Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 10 Jan 2017

1. Donald Trump appoints his son-in-law as his senior adviser

Donald Trump yesterday named his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as his senior adviser. The appointment will test a 1967 anti-nepotism law, instituted after John F Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert, as attorney general. Kushner is the "scion of an extraordinarily wealthy family with business interest around the world", says The Guardian.

Who is Jared Kushner? Trump's son-in-law named his senior adviser

2. Corbyn: Labour not 'wedded' to free movement

Jeremy Corbyn says the Labour Party is not "wedded" to free movement of EU citizens across UK borders. In a speech laying out his party's policy on Brexit, he will say that the UK "can be better off" outside the bloc and will not give Theresa May a "free pass".

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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

Brexit: Theresa May says ‘trust me’ to deliver

3. UK 'in front seat' for US trade deal, says Republican

Britain "will take a front seat" for a trade deal with the US, senior Republican Bob Corker says, contradicting Barack Obama's warning the UK would be at the "back of the queue" after Brexit. Corker spoke out after meeting Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Washington DC. Johnson also met the president-elect's team.

4. Only one hospital hits A&E waiting targets

Nearly a quarter of A&E patients in England waited more than four hours to be seen in the first week of 2017 according to leaked NHS figures, and only one hospital trust met its waiting time targets and only nine were within 5% of the mark. Nearly 500 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours - treble the number in January last year.

5. Call for talks after Martin McGuinness resigns

Sinn Fein and the DUP are being urged to enter talks to resolve disputes at the power-sharing assembly in Stormont following the resignation of deputy first minister Martin McGuinness yesterday over the handling of a botched green energy scheme by First Minister Arlene Foster.

Northern Ireland Assembly in crisis after McGuinness quits

6. Fifteen-year-old arrested after death of girl aged seven

A 15-year-old girl has been arrested in York after the death of a seven-year-old girl. The child was found with life-threatening injuries in the city's Woodthorpe area after police were called at about 4.30pm yesterday and died shortly after being taken to hospital. The teenager is still being questioned, North Yorkshire police say.

Teenager charged with murder of seven-year-old Katie Rough

7. Southern drivers strike as Tube staff go back to work

Drivers on Southern rail have started another strike, just as London Underground station staff return to work. London was gridlocked yesterday after industrial action closed most of the stations in the city centre. The Southern strike is the latest in a series of walkouts over working conditions and single-operator trains.

8. Fifa approves 48-team World Cup

Fifa has approved plans for an expanded World Cup featuring 48 countries. The new format, which will come into effect in 2026, will see 16 groups of three teams with the top two in each qualifying for the knockout stages. The tournament will still last 32 days but will feature many more matches and could earn Fifa an extra $1bn.

Fifa backs 48-team World Cup: The arguments for and against

9. Famous 'tunnel tree' falls in California

One of the US's best-known trees has been felled by a storm. The Pioneer Cabin Tree in California, a giant sequoia with a tunnel carved through its trunk big enough to accommodate a car, is thought to have been 1,000 years old. The tunnel was made in the 1880s after the tree was hollowed out by lightning.

10. Briefing: Lord Sugar's £181m payout

Lord Sugar beat a hike in the tax rate on dividend payments by paying himself a bumper £181m in the last financial year. Accounts filed by Sugar's holding company, Amshold, show £100m was paid in December 2015, followed by two payouts of £50m and £31m just two days apart in March last year, says the Daily Telegraph.

Lord Sugar beats tax hike with bumper £181m payout