Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 11 Jun 2019
- 1. Leadership rivals attack Johnson’s tax pledge
- 2. MPs call for ban on legal ‘gagging clauses’
- 3. Murdered Kim Jong-nam ‘was CIA informant’
- 4. Torrential rain opens up sinkhole on M25
- 5. Nicola Sturgeon to hold talks with EU leaders
- 6. British teenagers killed in car crash in Bolivia
- 7. Hundreds of execution sites ‘found in North Korea’
- 8. Fatal helicopter crash in NYC
- 9. Amazon: we will always need human staff
- 10. Briefing: how big is England’s North-South divide?
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
1. Leadership rivals attack Johnson’s tax pledge
Several candidates to be the next leader of the Conservatives – and the UK’s next prime minister – have attacked rival Boris Johnson’s pledge to cut tax for higher earners. Rory Stewart warned against “cheap electoral bribes”, while Michael Gove said he would never “give the already wealthy another tax cut” if he were PM.
2. MPs call for ban on legal ‘gagging clauses’
The cross-party Women and Equalities Select Committee has called for a ban on legal “gagging clauses”, used by companies to silence employees who make allegations of discrimination and harassment. The MPs said the agreements can have a “destructive effect on people’s lives” and are being used to “cover up unlawful and criminal behaviour”.
3. Murdered Kim Jong-nam ‘was CIA informant’
The half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un who was murdered in Malaysia in 2017 was a CIA informant, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper cites a “person knowledgeable about the matter” who said that Kim Jong Nam met with operatives from the US intelligence agency. Two women charged with his killing were freed earlier this year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
4. Torrential rain opens up sinkhole on M25
London’s orbital motorway, the M25, was closed in both directions last night after torrential rain caused two sinkholes to open up on its central reservation. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain over the next few days, saying that flooding and travel disruption are likely in the Midlands and the North.
5. Nicola Sturgeon to hold talks with EU leaders
Nicola Sturgeon is to hold talks with EU leaders as she makes a cultural visit to Belgium. Scotland’s First Minister will make a speech on her policy towards Europe before meeting EU President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. She said she would re-state her backing for continued EU membership.
6. British teenagers killed in car crash in Bolivia
Two young British tourists have died in Bolivia after their car flipped over on the world’s largest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni. George Joseph Atkins and Freddie Michael McLennan, both 19, were killed along with the Bolivian driver, 22-year-old Alberto Barco, who is believed to have been going over the speed limit. Local authorities said four other people were injured in the crash.
7. Hundreds of execution sites ‘found in North Korea’
A human rights group based in South Korea says it has identified 323 sites for public executions in neighbouring North Korea. The Transitional Justice Working Group interviewed more than 600 North Korean defectors and pored over aerial photos of the country, led by a dynastic totalitarian dictatorship. It also identified ten sites for disposal of bodies.
8. Fatal helicopter crash in NYC
The pilot of a helicopter was killed after crashing into the top of a 54-storey skyscraper in Manhattan on Monday. The aircraft burst into flames after smashing into the Axa Equitable Center, on Seventh Avenue, which shook from the impact. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the tragedy had brought back terrible memories for the city’s people, who have “a level of PTSD from 9/11”.
9. Amazon: we will always need human staff
Online retailer Amazon has insisted it will always need human staff, despite the firm’s increasing reliance on sophisticated robotics. Chief robotics technologist Tye Brady said he aimed for a “symphony of humans and machines working together”, adding that “you need both”. Amazon has been criticised repeatedly over working conditions at its warehouses.
10. Briefing: how big is England’s North-South divide?
More than 30 local and regional newspapers from across northern England have launched a campaign to narrow the country’s North-South divide.
The media outlets, including titles run by JPIMedia, Newsquest and Reach, are calling on the main political parties and Tory leadership contenders to spell out how they intend to bridge the gap as part of Power Up The North. So how wide is the divide?
Power Up The North: how big is England’s North-South divide?
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 29, 2023
Daily Briefing House committee starts Biden impeachment inquiry, court rejects Trump's request to delay civil fraud trial, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
'Moronic'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 29 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 28, 2023
Daily Briefing Republican rivals clash as absent Trump tries to upstage debate, the Senate approves a formal dress code, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Squirrel kebabs on London menu
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2023
Daily Briefing A New York judge rules Trump defrauded banks, Biden visits auto workers on picket line, and more
By Harold Maass Published