Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 27 Aug 2019

1. Corbyn: no-deal Brexit is really Trump-deal Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn warns today that a “no-deal Brexit is really a Trump-deal Brexit” and accuses Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “cosying-up” to the US leader, writing a piece for The Independent. According to The Guardian, the Labour leader is ready to support a general election even if it falls just a few days before the Brexit deadline.

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

2. Ministers kept full cost of HS2 secret, papers show

The BBC reports today it has seen documents which prove the government and the team planning the HS2 rail link knew the project was behind schedule and over budget as long ago as 2016 – but that information was not shared with Parliament or the public. The documents were written before MPs had given their approval to the project.

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3. Another temperature record on 33.1C Monday

Yesterday was the hottest August bank holiday Monday on record, with 33.1C recorded at Heathrow, almost five degrees higher than the previous record of 28.2C measured at Holbeach in Lincolnshire in 2017. Away from the south of England, the weather was cooler, with highs of 24C in Scotland, 24.3C in Wales and 21.2C in Ireland.

4. Iraqi drowns swimming to UK on plastic bottles

The body of an Iraqi wearing a makeshift lifejacket of plastic bottles and carrying identity papers in a plastic bag has been found off the coast of Holland. It is believed the 48-year-old man tried to swim to the UK from France after he was refused asylum in Germany. Some 1,450 migrants have been rescued in the channel this year.

5. Brazil rejects G7’s £16m to fight Amazon fires

Brazil’s right-wing government has rejected £16m offered by the G7 leaders to help fight forest fires in the Amazon, telling France’s President Emmanuel Macron to use the cash to reforest Europe instead and calling him “colonialist and imperialist”. A Brazilian official accused Macron of failing to prevent the Notre Dame fire in Paris.

Brazil’s president says G7 treats his country ‘like colony’

6. Opioid ruling: Johnson & Johnson fined $572m

The pharmaceuticals firm Johnson & Johnson is to be fined an initial $572m (£468m) by the US state of Oklahoma for fuelling the opioid addiction crisis with a “false and dangerous” sales campaign, with further payments to cover ongoing treatment. The money is to be paid in compensation. Johnson & Johnson will contest the landmark ruling.

7. BBC develops ‘Beeb’ to rival Amazon’s Alexa

The BBC is developing its own in-house version of Amazon and Google’s virtual assistants, Alexa and OK Google. With the working title Beeb, the software will allow users to access the BBC’s services using voice commands – and the corporation has promised it will understand regional British accents, something Alexa struggles with.

8. Optimistic people live longer, US study finds

A study by a team in Boston suggests that optimistic people live longer – and have a better chance of reaching the age of 85 than pessimists. Researcher Lewina Lee said: “Our findings raise an exciting possibility that we may be able to promote healthy and resilient ageing by cultivating psychosocial assets such as optimism.”

Why does optimism mean you will ‘live longer’?

9. Trump-Trudeau photo delights the internet

A photograph of Melania Trump greeting Canadian leader Justin Trudeau at the G7 conference in Biarritz is amusing the internet and has been repeatedly re-posted with captions including: “Melania is ready to risk it all.” The picture shows a smiling Melania preparing to greet Trudeau while her husband looks on.

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?