Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 23 May 2019

1. Theresa May ‘will step down on Friday’

Theresa May has decided to quit as prime minister and will announce her decision on Friday, The Times reports. Other newspapers agree that May has few options left after Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom resigned from Cabinet yesterday, saying she no longer believed the PM would “deliver on the referendum result”.

2. Britons go to the polls for EU election

An election that wasn’t supposed to happen takes place today, with Britons voting to elect MEPs to the European Parliament, months after the country was expected to have quit the bloc. Voters will choose 73 members in nine constituencies in England, and one in each of the other UK nations. Polls will stay open until 10pm tonight.

3. Green to close 23 stores and axe 520 jobs

Fashion tycoon Sir Philip Green is to close 23 Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Topshop stores as part of a rescue plan, putting 520 jobs at risk. Green, a controversial figure following the collapse of BHS with huge pension debts, also plans to shut all 11 Topshop outlets in the US. The pensions regulator has expressed doubts about the plan.

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4. Indian election: Modi poised for landslide win

Early counts of votes suggests India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on course for a landslide victory in the world’s biggest-ever election. Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was expected to win enough seats to govern in coalition with smaller parties, but early results suggest it has exceeded expectations and will be able to rule alone.

5. Afghan public health chief granted asylum

A senior Afghan government official has been granted sanctuary in the UK after being kidnapped and tortured by the Taliban. Dr Mohammad Haqmal, 42, is a public health chief of international standing who has promoted medical treatment in remote areas. He says his case raises issues about deporting asylum seekers to Afghanistan.

6. Banned CFC gases traced to Chinese homes

An international team of researchers say they have pinpointed the major sources of a mysterious recent rise in illegal CFC gases. The ozone-destroying chemical was banned under an international protocol in 1987 but is still being released into the atmosphere. The team believe much of the problem is down to the production of home insulation inside China.

7. Royal Navy captain removed from ship over ‘company car’ row

The captain of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has been flown off his ship, anchored near Edinburgh, amid claims that he ignored rules about not using his MoD car for personal trips. Commodore Nick Cooke-Priest is being investigated after it was alleged that thousands of miles on the clock of his Ford Galaxy have not been accounted for.

8. Healthy dog put down and buried with owner

Reports that a healthy dog was put down to fulfill its owner dying wish that their ashes be buried together have sparked a furious debate in Virginia. Pets are regarded as property property in the US state, so what happened was perfectly legal. An animal shelter tried to change the mind of the executor of the woman’s will, to no avail.

9. Revised Eurovision scores see UK ranked lower still

The organisers of the Eurovision song contest have issued revised scores for this year’s contest that mean UK entry, which was already in last place, receives five points fewer. The organisers say they calculated the original scoring incorrectly. The changes do not affect the songs in the top four, with the Netherlands still the winner.

10. Briefing: is facial recognition technology safe?

The first major legal challenge to the use of automated facial recognition (AFR) surveillance by British police begins this week.

Supporters claim facial recognition technology “will boost the safety of citizens and could help police catch criminals and potential terrorists”, reports The Daily Telegraph. But critics have labelled it “Orwellian” and say police have not been “transparent” about how they will use the data.

Is facial recognition technology safe?