Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 26 Jul 2019

1. Heatwave tails off but commuters still face delays

After the hottest July day on record in the UK yesterday, temperatures have eased across the country. However, overnight downpours mean there is a risk of flash flooding and power cuts today. Commuters have also been warned of potential delays as rail companies try to repair damage to lines caused by Thursday’s high temperatures.

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

2. Johnson to start recruiting 20,000 police ‘within weeks’

Boris Johnson has said he will start recruiting extra police officers within weeks, making good on his campaign pledge to put 20,000 more on the beat. He also announced he will make it easier for police to carry out the controversial stop-and-search technique which Theresa May limited across the UK as home secretary in 2014.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

3. Trump urges freedom for US rapper in Sweden

US President Donald Trump has accused Sweden of letting “our African American community down” and urged the release of US rapper ASAP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, who was arrested on 3 July and has been charged with assault. A spokesperson for Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said: “Everyone is equal before the law.”

4. Juncker rejects Johnson’s call for new Brexit deal

Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke to Boris Johnson on the phone yesterday and told him that his position remains that the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Theresa May is “the best and only agreement possible”, The Guardian reports. Johnson has pledged to negotiate a new deal or leave with no deal.

EU says Boris Johnson's Brexit policy is ‘unacceptable’

5. US millionaire accused of child abuse on suicide watch

The US multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested on 6 July and accused of sex trafficking and child sexual abuse, has been placed on suicide watch after being found on the floor of his cell yesterday with neck injuries. The 66-year-old, a sometime associate of Donald Trump, is being held in a federal jail in New York.

Jeffrey Epstein hospitalised after being found injured in jail cell

6. Arsenal footballers ‘chase off’ moped carjackers

Two Arsenal footballers were yesterday targeted by would-be carjackers riding a moped in north London. Footage circulating on social media appears to show Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac chasing off the men, who are armed with knives, at about 5pm. The men escaped without taking the car and there have been no arrests so far.

Today’s back pages: Man Utd in a hurry to sign Harry Maguire and Leach is a ‘Jack of all trades’ for England

7. Armed gang steal £24m in gold from Brazil airport

Gunmen dressed as police stole gold worth £24m in a heist at a Brazilian airport yesterday. Some reports said the gang kidnapped the family of a senior employee to get information about the precious metals, which were being shipped from Sao Paulo to New York and Zurich. They disguised their pickup truck as a police vehicle.

8. New Zealand’s Ardern accused of failure by Maori

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been accused of a lack of leadership by Maori protesters who object to a plan to build 500 homes on sacred land in south Auckland. Ardern has said the “resolution” of the dispute will “have to come from mana whenua [Maori]” and has refused to let her government step in to the row.

9. BBC trials iPlayer button to make dialogue clearer

The BBC is testing new technology which will allow viewers at home to make actors’ voices louder while turning down music and other background sounds, to avoid the ‘What did he just say?’ phenomenon. A recent episode of Casualty was the first programme made with the feature, which was accessible to those watching the show on iPlayer.

What’s on this weekend? From Teen Spirit to Lethal Weapon

10. Briefing: who is Priti Patel?

Boris Johnson has appointed Priti Patel as his home secretary, after one of the most dramatic cabinet clear-outs in history.

The MP for Witham and “hardline Brexiteer” is taking over from Sajid Javid, who has been made chancellor of the Exchequer, says The Times.

Who is Priti Patel?