Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 9 Jul 2020

1. Climate warning as we near 1.5C tipping point

The World Meteorological Organisation says there’s a “rising chance” that global temperatures will reach a level 1.5C above pre-industrial averages in the next five years. It calculates the probability that annual temperatures will exceed that figure in at least one year to be 20%, with those chances increasing over time. The Earth is, on average, already more than 1C warmer than it was during the pre-industrial era.

Climate change: what is ‘the point of no return’?

2. Sunak spending ‘won’t prevent mass unemployment’

Rishi Sunak has been told he will need to act far more decisively to prevent mass unemployment this autumn, despite the measures in his £30bn mini budget yesterday. The chancellor announced a short-term cut in VAT for hospitality and tourism, an August “eat out to help out” scheme and subsidised jobs for young people. However, economic experts, trade unions and Labour said his plan did not go enough.

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Reaction: Rishi Sunak to unveil £2bn youth jobs scheme to tackle Covid crisis

3. Care homes say immigration bill will create staffing problems

The government’s immigration bill will leave care homes face a staffing “black hole”, care leaders have warned. The Cavendish Coalition says current proposals would not allow enough overseas workers to be recruited. However, ministers insist that immigration is “not the answer to the challenges in the social care sector”. One in six workers in the sector is a foreign national, earning on average between £16,400 and £18,400.

Coronavirus: just how bad was the Covid crisis in UK care homes?

4. Officer told George Floyd to ‘stop talking’ during arrest

The police officer accused of George Floyd's murder told him to stop talking as he lay dying, according to court documents. Transcripts show that the unarmed black man cried out for his late mother and children and said the Minneapolis policeman would kill him. As Floyd complained that he could not breathe, Derek Chauvin, said: “Then stop talking, stop yelling. It takes heck of a lot of oxygen to talk.”

Ten defining images of the George Floyd race protests

5. Ivory Coast prime minister dies after cabinet meeting

The prime minister of the Ivory Coast has died after falling ill at a ministerial meeting. Amadou Gon Coulibaly, 61, had only just returned from France where he had received heart treatment. President Alassane Ouattara said: “I pay tribute to my younger brother, my son, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who was for 30 years my closest partner. I salute the memory of a statesman of great loyalty, devotion and love for the homeland.”

6. Woman killed as crane collapses onto London home

A woman died and four people were injured when a crane collapsed in London yesterday afternoon. The 20m crane fell onto a development and two terraced houses in Bow, in the east of the city. The woman, who was found on the first floor of one of the houses, died at the scene. Four others were injured, including two people taken to hospital with head injuries.

7. Departing civil servant will receive £250,000 payout

The UK’s top civil servant will get a payout of almost £250,000 when he steps down in the autumn. Sir Mark Sedwill said we would be leaving last month, as Boris Johnson announced plans to divide his role of cabinet secretary and national security adviser into two posts. His exit came amid rumours of tensions between him and the prime minister’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings.

Who is Mark Sedwill and why is the top civil servant resigning?

8. Internet addiction staff jailed for locking up children

A team that ran a centre for internet addiction in southeastern China has been sent to prison after being found guilty of locking children in solitary isolation for up to ten days. Several hundred boot camp-style facilities have opened across the country in the past decade. China has one of the world’s largest internet user bases, despite government censorship.

Is internet addiction real?

9. Comedy calls for support as venues face closure

More than three-quarters of UK comedy venues will close within a year without financial support, a survey has found. The Live Comedy Association says comedy is “an industry in crisis”, with 77% of venues saying they will be forced to close permanently within 12 months and a third saying they will go under in six months. The group says comedy must not be overlooked by the government’s £1.57bn emergency arts fund.

Reaction: Boris Johnson pledges ‘game-changing’ £1.6bn bailout for cultural sector

10. Sculpture of Melania Trump is set on fire in Slovenia

A wooden sculpture of Melania Trump near her home town of Sevnica, Slovenia, was set on fire during the US independence day weekend. The damaged life-size statue was removed after the attack. “I want to know why they did it,” said Brad Downey, who had hoped the installation would open a dialogue about politics in the US.

12 things you didn’t know about Melania Trump