Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 16 Aug 2019

1. Tory MPs hint they might accept Corbyn as leader

Pro-Remain Tory MPs have sparked fury within their party by suggesting they might accept Jeremy Corbyn as a caretaker prime minister to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Dominic Grieve, Sir Oliver Letwin and Dame Caroline Spelman have offered to meet for talks with the Labour leader after Corbyn asked opposition politicians to support him in order to oust Boris Johnson and extend Article 50. The Lib Dems have rejected the proposal.

2. Israel denies entry to two Muslim US congresswomen

US Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have been banned entry into Israel, at the urging of President Donald Trump. Both of the Muslim congresswomen have supported the boycott movement against the Middle Eastern nation, where the law allows supporters of the campaign to be refused entry. Trump yesterday tweeted that it would show “great weakness” if the pair - whom he has previously told to “go home” - were permitted to go ahead with a planned visit to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem next week.

3. One month’s rain to fall in 24 hours today

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for heavy rain and high winds for Wales and much of the southwest and northwest of England today. The national forecaster says almost one month’s worth of rain could fall within 24 hours, with the heaviest rainfall “likely to coincide with peak travel times during the afternoon”.

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

4. Newcastle lawyer stabbed to death with screwdriver

Seven teenagers have been arrested over the death of a 52-year-old lawyer who was stabbed with a screwdriver in Newcastle city centre on Wednesday afternoon. The family of victim Peter Duncan, who died later in hospital, have described him as a devoted father and husband. Police say the attack, outside a Greggs bakery, was unprovoked and happened during a “chance encounter” .

5. Scientists discover new pain-sensing organ in the skin

A previously unknown sensory organ that senses pressure, pricking and other discomfort caused by environmental factors may be responsible for certain types of pain, according to scientists who discovered the organ lurking beneath the skin’s top layer. Experts say the discovery, by a team at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, could lead to the development of new pain-killing drugs and better understanding of pain disorders.

6. Trump ‘wants to buy Greenland from Denmark’

US President Donald Trump has been asking the White House’s legal team “with varying degrees of seriousness” to look into buying Greenland from Denmark, The Wall Street Journal reports. Trump is not the first US leader to make such a proposal: in 1946, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100m for the icy territory but was rebuffed.

7. ‘Bowie bandstand’ given listed building status

A London bandstand where David Bowie performed a gig shortly after the release of his first hit single, Space Oddity, 50 years ago has been protected with a Grade II listing. Historic England said that the stand in Bromley was an important example of ironwork in its own right but that the Bowie connection made it special.

8. US talk show fined $395,000 for fake public alert

US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been fined $395,000 (£326,000) for broadcasting a fake presidential alert as part of a skit on 3 October last year - the same day a real test alert was sent by the government. The new alert system sends a warning tone and message to 200 million US mobile phones.

9. Attending weddings pushing millennials into debt

One in three millennials will get into debt this summer as a result of the costs involved in attending friends’ weddings, including paying for gifts, travel, accommodation and stag and hen parties, a new survey has found. The poll, for Spareroom.co.uk, found that 44% have turned down wedding invitations, with more than half of those saying the friendship ended as a result.

10. Who was Harold Shipman?

A new BBC documentary series will explore whether attitudes towards the elderly, and respect for doctors, allowed Britain's most prolific serial killer to get away with his crimes for so long.

Who was Harold Shipman?