NewsFix: Thursday August 26, 2021
Morning all,
Israel’s prime minister meets President Biden today, while the situation in Kabul becomes all the more precarious, and a network’s coverage is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Until tomorrow,
Hilary
WHAT’S GOING ON?
Alexey Navalny - Russia’s most prominent opposition figure - said he is forced to watch eight hours of state TV in jail each day. Navalny is in a maximum security prison colony, 100km outside of Moscow. The interview with the New York Times is said to be Navalny’s first since his detention in January.
*If you don’t have a NYT subscription, here is another article covering the interview.
- Kanye West has filed paper to become formally known as ‘Ye’, citing ‘personal reasons’ in the filing. There is also much anticipation for the release of his new album, Donda, named after his deceased Mother.
ON TODAY’S AGENDA…
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House today.
Why? To “reset” US - Israeli relations, following years of Naftali’s predecessor - Netanyahu - being accused of openly favouring America’s Republican Party.
Remember:
Naftali became Israel’s prime minister earlier this summer after agreeing to form a fragile coalition of various parties who have different stances on some key issues. Speaking to just how slim a majority the coalition has, Naftali’s party won only seven seats in the most recent election.
*Here is a helpful article ahead of today’s meeting - After a decade of Bibi, how will Bennett approach first US visit?
AFGHANISTAN - AIRPORT THREAT
A terror attack warning about Kabul airport has been issued.
Why? According to CNN, the Taliban arrested four ISIS-K operatives who were seen filming at the airport. The threat led to American citizens at the gates to the airport being told to leave immediately.
Who are ISIS-K? They are an ISIS affiliate based in Afghanistan. While the group don’t have a huge presence in the country, they have been described as “sworn enemies” of the Taliban.
The BBC notes the group is the ‘Islamic State Khorasan Province’.
“Khorasan refers to a historical region covering parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.” - BBC explainer
*Some media refer to them as ISIS-K, others as IS-K.
PANDEMIC
- Global overview: More than five billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered around the world.
- In Ireland, the widespread easing of restrictions is dependent on the vast majority of the population over the age of 16 being fully vaccinated. According to The Irish Times, this is based on NPHET’s stance following a meeting on Wednesday. There will be a Covid sub-committee meeting on Friday, where decisions on the next steps are expected to be made.
- In the US, more than 100,000 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus. Axios reports most patients are unvaccinated, and this is the highest number since January. The Wall Street Journal reported nearly half that number was in hospital on August 1.
MOST READ
- BBC News: Double murder suspect found with critical injuries
- The Guardian: Adult film star Ron Jeremy indicted on more than 30 counts of sexual assault
- The Financial Times: How exile changed the Taliban
- Al Jazeera: US, UK, Australia warn of ‘high terror threat’ at Kabul airport
- RTÉ News: Husband pays tribute to new mum who died of Covid-19
- The Irish Times: ‘Sworn virgins’: the fraternity women who earn male privileges in return for lifelong celibacy *fascinating read, centred around a Christian village in Albania
COVERING THE COVERAGE
How Murdoch’s Fox News allowed Trump’s propaganda to destabilise democracy
Fox News - Rupert Murdoch’s right-leaning Conservative network in the US - has repeatedly been accused of spreading dangerous misinformation, and of providing a platform for President Trump to speak without challenge during his presidency.
A new documentary by ABC Australia sheds light on the impact of the network on American culture, including damning interviews from those who used to work there.
How did Murdoch’s News Corp organisation respond?The Guardian reported it published “45 articles in just two days” attacking ABC Australia, and calling the documentary “fake news”.
*The documentary (below) is available on Youtube, is 45 minutes long, and makes for a fascinating watch.
TWITTER TRENDS
Harry and Meghan were trending yesterday.
Why? Following an ‘exclusive’ in The Daily Mail claiming the couple considered revealing which royal family member it was who speculated about Archie’s skin tone during the infamous interview with Oprah.
Background:
An updated version of the book ‘Finding Freedom’ is due to be released next week, that’s where these news lines are coming from.
CHATTER THAT MATTERS
An old, resurfaced clip from the X Factor has sparked an online debate about what was previously considered ‘entertainment’.
In the clip, a hopeful candidate is told by Simon Cowell she “sounds nice, but look like a shop girl” who needs to lose weight.
Louis goes on to say it is “mission impossible,” with Sharon adding “go on a diet, and I’ll see you at the next round”.
One blogger, Gemma Cartwright, responded to the clip by saying “I must have watched that but I don't remember it, which says a lot about how much utterly toxic s*** was being pumped out back then”.
HEARTWARMING HEADLINES
An Australian farmer used feeding his sheep to create a beautiful heart-shaped tribute to his aunt, who died of cancer.
Aussie humour: In classic Australian style, Ben Jackson admitted it took three or four attempts to get it right.
“The first time I tried it looked like the shit emoji, I tell you, and whilst my Aunty Deb had a good sense of humour, that wasn’t exactly what I was going for.”
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…
Take the hint, human.