⏳ Tuesday Fix: Honour and Privilege

Morning all,

A significant settlement for the victims of Larry Nassar, the possibility of Boris Johnson facing his largest rebellion ever in the House of Commons, and opinions split over TIME's person of the year.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

SETTLEMENTS

More than 500 victims of US Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar - or someone else in the sport - are to receive a combined settlement of $380 million.

Remember: In 2018, Nassar was convicted of multiple sex crimes and given a sentence of 175 years. He was found guilty of repeatedly abusing female athletes, under the guise of medical treatment.

"It is my honour and privilege to sentence you... I just signed your death warrant." - Judge Rosemarie Aquilina at the sentencing of Larry Nassar

The New York Times described it as "one of the biggest child molestation cases in history".

High profile gymnasts like Simone Biles and Aly Raisman gave powerful testimonies against both him, and the FBI's handling of the case.

ON TODAY'S AGENDA...

MPs in the House of Commons will today vote on the government's Plan B measures for England.

What are they voting on? The mandatory wearing of face masks in most public settings, the need for a vaccine pass - where you show you are either fully vaccinated or have a negative test result. The third vote is on plans for anyone fully vaccinated who is a close contact of a positive case to take daily lateral flow tests rather than have to isolate.

Okay, what's the issue for the government? While Labour is expected to largely vote in favour of the measures, the government are facing a rebellion from within the Conservative Party. BBC News reports "around 70" Tory MPs are expected to vote agains the proposals.

Bigger picture: If that were to happen, it would "amount to the largest rebellion Mr Johnson will have faced during his time in office".

Also happening today, the parents of the Michigan school shooter - who shot and killed four last month - are to appear at a probable cause hearing today, according to CNN.

Background: Each parent faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and are accused of providing their son with "unfettered access" to their recently purchased gun. In the days before the school shooting, teachers raised concerns with the parents over their sons behaviour.

PANDEMIC

• The US is edging closer to reaching a coronavirus death toll of 800,000. In fact, The New York Times reported that 1 of every 100 older Americans has perished. Three quarters of people who have died of the virus in the US have been 65 or older.
• The Omicron variant is expected to be the dominant variant in London within 48 hours, and also now represents 20%of cases across the UK. Also, 41% of the country's population over the age of 12 has now received their booster shots.

• In Ireland, the gap of time before you can take the booster vaccine has been reduced to three months. Meanwhile, the Omicron variant is now thought to be responsible for 11% of cases in the country.
• Sports affected: Manchester United's game against Brentford was postponed after a "small number" tested positive. The Guardian noted there have been a record 42 positive tests recorded across the Premier League. Also, tennis player Emma Raducanu has tested positive for coronavirus.

STARK STATISTICS

Around 37% of Irish 20-year-olds are either overweight or obese, according to a new study.

The research also shows that over a fifth of men, and nearly a third of women, "had elevated scores on a measure of depressive symptoms".

The article covered many other aspects, and honestly made for a very interesting read.

MOST READ

• BBC News: PM faces big rebellion in Commons Covid vote
• The Guardian: Raab to claim overhaul of human rights law will counter 'political correctness'
• The Financial Times: UK Omicron infections running at 200,000 a day, says health agency
• Al Jazeera: China warns US it will 'strike back' for 'reckless' sanctions
• The Irish Times: Sinn Féin TD calls for Gerry Adams to apologise for Christmas sketch (below is the sketch for anyone wondering what the controversy is about. For anyone who isn't Irish, 'tiocfaidh ár lá', literally translates to 'our day will come', but is often used amongst Republicans. What they mean by it is, 'a United Ireland is coming'.

TWITTER TRENDS

#ElonMusk

Why? The controversial entrepreneur - and wealthiest man in the world - was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year on Monday, and it divided a lot of opinion.

Whatever you think of the decision, the article makes for quite an interesting read.

"The richest man in the world does not own a house and has recently been selling off his fortune. He tosses satellites into orbit and harnesses the sun; he drives a car he created that uses no gas and barely needs a driver. With a flick of his finger, the stock market soars or swoons."

#Ryanair

Why? Well... see for yourself.

REFERRALS AND REWARDS

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HATS OFF TO...

Kim Kardashian - who passed the 'baby bar' law exam on the fourth attempt.

"This wasn’t easy or handed to me. I failed this exam 3 times in 2 years, but I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!!!" - Kim Kardashian

ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

Oh Come All Ye Faithful... but remix it.