⏳ Thursday Fix: Porn in Parliament?
Morning all,
A British MP is said to be under investigation for allegedly watching porn in the House of Commons.
According to Caroline Lucas, 56 MPs - out of 650 - are currently under investigation by parliamentary authorities for sexual misconduct.
Until tomorrow,
Hilary
PRINCE ANDREW LOSES HONORARY TITLE
The English city of York has decided to strip Prince Andrew of his freedom of the city title, in light of the accusations made against him by Virginia Giuffre.
The Guardian said the vote was unanimous after a meeting that lasted "barely 25 minutes", describing it as "another indignity".
What's next? Well, the councillor who proposed the move has also called for Prince Andrew to relinquish his title as the Duke of York. Unlikely to happen, but we'll keep an eye 👀
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
The British government is expected to set out its plan for selling Channel 4 later today, according to Reuters.
Remember: The government's goal of selling and privatising Channel 4 has been met with a lot of criticism and hesitation, including from MPs within the Conservative Party.
Most of those against the idea have expressed concerns a sale would impact the quality of the channel's programmes. Channel 4 is currently a public company but is commercially funded, with a lot of that money going back into the production of content.
KEEPING AN EYE...
The Conservative Party is looking into claims an MP watched porn "while sitting next to a female minister" in the House of Commons.
According to The Telegraph's Political Editor, the MP in question is not a minister.
Stark figures: BBC News quoted Caroline Lucas, an MP for the Green Party, as saying there were 56 MPs currently under investigation by parliamentary authorities for sexual misconduct. That figure is reported to include three Cabinet ministers.
Worth noting: there are 650 MPs in the House of Commons. If there are in fact 56 MPs under investigation, this would involve more than 8% of the MPs currently serving.
UKRAINE - WHAT'S THE LATEST?
- British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss believes the war in Ukraine could last up to five years, "or even a decade", according to The Times. Truss also expressed concerns other countries like Moldova and Georgia could also be invaded.
- President Putin has said any foreign country intervening in Ukraine will face a "lightning-fast" response from Russia.
- The UN Chief is in Kyiv for talks with President Zelensky today, following his recent visit to President Putin in Moscow.
Below is a really helpful map on the current situation, according to Al Jazeera.
MOST READ
- BBC News: Newspaper headlines: Tory MP's 'porn shame' and 'fear of energy crisis'
- The Guardian: Rishi Sunak hints at U-turn on UK oil and gas windfall tax
- The Financial Times: European gas prices soar after Gazprom halts supplies to Poland and Bulgaria
- Al Jazeera: Blasts rock Russian-occupied Kherson; UN chief in Kyiv for talks
- The Irish Times: National Gallery staff told to ‘think hard’ about reaction to Aramark contract
RANDOM, BUT...
A new Russian reality TV show called "I'm Not Gay" features a "notoriously homophobic" Russian MP.
In the show, contestants have to guess who is and who isn't gay, in order to win cash prizes. According to The Times, the show is hugely popular.
Another outlet said among the contestants is just one gay man. They said the show "takes homophobia to a weird new level".
WORTH A WATCH...
Vice have released a fascinating report about how Hunter Moore - the "revenge porn king" - was taken down. Moore ran a website called 'IsAnyoneUp.com', where people could upload intimate photos of their former partners, with details including their names and addresses.
What are the stats on 'revenge porn'? According to a Sky News report from just over a year ago, the number of victims had doubled in two years.
"Some 15% of Britons between the ages of 18 and 45 surveyed by leading law firm Slater and Gordon said intimate sexual pictures of them had been shared without their consent - up from 8% in 2019." - Sky News context
TWITTER TRENDS
#ElonMusk
Why? He's been discussed a lot on Twitter in recent days, mostly of course because he is set to buy the platform. What exactly that means for the political landscape in the US in particular remains to be seen, but Musk knows it might not make him all that popular.
#HaileyBeiber
Why? The model and wife of singer Justin Bieber opened up about a recent health scare, saying she suffered a mini-stroke in March.
Hailey said during breakfast with her husband on March 10 she said she felt a weird sensation that led to her fingers feeling numb, she couldn't speak, and the right side of her face "started drooping".
"After undergoing tests at UCLA, doctors told her that she had a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is a small opening between the two upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium, which is what led to the blood clot traveling from her heart to her brain." - CNN
For anyone who hasn't heard of it before, below is actually a really helpful way of identifying and reacting to a potential stroke.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Protect this Dad at all costs.
