⏳ Tuesday Fix: In or out?
Morning all,
ASOS' chief is out, Austria's new chancellor is in, Superman comes out, while Poland insists they want to stay in.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
MONDAY'S MAIN LINES
ASOS’ chief executive resigned with immediate effect, as the fast fashion company warns its 2022 profits could fall by as much as third.
Why? Well, a lot of it is down to consumer habits going back to normal post pandemic. However, "Brexit and supply chain problems" were also cited as reasons by The Financial Times.
*Here is a link to a fascinating article about this - 'curse of ASOS strikes again as profit forecast and share price tumble'.
Austria has a new chancellor.
Alexander Schallenberg was chosen by Sebastian Kurz to replace him, days after Kurz resigned amid an ongoing corruption scandal.
Remember: Kurz has been accused of misusing public funds to garner positive media coverage. While he resigned as chancellor, he remains the governing party's leader, and his influence is expected to continue in the background.
What do we need to know about Schallenberg? While he has been the country's foreign minister since 2019 and is widely considered a "career diplomat", Euronews described him as a "relative political novice". He is 54-years-old, the son of a former ambassador, and a person Kurz previously described as "one of the most talented ministers" he knew.
Alexander Schallenberg is sworn in as Austria's new chancellor after his predecessor, Sebastian Kurz, resigned abruptly over a corruption scandalhttps://t.co/PAxCYegZGc
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 11, 2021
Manchester City footballer, Benjamin Mendy, has been refused bail for a third time.
Remember: The footballer has been accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third within the last year. One of the alleged victims is under the age of 18. He is expected to stand trial alongside a co-accused in January, 2022.
#MCFC footballer Benjamin Mendy has been refused bail ahead of his trial for rape and sexual assault.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 11, 2021
ON TODAY'S AGENDA...
Ireland's budget is due to be announced later today. RTÉ News leads with a headline saying it will include a €4.7bn package, €1bn of that being "new spending," and €500m in tax cuts.
*Here is a very comprehensive article, with all of the key details expected to be outlined later today.
PIN DROP - WHAT'S GOING ON IN POLAND?
Last Thursday, a top court in Poland ruled that key EU laws were "incompatible" with the Polish constitution.
Why does it matter? The ruling effectively rejects a core EU principle - that EU law has primacy over national legislation.
"The main reason the bloc is more powerful than other international organisations is that its law is enforced by national courts and has primacy when there is a clash between EU law and national law. This means that individuals can rely on EU law in their local court and can enforce it against their own government." Ronan McCrea, The Irish Times
Worth noting: It was Poland's prime minister who brought the legal challenge to the court. As BBC News noted, it represented the first time in the European Union's history that the leader of a member state brought questions like this to a court.
What happens next? The Irish Times described the move as a "far greater threat to the EU than Brexit". While some believe the ruling could pave the way for the country to leave the EU, the prime minister has denied this.
Polish Reaction: Poles backing EU membership have protested across the country, in around 100 towns and cities - with 100,000 protestors gathering in the capital, Warsaw, over the weekend.
EU Reaction: The EU Commission will analyse the ruling before deciding what action to take. Last Friday, the Commission warned it would use all its powers to bring Poland into line with EU Law. These powers are predominantly financial - such as the imposition of fines and withholding funding.
SOCIETAL SHIFTS
DC Comics revealed its latest Superman - Jon Kent, a son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane - is bisexual and in a same-sex relationship.
Meanwhile, a new law in California will require large department stores to provide a gender neutral aisle of toys and "childcare items" as an option in their stores.
PANDEMIC
- In England, pregnant women now account for a fifth of all critically ill coronavirus patients. The latest figures show a "damning indictment of the lack of attention" given to this group of the population, according to the National Childbirth Trust.
- The decisions made by the UK government at the beginning of the first wave in 2020 is considered "one of the most important public health failures the United Kingdom has ever experienced," according to a new report by MPs. As BBC News pointed out, the report was not just critical - it praised the country's vaccination rollout.
MOST READ
- BBC News: UK's early Covid response was a failure - inquiry
- The Guardian: Covid response 'one of UK's worst ever public health failures'
- The Financial Times: Gas shortages: what is driving Europe's energy crisis?
- Al Jazeera: Brazil's Bolsonaro says he is 'bored' with Covid death questions
- The Irish Times: Electrician leaked image with Garda intelligence data of 108 people, court hears
#NowYouKnow
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ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
What kind of wizardry is this?