Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 18 Jul 2015

1. Video of Queen's Nazi salute released

Buckingham Palace has said it is “disappointed” that footage from 1933 showing the Queen performing a Nazi salute has been published by The Sun. The newspaper has released film, which shows the Queen aged about seven, with her mother, sister and uncle. The newspaper says the 17-second black and white footage forms an "important and interesting story".

2. Will US starve Putin of funds?

America is ready to deny Russia access to western credit if Vladimir Putin refuses to meet demands for peace in Ukraine. Washington’s punitive measures against Putin’s inner circle of oligarchs and their extensive business interests would mark a spectacular escalation in financial sanctions against Moscow. “Let’s see what Putin’s friends make of that,” said a US official.

3. Jules Bianchi dies following crash

Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died, months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. He was 25 years old. The Frenchman had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia car into a recovery vehicle in Suzuka last autumn. His family said: "Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end."

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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

4. Rates hint sends sterling soaring

The prospect of higher interest rates has sent the pound to a seven-and-a-half-year high against the single currency. On the foreign exchanges, the pound was trading at €1.4411 against the single currency, up around 0.5% on the day. The development has handed Brits holidaying in Europe this summer a boost. The euro is already weakened by the Greek debt crisis.

5. Farron dodges gay ‘sin’ question

New Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron repeatedly avoided answering whether he regarded gay sex as a sin during a live television interview. Just a day into his new job, Farron was asked whether he personally believed, as a Christian, that gay sex was a sin. Refusing to answer directly, he said that to “understand Christianity is to understand that we are all sinners”.

6. Government clampdown on FOI

Ministers have paved the way for a clampdown on freedom of information laws. A cross-party group has launched a review of the legislation, which has generated dozens of humiliating headlines for successive governments since it was introduced in 2005. They could bar the release of all documents relating to the formulation of government policy.

7. Yanis says Greek bailout will ‘fail’

Former Greek finance minster Yanis Varoufakis says his country's economic reforms are "going to fail". Just as formal talks over a huge bailout are poised to start, Varoufakis told the BBC that Greece was subject to a programme that will "go down in history as the greatest disaster of macroeconomic management ever".

8. Bomb found outside cricket star’s home

A homemade explosive device has been discovered outside the family home of Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, just three days after he announced he was quitting the Ashes tour, citing family reasons. According to reports, an attempt was made to ignite the device, which was made of two butane canisters with a wick attached.

9. Want to join Chris Evans on Top Gear?

The BBC is advertising for a Top Gear fan to join Chris Evans on the show. Applicants have been asked to submit a 30-second video of themselves in order to be considered for a slot on the revamped motoring series. Chris Evans replaced former hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, after Clarkson assaulted producer Oisin Tymon earlier this year.

10. Will Farah be asked to leave Salazar?

The chairman of UK Athletics has told Sky News that he may advise Mo Farah to leave coach Alberto Salazar following doping allegations. Ed Warner said he has "complete confidence" in Mo Farah but wants “to make sure he has the right support and environment around him”. Farah is not alleged to have broken any rules and insists he has never taken performance-enhancing drugs.