⏳ Thursday Fix: The Dubai Divorce
Morning all,
A medical breakthrough on malaria, an ongoing cultural clash in Texas, and a bitter Dubai divorce playing out in English courts.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH ON MALARIA
The World Health Organisation has recommended that a vaccine against Malaria be administered to children in Africa. The vaccine was developed by GlaxoSmithKline and has been trialled for years.
Bigger picture: This is a step in the right direction, but not a complete solution. As Al Jazeera noted, the vaccine is "about 30%" effective, but there is another promising one awaiting approval.
What is malaria? It is an infection transmitted by the bite of infected female mosquitoes.
How deadly is it? As Doctors Without Borders noted, the disease "kills one child every two minutes". The vast majority of those deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
CULTURAL CLASHES
A federal judge in Texas issued a temporary pause on the controversial abortion law in Texas, as a legal battle over it continues.
Remember: Since the beginning of September, there has been a ban in Texas on carrying out abortions once "fetal cardiac activity" has been detected. This generally occurs around six weeks into a pregnancy, with critics arguing a lot of women might not even find out they are expecting until after that point. The law does not take into account circumstances where the pregnancy occurred from rape or incest.
Also worth noting: One of the most controversial aspects of the legislation is that anyone can sue another person if they suspect they have assisted in providing an abortion - and if they win, could receive $10,000.
THE DUBAI DIVORCE
The ruler of Dubai ordered that the phones of his ex-wife - Princess Haya - and her legal team be hacked amid a bitter ongoing custody battle, England's High Court heard.
The technology used for the illegal hacking was the controversial Israeli Pegasus spyware.
The ruler of Dubai's name: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Background: Princess Haya was the sheikh's sixth wife. In 2019, she fled the UAE for London with the couple's two children, saying she feared for her safety. One of the reasons given for why she fled was learning about her ex-husband's abduction of two older daughters from another marriage.
What else was revealed on Wednesday? According to widespread reports, an effort by Sheikh Mohammed's team was also made to purchase a property next to Princess Haya to intimidate her.
The geopolitics in all this: The former couple are said to have close relationships with the British royal family, but Princess Haya is royalty in her own right. She is a half-sister of King Abdullah of Jordan, their father was King Hussein who ruled the country until his death in 1999.
*Here is a fascinating article if you would like to read more about this story.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum ordered the hacking of mobile phones during his divorce custody case with Princess Haya, UK court says https://t.co/VmDHDbilrg
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 6, 2021
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
- A 100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard is due to go on trial for murder in Germany later today. He is accused of assisting in the murder of more than three thousand people during the Holocaust.
- In Ireland, the Cabinet is expected to meet today to make a decision on its corporation tax rate. The Irish Times suggests the government will sign the deal, but cited a recent poll saying a majority of voters don't think they should. Remember: The OECD is leading an international effort to have a global corporation tax rate of 15%, something 140 countries signed up to over the summer. Ireland - who benefits hugely from its competitive rate of 12.5% - was one of nine countries who did not sign up, and was seeking assurances on the wording of the agreement.
TWITTER TRENDS
British Justice Secretary Dominic Raab went viral on Wednesday after saying misogyny is wrong "whether it's a man against a woman or a woman against a man". The clip below has been viewed 2.2 million times in less than 24 hours.
For the record: The definition of misogyny is "hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women".
“Misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman, or a woman against a man” pic.twitter.com/fTmPWkb9VU
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) October 6, 2021
MOST READ
- BBC News: Prince Andrew to receive Epstein-Giuffre agreement
- The Guardian: 'Economically illiterate': PM's Tory conference speech gets frosty reception
- The Financial Times: Gas markets whipsaw after Russia offers to stabilise energy prices
- Al Jazeera: Peru's President Castillo swears in new prime minister
- The Irish Times: Poll: Sinn Féin opens up 10-point lead as most popular party among voters
TODAY MARKS...
- 20 years since the war in Afghanistan officially began. The US-led effort to overthrow the Taliban and capture Al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden was in response to the attacks on 9/11.
- Desmond Tutu’s 90th birthday - a South African Anglican cleric who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in opposing apartheid. Tutu emphasised the use of non-violent protest and focussed international attention on South Africa’s racist political system - encouraging countries to apply diplomatic and economic pressure.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
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