Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 22 Jun 2020
- 1. Suspect quizzed as Reading prepares minute’s silence for victims
- 2. Concern as Germany’s R number soars again
- 3. Boris Johnson to announce further lockdown loosening
- 4. Austerity targeted cuts at poorer areas more than rich ones
- 5. Ghislaine Maxwell is ‘hiding in a Paris bolthole’
- 6. Windrush scandal could be repeated warns report author
- 7. White House disputes that Trump asked Xi for election help
- 8. Lower-income households increasing debt during pandemic
- 9. Archaeologists make exciting new Stonehenge discovery
- 10. US museum to remove statue of Theodore Roosevelt
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
1. Suspect quizzed as Reading prepares minute’s silence for victims
A minute’s silence will be held today for the three victims of the Reading stabbing attack. The commemoration comes after the first victim was named. Teacher James Furlong, described as a “kind and gentle” man, was head of history, government and politics at The Holt School in Wokingham. Police are continuing to question the suspect in Saturday’s attack, Khairi Saadallah, who has been arrested under the Terrorism Act.
2. Concern as Germany’s R number soars again
Germany’s coronavirus R number has risen again - from 1.79 on Saturday to 2.88 on Sunday. Health officials say outbreaks had been reported in a variety of locations including hospitals and nursing homes. The R number refers to the reproductive rate of the virus. Amid spikes in several countries, the World Health Organization has recorded the biggest one-day increase in coronavirus cases.
3. Boris Johnson to announce further lockdown loosening
Boris Johnson is to announce an expansion of household “bubbles” that could mean millions more grandparents are reunited with their grandchildren. The prime minister is also expected to announce tomorrow if the hospitality sector can reopen on 4 July and if the 2m distancing rule in England can be relaxed. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says England is “clearly on track” to ease more lockdown restrictions.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
4. Austerity targeted cuts at poorer areas more than rich ones
Poorer areas were hit the hardest by austerity cuts, according to an analysis by The Guardian. The research found that local authorities in poorer areas of England had their funding slashed on average by at least a third, while more affluent, largely Conservative areas received greater protection. “It was very clear right from the beginning that Labour areas were being hit harder,” said Richard Watts, chair of the Local Government Association resources board.
5. Ghislaine Maxwell is ‘hiding in a Paris bolthole’
The British socialite wanted for questioning about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, is living in Paris, out of reach of US investigators, reports The Times. Ghislaine Maxwell, 58, who is sought by the FBI over allegations that she supplied under-age girls to the financier and his friends, is living in a “bolthole” on Avenue Matignon, an expensive street close to the Champs Elysees.
6. Windrush scandal could be repeated warns report author
A report into the Windrush scandal has warned there is a “grave risk” of similar failures happening again if the government does not implement its recommendations. The report’s author, Wendy Williams, said the Home Office still needed to “make good on its commitment to learn the lessons”. Today, National Windrush Day will commemorate the day 72 years ago when the ship HMT Empire Windrush arrived, carrying migrants to help fill jobs in the UK.
7. White House disputes that Trump asked Xi for election help
The White House has disputed the allegation that Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, for help in winning re-election. “I never heard that,” said trade adviser Peter Navarro, echoing remarks by US trade representative Robert Lighthizer. The claim came in a book written by John Bolton, a former national security adviser.
8. Lower-income households increasing debt during pandemic
Less well-off households are using savings and borrowing more during the coronavirus pandemic, while better-off families are saving more as eating out and holidays abroad are off the table. The Resolution Foundation found that lower-income households are twice as likely as richer ones to have increased their debts during the past three months. A spokesman said “wealth divides have been exposed by the crisis”.
9. Archaeologists make exciting new Stonehenge discovery
Academics have discovered a ring of prehistoric shafts, dug thousands of years ago near Stonehenge. The archaeologists found evidence of a 1.2 mile (2km) wide circle of large shafts measuring more than 10m in diameter and 5m in depth, which surround the ancient settlement of Durrington Walls, two miles (3km) from Stonehenge. They believe they may have served as a boundary to a sacred area connected to the henge.
10. US museum to remove statue of Theodore Roosevelt
The American Museum of Natural History will remove a statue of former president Theodore Roosevelt from outside its main entrance. Across the US, statues of Confederate leaders and other historical figures linked to slavery have been forcibly removed or destroyed. However, Donald Trump has spoken out against the planned removal of the Roosevelt statue, tweeting: “Ridiculous, don’t do it!”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Microscopic items
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
The daily gossip: Chevy Chase says 'Community' wasn't 'funny enough' for him, Golden Globes to add a category for blockbuster movies, and more
The daily gossip: September 26, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Equality
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 26, 2023
Daily Briefing Congress returns to work with shutdown looming, Ukraine says it killed Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 26 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 25, 2023
Daily Briefing GOP leaders pressure far-right holdouts to help prevent a shutdown, Hollywood writers reach tentative deal to end strike, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 24, 2023
Daily Briefing Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population to leave region amid fears of persecution, Atlantic coast remains under flood warnings from Ophelia, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 22, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy visits Washington as Biden unveils more Ukraine aid, Rupert Murdoch steps down at Fox and News Corp., and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 21, 2023
Daily Briefing Biden extends temporary protections to 470,000 Venezuelans, Republicans grill Garland on Biden and Trump investigations, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 20, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy, Biden urge UN members to oppose Russian aggression, hardline Republicans block spending bill as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published