The Know Daily - Tuesday 9 April 2024

_{Read in 5m 24s ∙ Listening to The Marías ∙}

Canada is embarking on the biggest expansion of its publicly-funded healthcare system in decades, with around nine million women soon set to benefit from free contraception. The cost of diabetes medication will also be covered under the new system, with more drugs set to become available for free at a later date.

📮 Horizon latest

The next phase of the public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal begins today. 

What’s the scandal about?
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting relying on data from the faulty Horizon software, developed by Japanese company Fujitsu.

In what is widely regarded as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history, glitches in the Horizon system meant money looked as if it were missing from many branch accounts, when in fact it was not, explained The Independent. 

What’s happening today?
25 years after the first post office operators were wrongly convicted, former subpostmasters’ stories will be heard at the public inquiry, which launched in September 2020. Alan Bates - subject of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office - is set to take to the stand this morning.

Next month, former Post Office boss Paula Vennells - who handed back her CBE in January following public pressure - is set to give evidence under oath.

What’s the government doing to help? 
On 13 March, the government introduced new legislation to “swiftly exonerate and compensate” all victims, with the majority expected to have their names cleared by the end of July. But as The Guardian’s Jane Croft pointed out, lives have been “ruined” by the scandal. “You can’t compensate for lost time, you can’t buy back time,” she said.

So what do victims want from the inquiry?
“For the truth to come out,” says Croft. Key questions remain about what Post Office bosses, Fujitsu executives and government ministers knew about the faulty Horizon system - and when.

In 2017, 555 subpostmasters took legal action against the Post Office - and while it eventually agreed to pay them £58m in compensation, a draft report uncovered by the BBC shows the Post Office spent £100m fighting the group in court despite knowing its defence was untrue. 

Calls have also been growing for a police investigation into the scandal, with Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake recently saying that those responsible “should go to jail”.

🥫 Talking shop

Ethical shopping is on the rise in the UK, despite a sharp increase in the cost of living. 

How do we know this?
The group behind the Fairtrade certification - which ensures that producers receive a set minimum price and a financial bonus for community projects - reported an increase in its 2023 profits. 

As The Guardian explains, businesses can apply for a licence to use the logo on approved products for a fee - so as sales increase, fees to the foundation increase. It has said it expects to earn more than £13m in income from the UK in 2023, up slightly from £12.8m in 2022. 

What’s behind the rise?
A concern over the environment and “the treatment of farmers in poorer countries”, according to The Guardian.

Michael Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation trade body, said the increased profits showed that British shoppers “do not trade down on their values” during difficult economic times, noting the same trend during the financial crisis of 2008 to 2009. 

What’s the bigger picture?
Ethical shopping appears to be on the rise across the sector. Last month, a survey carried out for Big Issue found that 70% of respondents were more likely to buy products from brands actively promoting ethical and sustainable credentials. 

“Increasingly, consumers – particularly Gen Z – are concerned with honesty, transparency, integrity, and that the deeds and the words line up,” one retail expert told the magazine.

🤗 Hug a friend: Consensual touch can reduce pain, depression and anxiety, new research revealed. 

💬 Strong message: MPs have been told to be cautious when responding to unsolicited messages, after politicians and journalists were targeted in a recent “phishing” attack. 

🌡️ Global warming: A leading scientist told the BBC that climate change could move “into uncharted territory”, as March became the 10th record-breaking month in a row. 

🎲 Fair play: A new cooperative Scrabble has been launched to “bring people together” - and put an end to game night arguments. Interested?

📸 Total eclipse: Yesterday’s spectacular solar event has made for some seriously incredible pics.

Help your friends feel better about the news - and support The Know at the same time. Get them to sign up using your personalised code 👉 https://theknowmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER 👈 and we’ll reward you with goodies from HURR, Grubby and CRU Kafe!

The Know is an independent media company on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money out of the links and content we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Here are four ways you can support our work:

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in our content. Let’s get started with this one (or maybe this one!).

⭐ Become a friend of The Know - back independent, female-founded journalism for just £1.25 a week. You’ll also get exclusive editions, supporter-only giveaways and more.

⭐ Add us to your contacts or safe sender list - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

⭐ Shop our merch - support The Know and look great while doing it!

Trivia answer: C) You have a coalition of cheetahs, a colony of penguins and a conspiracy of lemurs. We’ll never get bored of collective nouns for animals. 

Need fewer emails? Click here to hear from us once a week.