Steve McGookinHancock quits in wake of “leaked video”
An investigation is to be launched after UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned following the “leak” of video footage from his office which was published by The Sun. The newspaper said the material came from a “concerned Whitehall whistleblower.”
Hancock, who had been in charge of the Department of Health for three years, apologized in a video tweet for his apparent hypocrisy, saying the government owes it to “people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down”.
In what may have been a joke in his resignation letter, Hancock thanked Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his “unwavering support”. Former Home Secretary and Chancellor Sajid Javid was named the new Health Secretary.
Meanwhile, this week saw the five-year anniversary of the Brexit referendum, with Britain seemingly no closer to articulating the benefits it can expect or the path to achieving them. If you have any ideas on how to do so, there’s a job for you…
Here in Northern Ireland, the DUP confirmed Sir Jeffrey Donaldson as the fifth leader in its history, replacing Edwin Poots who resigned last week. It’s unsure how long Poots’s appointee as First Minister, Paul Givan, might remain in post.
See Also:
Elections Point To Fraught Paths Ahead
What Happens If Alliance Comes Second?
Poll Points To Trouble For DUP, Opportunity For Other Parties
A New Northern Ireland Youth Assembly Gives Cause For Hope
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Global concerns grow over Covid Delta Variant
The World Health Organization this week urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as concerns grew about the spread of the Delta Variant. WHO officials said the variant, first found in India but now in more than 90 countries, is the “fastest and fittest” coronavirus strain yet, and is becoming the dominant strain of the disease worldwide.
In Australia, a surge in Delta infections led Sydney to begin a two-week lockdown this weekend.
In the US, vaccination efforts have reportedly “hit a wall” in Southern parts of the country just at a time of mounting concern that Delta is gaining a foothold.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned this week that Europe “is on thin ice” in dealing with the spread of the variant, while in the UK daily new cases rose this week to the highest level since February
Along with the crowds at the Euros, Covid fears couldn’t dampen this week’s Pride celebrations around the world…
See Also:
Lobbying For Lung Health In The Time Of Covid
The Impact Of Covid On Farming And Food Production (2020)
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With Chauvin sentencing, race remains America’s divider
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of the murder of George Floyd last May, was sentenced to 22½ years in prison. The US continues to struggle with issues surrounding police reform and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Mark Milley, was attacked from the right this week for comments about Critical Race Theory and “white rage” that he made to a congressional hearing.
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‘We Are Able To Breathe Again…’
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Biden orders airstrikes near Iraq-Syria border
The Pentagon said on Sunday that at President Biden’s direction, US forces had conducted “defensive precision airstrikes” against what it described as “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.” A Defence Department spokesman said the militias had used the facilities to launch drone attacks on US troops in Iraq.
See Also:
Trump’s Iran Move Upends The Chess Board (2020)
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Many still missing in Florida building collapse
The search for survivors of the dramatic collapse of an apartment building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, moved into its fifth day on Monday. So far, nine people have been confirmed dead, with 152 still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile…
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