⏳ Thursday Fix: One Month Today
Morning all,
A month of war in Ukraine, seven months of no school in Afghanistan, and centuries worth of sorrow in Barbados.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
GOOD LISTENER?
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ONE MONTH TODAY
Today marks one calendar month since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
The attack has been described as "a war in Europe on a scale and of a type we thought belonged in history".
In the month since, more than ten million people have been displaced - at least 3.6 million of them fleeing the country.
President Zelensky has described the port city of Mariupol as "Armageddon", and the Pentagon has said up to 10% of Russian forces "have been lost in the first month of its war".
On Wednesday, the Biden administration formally declared war crimes were being committed in Ukraine by Russian soldiers. The statement also said it was an "unprovoked and unjust war of choice".
Also on Wednesday, a Russian journalist called Oksana Baulina was killed by Russian shelling, while covering the war in Ukraine. According to BBC News, Baulina had previously worked for opposition figure Alexey Navalny, before leaving Russia.
What's happening today? Well, safe to say a lot of the coverage will focus on Brussels - with three summits on the agenda. EU leaders will gather, as will G7 countries, and there will also be a summit involving the heads of state of NATO members - with President Biden participating in all three.
An Axios report said it was expected that NATO members would agree to significantly increase its presence in eastern Europe - namely Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
What else is happening? President Zelensky has called upon people in all parts of the world to protest in support of Ukraine today.
Worth a read: President Zelensky has address ten parliaments in two weeks, "receiving standing ovations everywhere". On April 6, he will address Ireland's Dáil and Seanad. Here is a fascinating read about how Zelensky references historical events of huge significance to each parliament he speaks to.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT
Madeleine Albright - the first female US Secretary of State - has died of cancer at the age of 84.
Albright served during President Clinton's second term in office in the 1990s. The New York Times described her as "a brilliant analyst of world affairs", who at the time of her appointment was "the highest-ranking woman in the history of American government".
Clinton described her as "an extraordinary human being".
A native of Prague, Albright's family arrived to the US as refugees in 1948. They had left Czechoslovakia just ten days after the Nazi invasion.
Albright said she only learned of her Jewish heritage later in life.
PIN DROP - WHAT'S GOING ON IN AFGHANISTAN?
It has been more than seven months since the fall of Kabul and return to Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
For months now, girls across the country have not been permitted access to school. That was expected to change on Wednesday, but the Taliban announced a last minute u-turn.
"The U-turn is seen as a concession to the rural and deeply tribal backbone of the hardline Taliban that, in many parts of the countryside, are reluctant to send their daughters to school." - Context from The Guardian
Separately, a shocking statistic was shared by Human Rights Watch was shared earlier this week. More than 13,000 newborn babies in Afghanistan have died of malnutrition since January.
Furthermore, "95% of the population does not have enough to eat, and 3.5 million children need nutritional support".
SORROW, NOT SORRY
As mentioned before, the royal trip of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Belize and Jamaica has been met with a considerable amount of protests and anti-colonial sentiment.
During a speech on Wednesday, Prince William expressed his "profound sorrow", adding slavery "forever stains our history".
"I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history. I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent, and it should never have happened." - Prince William in Jamaica on Wednesday
BBC Royal Correspondent Jonny Dymond said while some would be disappointed by "sorry" not being said, it wasn't surprising.
"'Sorrow' is not 'sorry'... but 'sorry' would have been a different order of magnitude, carrying with it acceptance of responsibility and opening up the question of financial compensation. Hardly surprising then that Prince William didn't go that far. That would be a job for government, not royalty." - Johnny Dymond
MOST READ
- BBC News: Putin adviser resigns and Ukrainians make gains
- The Guardian: 150,000 people stuck in besieged city of Chernihiv - as it happened
- The Financial Times: England changes lateral flow test guidance before April 1 target date
- Al Jazeera: Zelensky urges global protests, 'serious' action from NATO, G7
- The Irish Times: Garda who complained about waitress's smirk loses discrimination case
TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW?
A new contraceptive pill for men has shown signs of being 99% effective in preventing pregnancy... but has so far only been tested on mice.
According to Sky News, a human trial is potentially going to begin in the second half of this year. The article said it "could bring balance to the contraceptive burden".
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WATCHING OUT FOR...
Jimmy Saville: A British Horror Story.
In what looks to be a fascinating documentary releasing on April 6, Netflix explores one of the most horrific cases of abuse in British history.
As the streaming service noted, Saville was a beloved TV personality. However, within months of his death in 2011, "an investigation prompted more than 450 horrific allegations of sexual assault and abuse, with victims as young as 5".
You can watch the trailer by clicking 👇🏽 or here.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Don't laugh. I actually dare you.
