Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 25 Jun 2016

1. Moody's cut UK's credit outlook to 'negative'

Moody's has cut the UK's sovereign rating from "stable" to "negative" due to the uncertainty sparked by the outcome of the EU referendum. The ratings agency said that the unpredictability of UK decision-making influenced its move, as did the likelihood of lower economic growth. Rival ratings agency Standard & Poor's said before the voting that Britain stood to lose its AAA credit rating.

2. David Cameron quit 'to avoid the hard s**t'

Prior to his resignation announcement yesterday David Cameron told his aides: “Why should I do all the hard s**t?” claims The Sun. The report says that after the result was declared, the “teary-eyed PM” turned to his emotional team and said: “Why should I do all the hard s**t for someone else, just to hand it over to them on a plate?”

3. Germany warns of domino effect after Brexit

Germany has warned of a domino effect amid fears that France, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and Hungary may follow the UK and leave the EU. It recommends that the EU makes the UK an "associated partner country" for the remaining 27 nations. Meanwhile, Barack Obama says the US and UK’s special relationship is “enduring”, despite the Brexit vote.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

4. Nicola Sturgeon says second independence poll 'highly likely'

Nicola Sturgeon is to chair a cabinet meeting to discuss the Scottish government's response to the Brexit vote. She said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland faced being removed from the EU against its will, and said a second independence referendum was "highly likely”. However, prior to the outcome, Scottish polls didn't show any great appetite for a new independence referendum.

5. Corbyn's aides deny he is planning to quit

Jeremy Corbyn’s aides have denied he is on the verge of resigning, following the outcome of the EU referendum. The Labour leader is due to give a speech in London later to set out how the party should move forward. Two Labour MPs have submitted a motion of no confidence in Corbyn, saying he did not campaign vigorously enough.

6. US army lifts ban on transgender personnel

The US military will lift its ban on openly transgender service personnel next month. Defence secretary Ash Carter says the ban is outdated. The move comes after US army secretary, Eric Fanning, became the first openly gay person to become the top civilian official in the American military. The US ended its ban on openly gay and lesbian service personnel in 2011.

7. Pope condemns 'twisted' Armenian 'genocide'

Pope Francis condemned what he called the “genocide” of Armenians by Ottoman-era Turks a century ago as he arrived in Yerevan, Armenia, yesterday. In a hugely anticipated speech, Francis ad-libbed the politically contentious word “genocide” to his prepared text that had omitted it. He said the genocide was made possible by “twisted racial, ideological or religious aims”.

8. Rescue underway after 20 die in West Virginia flooding

At least 20 people, including two children, have died in flooding in West Virginia, according to state officials. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said heavy storms and flooding have caused widespread damage throughout the state. Rescue efforts are continuing for about 500 people trapped in a shopping centre while officials continued to search for others stranded in devastated areas.

9. Record number of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean

More than 7,000 migrants have been rescued in the Mediterranean in 48 hours while trying to sail from Libya to Italy. The total included 5,000 rescued on Thursday — the highest total in a single day. Calm seas had encouraged traffickers to pack migrants on to boats. This took the total number of migrants crossing on the route this year to more than 60,000,

10. Maradona says '86 victory was payback for Falklands War

Diego Maradona says beating England in the 1986 World Cup was a form of retribution for the Falklands War. During an interview on Argentine Television, the former Argentine footballer said: "The English came to play for their lives, what they did not take into account was that we came to play for two lives. By winning that game we could somehow diminish the pain of so many mothers that lost sons in Malvinas.”

Explore More