Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 21 Aug 2019

1. Johnson meets Merkel with “unconstructive” plan

Boris Johnson is meeting Angela Merkel in Germany today and will ask her to reopen negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU, saying he wants to find an alternative to the Irish border backstop plan. The Guardian, which opposed Brexit, says he is likely to receive a firm “no” from Merkel, who believes his suggestion is not constructive.

‘Brexit begins’ – Britain to withdraw from EU meetings

2. Trump cancels Denmark visit over refusal to sell Greenland

US President Donald Trump has cancelled a trip to Denmark, saying he won’t go because Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has “no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland”. Frederiksen had called Trump’s desire to purchase the semi-autonomous territory “absurd”. Trump was supposed to have visited the country in a fortnight.

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

Why is there a 19-mile crater below Greenland?

3. Shipping containers used to house homeless children

A report by Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, estimates that at least 210,000 children are homeless in the UK, 90,000 more than the official figure, and says some families have been rehoused in converted shipping containers and other unconventional spaces. Responding to the report, local councils blamed a £159m funding gap.

4. Record number of fires burning in Amazon rainforest

There have been a record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil this year, under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s space agency says. The National Institute for Space Research, Inpe, released its data after Bolsonaro sacked the agency’s head because of an argument about its deforestation data. Smoke from fires has blanketed Sao Paulo.

The Week Unwrapped podcast: rainforests, asbestos and gender-reveals

5. Woman in Epstein video “is former Australian PM’s daughter”

A woman seen in a video that appears to show Prince Andrew inside the home of the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2010 is said to be former Australian prime minister Paul Keating’s daughter, Katherine. Now 37, Katherine Keating is known to have been friends with Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of recruiting girls for Epstein.

Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s $577m will

6. Mexico judge approves recreational cocaine use

Mexico has taken a step towards legalising cocaine, with a judge in Mexico City approving the recreational use of the drug for two individuals in a test case brought by campaign group Mexico United Against Crime. The decision, which still needs to be ratified by a higher court, allows them to possess, transport and use cocaine.

7. US police thwart six mass shootings in a fortnight

US police and the FBI say they have thwarted six mass shootings in the two weeks since the apparent white supremacist attack at El Paso in Texas, which resulted in 22 deaths. Four of the six foiled plots involved white men in their 20s and at least four involved the suspects espousing far-right and racist views.

Why everyone’s talking about 8chan

8. German theme park drops swastika-shaped ride

A theme park in southwest Germany has apologised and closed its latest attraction, the Eagle Flight ride, because visitors noticed it formed the shape of two gigantic swastikas once it was in motion. Tatzmania park manager Rudiger Braun said: “We hadn’t noticed the form and it wasn’t recognisable on the manufacturer’s blueprints.”

9. Reeves and Moss to return in fourth Matrix film

Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves are to reprise their starring roles in a fourth instalment of the Matrix films. Co-director of the 1999 original Lana Wachowski is to direct, produce and write the new movie. She said she was “very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends”.

10. Is it illegal to take sand and pebbles from beaches?

A French couple face six years in prison for allegedly stealing sand from an Italian beach. But the pair are not the first to land in hot water for the offence.

Is it illegal to take sand and pebbles from beaches?