⏳ Tuesday Fix: Barbados says Bye
Morning all,
It's a day of change - for Twitter, for Sweden, and particularly for Barbados, which just became a republic, renouncing the British Queen.
Until tomorrow,
Hilary
GOOD LISTENER?
Here's a podcast version of today's newsletter.
MONDAY'S MAIN LINES
Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey resigned as CEO on Monday, with immediate effect.
In the statement - uploaded to Twitter - Dorsey said Parag Agrawal is the company’s new CEO as of today. Agrawal was previously the company’s Chief Technology Officer.
Dorsey will remain on the company’s board until approximately May.
On his decision not to remain on the board beyond then, Dorsey explained he believes “it’s critical a company can stand on its own, free of its founders influence or direction”.
Last week, Magdalena Andersson made history as Sweden's first ever female prime minister. Within just seven hours of the historic appointment , her coalition partner pulled out, the government collapsed, and Andersson was forced to resign.
Cool, what's new? Well, Andersson is back! She is now set to run the country for the next ten months, before an election will occur.
Here is a really helpful article on this for anyone who wants to know more.
BARBADOS BECOMES A REPUBLIC
The island of Barbados is officially a republic, after renouncing the queen and swearing in its own president as a new head of state.
The move is widely seen as a step towards full sovereignty for the Caribbean island that gained independence from the UK back in 1966, after more than 300 years of British control.
Why was Prince Charles there if they are becoming a republic? Because Barbados will remain within the Commonwealth.
According to Al Jazeera, there are now just 15 countries outside of the UK itself with the Queen as its head of state - including Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Worth noting: This is not unexpected news, the decision was made last year.
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
Jury selection for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer, Kim Potter, is set to begin today.
Remember: Potter faces charges of manslaughter for shooting and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright following a traffic stop in Minneapolis back in April. Potter claims she meant to use her taser - but used her handgun accidentally. The shooting sparked days of unrest.
The trial of former reality TV star Josh Duggar - who faces charges related to child pornography - is set to begin today.
Not familiar with him? Duggar featured for years on the wildly popular 19 kids and counting show in the US, documenting the lives of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar - devout Christians living in Arkansas.
Josh - their eldest child who has quite a chequered past - was arrested in April for allegedly receiving and possessing child pornography back in 2019.
A Homeland Security agent at the time was quoted as saying the material found was "the worst of the worst" he has had to examine.
If convicted, Duggar could face 20 years in jail. His wife Anna - who recently gave birth to their seventh child - is standing by him.
PANDEMIC
#Oops: Have you ever made a mistake that is so bad you just have to hold your hands up and own it? Well, yesterday I referred to the Omicron variant as Omnicron... about 20 times 🥴
You know what makes us feel a little bit better about it? So did The Times.
Anyway, back to Omicron!
Cause for concern, not panic? That's according to President Biden.
In Ireland, the Cabinet is expected to agree with NPHET's recommendation that children above the age of nine be advised - but not obliged - to wear masks in school.
In the UK, 11 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected at this point, and face coverings in shops and on public transport are now mandatory once again. According to BBC News, Prime Minister Johnson will later set out a plan for rollout of the booster vaccine.
Here is the most helpful article we've seen on what you need to know about this variant of concern, and the four others.
BEING A GOOD SPORT
Footballer Lionel Messi has won the Ballon D'Or - the award for best men's footballer in the world - again.
It marks a record seventh time the Argentinian footballer has won the award.
"A truly extraordinary footballer and an absolute credit to the sport both on and off the pitch." - Gary Lineker
The Instagram photo below of Messi with the award received nearly nine million likes in less than six hours.
This article contains a list of the top players behind Messi.
Golfer Tiger Woods said he does not expect to return to playing golf full time, as his recovery from a car crash months ago continues.
According to BBC Sport, Woods said he will have to "pick and choose" a few events to play each year going forward.
The big question: Whose side are you on, Keane or Carragher? Or can we just thank both of them for the great TV? 😂
MOST READ
- BBC News: 'We've had 20 cancellations in one weekend'
- The Guardian: Cooper, Lammy and Nandy among beneficiaries of Starmer's ruthless reshuffle
- The Financial Times: What we know about Omicron variant that has sparked global alarm
- Al Jazeera: Barbados becomes a republic, renouncing British Queen
- The Irish Times: Q&A: What does Omicron mean for travel to and from Ireland?
TODAY MARKS...
St Andrew's Day in Scotland.
According to Christianity, St Andrew was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples - but he never set foot in Scotland. Nobody knows for certain why he is Scotland’s Patron Saint - but the country has an ‘X’ on its flag because that is the symbol of St Andrew.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Working from home vibes.
