Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 5 May 2016
- 1. UK goes to the polls for 'Super Thursday'
- 2. Neither Bush will endorse Donald Trump
- 3. New Day newspaper closes after two months
- 4. Junior doctors contract work paused for talks
- 5. Rents continue to rise across the UK
- 6. London: Travel chaos after fire at Vauxhall
- 7. Air passengers hurt as plane hits 'severe' turbulence
- 8. Accidental bet on Leicester wins pair £20,000
- 9. Wildfire evacuations continue in Canada
- 10. Briefing: London slips to 23rd in global house-price league
1. UK goes to the polls for 'Super Thursday'
Britons are voting today, on what has been dubbed "Super Thursday". Ballots will be cast for the devolved assemblies of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; 124 English councils; English and Welsh police and crime commissioners; the mayors of London, Bristol, Liverpool and Salford, and two parliamentary by-elections.
Elections 2016: Super Thursday results at a glance
2. Neither Bush will endorse Donald Trump
Neither of the Republican's two living former US presidents will endorse Donald Trump, the party's "presumptive nominee" after his nearest rival quit the race. George HW and George W Bush will not take part in campaigning. Trump attacked George W on the campaign trail, saying he lied to justify the Iraq war.
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.
Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives
3. New Day newspaper closes after two months
The New Day, the experimental newspaper launched just two months ago, is to print its last issue on Friday. Pitching it as a national paper for those who had "fallen out of love with newspapers", owners Trinity Mirror promised advertisers they would hit daily sales of 200,000. Instead, they were selling just 30,000 copies each day.
New Day newspaper to close after just nine weeks
4. Junior doctors contract work paused for talks
The government has agreed to pause work on controversial new contracts for junior doctors for five days, paving the way for talks to end the dispute. The medics have staged a series of strikes over the changes to working conditions. Talks will focus on contractual issues such as unsocial hours and Saturday pay.
Hunt to promise 25% rise in student doctor places
5. Rents continue to rise across the UK
The average cost of renting homes across the UK has risen, according to new figures out today. In the 12 months to April, the cost of renting outside the capital rose by 5.1% to £755 a month while in London, it increased by 7.7% to £1,543 a month. Rents are rising faster in Scotland than any other large area of the country.
6. London: Travel chaos after fire at Vauxhall
There is major disruption to transport routes in and out of London today after a fire broke out underneath a platform at Vauxhall station in the early hours of the morning. Services to and from Waterloo are severely delayed, trains are not running on the Hounslow loop and via Richmond and Kingston and Vauxhall bus station is closed.
7. Air passengers hurt as plane hits 'severe' turbulence
More than 30 people were injured, nine seriously, when an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta experienced "severe and unexpected turbulence". Eight Indonesian passengers and a foreign flight attendant were most seriously hurt, with several suffering broken bones. The turbulence had been severe enough to damage the overhead luggage compartments, said the airline.
More than 30 hurt as turbulence hits Etihad flight
8. Accidental bet on Leicester wins pair £20,000
Two friends have collected £20,000 winnings after mistakenly betting £5 each on Leicester City to win the Premier League. Jordan Wright of Essex thought he was backing the team to win their first match at great odds - and roped in a friend, Mitchell Baldock. The firefighters were mocked by colleagues before Leicester's fairytale win.
9. Wildfire evacuations continue in Canada
Evacuations around the Canadian city of Fort McMurray in Alberta have continued as a devastating wildfire heads south. A state of emergency has been declared in the province of Alberta after the blaze forced all 88,000 residents of Fort McMurray to flee. There have been no fatalities but it is feared half the city could be destroyed and nearby oil producers have cut supplies.
Oil price posts two-year highs - but how long can it last?
10. Briefing: London slips to 23rd in global house-price league
London has slipped down the global league of booming property prices to rank 23rd in a list of 35 global cities where "prime" property is bought and sold. The league table, compiled by upmarket estate agent Knight Frank, looks at the increase in average prices for the top five per cent of the market - and in the six months to March, prices actually fell 0.6 per cent as the traditionally slow winter property market lived down to its reputation.
London house prices: study predicts a 2.5% rise for 2020, but a 1% fall in 2021
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
-
Will California's EV mandate survive Trump, SCOTUS challenge?
Today's Big Question The Golden State's climate goal faces big obstacles
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Underneath the noise, however, there’s an existential crisis'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2024: the year of distrust in science
In the Spotlight Science and politics do not seem to mix
By Devika Rao, The Week US 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