Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 5 Apr 2016
- 1. Steel crisis: Javid to meet potential Port Talbot buyer
- 2. Corbyn calls on Cameron to publish tax returns
- 3. Panama Papers: Sanctioned firms on Fonseca's books
- 4. Climate change will cost world $2.5tn
- 5. Call for vigils to remember Battle of the Somme
- 6. Simpsons character Smithers comes out as gay
- 7. Two 15-year-old girls convicted of 'brutal' murder
- 8. Caudwell hits out over Brexit 'hysteria'
- 9. Trump will 'cut off' cash to Mexico to pay for wall
- 10. Briefing: How the HMRC could swing the EU referendum
1. Steel crisis: Javid to meet potential Port Talbot buyer
Business Secretary Sajid Javid is today meeting a tycoon who might buy the Port Talbot steelworks from Tata Steel, which wants to divest itself of all its UK steelworks. Sanjeev Gupta, who owns Liberty House, is also considering buying other UK steel plants. Afterwards, Javid will fly to India to discuss the timing of the sale with Tata.
Tata Steel strikes £550m deal to solve pensions riddle
2. Corbyn calls on Cameron to publish tax returns
Jeremy Corbyn has called on David Cameron to publish his tax returns after the leaked Panama Papers revealed the PM's late father, Ian, had set up a company there. The Labour leader demanded an independent investigation into all Britons caught up in the leak and called for "direct rule" on British overseas territories if they do not comply with UK tax law.
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.
IMF: Information sharing plan as Panama Papers fallout continues
3. Panama Papers: Sanctioned firms on Fonseca's books
Leaked documents suggest that Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca helped 33 firms or individuals subject to US Treasury sanctions. They were based in Iran, North Korea and Zimbabwe - and one had links to North Korea's nuclear programme. Other papers name close relatives of several Chinese leaders and associates of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Putin and the Panama Papers: The Kremlin's web of cash
4. Climate change will cost world $2.5tn
The first estimate from economic modelling of the impact of climate change on the world economy has found it could cut the value of global financial assets by $2.5tn - and losses could soar to $24tn under worst-case scenarios. Led by the London School of Economics, the research said limiting temperature rises makes financial sense.
Climate change could cost the world £1.8tn if left unchecked
5. Call for vigils to remember Battle of the Somme
Communities across the UK are being urged to hold vigils on 30 June or 1 July to mark the 100 years since the Battle of the Somme. There were more than 1,000,000 French, British and German casualties in the battle, which has "come to symbolise the tragic scale and futility of modern industrialised warfare", says the Royal British Legion.
6. Simpsons character Smithers comes out as gay
After 27 years in the closet, The Simpsons character Waylon Smithers Jr has been given a coming-out episode. Smithers' passion for his evil geriatric employer, Mr Burns, has long been a source of humour on the show, but now one of the writers, inspired by his own gay son, has allowed the character to admit his sexuality in public.
The Simpsons' Smithers comes out as gay after 27 years
7. Two 15-year-old girls convicted of 'brutal' murder
Two 15-year-old girls who beat a woman to death in her own home using items including a shovel, a kettle and a coffee table as weapons have been found guilty of murder. Angela Wrightson, 39, suffered more than 100 injuries - including 80 to her face - during the "sustained and brutal" attack Hartlepool in December 2014. The two girls will be sentenced on Thursday.
8. Caudwell hits out over Brexit 'hysteria'
Phones 4U founder John Caudwell has hit out at the "hysteria" surrounding Brexit and rejected claims that leaving the EU would cost millions of jobs. He also claimed membership of the European Union cost the UK £8bn a year. Meanwhile, new figures show Britain is the first-choice destination for Europeans seeking to work abroad.
Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'
9. Trump will 'cut off' cash to Mexico to pay for wall
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump says he will force Mexico to pay for a 1,000-mile long wall along its border with the US by cutting off money transfers to the country. He outlined his plans in a memo to the Washington Post, saying he would amend part of the Patriot Act to stop money transfers unless Mexico made a "one-time payment of $5-10bn" to pay for the wall.
10. Briefing: How the HMRC could swing the EU referendum
The number of migrants from the European Union working in the UK is set to be revealed just weeks before the referendum on Britain's EU membership. The release of the data could prove a dramatic plot twist in the debate, as campaigners believe the figures will prove immigration levels have been drastically underestimated. Following pressure from MPs, HMRC will disclose how many national insurance numbers are being used by people from the European Economic Area.
Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Assad's fall upends the Captagon drug empire
Multi-billion-dollar drug network sustained former Syrian regime
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The key financial dates to prepare for in 2025
The Explainer Discover the main money milestones that may affect you in the new year
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published