Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 6 Mar 2019

1. Javid meets police chiefs for knife crime talks

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is today meeting the heads of the seven police forces most affected by violent crime to discuss the recent spate of stabbings among teenagers. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May insisted there was no link between stabbings and falling police numbers but Met Police head Cressida Dick publicly disagreed.

2. Home Office ‘still failing’ Windrush generation

The Home Office is still failing the undocumented long-term UK residents known as the Windrush generation, ten months after the Government apologised for their treatment, a parliamentary report has concluded. The department has shown a “lack of care” and its officials are still not treating the crisis they caused with sufficient urgency.

3. ‘Letter bombs’ sent to London from Ireland

Three improvised explosive devices sent in the mail to Heathrow Airport, City Airport and Waterloo Station are thought to have come from the Republic of Ireland. The devices in yellow Jiffy bags inside plastic envelopes were capable of igniting a small fire when opened but police believe they were not intended to kill. Irish police are assisting.

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4. Report: market forces ‘will not save cash’

The Government must step in to ensure that paying by cash is still possible in the next few years, an independent report has concluded. Cash use has declined dramatically since 2014 and was overtaken by debit card use in 2016. The report, by former financial ombudsman Natalie Ceeney, warns that market forces will not keep cash viable.

5. North Korea rebuilds rocket launch site

Satellite images show that North Korea has been rebuilding a missile launch site it began to dismantle as a goodwill gesture after the first summit between US President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un last year. Reconstruction of the Tongchang-ri launch site began shortly before the failed summit in Hanoi last week.

6. Reality TV star Kylie Jenner hits $1bn mark

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner, the younger sister of Kim Kardashian, has beaten Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s record to become the youngest self-made dollar billionaire of all time. The 21-year-old earned most of her fortune from her cosmetics company. Jeff Bezos remains the world’s richest man, according to Forbes magazine.

7. Cambridge to give less affluent a second chance

Cambridge University is to give less affluent applicants a second chance to gain admission if they exceed their predicted A level results, in an attempt to ensure diversity in its students. Previously, young people who did better than expected would have to take a gap year and reapply, which was not a viable option for poorer applicants.

8. Utility firms to guarantee no potholes for five years

Firms that dig up public roads will have to guarantee their repairs keep the tarmac free of potholes for five years under proposals from the Department for Transport. At the moment, they are required to keep the roads intact for just two years. A spokesman for the sector warned that the plans might not be “proportionate” to the industry.

9. R Kelly breaks down denying sex assaults

R Kelly broke down in tears on CBS yesterday as he denied the ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse, some against minors, he is currently facing. The 52-year-old R&B singer, who was released on bail, said the claims are “rumours” and “not true”. He told interviewer Gayle King he was “fighting for my f**king life”.

10. Briefing: why the Cook Islands wants to change its name

The Cook Islands is set to cut its colonial ties by changing the island nation’s name to one that reflects its Polynesian culture.

The South Pacific archipelago, a self-governing associated state of New Zealand, has borne the name of British explorer James Cook since the early 1800s, despite having been inhabited by Polynesian peoples since the sixth century.

Why the Cook Islands wants to change its name