4 min read

⏳ Thursday Fix: Breakthrough on Brexit?

⏳ Thursday Fix: Breakthrough on Brexit?

Morning all,

A breakthrough on Brexit, a record-breaking trip for Captain Kirk, and a bad week for fashion brand Coach, whose broken items go viral on social media.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers


GOOD LISTENER?

Here is a podcast version of today's newsletter. It will also be available shortly wherever else you get your podcasts.

NORWAY

In Norway, five people were killed by a bow and arrows attack in a town relatively near the country's capital, Oslo. A 37-year-old  Danish man - considered the sole suspect - was arrested.

Investigations continue, and a terrorist motive has not been ruled out.


BREAKTHROUGH ON BREXIT?

"There will be no other package. This is it." - Maros Sefcovic, European Commission vice president

The European Union announced changes to the Northern Ireland protocol that they say will result in 80% less checks on goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland.

How? Trucks arriving from Great Britain will be able to use a "fast pass" lane, and ones with 100 different goods will now be subject to one overall check rather than 100. The EU also said the plan reduces customs paperwork by half, and ensure medicines and meats can be imported from Britain to Northern Ireland easily.

What are they asking of the UK? That any goods - particularly meats - that are intended for Northern Ireland only, be properly labelled to state that.

Does this fix the problem? It remains to be seen. The UK Government are looking at the EU's proposal now, but there is already something they don't agree on. The UK Government wants the European Court of Justice removed from its oversight role in Northern Ireland, despite agreeing to it earlier this year. It is a proposal not agreed on by the EU, as the stat us quo basically means the EU could take the UK to the European Court of Justice if they are not complying with applicable EU law.

Next steps? Intensive talks between both sides.


CAPTAIN KIRK

William Shatner - who played Captain Kirk for decades on Star Trek - is the oldest person to have gone into space. Shatner travelled on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket.

Can I say what we're all thinking? HOW is he 90?

Fancy a flight? You can apply here 🚀.  

Meanwhile, another William weighed in on the matter. The Duke of Cambridge said entrepreneurs should be "trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live," during a BBC interview.  

*Prince William's full interview will be available from 4pm.


MP FOUND GUILTY

A former Labour MP was found guilty of harassment for making threatening calls to a woman described as a "friend" of her partner.

A court found Claudia Webbe - who is now an independent MP - threatened the woman with acid, and also said she would send intimate photos of her to her family.

According to BBC News, Webbe alleged she was the victim of "domestic abuse and coercive control". She is now engaged to the partner at the centre of this case, and he was photographed arriving to court with her on Wednesday.


ON TODAY'S AGENDA...

Japan's parliament was dissolved today, as the country heads to the polls at the end of this month.

It comes just days after newly-elected prime minister, Fumio Kishida, began his tenure. A report in Al Jazeera suggests Kishida's party is far ahead of the largest opposition.


PANDEMIC

In Ireland, the planned lifting of restrictions on October 22 might now be delayed, as experts warn of a rise in positive cases and hospitalisations. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he cannot guarantee October 22 will go ahead as planned, adding the virus has taken "a wrong turn".

What are the latest figures? On Wednesday, another 2,066 positive cases were reported, while 69 of the 408 hospital patients are in ICU. In terms of vaccinations, 91.3% of the country's adult population is fully vaccinated.


TIKTOK TRENDS

The fashion brand Coach said they have "ceased destroying in-store returns of damaged and unsalable goods," days after a TikTok video about this went viral.

Over the weekend, TikToker Anna Sacks went viral for alleging Coach purposely have staff destroy unwanted returned items, so they can then use that as a "tax write-off, under the same tax loophole as if it were accidentally destroyed".

In an Instagram post, Coach did not directly reference the allegations made in the viral TikTok video, instead saying the company "always strives to do better". \

@thetrashwalker

#coach #donatedontdump #retailmademe #dumpsterdiving #shopping #climatechange #haul #free #eco #recycle #donate #nyc #thrift #repair #fashion #style

♬ Waltz of the Flowers - The Nutcracker - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

MOST READ


WHAT TO WATCH

A two-part series on the mysterious death of actor Brittany Murphy airs on HBO today.

Murphy - known for her iconic roles in Clueless, 8 Mile and many others - died unexpectedly in 2009 at the age of 32. As CNN noted, the official causes were a "combination of pneumonia, an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication".

Strangely, her husband - who is described as a serial liar in the documentary trailer - died months later, with pneumonia and and anemia also cited as the cause.


ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

#PuppyGate