Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 8 Sep 2015
- 1. PM faces questions over drone strikes on UK citizens
- 2. Emergency debate on Syria refugee crisis
- 3. Amanda Knox investigation had ‘stunning flaws’
- 4. UK court to allow cameras at murder trial
- 5. Andy Murray: worst grand slam in five years
- 6. Danny Boyle confirms Trainspotting sequel
- 7. DNA analysis explains Basque riddle at last
- 8. Bankrupt rapper 50 Cent unveils African mansion
- 9. Canada: election candidate urinated in mug
- 10. Briefing: should Britain join air strikes against IS in Syria?
1. PM faces questions over drone strikes on UK citizens
David Cameron is under pressure from Labour to publish the legal basis under which he took the decision to kill two British citizens in Syria last month. Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old from Cardiff and Aberdonian Ruhul Amin, 26, died in a targeted drone strike. They are both alleged to have been planning terror attacks for Islamic State.
Jihadi John 'on kill list drawn up by senior UK ministers'
2. Emergency debate on Syria refugee crisis
The Commons is to hold an emergency debate on the Syrian refugee crisis today on the insistence of the Opposition, which said David Cameron’s pledge to take up to 20,000 from camps surrounding Syria over the next five years was inadequate. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says those who have reached Europe should be helped.
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David Cameron under fire for 'pathetic' refugee response
3. Amanda Knox investigation had ‘stunning flaws’
Italy’s highest court acquitted Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher because of “stunning flaws” and “amnesia” by police investigators. The court ruled in March, but the rationale behind the decision has only now been published, normal practice in Italy.
Amanda Knox claims inmate tried to seduce her behind bars
4. UK court to allow cameras at murder trial
A court in Glasgow is to allow Sky News to film a judge delivering her sentence in a murder trial. It is almost unheard of for courts to allow filming in the UK, though permission has been granted in Scotland before, then withdrawn at the last minute. Alexander Pacteau is to be sentenced for the murder of Irish student Karen Buckley.
5. Andy Murray: worst grand slam in five years
British tennis ace Andy Murray has suffered his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament for five years, pushed out of the US Open in the fourth round by South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. The 15th seed subjected the Scot to a gruelling defeat at Flushing Meadows over four hours and 18 minutes: 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-0).
Andy Murray out of US Open on bad night for British tennis
6. Danny Boyle confirms Trainspotting sequel
Director Danny Boyle has confirmed he is going to make a sequel to his 1996 adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting, with the original cast playing older versions of their characters. The energetic and surreal story of heroin addicts on a run-down Edinburgh estate, Trainspotting is now widely seen as one of the best British films.
7. DNA analysis explains Basque riddle at last
Scientists have long been puzzled by the Basque people in northern Spain, whose language and genetics are distinct from the rest of Europe’s. Now DNA analysis of ancient skeletons suggests they are a survival of hunter-gatherers who were absorbed elsewhere into a wave of farmers migrating across Europe from the Middle East.
8. Bankrupt rapper 50 Cent unveils African mansion
American rap artist 50 Cent, who last month filed for bankruptcy, has posted a photo to Instagram of a luxurious-looking mansion with the caption: “My crib is almost finished in AFRICA. I'm gonna have the craziest House warming party ever.” He didn’t say how much the house had cost or specify which African country it was in.
9. Canada: election candidate urinated in mug
A candidate in for the Canadian parliament has dropped out of the running after he was caught on camera urinating in a mug. Jerry Brant, a conservative candidate who is also a tradesman, was filmed for a hidden-camera TV show peeing in a mug belonging in an employer’s kitchen. Jokes about trickle-down economics ensued.
10. Briefing: should Britain join air strikes against IS in Syria?
As the global refugee crisis intensifies, Britain is coming under "increasing pressure" to extend air strikes against Islamic State to Syria. But where do British politicians, the press and the public stand? Many senior Conservatives, including Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, argue that it is illogical for Britain to be fighting IS militants in Iraq, but ignoring them across the border in Syria. National newspapers have also begun to "rattle their sabres," says The Guardian. But opinion polls offer conflicting views of the extent of public support for air strikes.
UK air strikes on Islamic State in Syria: the case for and against
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