Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 9 Jun 2016
- 1. Major and Blair warn against Brexit
- 2. People smuggler suspect 'is the wrong man', say friends
- 3. EU referendum: Registration ends tonight
- 4. Government 'failing' flood-hit communities
- 5. G4S-run child jail: Five more arrests
- 6. Fossils show 'hobbit' humans shrank rapidly
- 7. Blood cancer is 11 different diseases
- 8. Ed Sheeran sued for 'copying' X Factor winner
- 9. Four killed in Tel Aviv mass shooting
- 10. Briefing: How Sadiq Khan's London travel fare freeze will work
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. Major and Blair warn against Brexit
Former prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair have joined forces in Northern Ireland to warn that leaving the EU would "jeopardise the unity" of the UK. However, their claims that a vote for Brexit would leave the region's "future at risk" has angered many involved in the peace process.
EU referendum debate: Who won at Wembley?
2. People smuggler suspect 'is the wrong man', say friends
Friends of a man accused of being a suspected people smuggler known as The General say police have the wrong man. The claim that the man, who was extradited to Italy from Sudan on Tuesday, is actually Medhanie Tesfamariam Kidane and not the wanted Mered Medhanie. The UK's National Crime Agency said it was "too soon to speculate".
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.
3. EU referendum: Registration ends tonight
Voters have until midnight tonight to register to take part in the EU referendum, after technical problems left many unable to sign up by the initial deadline. The gov.uk site crashed when a large number of users tried to access it at once on Tuesday evening. New legislation extended the deadline by 48 hours.
4. Government 'failing' flood-hit communities
A select committee of MPs says the government is not doing enough to protect vulnerable UK communities from flooding. The environmental audit committee argued the state should pay for the upkeep of existing defences as well as investing in new ones. The government said it was spending "record amounts".
5. G4S-run child jail: Five more arrests
Five more people have been arrested in connection with the G4S-run Medway youth jail in Kent, which has been hit with allegations of abuse and use of excessive force by staff. The three men and two women were detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Eleven staff were fired or resigned in January after a BBC documentary alleged malpractice at the centre.
6. Fossils show 'hobbit' humans shrank rapidly
New fossil finds in Indonesia have shown that Homo floresiensis, an ancient race of tiny humans, reached their small size very quickly after larger humans moved to the island. Nicknamed "the hobbit", floresiensis existed as recently as 50,000 years ago. The latest discoveries are of equally small ancestors from 700,000 years ago.
7. Blood cancer is 11 different diseases
One of the most prevalent forms of blood cancer, acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), is actually 11 distinct diseases, say researchers, who made the discovery after detailed genetic analysis of the disease from 1,540 patients undergoing clinical trials. Most patients respond well to chemotherapy in the short term but the relapse rate is particularly high.
Major blood cancer is actually 11 distinct diseases
8. Ed Sheeran sued for 'copying' X Factor winner
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is facing a £14m lawsuit for allegedly copying a song by The X Factor winner Matt Cardle. The songwriters behind 2010's Amazing have accused Sheeran of exploiting their work "on a breathtaking scale" for his 2015 hit Photograph.
9. Four killed in Tel Aviv mass shooting
Four people have died and up to six others were injured in a mass shooting in the centre of Tel Aviv. A police spokesman said the gunmen behind the "harsh terror attack", near a popular open-air food market close to army headquarters, had been "neutralised". Two Palestinian cousins are suspected.
Israel suspends Palestinian permits as four die in Tel Aviv attack
10. Briefing: How Sadiq Khan's London travel fare freeze will work
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has set out a savings programme for Transport for London to fund a fares freeze until 2020. The move promises to benefit millions of Londoners who use the Tube, TfL rail services, buses and trams - but will not include hundreds of thousands of commuters with travelcards.
How Sadiq Khan's London travel fare freeze will work
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
-
10 things you need to know today: September 21, 2023
Daily Briefing Biden extends temporary protections to 470,000 Venezuelans, Republicans grill Garland on Biden and Trump investigations, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 22 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 20, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy, Biden urge UN members to oppose Russian aggression, hardline Republicans block spending bill as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 19, 2023
Daily Briefing Iran, US swap prisoners in a complex deal, Canada accuses India of role in Sikh leader's assassination, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 18, 2023
Daily Briefing Protesters call for ending fossil fuel ahead of UN meetings, Trump doesn't 'even think' about going to jail, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 15, 2023
Daily Briefing A grand jury indicts Hunter Biden on gun charges, House defense spending bill stalls as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 14, 2023
Daily Briefing Mitt Romney says he won't run for a second Senate term, Pennsylvania police capture an escaped murderer, and more
By Harold Maass Published