Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 23 Aug 2016
- 1. Team GB fly home on gold-nosed plane
- 2. Seven-day NHS 'faces staff shortages'
- 3. Turkey bombards IS and Kurds in Syria
- 4. UK boy killed by grenade in Sweden
- 5. Gender pay gap hits mothers hardest
- 6. Massive oil rig towed off rocks in Hebrides
- 7. Human Rights Act will be scrapped
- 8. Virgin Trains queries Corbyn footage
- 9. Donor gag wins best Edinburgh joke award
- 10. Briefing: House prices to fall in 2017, says Countrywide
1. Team GB fly home on gold-nosed plane
Olympic athletes from Team GB were given a heroes' welcome as they arrived at Heathrow today on board a British Airways jet with a gold-painted nose, the flight number BA2016 and the temporary name "victoRIOus". Victory parades will be held in Manchester and London this autumn to celebrate Team GB finishing second in the medal table.
Olympics 2016: Heroes of Team GB return triumphant from Rio
2. Seven-day NHS 'faces staff shortages'
The government's flagship policy of a seven-day NHS could be hit by a shortage of doctors and other health staff, according to a confidential review leaked to The Guardian and Channel 4 News. The Department of Health document identifies a total of 13 problems, including a lack of understanding of the costs involved.
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3. Turkey bombards IS and Kurds in Syria
Turkey is bombarding northern Syria with artillery, hitting Islamic State and Kurdish YPG militia fighters in Jarablus and Manbij, according to Turkish state TV. Around 1,500 Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are said to be waiting to attack Gaziantep.
4. UK boy killed by grenade in Sweden
An eight-year-old boy from Birmingham is reported to have been killed by a grenade attack in Sweden. Yuusuf Warsame was visiting family in Gothenburg, on Sweden's west coast, when the grenade was thrown through an apartment window into the room where he was sleeping. Police are linking the attack to a gangland feud.
British boy dies in grenade attack on Swedish apartment
5. Gender pay gap hits mothers hardest
Women with children will earn 33% less than men of the same age by the time their first child is 12, says a report in the UK's gender pay gap. Many mothers work fewer hours than fathers. Across all ages, women earn 18% less than men, compared to 23% less in 2003 and 28% in 1993.
6. Massive oil rig towed off rocks in Hebrides
A 17,000-ton oil rig that ran aground in the Outer Hebrides two weeks ago has been safely towed off rocks by two tugs. Fuel tanks were damaged when the Transocean Winner broke its tow line in storms, en route from Norway to Malta, and 53,000 litres of diesel escaped. It is thought most of the fuel has evaporated. Salvage work continues.
7. Human Rights Act will be scrapped
The government has confirmed the Human Rights Act will be scrapped in order to separate the UK from the European courts. Justice Secretary Liz Truss revealed the news while dismissing concerns from some Conservatives that the plan had been axed. "We are committed to that. That is a manifesto commitment," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Will the Human Rights Act be scrapped?
8. Virgin Trains queries Corbyn footage
Virgin Trains has queried footage of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sitting on the floor of one of its "ram-packed" services, claiming that he walked past several vacant seats before filming began. In the clip, shot by his campaign team, Corbyn said he was experiencing a "problem that many passengers face every day". Virgin says train crew found him a seat for the rest of the journey.
Resignations plunge Labour back into turmoil
9. Donor gag wins best Edinburgh joke award
Masai Graham, a care worker from West Bromwich, has won the award for the funniest single joke at the Edinburgh Fringe with: "My dad has suggested that I register for a donor card. He's a man after my own heart." Previous winners include Tim Vine, Zoe Lyons, Stewart Francis and Nick Helm.
10. Briefing: House prices to fall in 2017, says Countrywide
House price growth will slow in the second half of this year and dip
on average across the country by one per cent in 2017, estate agent
Countrywide has said. The firm, which last month warned the vote for
Brexit would hit its profits, predicts house prices will fall because
of "economic weakness caused by uncertainty following the referendum".
It suggests that the market will remain subdued until 2018.
London house prices: study predicts a 2.5% rise for 2020, but a 1% fall in 2021
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