Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 27 Jun 2019

1. Johnson and Hunt unveil immigration and education plans

Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson have unveiled fresh pledges as their battle to become the next Tory leader intensifies. Hunt said he would cancel the university tuition fee debts of young entrepreneurs who start businesses and employ people. Meanwhile, Johnson promised to deliver an Australian-style points-based immigration system.

Boris Johnson’s family: a guide to his colourful relatives

2. European heatwave sets new temperature records

Yesterday was the hottest June day ever recorded in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic – and the heatwave across Continental Europe is expected to continue for several more days. Temperatures in France and Switzerland are forecast to soar above 40C tomorrow, as a result of unusually hot air from Africa being blown over Europe by southerly winds.

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3. Dutch rail firm to compensate Nazi death camp victims

The Netherlands’ state-run rail firm is to pay compensation to thousands of survivors of Nazi death camps. Nederlandse Spoorwegen first apologised in 2005 for transporting Jewish families to the camps during the Second World War. An estimated 500 living survivors of the Holocaust will now be paid €15,000 (£13,000) each, with widows and widowers of victims to get €7,500 (£6,750).

4. New flaw to delay Boeing 737 Max return

US regulators have discovered another potential problem with Boeing’s flagship 737 Max jet. The planes have been grounded since March after the second of two crashes – in Indonesia and Ethiopia – that resulted in a combined loss of 346 lives. No details were revealed about the newly flagged “potential risk”, but the issue is expected to delay the plane’s return to service.

5. US Democratic hopefuls battle in ‘feisty’ TV debate

Ten US Democrats hoping to become the party’s next candidate for the presidency took part a TV debate last night - and the tone was “feisty”, according to the BBC. The broadcaster says “liberal firebrand” Elizabeth Warren was the star of the show, outshining her rivals. Ten other candidates in the crowded field, including Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, will take to the stage for another debate tonight.

US election 2020: who won the first Democratic TV debate?

6. William: I’d have no problem with my children being gay

Prince William yesterday made what organisers believe was the first royal visit to an LGBTQ+ organisation. Speaking after opening a new centre in London run by the Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps homeless young gay and transgender people, the Prince said would “fully support” his children if they were gay, but admitted he would “worry” about the added pressures they would face.

7. Scientists axe years off yew trees

A new method for calculating the age of yew trees has led scientists to conclude that many specimens across the UK may be thousands of years younger than previously thought. The new technique combines existing ageing methods based on the study of tree girth, ring creation and historic rates of growth. Scientists now think that the oldest specimen in Britain, the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, may only be 2,000 years old, rather than 5,000 years old.

8. Glastonbury festival-goers set to swelter

Glastonbury kicks off today, amid forecasts of high temperatures that mean the festival could be dry and dusty – and raise the possibility of festival-goers being taken ill. The world-famous event was not held last year, to provide recovery time for the land where it takes place, at Worthy Farm in Somerset. This year, organisers aim to make the festival plastic-free.

Best festivals of 2019 around the UK: line-ups, dates and how to buy tickets

9. Half-tonne birds ‘lived with humans’

The remains of a gigantic bird found in a cave in Crimea have been dated to between 1.5 and 1.8 million years ago. Experts say the bone analysis findings suggests the bird - which weighed nearly half a tonne and was almost 12ft tall - may have roamed Europe when the first archaic humans arrived from Africa.

10. Briefing: who is Stephanie Grisham?

Melania Trump has revealed her husband’s choice to become the next White House press secretary - her own chief spokesperson.

Stephanie Grisham is stepping up as press secretary after Sarah Sanders announced her resignation from the role earlier this month. In addition, Grisham will serve as director of communications, a role formerly held by Bill Shine, who departed the White House in March. And to top it off, she will keep her current job, too, according to The Guardian. So what are her credentials?

Who is Stephanie Grisham? Donald Trump names new press secretary