Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 26 Apr 2019

1. Sri Lanka attacks: police hunting 140 suspects

Police in Sri Lanka are hunting for 140 suspects believed to have links with Islamic State, after the terror group claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 253 people. President Maithripala Sirisena said youths have been involved with the group since 2013 but insisted that defence and police chiefs had not warned him of threats of an attack.

2. Inquiry over leak of security talks on Huawei

The head of the civil service has written to ministers demanding cooperation with efforts to find out who leaked details of a meeting of the National Security Council at which it was decided to let Chinese tech firm Huawei play a role in setting up Britain’s 5G network. Details of the meeting were published by The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

3. Prince William visits NZ terror attack mosque

Prince William today visited one of the New Zealand mosques where a self-described white supremacist killed 42 people in March. The Prince travelled to New Zealand at the request of the country’s leader, Jacinda Ardern, and is representing the Queen. He made a speech at the Masjid Al Noor and met victims of the attacks.

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4. Two hurt in Port Talbot steelworks explosion

Two people have been hurt in a “massive blast” at 3.30am today in the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales. Tata Steel, which owns the plant, said the explosion originated in a train that carries molten metal and said two employees were “slightly injured when there was a spillage of liquid iron”.

5. North Korea ‘wanted $2m for US student’

A former US official has claimed North Korea demanded $2m (£1.5m) in return for releasing US student Otto Warmbier in 2017. The source says US President Donald Trump agreed to pay the bill, supposedly for medical costs. Imprisoned for trying to steal a poster, the student was returned but was in a coma and died three days later.

6. Farah ‘was victim’ of attack in Ethiopia

Sir Mo Farah’s coach has disputed claims by Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie that the British athlete attacked a man and woman in the gym at a hotel owned by Gebrselassie in Addis Ababa. Coach Gary Lough said Farah was acting in self defence. Meanwhile, one of the alleged victims said Farah had kicked him but denied the assertion that he had also hit his wife.

7. Two degrees now needed to get higher wages

Young graduates now need two degrees if they want to see a significant advantage in earnings over those who do not undergo tertiary education, new figures from the Department of Education suggest. Up to the age of 30, postgraduates typically earn £9,000, or about 40%, more per year than those without any degree – compared with a £4,500 gap between those with an undergraduate degree and non-graduates.

8. Crossrail to be ‘finished’ by March 2021

London’s beleaguered Crossrail project will be completed some time between October 2020 and March 2021 but without the new Bond Street station, which will open later, transport chiefs say. They warned that these timings were uncertain, however. The £17.6bn project was due to open last December and is now over budget by more than £2bn.

9. Researchers find sleep heals self-esteem

Researchers in Holland have found that a good night’s sleep helps us to overcome embarrassing experiences, by rationalising them and moving on. By contrast, people with insomnia wake in the same state of low self-esteem, which in turn makes it harder to sleep the following night, according to the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.

10. Briefing: why internet users in Austria face losing their anonymity

The Austrian government is considering controversial new legislation that would strip internet users of their anonymity.

If passed by the parliament and granted EU approval, the Bill is due to come into force in 2020. So who could be affected, and how?

Why internet users in Austria face losing their anonymity