Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 1 February 2022
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
- 1. ‘Updated’ report will be published
- 2. PM to travel to Ukraine
- 3. 100% chance of interest rate rise
- 4. NHS vaccine mandate scrapped
- 5. Biden makes appeal to Taliban
- 6. Masked flights expected for years
- 7. 669 child protection referrals per day
- 8. Goldberg apologises for Holocaust remark
- 9. ‘Witch hat’ banker awarded £2m
- 10. NYT snaps up Wordle
1. ‘Updated’ report will be published
Downing Street has confirmed that an updated report on lockdown parties will be published by Sue Gray once the Met Police finish their inquiries. Speaking in the Commons yesterday, the PM initially declined to say whether the report would be published in full, but No. 10 later clarified that Boris Johnson would “ask Sue Gray to update her work in light of what is found”, reported the BBC. Gray’s initial report has left Johnson “desperately trying to shore up his premiership”, said The Guardian. The Met confirmed that detectives are investigating 12 Downing Street events, including a party in the PM’s private flat.
Sue Gray report published: can Boris Johnson hang on?
2. PM to travel to Ukraine
Boris Johnson will travel to Ukraine today for talks with the country’s president, amid rising concerns over a possible Russian invasion. The PM has promised to work with Volodymyr Zelensky to find a diplomatic solution to arguments with Moscow and “avoid further bloodshed”, said the BBC. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has said Russian oligarchs and key supporters of Vladimir Putin will have “nowhere to hide” if Russia invades Ukraine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The global fallout of a war between Russia and Ukraine
3. 100% chance of interest rate rise
The markets are betting that the Bank of England will implement back-to-back interest rate rises for the first time since 2004, said The Times. Futures markets have priced in a 100% chance that the central bank will increase its base rate by 0.25% to 0.5% when the monetary policy committee meets on Thursday. The policymakers are trying to stem soaring prices after inflation rose to 5.4%. Consumer advice expert Martin Lewis has warned that this could affect homeowners paying off a variable rate mortgage.
Interest rates: why the long era of ever-cheaper finance is finally over
4. NHS vaccine mandate scrapped
The government has announced it will abandon an order forcing all NHS staff in England to get vaccinated against Covid. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, confirmed the move in a statement to MPs on Monday evening, saying he believes “it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment by statute”. Data published last week by NHS England showed that 127,515 NHS and domiciliary care staff working in registered settings had not received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of 23 January.
The government’s step-by-step plan for ‘new chapter’ of Covid
5. Biden makes appeal to Taliban
Joe Biden appeared to offer the Taliban a pathway towards legitimacy if they released Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran and civil engineer who was taken hostage by a Taliban-allied militia nearly two years ago. “The Taliban must immediately release Mark before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy. This is not negotiable,” the US president said on Monday. Washington has repeatedly told the Taliban it will have to “earn” legitimacy before being recognised by the international community, said AFP.
Afghanistan aid efforts ‘falling short’ as winter crisis escalates
6. Masked flights expected for years
The requirement to wear a face mask during a flight could remain an official policy for years, experts have said. The Times explained that different rules around the world will make it almost impossible for airlines to move individually in allowing passengers to travel without masks. A senior aviation source said that “until there is a harmonised lifting of mask mandates on flights by governments worldwide it is simpler for airlines to keep the rules in place”.
7. 669 child protection referrals per day
Police made an average of 669 child protection referrals to social services every day last year because of incidents of domestic abuse across England and Wales, reported The Guardian. Charities are urging deputy prime minister Dominic Raab to ensure all child victims of domestic abuse have access to specialist, therapeutic services in the community to support their recovery. “Domestic abuse can derail a childhood and it is unacceptable that support… remains patchy across the country,” said the NSPCC.
8. Goldberg apologises for Holocaust remark
Whoopi Goldberg has apologised for saying that the Holocaust “was not about race” on a US talk show. The actress said on ABC’s The View that the Nazi genocide of the Jews involved “two groups of white people”, but campaigners pointed out that Hitler had expressed his hatred of the Jews in racial terms and that the Nazis believed themselves an Aryan “master race”. “Holocaust distortion is dangerous”, tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, leader of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish anti-hate watchdog.
‘Jews don’t count?’: the debate about racism and anti-Semitism
9. ‘Witch hat’ banker awarded £2m
A City banker has been awarded more than £2m for discrimination – thought to be one of the largest pay-outs awarded by an English tribunal for a finding of unequal pay based on gender, said The Times. Stacey Macken, 50, sued the City office of BNP Paribas, claiming that colleagues repeatedly belittled her and even left a witch’s hat on her desk after a “drinking session”. Macken said that over a four-year period she received hundreds of thousands of pounds less than her male peers in salary and bonuses, but when she raised the issue she was treated unfairly.
How bad is the gender inequality gap in healthcare?
10. NYT snaps up Wordle
The New York Times has acquired the viral word game Wordle for an undisclosed seven-figure sum. Wordle gives players just six guesses to determine a five-letter word that changes every day. The game is the brainchild of Josh Wardle, a former Reddit software engineer based in Brooklyn, New York. It was initially popular in his family’s WhatsApp group, but has attracted millions of players in recent weeks. Some Wordle fans responded to the news of the acquisition with concern that the newspaper would move the puzzle behind a paywall.
Wordle: the once-a-day word game taking quizzing by storm
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Who are undecided voters, anyway?
Talking Points They might decide the presidential election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%
Speed Read The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona kicks off swing-state early voting
Speed Read The voting began with less than a month to go before the presidential election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published