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ABC News
ABC News
National
Emily Sakzewski

The Loop: UK's government is in crisis, fourth COVID-19 dose announced, and why teens are dressing up for the movies

Hello, it's Thursday, July 7. Here's what you need to get caught up on today's news.

One thing to know: UK government is a crisis

More than 50 members of the UK government have now resigned as the calls grow for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign.

Boris Johnson's political survival is hanging by a thread. (Reuters: Justin Tallis)

Mr Johnson has so far rejected calls for his resignation from his cabinet and across the Conservative Party.

A group of Mr Johnson's most trusted cabinet ministers visited him at Downing Street on Wednesday, telling him to stand down after losing the trust of his party.

Instead. Mr Johnson reportedly dug in his heels and fired one of the cabinet officials, Michael Gove.

Here's what could happen next:

  • Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford said Mr Johnson couldn't continue because his government hasn't got enough ministers to attend to regular parliament business.
  • Most cabinet officials remain in their positions, but a mass walkout could force his hand if that leaves him unable to run a functioning government. 
  • If Mr Johnson still refuses to resign, the Conservatives could oust him by potentially triggering a new no-confidence vote. He survived a vote on June 6 and under the current rules, a year must pass before another formal leadership challenge can take place.
  • An 1922 Committee has the power to rewrite the party rules to allow a fresh confidence vote within a shorter time frame, and the committee could decide as early as Monday whether to do that.
  • Of course, Mr Johnson could also resign before then.

We also heard a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose will be more widely available 

Here are the details:

  • Australians aged 30 and older are now eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, if they choose to have it.
  • National immunisation body ATAGI specifically recommended the shot for people over 50.
  • Health Minister Mark Butler said the fourth dose would be available from July 11 (next Monday).
  • The fourth dose was already available to people aged over 65, aged care residents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and older, people with a disability, the immunocompromised and anyone over 16 with a medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19.
  • ATAGI did not support making the dose available for people under 30, unless they were already eligible.
  • For those who are eligible, you'll have to wait three months from your last booster to get another dose.

The news Australia is searching for

  • Elon Musk: The Tesla boss had twins with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his neurotechnology firm Neuralink, in November last year, Business Insider has reported
  • Monkeypox: More than 6,000 cases have now been reported from 58 countries in the current outbreak. The World Health Organization will meet by July 18 to discuss declaring the outbreak a global health emergency.
  • Simon Clark: The Australian cycling veteran has won the fifth stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish.
Simon Clarke says winning his first Tour de France stage is a dream come true. (Getty Images: Tim de Waele)

News you might have missed

  • Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has ordered the Commonwealth to drop charges against Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery, four years after he was charged with conspiring to release classified information about an alleged spying operation in East Timor.
  • Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has praised China as a "worthy partner" during a national Independence Day speech. The PM didn't mention Australia by name, or single the country out for thanks, but appeared to reference the recent tension between the two nations.

One more thing: Teens have been banned from wearing suits to the new Minions movie

This is a curly one so stick with us.

If you've seen groups of teenagers wearing suits to the movies, the odds are they're off to see Minions: The Rise of Gru.

It's a viral trend that's infiltrated cinemas around the world, causing box office records to be broken and some businesses to even refuse entry to movie goers wearing suits.

Here's what you need to know:

  • Young men have posted TikToks wearing formal attire to sessions of the latest Minions flick to, in their words, give this piece of high-art cinema the respect it deserves.
  • The film is the second Minions spin-off from the Despicable Me franchise, which already has three films (and a fourth on the way).
  • The trend has been dubbed #GentleMinions and has gone viral, infiltrating cinemas across the world.

  • Due to the rowdy behaviour sparked by the movement, some cinemas have started refusing groups in formal attire entry to screenings of the film.

  • However, some cinemas have embraced the boost in sales and are running dedicated #GentleMinion screenings.

  • The film made $3.7 million in Australia on its opening weekend. However, in the US, it smashed the record for the most successful film to be released over the July 4 weekend, earning $187 million during its opening weekend.

  • The suit trend has surged the franchise to new heights and created a phenomenon that marketing agencies will struggle — and probably fail — to recreate.

That's it for now

We'll be back tomorrow with more.

ABC/wires

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