⏳ Monday Fix: Czeching In

Morning all,

An uncertain political future amid allegations of corruption - we're talking about the Czech Republic's prime minister, right? Or is it Austria's chancellor?

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND?

The Czech Republic's president is in intensive care amid political upheaval in the country.

The president's health: President Milos Zeman was seen being transported to hospital while unconscious over the weekend. The director of the hospital said he was admitted due to complications from a known condition, but details of that condition have not been confirmed by authorities. As BBC News pointed out, Zeman is a heavy smoker, who used to be a heavy drinker, and suffers from diabetes. A number of media outlets in the country reported he has "ascites, a build-up of abdominal fluid usually associated with cirrhosis of the liver".

The political situation: An election on Saturday led to a surprise defeat for the current prime minister - a staunch ally of President Zeman, and one of the country's wealthiest men who has been marred by allegations of corruption. His party were beaten by a centre-right coalition.

Okay, what's interesting about this? The president has the right to choose the next government, and has already said he'll do that based on the biggest party, not coalition. This would mean the incumbent would stay in power. However, due to his ill health he might just lose the opportunity to make that choice.

"Under the constitution, his authority to appoint the prime minister passes to the speaker of the lower house if the presidential position is vacated." - Context from Reuters

Austria's leader, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, stepped down over the weekend amid a corruption scandal. Kurz and a few others are suspected of misusing public funds, and faking invoices, to get positive media coverage between 2013 and 2017.

Worth noting: Kurz's political future is unclear. He remains popular among the electorate, has hand picked his replacement, and will continue in his role as his party's leader - a party with a significant majority. Also, as a parliamentarian, he will have immunity from prosecution.

Looking ahead: There will be a motion of no confidence in the government on Tuesday. If the opposition win, there will be another general election.

London's Metropolitan police will take no further action against Prince Andrew, following a review prompted by Virginia Giuffre.

Remember: Giuffre - a victim of Jeffrey Epstein - alleges she was sexually assaulted by the prince at three locations, including in London. She is taking legal action against Prince Andrew in New York. In August, the Met police decided to review a previous decision to not investigate allegations against Jeffrey Epstein.

Worth noting: Prince Andrew has until October 29 to formally respond to Giuffre's civil lawsuit in New York.

PANDEMIC

Sydney has begun to reopen again following a 107-day lockdown. The city reimposed a lot of restrictions when the Delta variant circulated in June, but the recent lifting of many restrictions comes as  more than 70% of the city's adult population is vaccinated.

CHATTER THAT MATTERS

On Saturday, fashion designer Olivier Rousteing - the Creative Director of Balmain - revealed he had been badly burned a year ago when a fireplace inside his house exploded.

While revealing what he had been through in an Instagram post over the weekend, Rousteing raised an interesting point about social media - how it is really just a highlight reel, and you never know just what might be going on in someone's life.

"I did everything to hide this story from as many people as possible... to be honest I am not really sure why I was so ashamed , maybe this obsession with perfection that fashion is known for and my own insecurities... I truly realised that the power of social media is to reveal only what you want to show! Kind of allowing us to create our own special narrative that avoids what we do not wish to see or show."

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MOST READ

• BBC News: Met to take no further action after Epstein review
• The Guardian: Met police drop investigation into Prince Andrew in Virginia Giuffre case
• The Financial Times: US has already lost AI fight to China, says ex-Pentagon software chief
• Al Jazeera:
• The Irish Times: 'I ignored doctors' advice to give up running and find a more suitable hobby'

TWITTER TRENDS

Kim Kardashian West hosted SNL - Saturday Night Live - in New York over the weekend. According to online reactions, the stint went better than expected - and boosted the show's ratings by 23%.

Her opening monologue - where nobody was spared - will probably make for an awkward family lunch soon!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

Hips don't lie.

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