Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 24 Jun 2016

1. UK votes to leave the European Union

The UK has voted to withdraw from the EU by 52% to 48% after a referendum with a turnout of 72.16%. Some 17.4 million people voted to leave, although Scotland, Northern Ireland and London all voted to Remain. Ukip leader Nigel Farage hailed an "independence day", the Remain camp called it a "catastrophe".

2. Pound hits lowest level since 1985

Sterling has plummeted as markets react to the news that Britain has voted to leave the EU. The pound touched $1.3305 at one stage, its lowest exchange rate against the dollar since 1985. Oil prices have also fallen sharply, with Brent Crude down 5.2%, its biggest fall since January. US crude is also down 5.4% on the news.

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Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'

3. Scotland votes to remain; Wales to leave

Scotland yesterday voted to remain in the EU by 62% to 38%, with all 32 council areas backing Remain. Northern Ireland also voted to stay in. In Wales, voters chose to back Brexit by 52.5% to 47.5%. Former Welsh secretary Lord Hain said it was a "tragic result" with consequences for all. Turnout was high in Wales at 71.7%.

London independence: Could the capital break away from the UK?

4. European far-right hails Brexit vote

Europe's far-right politicians have welcomed the UK's vote to leave the EU. Marine Le Pen of France's Front National hailed it a "victory for freedom", while her niece, Marion Marechal Le Pen, called for "Frexit". Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party wrote: "Hurrah for the British! Now its our turn. Time for a Dutch referendum."

Will the European Union collapse in the wake of Brexit?

5. David Cameron to stand down after Brexit vote

Prime Minister David Cameron is to stand down after the UK voted to leave the EU. Speaking outside No 10 this morning, he said he could not remain "the captain of the ship" after voters chose a different path to the one he promoted and called for "fresh leadership" to negotiate Brexit. A new PM will be chosen before the start of the Conservative Party conference in October.

Theresa May rejects calls to increase Indian visa quota

6. MS804 flight recorders damaged

Initial attempts to extract data from the "black box" flight recorders recovered from the wreckage of EgyptAir flight MS804 have failed because their "electronic boards" are damaged, experts say. The recorders will be flown to France for restorative treatment.

7. Trump flies in to face wall of protest

Donald Trump arrived in Scotland this morning for a two-day business visit, during which he will reopen his golf course at Turnberry. No senior UK or Scottish politicians were prepared to meet the populist presumptive Republican candidate and he faces a wall of planned protests including an aerial banner and a mariachi band.

8. Colombia celebrates Farc ceasefire

Colombians are celebrating what looks like the end of five decades of civil war, after the government agreed a full ceasefire with Farc rebels. People took to the streets in the capital, Bogota, hugging and singing the national anthem. A full peace deal is expected to be announced within weeks. Some 220,000 people have died in the fighting.

9. Germany: Man killed in cinema shooting

A man who took several hostages in a cinema complex in Germany's Hesse region has been shot dead by special police. All the hostages escaped serious injury, though some were treated for inhaling CS gas, when police stormed into the complex. The man's motives have not been disclosed. He is said to have had what looked like a bomb belt.

10. Briefing: Eurozone buyers blag Brexit-boosted bargains

Britain has voted to leave the EU, but, at least until today, buyers from Europe were still rushing into London property. And they were bagging bargains due to the currency fluctuations in the leap-up to the referendum. London estate agents Sterling Ackroyd said a slump in the pound, caused by Brexit jitters, meant buyers from Eurozone countries were saving an average of £26,000 on property in the capital.

London house prices: study predicts a 2.5% rise for 2020, but a 1% fall in 2021

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