Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 9 Jul 2019

1. Trump ‘will no longer deal with’ UK ambassador

President Donald Trump has said the US will “no longer deal with” Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador, because Darroch described Trump’s administration as “inept” in leaked emails. Trump also tweeted that Theresa May had made a “mess” of Brexit and it was “good news” that the UK will “soon have another prime minister”.

Today’s newspapers: ‘Bullish Boris ready to walk away’

2. Johnson and Hunt to have one-on-one TV debate

Conservative leadership contenders Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson are to have their only one-on-one TV debate tonight, on ITV at 8pm. Johnson, frontrunner from the start, is still a clear favourite among the party members who will choose the country’s next prime minister, polls show. He has been accused of dodging debates.

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Boris Johnson’s voting record

3. Carrie Lam: Hong Kong extradition bill ‘is dead’

The chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has said the extradition bill which has caused weeks of protests “is dead” – but stopped short of actually withdrawing it from parliament. Pro-democracy protesters want the bill to be withdrawn rather than cancelled by default when parliament reaches the end of its session.

Hong Kong extradition bill is ‘dead’, says Carrie Lam

4. HPV vaccine for boys ‘will prevent 29,000 cancers’

The new human papilloma virus for 12- to 13-year-old boys will prevent 29,000 cancers in men over the next 40 years, the BBC reports. The jab will be offered to boys from the start of the next school term in all the UK nations. It has been available for girls of the same age since 2008, resulting in a reduction in HPV infections.

5. London: one shot, one stabbed, in Finsbury Park

One man was shot and another was stabbed in Finsbury Park, north London, yesterday evening as a spate of gun and knife crime continues. A 30-year-old was taken to hospital with non life-threatening knife wounds, police said, while one in his 20s was found nearby with a gunshot wound. It’s not known how seriously he was hurt.

6. Most news stories about Muslims ‘are negative’

The Muslim Council of Britain says its research shows that mainstream news stories are contributing to Islamophobia, with an average of 59% of stories about Muslims across the media being negative in tone. The council found that the most negative publication was the Mail on Sunday, in which 78% of stories were negative.

7. Retired jockey killed by fall onto eco-friendly straw

A coroner has warned that eco-friendly stainless steel straws can be dangerous and should only be used with certain types of container after a retired jockey was killed by one. Elena Struthers-Gardner, 60, collapsed at home and fell onto a straw in a jar-style drinking glass she was carrying. It pierced her brain through her eye.

8. Olympic swimmer saves drowning man in Italy

A recently-retired Italian Olympic swimmer has helped save the life of a drowning man in Sardinia. Filippo Magnini was relaxing on the beach with his girlfriend when the man got into trouble. Lifeguards started towards him but were beaten there by Magnini, who held the man’s head above water until he could be put onto a raft.

9. Swiss fighter jet display team flies over wrong town

The Patrouille Suisse – Switzerland’s version of the Red Arrows – have apologised after they performed an aerial display over the wrong festival on Saturday. The fighter jets were supposed to fly in close formation over Langenbruck but, spotting a nearby marquee from the air, instead flew over Mumliswil during a yodelling festival.

10. Briefing: how many people smoke in the UK?

The introduction of the smoking ban more than a decade ago and the advent of e-cigarettes have had a major effect on the traditional tobacco industry in Britain.

Yet despite these measures, and widespread knowledge about the health risks associated with smoking, the habit is far from being stubbed out, in the UK and further afield.

How many people still smoke in the UK?