⏳ Monday Fix: Travis Scott Concert Tragedy

Morning all,

Rapper Travis Scott faces mounting questions over how eight people died at his festival, countless others were injured, and his set continued for half an hour after it was declared a "mass casualty event".

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

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TRAVIS SCOTT CONCERT TRAGEDY

At least eight people died and many others were left injured following a crowd surge during the Astroworld festival in Texas over the weekend.

Legal action has already been taken by an attendee, who is suing rapper Travis Scott and the festival promoters.

Scott has been widely criticised online, with many raising questions about how the show was allowed to continue for so long.

According to CNN, Scott performed for another half an hour after authorities declared the concert a "mass casualty event".

Scott's partner, Kylie Jenner, was also criticised for uploading a video during the concert to her Instagram account, where an ambulance is seen in the background trying to make its way through the crowd. Jenner later released a statement to say the pair were "broken and devastated" by the deaths, and were not aware of any casualties until after the concert.

There is plenty of disturbing footage emerging from the concert, here is a Twitter thread documenting some of it but we must warn some of the videos are quite distressing to watch.  

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND?

• Israel said they have no plans to approve a US consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, despite the Biden administration making it their clear intention in October.
• Iraq's prime minister escaped a drone strike on his home over the weekend. The attack followed mounting tensions over disputed parliamentary election results last month.
• In Nicaragua, the country's president Daniel Ortega looks set to secure a fourth term in office,  following a controversial election the US described as a "sham".

ON TODAY'S AGENDA...

Travel from a number of countries - including the UK and Ireland - into the US reopens today for those fully vaccinated. It will be the first time the border is open to these countries in almost two years.

Also, there'll be an emergency debate in the House of Commons later on parliamentary standards in the wake of the 'sleaze row' last week.

KEEPING AN EYE...

There are widespread reports that the UK government could trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol once the COP26 conference in Glasgow comes to and end.

What does this mean? As you'll know, the Northern Ireland Protocol has been a source of tension in Northern Ireland, particularly amongst unionists who say it effectively creates a border down the Irish Sea between Britain and Northern Ireland.

The protocol was created to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, and means Northern Ireland stays in the EU's single market for goods. As a result, those goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland are subject to checks.

Okay, what does Article 16 mean? Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol allows for parts of the deal to be suspended if severe issues are being caused by it. The UK Government has already stated that threshold has been reached.

"The EU fears the UK is planning to use Article 16 in an expansive way - to gut the protocol, sweep away the Irish Sea border and open up a potential back door into the single market." - BBC analysis

Okay, what might happen if they do choose to suspend parts of the protocol? Ireland's Simon Coveney has suggested the EU might terminate the UK/EU trade deal in response, which is why it has been so widely reported in the media this morning.

Meanwhile, a second bus has been hijacked and set alight in Northern Ireland in a week.

We'll keep an eye for any further developments on this...

CLIMATE COVERAGE

As the COP26 climate change conference continues, BBC News shared a fascinating statistic based on their research this morning;

"There are more delegates at COP26 associated with the fossil fuel industry than from any single country."

According to the article, 503 attendees have links "to fossil fuel interests".

Meanwhile, former US president, Barack Obama, is expected to make a speech in Glasgow later today.

MOST READ

• BBC News: Newspaper headlines: 'Storm in a sleaze cup' and 'Brexit trade war'
• The Guardian: Teenager rescued after showing domestic violence hand signal to passing motorist, police say

• The Financial Times: China's zero-Covid policy under strain as new cases spread
• Al Jazeera: Burhan says he will not be part of Sudan government after transition
• The Irish Times: Crack cocaine in west Tallaght: 'This epidemic is so new, and came so fast'

TODAY MARKS...

Five years since the election of Donald J Trump as 45th US president.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

#NailontheHead