Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 14 Aug 2019

1. Hammond: no-deal Brexit would be betrayal

Former chancellor Philip Hammond has accused “unelected people” of pushing Boris Johnson towards a no-deal exit from the EU, in an unambiguous reference to the prime minister’s Brexit supremo, former Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings. Writing in The Times, Hammond says that quitting the bloc without an agreement would be a “betrayal”.

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

2. Tensions high in Hong Kong as airport reopens

Hong Kong’s airport has reopened after a court order was used to remove pro-democracy protesters from the terminal. In a further blow to the anti-government movement, demonstrators are facing international criticism after being accused of mistreating two men who they said were Chinese spies but who may have been journalists. US President Donald Trump tweeted that the Chinese government was believed to be moving troops to the border, adding: “Everyone should be calm and safe!”

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What is happening in Hong Kong?

3. Nora Quoirin family: ‘our hearts are broken’

The family of the 15-year-old London girl who went missing on a holiday in Malaysia earlier this month say their “hearts are broken” following the discovery of her body. Nora Quoirin, who had learning difficulties, was found naked in the jungle about a mile from the resort where her family was staying. The cause of death is not yet known.

4. Coogan avoids driving ban with Partridge plea

Actor Steve Coogan successfully argued his way out of a driving ban in Crawley Magistrates’ Court yesterday, saying he would have to cancel filming of the new Alan Partridge series. Coogan said that his famous comedy character had to drive for artistic reasons and that a ban would affect 15 to 20 workers on the BBC One show.

Steve Coogan uses Alan Partridge to swerve driving ban

5. Mother of drowned girl accuses police of racism

The mother of a 12-year-old girl who drowned in a Greater Manchester river has claimed that institutional racism within the police means the family may never know how she died. Shukri Abdi drowned in the River Irwell in Bury on 27 June. Mother Zam Zam Ture told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme that police failed to carry out a full investigation and treated them differently because of their ethnic background.

6. Rail fares to rise by 2.8% in January

The annual rise in rail fares will once again be pegged to the Retail Price Index of inflation, meaning tickets are on course to cost an average of 2.8% more from January, the rail regulator has confirmed. The Campaign for Better Transport argues that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) should be used instead. This month, the CPI rose by 2%.

Why rail fares are rising again

7. Ads for Philadelphia and VW banned over gender stereotypes

TV advertisements for Philadephia cheese and Volkswagen cars have fallen foul of new rules from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that ban commercials which reinforce harmful gender stereotypes. The ASA said the cheese ad reinforced the idea that men are bad parents, while the car ad suggested women avoid adventurous situations.

8. Italian astronaut plays DJ set from space station

An Italian has become the first astronaut to play a DJ set from space. Luca Parmitano was trained by German DJ Le Shuuk before leaving Earth for a mission on the International Space Station. Parmitano’s 20-minute set was broadcast live to an audience of clubbers on a cruise ship moored in Ibiza last night. The 42-year-old used a laptop, not turntables.

9. Guinness World Records accused of boosting dictator

British comedian John Oliver has accused Guinness World Records of creating banal or trivial records to help burnish the image of Turkmenistan dictator Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, whose country has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Turkmenistan’s records include “most fountain pools in a public place”.

10. Are business rates killing the high street?

The bosses of more than 50 British retailers including Asda, Harrods, Morrisons and Boots have urged the chancellor to fix the “broken business rates system” in order to help save the high street.

Are business rates killing the high street?