Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 9 Aug 2013
- 1. OPRAH WINFREY IN SWISS RACE ROW
- 2. LAHORE CONSULATE THREAT: US ACTS
- 3. ZANZIBAR ACID VICTIMS ARRIVE HOME
- 4. ASHES: ENGLAND WILT IN AFTERNOON
- 5. ASA TO INVESTIGATE 'GO HOME' POSTERS
- 6. WE'LL NAME TROLLS, SAYS ASK.FM
- 7. EDINBURGH PANDA COULD BE PREGNANT
- 8. HOLLYWOOD STAR KAREN BLACK DIES
- 9. SPAIN 'WILL DEFEND' INTERESTS IN GIBRALTAR
- 10. HOT TICKET: GAUGUIN AT THE COURTAULD
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. 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.

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.
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.
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
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 29, 2023
Daily Briefing House committee starts Biden impeachment inquiry, court rejects Trump's request to delay civil fraud trial, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
'Moronic'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 29 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 28, 2023
Daily Briefing Republican rivals clash as absent Trump tries to upstage debate, the Senate approves a formal dress code, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Squirrel kebabs on London menu
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2023
Daily Briefing A New York judge rules Trump defrauded banks, Biden visits auto workers on picket line, and more
By Harold Maass Published