co/RttuhliPK8
— CNN International (@cnni) October 24, 2021
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, will appear before the UK parliament today - putting forward her ideas for regulating social media. She will give evidence to the Joint Committee on the draft Online Safety Bill - and it will be the first public evidence she has given in Europe.
Worth noting: If you have a subscription with The New York Times, we would highly recommend giving this a read - Inside the Big Facebook Leak. It's a fascinating look at how Haugen dispersed the leaked information, and we can expect more articles on this today.
According to CNN, Facebook is also set to release its quarterly earnings today.
KEEPING AN EYE ... ON SUDAN
In what seems to be a possible coup, Sudan's prime minister was apparently placed under house arrest early Monday.
According to reports in Al Jazeera and AP, senior government figures - including two ministers - have also been arrested.
"Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed bitter recriminations between military and civilian groups meant to be sharing power following the toppling of the country’s long time leader Omar al-Bashir (in 2019)." - Context from Al Jazeera
FATAL SHOOTING ON SET
Last Thursday, actor Alec Baldwin shot and accidentally killed the cinematographer on set of the movie he was acting in and producing.
The LA Times has now reported that just six hours before the fatal shooting, crew members had walked off set over issues including safety concerns.
The production team has now decided to "wrap the set at least until investigations are complete".
EYES OFF THE BALL?
Manchester United suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. There has since been widespread commentary and speculation about the future of United's manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
I’d hand over a significant sum of money to have Roy Keane transported to that studio immediately
— Adam Payne (@adampayne26) October 24, 2021
Following the game, Roy Keane was trending on Twitter, with many wishing he was commentating on tv and there to give his views.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
NUI Galway academics puzzled by ‘amazing’ 4,000km journey of bottle used in study https://t.co/HyZcHhN3Ot
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) October 25, 2021
Irish academics have been left amazed after a bottle thrown off the Irish coast into the sea 40 years ago has been recovered 4,000km away in Russia.
MOST READ
- BBC News: Friends star James Michael Tyler dies aged 59
- The Guardian: James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther in Friends, dies aged 59
- The Financial Times: Turkey's Erdogan declares 10 western ambassadors 'persona non grata'
- Al Jazeera: Sudan's PM under house arrest, cabinet ministers detained: report
- The Irish Times: Scientists to investigate activity of new 'Delta Plus' variant in Ireland
TWITTER TRENDS
#DavidBeckham
Why? Because over the weekend he signed a £150 million deal to be an ambassador for Qatar ahead of the World Cup.
The deal, where he would make £15m per year for a decade, was widely criticised by human rights groups.
In a lengthy statement, Amnesty International called on Beckham to "learn about the deeply concerning human rights situation in Qatar and be prepared to speak out about it".
ON A NICER NOTE...
Over the weekend, actor Vin Diesel walked his late co-star Paul Walker's daughter down the aisle.
Walker - a Fast and Furious co-star - was killed in a 2013 car crash.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Gunther's best bits.