Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 7 Apr 2019

1. Theresa May to offer ‘Boris-locked’ Brexit deal to Corbyn

Theresa May is preparing to offer Jeremy Corbyn a soft Brexit deal with a “Boris lock” that would make it difficult for a future PM to scrap the agreement, reports The Sunday Times. Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph says donations to the Conservatives have “dried up” because members feel that May has betrayed them over Brexit.

2. Netanyahu vows to annex Jewish settlements as poll looms

Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if he is re-elected. In a dramatic and contentious policy shift, which The Observer says is aimed at rallying his nationalist base ahead of the election, he told an interviewer: “The question you are asking is an interesting question, whether we will move to the next stage and the answer is yes.”

3. Men earning £150,000+ outnumber women 5-1

Five times as many men as women earn more than £150,000 — and 10 times as many pocked more than £1m. In taxman data analysed by The Sunday Times, about 295,000 men earn more than £150,000 a year compared with only about 61,000 women. “This shows how men still have a stranglehold on the best-paid jobs,” said Ann Francke of the Chartered Management Institute.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. China hails ‘progress’ but US says ‘significant’ work remains

China says “new progress” has been made in trade talks with the US as the two nations prepare to resume discussions next week. Beijing added that remaining issues would be handled through “various effective means”. However, Washington has warned of “significant” work ahead, as they attempt to resolve a dispute that has rattled global financial markets.

5. Tory MP complains as police call for cannabis policy shift

Police chiefs have sparked controversy by suggesting that cannabis users should escape punishment if they are caught with the class B drug. Jason Harwin, in charge of drugs policy at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said there was “strong evidence” that such offending is better dealt with by “treatment” rather than “pursuing convictions”. Tory MP Tim Loughton said it was a “soft message”.

6. Tiger Roll wins back-to-back Grand Nationals at Aintree

Tiger Roll won the Grand National to become the first horse since Red Rum 45 years ago to win the Aintree meet back-to-back. However, there was anger after another horse, Up For Review, died after falling at the first jump. It was the third horse to die during this year's three-day meeting at Aintree.

7. New conspiracy theory claims Meghan isn't pregnant

Online conspiracy theorists are claiming that the Duchess of Sussex is not pregnant. The sceptics allege that her stomach has been boosted with a “moonbump” prosthetic that wobbles. One YouTube video, which claims to document “absolute proof” that the duchess’s pregnancy is a fake, has had more than 208,000 views. Some speculators say her pregnancy is part of a wider conspiracy involving global elites.

8. Libyan forces says they have control of main Tripoli airport

Forces loyal to Libyan army commander Khalifa Haftar say they have seized control of the main airport in the capital Tripoli. The announcement comes two days after the commander ordered his forces to take over the seat of the country's UN-backed government. World leaders have appealed for calm in Libya as the country teeters on the brink of another civil war.

9. Sally Challen enjoys freedom after being granted bail

Sally Challen has enjoyed her first day of freedom after being released on bail. A decade after being found guilty of murdering her “coercive” husband, she was granted conditional bail after entering a plea of “not guilty, but guilty to manslaughter”. Her sons, who have campaigned for her, said: “Every moment we now spend with her is so precious and we look forward to all of it.”

10. William ends secret three-week stint with security services

Kensington Palace has announced that the Duke of Cambridge has just finished a three-week stint at MI6, the security service, MI5, and GCHQ. Prince William spent a week with each agency in what he said was a “truly humbling experience”. The palace said the prince was able to see firsthand the “extraordinary work that staff across the security and intelligence agencies do”.