Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 9 Aug 2013

1. OPRAH WINFREY IN SWISS RACE ROW

Oprah Winfrey has claimed she was the victim of racism during a visit to Switzerland last month. The American talkshow host says an assistant refused to serve her in an upmarket Zurich handbag shop, telling her that the bags she wanted to see were "too expensive". The shop owner claimed the incident was a "misunderstanding".

2. LAHORE CONSULATE THREAT: US ACTS

The US has ordered all non-essential staff to leave its consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore and limited non-essential travel for diplomatic staff in the country after receiving a "credible threat". American citizens have been told to avoid travel to the country if possible. The move follows the closure earlier this week of consulates across the Middle East and North Africa.

3. ZANZIBAR ACID VICTIMS ARRIVE HOME

Five men are being questioned on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar over an acid attack on two British teenagers, amid fears it could have been inspired by a radical Islamic group. The charity workers, who had acid thrown on them on Wednesday night, arrived back in Britain for treatment today on a private medical evacuation flight.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

Two arrests over Zanzibar acid attack as girls fly home to UK

4. ASHES: ENGLAND WILT IN AFTERNOON

England's batting wilted on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test as an afternoon slump left the home side reeling on 155-5. Alastair Cook won the toss and batted, but it was slow going as England got to lunch on 57-1. Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen upped the rate but were both out before tea, Cook soon followed and Ian Bell fell after the break.

5. ASA TO INVESTIGATE 'GO HOME' POSTERS

Home Office billboards warning illegal immigrants to 'Go Home or Face Arrest' are to be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority after dozens of complaints that they are offensive, misleading and could incite racial tensions. The posters, mounted on the back of vans, have been driven through the streets of six London boroughs.

6. WE'LL NAME TROLLS, SAYS ASK.FM

The owners of the social media website Ask.fm, implicated in the suicide of a teenage bullying victim, have agreed that in "exceptional circumstances" they will name online trolls. Hannah Smith, 14, from Leicestershire, was tormented by anonymous users of the site, who told her to "drink bleach". The founders have promised to hand over details of users to police in such cases.

Ask.fm offers to name suicide teen's anonymous tormenters

7. EDINBURGH PANDA COULD BE PREGNANT

Tian Tian, a panda at Edinburgh Zoo, may be pregnant, her keepers have said, after undergoing artificial insemination in April. She and the zoo's male, Yang Guang - the only pair of giant pandas in the UK - failed to mate naturally. If she is pregnant, as her hormone and protein levels suggest, she would be the first giant panda to give birth in a UK zoo.

Tian Tian pregnant? Edinburgh Zoo hopes for baby panda

8. HOLLYWOOD STAR KAREN BLACK DIES

Karen Black, who starred in a number of cult films in the 1970's, has died aged 74 after a three-year battle with cancer. Her breakthrough came as a prostitute who takes drugs with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in the film Easy Rider, she later starred in Nashville and Five Easy Pieces. After an appeal for help, the public donated $60,000 to help pay for her treatment.

Karen Black dies at 74: Five things you might not know

9. SPAIN 'WILL DEFEND' INTERESTS IN GIBRALTAR

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will take "all necessary measures" to defend his country’s interests in Gibraltar after Britain said it would send warships to the island for a "routine" visit. Tensions have escalated following a row over fishing rights and increased Spanish border checks.

10. HOT TICKET: GAUGUIN AT THE COURTAULD

'Collecting Gauguin: Samuel Courtauld in the 20s' showcases works by the Post-Impressionist master Paul Gauguin at the Courtauld Gallery, London. It presents key paintings, prints, and a rare sculpture collected by Courtauld in the early 20th Century. "Small but riveting," says the Sunday Times. Until 8 September.

Collecting Gauguin show at Courtauld 'small but riveting'

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.