Apr 14, 2022 5 min read Daily Digests

⏳ Thursday Fix: Coveney in Kyiv

Morning all,

Coveney is in Kyiv, illegal migrants will be sent to Rwanda, Sligo murders spark outrage and Cuba Gooding Jr pleads guilty to avoid jail time.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

GOOD LISTENER?

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WEDNESDAY ROUNDUP

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman in a nightclub back in 2018. As Reuters noted, the guilty plea was "part of an agreement with prosecutors that spares the Oscar-winning actor any immediate jail time".

Worth noting: The actor also faces a civil lawsuit against a woman who claims he raped her twice in 2013. Gooding Jr has denied these accusations, but was unsuccessful in his bid to have the lawsuit dismissed. CNN also noted in their article that "at least 30 women" told prosecutors of their alleged experiences of unwanted touching by the actor.

UKRAINE - WHAT'S THE LATEST?

Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney is in Kyiv. RTÉ News described it as the "first visit by any UN Security Council foreign minister since war in Ukraine began".

According to The Irish Times, assistance in Ukraine's bid to join the EU will be on the agenda for talks today.

Meanwhile, Finland will decide “within weeks” whether it will attempt to join NATO - according to its prime minister, Sanna Marin. She made the comments in a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister, Agdalena Andersson.

"Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine." - Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin

According to The Financial Times, NATO officials have signalled that both countries would be able to join the alliance - were they to apply.

On Monday a Kremlin spokesman stated "the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation" - and said if Finland or Sweden were to join, Russia would “rebalance the situation”.

Remember: Finland shares a 830-mile long border with Russia, and it has reportedly been “rattled’ by the invasion of Ukraine.

ON TODAY'S AGENDA

According to ITV News, the British government is expected to unveil plans later for 'illegal migrants' in Britain to be sent to Rwanda rather than detention centres around the country.

The report said talks with Rwanda have been "going on for some months". However, the report also said ITV News journalists obtained a leaked document raising questions about the legality of the scheme.

Worth noting: The Guardian said it will cost an initial £120 million, and The Times reported it will only apply to male migrants because "they are the most likely to be economic migrants".

PIN DROP - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SLIGO?

Police are investigating two murders in Sligo that have shocked the county, and potentially have a hate-related motive.

On Monday, the body of 42-year-old Aidan Moffitt was discovered - and police said he had suffered significant physical injuries.

On Tuesday, the body of 58-year-old Michael Snee was found. According to Garda superintendent Aidan Glacken, he was also subjected to “serious physical assault and had suffered significant injuries.”

The Gardaí have not specified the potential hate-related motive they are investigating - but they are looking into whether Mr Moffitt met his attacker online or on a dating app. A separate attack on a third man in Sligo may be linked to the investigation.

A suspect is being held for questioning, and according to RTÉ News is a man in his early twenties.

#PARTYGATE

The party never seems to stop for Downing Street.

What do you mean? well, according to The Mirror's Pippa Crerar, insiders at Number 10 fear Prime Minister Johnson faces three more police fines for breaching restrictions.

#HaveYourSay: we asked you guys on our Instagram account what you thought of it;

A significant majority - 83% of you - believe both Johnson and Sunak should resign over the fines
58% of you think Johnson has enough support within the Conservative Party to avoid having to resign

Meanwhile, the video below from an interview about a Richard Nixon and Watergate series has gone completely viral overnight.

"Well, what you've got is a criminal for a leader who is wrapped in a messy war, embroiled in a stupid scandal and surrounded by ambitious idiots and really should resign... no I'm sorry, that's the intro to Boris Johnson... I'm so sorry."