UK Politics
— Senior MPs agreed to work for a fictitious South Korean firm for £10,000 a day. Despite their actions being within proper conduct, receiving payment from a foreign entity could result in significant ethical and legal concerns for them.
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PartyGate
— The Privileges Committee will rule on whether former PM Boris Johnson misled Parliament in May. If guilty, it can impose punishments from written apologies to salary deduction and suspension, triggering a recall petition and a by-election.
France
— France raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, causing protests and strikes. The reform is to prevent a pension deficit. Other countries are also raising their retirement ages.
Public Health
— Good Law Project investigation reveals £246.6m wasted on 126 million unusable COVID tests procured by the Department of Health and Social Care from six companies, four via VIP Lane.
War in Ukraine
— The UN announced the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate safe exports of grain and related products from Ukrainian seaports. It has helped stabilise global food prices.
UK Politics
— The incident has been widely reported and discussed in the media recently, yet for clarity, here is an overview of the dispute that has captivated the BBC for days and started when Gary Lineker tweeted his views on the government's new immigration legislation.
Free Speech
— Former BBC Director General believes the BBC’s suspension of Gary Lineker from hosting Match of the Day is a grave mistake and will be seen as an act of government pressure.
Georgia
— People took to the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia to protest a new law threatening efforts to join the European Union.
PartyGate
— Good Law Project can’t appeal in the case of Partygate discrepancies involving the Metropolitan Police and Boris Johnson, highlighting the need for equality under the law.
Brexit
— How much interest is there among the British public for the historic Brexit deal on Northern Ireland and the EU Single Market?
Marburg Virus
— WHO is investigating a Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea; sending experts, providing resources, and establishing local lab facilities to identify the source and control the spread.
COVID-19 Rules
— Good Law Project has issued a warning to the Metropolitan Police, challenging their reluctance to investigate Matt Hancock in the apparent breaches of the coronavirus regulations by the former Health Secretary.
War in Ukraine
— Rishi Sunak has asked MoD to explore providing Ukraine with RAF fighter jets. No options should be discounted, but an expert suggests transferring UK fighter aircraft makes little military sense.
COVID-19
— The need for lung transplants in the United States has risen due to COVID-19, with 10% of all lung transplants now needed to treat those affected by the virus.
2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake
— After a series of devastating earthquakes hit Central and Eastern Turkey and the Syrian border region this week, more than 40 countries and territories have sent or are about to send teams in response to provide relief aid.
What The Experts Say
— Science experts comment on the cabinet reshuffle and the creation of four new departments.
