⏳ Tuesday Fix: Wild $T1mes

Morning all,

Elon Musk is the boss of a trillion dollar company. How much is that? Well, if you spent $40 per second, around the clock, it would take you 792.5 years to go broke.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

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ON TODAY'S AGENDA ...

Japan's Princess Mako got married today, although it wasn't exactly a fairytale affair.

Who is Princess Mako? She is a niece of Emperor Naruhito, and the oldest grandchild of the previous emperor.

Why has this wedding been marred in controversy? Japan is quite a conservative society. Her partner is considered a "commoner," and widely believed to not be good enough to marry a princess. One of the reasons mentioned is the fact he was raised by a single mother.

Below is a full explainer we produced for our Instagram page.

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ALSO HAPPENING TODAY...

Energy Ministers from European Union member states will hold a meeting later in Luxembourg to discuss gas supply crisis, and the knock-on effect on electricity prices.

We'll keep you posted should there be any significant developments on this.

STUNNING SAUDI ACCUSATIONS

A former Saudi intelligence officer alleged the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), suggested killing the late king - his uncle - to get his father on the throne back in 2014.

The explosive accusations were made by Saad Aljabri during an interview with American TV programme, 60 Minutes. Aljabri also alleges he was warned a hit squad was travelling to Canada to kill him back in 2018, days after the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Who is Saad Aljabri? The Saudi government say he is "a discredited former official" who is accused of past corruption. However, US officials also interviewed during the programme said Aljabri played a pivotal role in saving the lives of mant Americans. He now lives in Canada, and is calling for help in securing the release of two of his children who were arrested back in Saudi Arabia.

Below is a clip of the interview. That specific accusation is mentioned six minutes in.

PIN DROP - WHAT'S GOING ON IN SUDAN?

As suspected yesterday, the military has taken over in Sudan, and arrested many members of the government including the prime minister.

Background: Sudan was ruled by Omar al-Bashir for three decades, until he was overthrown in April 2019. After his ousting, it was a complicated process to figure out who would run the country. In the end, "an uneasy alliance" between military and civilian groups was formed, with an agreement on power-sharing.

As CNN noted, tensions have been rising recently. A number of politicians, including the detained prime minister, had called for a transition to full civilian rule.

If you want to know anymore about this situation, here is undoubtedly the most helpful article we have read.

STARK STATISTICS

More than half of Afghanistan's population is facing an 'acute' food crisis, according to The United Nations.

Context: That's roughly 22 million Afghans, and according to RTÉ News it represents a crisis bigger in scale than the ongoing situations in Yemen and Syria.

BBC News published a harrowing account on this yesterday. It makes for a distressing, yet very important watch, and includes a desperate family who sold their daughter to feed their other children.

MOST READ

• BBC News: Japan princess in muted wedding amid controversy
• The Guardian: Rishi Sunak to scrap public sector pay freeze in autumn budget
• The Financial Times: Employees pleaded with Facebook to stop letting politicians bend rules
• Al Jazeera: Kashmiris beaten, players abused after India loses to Pakistan
• The Irish Times: What scientists are learning about oestrogen and exercise

TWITTER TRENDS

Elon Musk is now the chief executive of a trillion dollar company, due to a surge in Tesla's share price. His much smaller company, Space X, is worth $100 billion.

What was the catalyst for this? Hertz ordered 100,000 cars.

As Morning Brew pointed out, Musk is now personally worth more than some of the world's most recognisable companies - including McDonald's, Coca Cola and even American Express.

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INSTA POLLS

In Monday's NewsFix, we noted how David Beckham was being heavily criticised for a reported £150m deal to become an ambassador for Qatar's World Cup, and promote the country as a tourist destination.

In polls on our Instagram...

• A slim majority (54%) said it was better to have a seat at the table with a government you don't agree with rather than never work with them at all
• The vast majority (92%) of people felt Beckham would get less criticism if there wasn't so much money reportedly associated with the deal
• And nearly two-thirds of you (64%) said if you were Beckham, you would not agree to the deal

Dave, do you care what people think?

WANNA FEEL OLD?

Well, today marks 20 years since the release of the classic movie, Legally Blonde.

Test your knowledge: Get cramming, we'll have a movie quiz for you guys at lunchtime on our Insta page - Harvard vibes.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

My kinda music.