The Know Daily - Tuesday 18 July 2023

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Brighten up your Tuesday by checking out the shortlisted entries for the 2023 Comedy Pet Photo awards. The competition’s mission is to promote awareness of animal welfare issues and celebrate the positive role that pets can play in our lives. With categories including “pets who look like their owners”, we couldn’t love this initiative more.

📝 Illegal Migration Bill gets go-ahead

The government’s controversial Illegal Migration Bill is set to become law after a final series of votes in the House of Lords.

Remind me what the bill is about?
The bill, also known as the small boats bill, will place a legal duty on the government to detain all those arriving in the UK illegally, deporting them to Rwanda or another “safe” third country.

The legislation is central to PM Rishi Sunak’s bid to “stop” small boats from crossing the English Channel but human rights campaigners have argued that it is unworkable, endangers modern slavery victims and could breach international law.

What happened last night?
“For weeks, MPs were locked in a battle over the final shape of the bill with the Lords, where it had repeatedly been amended by opposition peers,” explained the BBC. The government saw off further changes being sought to the bill, including greater modern slavery protections and detention time limits.

“The end of the stand-off between peers and MPs paves the way for the bill to receive royal assent,” the BBC added.

What next?
The bill allows for the swift removal of those travelling to the UK by illegal routes - but unless their home country is deemed safe, there is currently nowhere to deport them.

Last month, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful and that it was not a “safe third country”. Ministers are hopeful that the decision will be overturned by the Supreme Court in the autumn.

Is there anything else I should know?
This morning, the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge, which is set to accommodate 500 asylum seekers, docked in Dorset. Its arrival has been “opposed by the local MP and residents”, reported Sky News, but Downing Street has defended its use as a cheaper alternative to housing migrants in hotels.

 🎀 We’re really in a Barbie world

Greta Gerwig’s hotly-anticipated Barbie is out in cinemas this Friday, but Barbiecore has already taken the world by storm thanks to the film’s buzzworthy marketing campaign.

Sorry, Barbiecore?
From pink billboards just containing the film’s release date to an IRL Malibu DreamHouse on Airbnb, Barbie is everywhere at the moment. And that’s not to mention the 100+ brand collaborations, including Burger King’s pink burger and a Barbie-themed Xbox console.

“If you feel like you've been seeing Barbie everywhere, you're not imagining things,” said the BBC.

Why is this happening?
Much like Hasbro’s lucrative Transformers franchise, Barbie toymaker Mattel is looking to monetise the intellectual property (IP) of one of its most successful brands.

“The conventional wisdom is that if an escapist movie about the 64-year-old Barbie doll is a hit, Mattel’s Hot Wheels, Rock’Em’ Sock’ Em Robots and Polly Pocket could be next,” said NPR.

And how do consumers feel about it?
Some people are certainly finding it fantastic. #kenergy has racked up a whopping 13 billion views on Twitter, while Barbie World - a Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice rap song written for the movie’s soundtrack - is thought to have already broken streaming records.

Not everyone’s a fan though. “Is anyone else feeling bullied into being excited about the Barbie movie?” tweeted Succession actor J. Smith-Cameron.

Will all the hype pay off?
“The abundance of marketing partnerships might feel like oversaturation to some but marketers believe the various tie-in product launches and marketing campaigns will be a beneficial return on investment,” said Digiday.

Box office success seems like a dead cert at this point. While the film’s plot has been kept relatively under wraps, early reviews are overwhelmingly positive - and the movie is now predicted to gross $93 million on opening weekend.

Have you bought into the Barbie hype - or will you be relieved when it’s over? Hit reply to let us know!

🩺 Alzheimer’s hope: A global trial looking at the dementia drug donanemab has found that it slowed the pace of the disease by about a third. While the antibody medicine is not a cure, it may allow those with the disease to retain more of their day-to-day lives and tasks.

🇦🇺 Commonwealth chaos: Victoria, Australia, has pulled out from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to the projected cost of staging the 12-day sporting event. Questions remain over whether the tournament will now take place in a different location.

🍔 McDonald’s probe: A new BBC investigation has unveiled “a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying” at McDonald’s outlets, alleged by 100+ current and recent UK staff. The fast-food chain has “deeply apologised” and said it had “fallen short”.

🚂 Railing against closures: Five regional leaders are preparing to launch legal action against train companies following the news that almost all ticket offices are set to close. The politicians say the move will disproportionately impact elderly people and those with health conditions.

🍏 Apple auction: A first-generation iPhone has sold for £145,416 at a US auction - 300 times its purchase price. The 4GB model - which is still in its factory wrapping - cost around £457 when it was bought in 2007.

Trivia answer: A) Drop-off fees have increased by almost a third at UK airports over the past year, according to the RAC - and these are the airports with the heftiest charges.

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