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⏳ Tuesday Fix: It's The Law

⏳ Tuesday Fix: It's The Law

Morning all,

Elizabeth Holmes has been found guilty, Prince Andrew waits to see if he faces his own trial, while gay people could finally be exonerated for historic 'crimes' related to their sexuality.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers


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ELIZABETH HOLMES FOUND GUILTY

Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of now disgraced Theranos, has been found guilty on four out of eleven charges of fraud.

According to multiple media reports, Holmes could face up to 20 years in jail.

What is this all about? Holmes was the CEO of Theranos, a company that claimed to have the technology to revolutionise blood testing with a finger prick. At one point, Holmes was widely celebrated, and Theranos was valued at more than $9 billion. A Stanford dropout who started the company at 19 years old, she became well known for her signature look of a black turtleneck, and an unusually deep voice.

What went wrong? In 2015, The Wall Street Journal published an article questioning the success of the technology, and accusing Theranos of using traditional technology behind the scenes. Holmes tried to fight off the scrutiny, but ultimately the image of a groundbreaking company fell apart.

Worth noting: The company had secured more than $400 million in investment, including from Rupert Murdoch.

Back to the trial: Holmes was convicted on four out of eleven charges, including conspiracy to defraud investors.  The jury deliberated for seven full days. Holmes is expected to appeal, and a date for sentencing has not yet been set.


A newborn baby found in the toilet bin of a plane is recovering in hospital.

Mauritius police arrested a 20-year-old woman from Madagascar. According to BBC News, the woman initially denied the newborn baby boy was hers, before a medical examination revealed she had recently given birth.

According to multiple reports, both the boy and the woman are doing well.


ON TODAY'S AGENDA...

Prince Andrew - and all of us - will learn today in a highly anticipated court hearing whether or not a judge will choose to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's civil lawsuit against him.

If the lawsuit is not dismissed a trial is expected to occur sometime between September and December of this year.

Remember: Virginia Giuffre filed the lawsuit in New York and is seeking unspecified damages. She has repeatedly claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on a number of occasions when she was 17. It is an accusation the prince has repeatedly denied.

What happened Monday? A 2009 confidential agreement between Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein was made public. It revealed Giuffre received $500,000, and agreed not to sue anyone connected to Epstein who could be perceived as a "potential defendant".

Prince Andrew's legal team will argue the 2009 settlement means Giuffre cannot sue him. We'll keep a close eye on this today.


PANDEMIC

In the US, more than 103,000 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus. It marks the first time in nearly four months that the figure is more than six figures.

Worth a read: Omicron stats are huge, but look beyond them

"The sheer weight of infections means while Omicron is milder, patient numbers in hospital have been going up. The total has doubled in just under a fortnight in England to more than 14,000. That, however, is still well under the 34,000 peak last winter when more than a third of beds were occupied by Covid patients." - Nick Triggle, BBC Health Correspondent

KEEPING AN EYE

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalised following a blockage in his intestine.

Worth noting: Back in 2018, Bolsonaro was stabbed while campaigning. He has suffered a number of medical issues ever since. According to the president, tests are being carried out to examine whether or not he requires surgery.  


A WORLD'S FIRST

Apple has become the first company in the world to be worth $3 trillion.

According to Yahoo! Finance, Miscrosoft "is also potentially on its way" to reaching the same milestone.


MOST READ


#HAVEYOURSAY

A number of girls' schools in England have updated their policies to state they will not grant entry to pupils who were born as a boy but identify as a girl.

According to a joint statement representing 25 schools, admissions will be based on "the prospective student’s legal sex as recorded on their birth certificate".


SOCIETAL SHIFTS

The UK Government has said anyone with a historical conviction for homosexual activity will be eligible for a full and automatic pardon.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she hoped it would "go some way to righting the wrongs of the past" and addressing many of the now abolished laws.

Have you ever heard of 'Turing's Law'? Alan Turing was the man who broke the Nazi code during WWII. While widely celebrated  and applauded for this after the war, in 1952 Turing - who was gay - was convicted of "gross indecency". He was sentenced to twelve months of hormone 'therapy'. The 2017 'Turing's Law' granted posthumous pardons for those convicted of homosexual crimes no longer illegal. While the law was welcomed, campaigners said what the law covered was too narrow.

Alan Turing

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

Police find cocaine worth nearly $9 million in mayor's truck

Where? Niger.


TWITTER TRENDS

#DavidBowie

Why? The late singer's entire music catalogue was sold to Warner Chapell Music. The deal is reportedly worth "upwards of $250 million".


ALSO TRENDING

#TristanThompson

Why? After weeks of speculation, a paternity test revealed Thompson did father a child with a former personal trainer. Thompson, a professional basketball player, has a child with Khloe Kardashian. He has cheated on her multiple times in the past, and was believed to have been with Khloe at the time when his newborn son was conceived.


TODAY MARKS...

Myanmar's Independence Day.

Here is a link to our recent piece: Myanmar - The Constant Struggle for Democracy.


ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

That Hollywood smile.