The Know Daily - Monday 24 July 2023

_{Monday 24 July ∙ Read in 5m 20s ∙ Listening to Grace Jones}

More than 350 endangered seahorses have been released into Sydney Harbour to boost population numbers. Scientists from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science released the juvenile White’s seahorses - which were listed as endangered in 2020 - with microscopic tags, so they can keep track of their survival.

🇪🇸 Spain’s election deadlock

Spain’s snap general election has resulted in no party winning a clear majority, after voters headed to the polls on Sunday.

What’s the story?
With all votes counted, the conservative People’s party (PP) had won 136 seats, and the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers party (PSOE) had taken 122. The PP’s potential coalition partner, the far-right Vox party, took 33 seats, while the PSOE’s potential partners in the far-left Sumar alliance were in fourth place with 31 seats.

“The count showed that the political hue of the next government is far from a foregone conclusion, with the left and right blocs running almost neck and neck in their race to get as close to 176 seats as possible,” explained The Guardian.

So who will form the next government?
It’s not yet clear. The leaders of both main parties claimed victory, with the PP’s Alberto Núñez Feijóo saying he was “very proud” of the result. But incumbent Pedro Sánchez, who called the snap general election after performing badly in local and regional elections, said the “reactionary” parties of the Spanish right had failed at the polls.

And how did the far-right perform?
Not as well as expected. The anti-LGBT rights and anti-immigration Vox party made headlines in the weeks leading up to the election, as their success would have returned a far-right party to the Spanish government for the first time since Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. But yesterday, Vox picked up 33 seats, down on the 52 they previously held.

So what happens next?
Given that there’s no easy path for rightwing or leftwing coalitions to form a government, weeks of political wrangling are expected.

Writing in El País, journalist Xosé Hermida said the results leave Spain in a “labyrinth” - and the possibility of fresh elections cannot be ruled out.

 👩‍💼 Flexible working FTW

A new law is set to strengthen workers’ rights to request flexible working arrangements - and equality campaigners say it could help close the gender pay gap.

What’s the story?
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in the House of Lords earlier this month.

The legislation gives workers the legal right to request flexible working from day one of a new job (as opposed to after 26 weeks under the current law). It also puts the onus on employers to explain why such arrangements wouldn’t work.

Why is this a big deal?
Journalist and campaigner Anna Whitehouse said the shift is “not just possible but essential to close the gender pay gap”. Numerous studies have found that women are much more likely to request flexible working arrangements than men, for example due to caring responsibilities.

Deloitte’s 2022 Women at Work report found that 94% of women believe that asking for flexible working will impact their career progression - and campaigners hope that the law change will help normalise such arrangements and reduce stigma.

Writing for Stylist earlier this year, MP Yasmin Qureshi - who introduced the bill to parliament - said the legislation would also support “new parents, unpaid carers and disabled people”.

What’s the bigger picture?
The pandemic brought about a massive shift in working arrangements - and, as the BBC has pointed out, “workers and employers have been locking horns over the return to office” for nearly three years now.

In April, JPMorgan Chase announced that it would be requiring executives to return to the office five days a week. And this time last year, Sports Direct owner Frasers Groups scrapped working from home, with an internal memo claiming that some were “not treating Friday as a working day”.

🔥 Greece wildfires: Authorities have issued fresh evacuation orders for parts of Corfu and Evia, after wildfires in Rhodes prompted the biggest evacuation in Greek history.

🔬 Long Covid latest: A new study has found that periods make long Covid symptoms worse in nearly half of patients. Researchers at Imperial College London said their findings could help to improve understanding about the causes of long Covid.

🐦 Goodbye bird: Twitter owner Elon Musk has said that he wants to replace the social media platform’s iconic logo with an “X”, saying it “should have been done a long time ago”. Check out the anticipated rebrand here.

🥃 Cheers: Whisky made in Wales has been awarded protected geographical indication (UK GI) status. A total of 20 food and drinks have been officially protected in the country, including Welsh lamb.

📽️ Movie magic: The social media-driven mashup of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as “Barbenheimer” pulled in the crowds over the weekend. Barbie made history with the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman, while Oppenheimer also surpassed expectations.

Trivia answer: C) With Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift has surpassed a previous record set by Barbra Streisand - who had 11 No. 1 albums.

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