Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 28 Oct 2020

1. Second wave expected to be more deadly than the first

Downing Street believes that the second wave of Covid-19 will be more deadly than the first, according to The Daily Telegraph. It says an internal analysis of the projected course of the second wave shows deaths peaking at a lower level than in the spring but remaining at that level for weeks or even months. A “well-placed source” tells the paper that Boris Johnson is “under a lot of pressure to lock down again”.

Coronavirus: does cold weather have an impact on Covid-19?

2. Migrant deaths should be a ‘wake-up call’

Charities say the deaths of two children and two adults after a migrant boat sank off the coast of northern France should serve as a “wake-up call” to those in power. Care4Calais has urged Boris Johnson to create legal routes for refugees to reach the UK. French authorities believe at least one more person could be lost at sea after the latest incident.

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Everything you need to know about Boris Johnson’s offshore migrant detention plans

3. Biden hits Republican territory and calls Trump a conman

Joe Biden has travelled to Georgia, a traditional Republican stronghold, in the final week of campaigning for the US presidential election. He told voters that Donald Trump is a conman whose handling of the coronavirus amounted to a “capitulation”. Trump, who is focusing on swing states that he won in 2016, said in Michigan that its “economic survival” was in question if Biden won.

US election: will the Republicans or Democrats win the Senate?

4. Global warming could accelerate due to methane deposits

Scientists says that frozen methane deposits in the Arctic Ocean are starting to be released over a large area of the seabed off the East Siberian coast. The Guardian says the high levels of the potent greenhouse gas have prompted fears that a new climate feedback loop may have been triggered that could accelerate the pace of global heating.

What the breakaway Spalte glacier tells us about climate change

5. HSBC says profit plunge could lead to banking charges

HSBC said it could start charging for “basic banking services” in some countries after it reported a 35% fall in quarterly profits. Europe's biggest lender said it was considering charging for products such as current accounts, which are currently free to UK customers, after earnings were hit by the era of rock-bottom interest rates.

HSBC to cut 35,000 jobs: why profits plunged

6. Food tsar prepares £1.2bn plan for hungry children

The government’s food tsar says Boris Johnson has a “moral obligation” to stop disadvantaged children going hungry. Henry Dimbleby, the co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain, has sent Downing Street a four-point plan to tackle child hunger and urged ministers to “set aside ideology”. The £1.2bn programme includes a holiday activity and food scheme costing £500m a year.

Boris Johnson ‘planning partial climbdown’ over Christmas free school meals

7. Lord Chief Justice enters fray over ‘lefty lawyers’

The head of the judiciary has joined the row between the government and “lefty activist lawyers” by criticising a “minority” who support what he called “abusive late legal challenges” by lawyers representing asylum seekers. However, Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice, also ruled that a major plank of the UK’s strategy for removing failed migrants is illegal. Priti Patel and Boris Johnson have been at odds with some of the legal profession over the deportation of Channel migrants.

8. Philadelphia unrest after police fatally shoot a black man

Hundreds of looters have ransacked businesses in Philadelphia after police fatally shot a black man in the city. Police reinforcements as well as the National Guard were deployed after the authorities said 30 officers were hurt. The trouble started after an incident in which police say officers opened fire on Walter Wallace when he ignored orders to drop a knife he was holding.

9. ‘Cult’ leader sentenced to 120 years in prison

Keith Raniere, a self-improvement guru whose cult-like group attracted millionaires and actors, has been sentenced to 120 years in prison after being accused of turning his female followers into sex slaves branded with his initials. The court had heard that Raniere bullied members of Nxivm, where men were emotionally manipulated and women were kept on starvation diets, branded and ordered to have sex with him.

10. Curator of historic palaces to review their links to slavery

A television historian and chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces is leading a review of the properties’ links to the slave trade. Lucy Worsley said all properties used by the Stuart dynasty were “going to have an element of money derived from slavery” within them, and that the charity had a duty to make it public. Her investigation was prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Which UK cities most benefited from the slave trade - and how can you tell?