Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 15 Jul 2019

1. Trump tells congresswomen of colour to ‘go home’

US President Donald Trump has been accused of racism after tweeting that a cohort of four Democratic congresswomen of colour should “go back and fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came”. Three of the women - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley - were born in the US, while the fourth, Ilhan Omar, arrived as a refugee at the age of 12.

Twitter tirade ‘proves Donald Trump is a raging racist’

2. Two million low-paid workers set to become eligible for sick pay

Workers earning less than the equivalent of 14 hours on the minimum wage may receive statutory sick pay for the first time, under government reforms aimed at getting more people with disabilities and long-term conditions back into work. A consultation is being launched on the plan, which would benefit an estimated two million low-paid workers.

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3. Hunt meeting EU ministers to discuss Iran deal

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is meeting his EU counterparts in Brussels today to try to prevent the collapse of the international accord to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The talks are part of a last-ditch bid by the so-called E3 nations, Britain, France and Germany, to keep the four-year-old deal alive. Hunt has vowed to do everything in his power to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which he says would pose “an existential threat to mankind”.

Why Iran has violated part of the 2015 nuclear deal

4. Johnson to seek US trade deal in first move as PM

Boris Johnson is planning to fly to the US as soon as possible after becoming the new prime minister if he wins the Conservative leadership election, in order to negotiate a trade deal and “reset” relations with Donald Trump, The Times reports. Allies of Johnson told the newspaper that he sees a US trade deal as “key” to Brexit.

Reporter who Boris Johnson plotted to have beaten up demands apology

5. Djokovic beats Federer to claim fifth Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic won his fifth Wimbledon title yesterday, in an epic battle with veteran Roger Federer. The pair played for four hours 57 minutes to produce the scoreline 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). Djokovic described the match as one of his “top two or three” finals, while Federer said: “I’m still standing. I’ll take some time to recover.”

‘It’s unreal’: Djokovic triumphs in Wimbledon final thriller against Federer

6. England win Cricket World Cup

England beat New Zealand yesterday to win the men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time, in what the BBC says was “one of the most amazing games of cricket ever played”. The match was tied twice, with both sides scoring 241 in their 50 overs and 15 each in an extra over each. England won by virtue of scoring more boundaries and sixes.

Videos: England win the Cricket World Cup and fans go wild following Super Over drama

7. Shoppers desert high streets as Brexit and wet weather take toll

June saw a seven-year low in high-street shopping footfall, thanks to wet weather and continuing Brexit uncertainty, the British Retail Consortium says. Visits to all shopping areas fell by 2.9% between 26 May and 29 June, up from a 0.9% decline in the same month last year. High streets were worst hit, with visits sliding by 4.5%.

UK economy at highest risk of recession since 2007 crash

8. Vueling ‘most delayed airline in UK’

Spanish carrier Vueling is the least punctual major airline flying from airports in the UK, according to a new analysis. News agency PA looked at data from the Civil Aviation Authority and found that Vueling flights were delayed by an average of 31 minutes last year. The next worst airline was Thomas Cook, with average delays of 24 minutes, followed by Wizz Air on 23 minutes.

9. Man in ‘gimp suit’ terrifies Somerset village

Police have launched a hunt to find a man who has been terrorising residents of a small Somerset village by jumping out and chasing them while wearing a black rubber “gimp suit”. One of his victims, a woman in her 20s, managed to take a picture of the masked man after he charged towards her “grunting and breathing heavily” as she walked down a dark lane in Claverham last Thursday, the BBC reports.

10. Briefing: what stamp duty cut would mean for London

Plans by Boris Johnson to reverse the stamp duty hikes introduced five years ago could revive prime property prices in London and end the capital’s two-year market slump, new analysis has revealed.

Changes made by then-chancellor George Osborne in 2014 at the height of London’s housing bubble increased stamp duty on homes selling for between £925,000 and £1.5m to 10% and 12% for those over £1.5m.

London house prices: study predicts a 2.5% rise for 2020, but a 1% fall in 2021