⏳ Thursday Fix: Royal Rumble
Morning all,
This year was supposed to be all about the Queen's historic Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne.
So far - and we're only seven weeks in - we've got one prince settling out of court after facing allegations he had sex with a trafficked minor, and an heir to the throne wrapped up in a 'cash-for-honours' scandal.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
GOOD LISTENER?
Click the screenshot below to access the podcast version of today's NewsFix.
ROYAL RUMBLE
A day after Prince Andrew reached an out of court settlement, his brother Prince Charles is now wrestling against his own negative press.
Why? The police have opened an investigation into allegations of a 'cash-for-honours' scandal associated with his charity. Basically, the charity is accused of assisting a Saudi national secure both citizenship and a knighthood after he made substantial donations. The Times reported the donation was worth £1.5 million.
Worth noting: This story actually surfaced last year, and the charity led an independent investigation into the reports. It ultimately led to a man called Michael Fawcett - who was Prince Charles' closest aide and the charity's chief executive at the time - being let go.
Royal response? When it first surfaced, Clarence House said the heir to the throne "had no knowledge of the alleged offer". It should be noted Prince Charles has no involvement in the day-to-day running of the charity.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace is facing increasing pressure to disclose how exactly Prince Andrew plans to pay for the financial settlement reached with Virginia Giuffre.
A Labour MP has said he will raise the issue in parliament next week, when MPs return from their half-term break.
According to Channel 4 News, 88% of people surveyed in the city of York want the city disassociated from Prince Andrew's title.
ON TODAY'S AGENDA
Russia - as head of the UN Security Council - is expected to chair a discussion at the body's global HQ in New York about the Ukraine crisis, according to The Financial Times.
In the meantime, the UK's Chief of Defence Intelligence on Wednesday said they "have not seen evidence" of Russia withdrawing troops from the border. US officials have said the same, with one adding a further 7,000 Russian troops have arrived in recent days.
BBC News mentioned Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to travel to Ukraine "shortly", but did not specify further on a timeline.
New here? For anyone struggling to wrap your head around all of this, our recent piece gets to the heart of the ties between Russia and Ukraine, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and why Russia has such an issue with NATO.
It is here 👉🏽 All Eyes on Ukraine, Is Russia Going to Invade?
PANDEMIC
The UK government has announced children across the United Kingdom between the ages of 5 and 11 will now be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine, though an emphasis will be put on parental choice.
#HaveYourSay
We asked you guys on our Instagram account for your opinions on this, and so far 63% of you say you would vaccinate your child against the virus, while 62% said parents should not have to disclose whether or not their child has received the vaccine.
HOPEFUL HEADLINES
A young girl in New York was found alive in a hidden staircase alongside her noncustodial mother, after first being reported missing in 2019.
Police originally believed her noncustodial parents were responsible for her disappearance, but they were limited in how much of the house they could search during their several visits to the home over the years.
Paislee Joann Shutlis was found after police secured a search warrant, and noticed the staircase to the basement was unusually built.
Here is a link to the best article we've seen on this, it makes for an astonishing read.
SOCIETAL SHIFTS
Kuwait has overturned a law that criminalised "imitation of the opposite sex".
Amnesty International described it as "a major breakthrough for trans rights" in the majority Muslim country.
The catalyst for the shift in legislation was a trans woman called Maha al-Mutairi. According to BBC News, in June 2020 she posted videos on social media claiming she was repeatedly beaten and raped by police officers during a seven-month detention period in 2019.
MOST READ
- BBC News: Travel safety checks after Storm Dudley
- The Guardian: Why the panic among Boris Johnson's key allies? Because they know Brexit is unravelling
- The Financial Times: Citi's Jane Fraser ditches ambition to break into Wall Street's big league
- Al Jazeera: Elon Musk is a security risk
- The Irish Times: Man who claimed pensions of his dead parents was following in footsteps of father *fascinating read
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Skater Dawg.
