Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 30 Dec 2019

1. Carney: ‘We need climate change action by business’

The outgoing head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has told the BBC the business and financial sectors must start to take climate change seriously. Carney said analysis by leading pension funds suggests a 3.7C to 3.8C average rise, “far above the 1.5C [limit] governments are demanding”.

2. Scottish hamlet reaches 16C at 3am in December

The Met Office has reported an unusual weather event: the hamlet of Cassley in the far north of Scotland recorded a temperature of 16.8C at 3am on Sunday morning. The forecaster says the “exceptional” December high was because of a phenomenon called the Foehn effect, in which mountains amplify temperature changes.

Are developed countries serious about climate change?

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3. Rebecca Long-Bailey makes Labour leadership pitch

Labour shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has made an opening pitch to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader. Without explicitly saying she is running for the job, the 40-year-old MP for Salford and Eccles has written a Guardian article promising “progressive patriotism” and partly blaming “trust” for Labour’s election disaster.

Labour leadership latest odds: who will replace Jeremy Corbyn?

4. Australia burns as temperatures top 40C in every state

Temperatures in the current Australian heatwave have now exceeded 40C in every state, with scores of fires burning out of control. Nine people have now been killed in the bushfire crisis, since it began in September. Today, 30,000 residents were told to flee their homes in Victoria before it was decided it was too dangerous to travel.

Why Australia’s government is unmoved on climate change

5. Texas: gunman shot dead after killing two at service

A church service in Fort Worth, Texas, was disrupted on Sunday morning by a gunman who shot dead two members of the congregation before he was quickly killed himself by another worshipper with a handgun, who was one of several acting as a security team. It was said the shooter had attracted suspicion earlier in the service.

6. Docusoap brothers dead in suspected suicide

Twin brothers Billy and Joe Smith, known to TV viewers for the docusoap My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, are believed to have taken their lives in a double suicide. Their bodies were found on Saturday morning in Sevenoaks, Kent, and police say they are not treating the deaths as suspicious. Stars of the TV series paid tribute to them.

7. Jewish groups in New York call for extra protection

Jewish community groups in New York state are calling for extra protection for worshippers after another anti-Semitic attack. Five people were stabbed at a Hanukkah celebration in a Rabbi’s home in Rockland County on Saturday. Elsewhere, anti-Semitic graffiti was daubed on a synagogue and shops in north London this weekend.

8. Public schools turn down ‘white boys’ donation

Two leading public schools in England have turned down scholarships totalling £1.2m because would-be donor Sir Bryan Thwaites wanted the money to go to poor “white British” boys, because they are the worst-performing cohort nationally. Dulwich College said scholarships should be “available to all”, regardless of background.

9. Svante Thunberg: ‘My daughter Greta is happier now’

The father of teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg has said he believes she is “happier” now than before her global fame but he worries about the hate she encounters. The latest instalment of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme is guest-edited by Thunberg and features her talking to veteran wildlife presenter David Attenborough.

Why everyone’s talking about Greta Thunberg

10. 2019 Quiz of the Year

From royal embarrassment to serial Brextensions, 2019 has had more news than anyone cares to remember… but remember you must, if you want to ace the Quiz of the Year.

So how closely were you really paying attention to the news this year? Take The Week’s 2019 quiz below to find out.

2019 Quiz of the Year: how closely were you paying attention?