Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 4 May 2019

1. Tories tell May to set exit date after electoral drubbing

Senior Tories will tell Theresa May that she must set a date for her departure next week after the party lost more than 1,300 councillors. In its worst performance in local elections in almost a quarter of a century, the party saw its vote collapse in southern heartlands. However, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has called for unity, arguing that “a divided party cannot unite a divided nation”.

2. North Korea ‘fires missiles into sea,’ says South Korea

North Korea has fired short-range projectiles into the sea, according to South Korea’s military. The statement claimed the projectiles were fired from Wonsan on the east coast at around 9am local time on Saturday and flew up to 200km (125 miles) before landing in the ocean. If confirmed, it will be the first missile launch since Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017.

3. Begum ‘has nothing to do with us’, says Bangladesh

Islamic State bride Shamima Begum would face the death penalty for terrorism if she came to Bangladesh, says the country's foreign minister. Abdul Momen said that Begum has “nothing to do” with his country. The 19-year-old, who left the UK in 2015, was stripped of her British citizenship in February. However, it is illegal to deprive a person of citizenship if to do so would leave them stateless.

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. All survive as jet skids into the sea in Florida

All 143 passengers and crew escaped with their lives after a Boeing 737 plane skidded off a runway and ended up in a river during an attempted landing in Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said 21 adults had been taken to local hospitals. All were in good condition, none with critical injuries. The naval air station said the “mishap” would be investigated.

5. Israeli military kills four Palestinians in Gaza

The Israeli army has killed four Palestinians in Gaza. Two of the dead were Hamas militants who died in air strikes. The other two were protesters who were killed in clashes with Israeli troops along the border. The Israeli military said the air strikes were a response to gunfire from southern Gaza that wounded two of its soldiers.

6. Prison officers face new counter corruption taskforce

Prison officers who smuggle mobile phones and drugs into prisons will be targeted by a specialist taskforce that will tackle corruption in jails. The Counter Corruption Unit will pursue staff suspected of corrupt activity in prison and probation services. More than 2,500 prison staff have been subject to disciplinary action in the last five years - the most common reason was breach of security.

7. Police probing a new suspect in Madeleine McCann hunt

Portuguese police probing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are investigating a new kidnap suspect. On the 12th anniversary of her disappearance during a family holiday in Portugal on May 3, 2007, a leading Portuguese newspaper says police have been given extra resources to look at a “new clue” and a “new suspect”.

8. Government may make child vaccinations compulsory

The health secretary is considering making child vaccinations compulsory. Matt Hancock has accused anti-jab campaigners of having “blood on their hands” after it was revealed that almost 40,000 British parents have joined an online group calling for children to be left unimmunised. He said that he was “completely open to all options” on how to boost vaccination rates, including making immunisations compulsory.

9. Hacking bill for tabloid newspapers may reach £1bn

The legal bill for tabloid newspapers over phone hacking could reach as high as £1bn, says the group representing the victims. The publishers of the Sun and now-defunct News of the World and the Mirror Group have already had to pay nearly £500m in settlements to victims and other legal costs. “More and more victims contact us each year,” said anti-hacking campaigner Nathan Sparks.

10. CND activists boo Prince William at nuclear anniversary service

Protesters booed and heckled the Duke of Cambridge as he arrived at Westminster Abbey for a service to mark 50 years of the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines. Activists from CND shouted “shame on you” at the Duke. The anti-nuclear group argued that the service sent the message “that here in Britain we celebrate weapons, in a place of worship, that can kill millions of people”.