⏳Tuesday Fix: A Patriot Without Equal

Morning all,

The death of beloved Desmond Tutu, the ongoing deliberations in Maxwell's trial, the release of some fascinating documents, and the best news of the year - the news didn't just stop, you know 😎.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

"A PATRIOT WITHOUT EQUAL"

South Africa is in ten days of mourning following the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Sunday, December 26. His funeral is expected to occur on Saturday, January 1.

Following news of his death, the lovely clip below highlighting his friendship with the Dalai Lama went viral. It'll make you smile.

Who was Desmond Tutu? Tutu was an anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who campaigned against racial segregation in South Africa. The Economist described him as "the best kind of troublemaker".

Did you know? Tutu was a real ally to the LGBTQ community - quoted as saying he would "refuse to go to homophobic heaven," and would rather go to hell instead. Tutu's own daughter had to resign from her role as an Anglican minister in 2016 following her marriage to a woman.

If you read one article about him... As South Africa mourns Desmond Tutu, so do LGBTQ groups, Palestinians and climate activists. Click the photo below if you would like to know more about apartheid.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned women from making long trips without the presence of a man.

Most girls are still not receiving a school education since the Taliban returned to power in August, and most women have also been banned from working outside of the home.

Jurors in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell failed to reach a verdict on Monday, their third full day of deliberations.

The deliberations will continue today, with Sky News reporting the judge asked the jury to consider staying an extra hour each day.

Here is the most helpful article we've seen, documenting the latest from the jury, the key details from the trial, and the multiple charges Maxwell faces.

The parents of a man who entered Windsor Castle on Christmas Day said something has gone "horribly wrong" with their son.

The 19-year-old was detained under the Mental Health Act. The Sun published a video posted to social media on Saturday morning, where the man declared his plot to "assassinate the queen" as "revenge" for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

What was this? Back in 1919, British troops opened fire and "indiscriminately" shot and killed at least 379 peaceful protestors in northwest India.

PANDEMIC

• In Ireland, a positivity rate of almost 50% was recorded on tests. Also, from today any child between the ages of five and 11 can register for a vaccine if they have a serious health condition.
• In England, there will be no new restrictions introduced this side of New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, England recorded a record number of daily cases - 113,628 - on Christmas Day.
• In the US, the number of days required for those with asymptomatic Covid-19 has been halved from ten days to five. BBC News stated the move was in an effort to alleviate businesses suffering staff shortages.

IF YOU READ ONE THING TODAY...

Let it be the in-depth piece we released on Monday: 🇨🇦 Residential Schools - Canada's Cultural Genocide.

"Earlier this year, more than a thousand unmarked graves of indigenous children were found - located on the sites of several former residential schools those very children were forced to attend. Often run by Christian orders, the residential schools were viewed as a place to assimilate them, and to - quote - "extinguish the Indian in the child"." - NewsFix

THE STATE PAPERS

A number of previously classified documents have been released by the National Archives of Ireland.

The link above makes for a very interesting read - with accounts of Bertie Ahern warning Tony Blair about a visit to China, the Queen Mother "dying to visit" the Republic of Ireland, and an Irish farewell mentioned in Buckingham Palace.

There was also plenty of documents relating to Northern Ireland - including former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey advising Prime Minister John Major not to attribute "too much sophistication" to unionists.

MOST READ

• BBC News: Musk criticised after China space complaint to UN
• The Guardian: Labour's David Lammy apologises for nominating Jeremy Corbyn to be leader
• The Financial Times: Cathay Pacific suffers pilot exodus amid Hong Kong's 'permanent quarantine'
• Al Jazeera: Israeli attack on Syria port causes 'significant material damage'
• The Irish Times: Mary Lou now a bigger problem for unionism than McGuinness and Adams

SOCIETAL SHIFTS

Judges in England and Wales have been advised to refer to a person's preferred pronouns in court, as a matter of "common courtesy" for transgender people.

The advice also mentioned the lack of a requirement to disclose a trans person's former name or gender, unless in instances where it is relevant to the case.

"A victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence at the hands of a trans person may understandably describe the alleged perpetrator and use pronouns consistent with their gender assigned at birth because that is in accordance with the victim’s experience and perception of the events." - context from The Guardian

#SPREADTHELOVE

#NOWYOUKNOW

Another random fact you didn't ask for.

Okay, so actually how big is Africa? Big. CNN put together the fascinating model below, showing just how many countries fit into the continent and how "wildly misleading" most maps are. 🤯

THE GOOD NEWS

Click below for our compilation of some of the most hopeful headlines from 2021. Told you the news wasn't allllll negative.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

January 1st. That's when the diet starts.