Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 26 Aug 2019

1. Johnson: UK can ‘easily cope’ cope with no-deal

Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday told reporters at the G7 summit in Biarritz the UK can “easily cope” with a no-deal Brexit and is a “great, great country”. He also said Britain would be able to keep most of the £39bn ‘divorce bill’ agreed by his predecessor in the event of a no-deal and accused EU leaders of “obduracy” over Brexit.

2. Bank holiday already the hottest on record

The hottest temperature ever known in the UK during the August bank holiday was recorded in Heathrow airport yesterday, where the mercury topped 33.3C. The previous record was 31.5C, set in 2001. The warm weather is expected to continue today, with forecasters saying it could be even hotter on Monday in the south of England.

3. G7 leaders ‘will agree help for Amazon fires’

The leaders of the G7 nations, holding a summit in Biarritz, were said yesterday by France’s President Emmanuel Macron to be close to agreeing a deal to provide “technical and financial help” to Brazil to fight fires in the Amazon rainforest. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister made a surprise visit to the summit for talks with Macron.

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4. Frinton beach-goers ‘left struggling to breathe’

Beach-goers in Frinton-on-Sea in Essex claimed they found themselves struggling to breathe and coughing yesterday, leading police, paramedics and the fire service to attend the beach to help. Earlier this month, Worthing Pier in West Sussex was closed off after an apparent chemical spill left visitors vomiting and with itchy eyes.

5. Trump ‘suggested nuking hurricanes before landfall’

US President Donald Trump is reported to have several times suggested that his military could “nuke” hurricanes at sea to force them to disperse before they can make landfall. According to US news site Axios, at least one of the conversations has been recorded. The response of a military official was: “We’ll look into this.”

6. Eighty firefighters battle ‘complex’ school blaze

More than 80 firefighters are tackling a “very large and complex” fire at a high school in Dunfermline, central Scotland. The alarm was raised at about 5pm yesterday and the fire was still not under control this morning. There are no reported injuries and the school is closed. The head teacher said he was “devastated”.

7. Johnson: the BBC must ‘cough up’ for over-75s

Boris Johnson has insisted the BBC must continue to provide its services for free to over-75s, saying the latest licence fee settlement was conditional on the national broadcaster catering to that age group without charge. The BBC denies this is the case and says it will have to close Radio 2 or Five Live if it must “cough up”.

8. ‘Ban fossil fuel vehicles in city centres’, says group

A group of organisations including conservation groups and universities in Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to ban fossil fuel vehicles from the country’s city centres. The Climate Emergency Response Group also wants funds to make cities greener and £100m to modernise agriculture to help tackle emissions.

9. Ariana Grande ‘overwhelmed’ on Manchester return

US singer Ariana Grande said she was “overwhelmed” and “so happy” to be playing her first concert in Manchester since the benefit concert for victims of the bombing attack after her show in the city in 2017. The crowd chanted Grande’s name as she played a 35-minute set at Manchester Pride yesterday. The bomb attack killed 22.

10. Briefing: can Trump end birthright citizenship?

President Donald Trump has again suggested his administration is working towards ending birthright citizenship, a constitutional right that grants citizenship to all children born in the US, regardless of their parents’ nationality.

So, what is it and will it be abolished?

Can Trump end birthright citizenship?