1. Trump blames Democrats for healthcare bill humiliation
Donald Trump has blamed the Democrats for the failure of his healthcare bill. In a significant blow for the US President, the bill was withdrawn yesterday because it did not have enough support to pass in Congress. Trump told the Washington Post: "We were a little bit shy, very little, but it was still a little bit shy, so we pulled it." Repealing Obamacare was one of his top election pledges.
2. Two suspects still in custody over Westminster terror
The Metropolitan Police said two men remain in custody after the Westminster attack. Detectives are investigating whether culprit Khalid Masood acted alone or with accomplices, when four people were killed and 50 injured after he drove his car into people on Westminster Bridge and stabbed an officer guarding the House of Commons. The Saudi Arabian government has confirmed that Masood had worked in the country as an English teacher.
3. UN concerned over 'terrible' civilian casualties in Mosul
The United Nations said it is deeply concerned by accounts of a "terrible loss of life" in the Iraqi city of Mosul, after claims that at least 200 people had been killed in an airstrike by the US-led coalition. The New York Times says that US military officials are investigating reports of civilian deaths from a strike between 17-23 March.
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4. 'Star' Osborne backed by his local Conservative group
George Osborne says he has "overwhelming support" from his local Conservative Party in Cheshire, after his appointment as editor of London's Evening Standard means he now has six jobs. Speaking after a private meeting with the Tatton Tories, Osborne said: "I'm so grateful for the overwhelming support I got from Tatton Conservatives tonight." Patti Goddard, president of the local Conservative Association, described the former chancellor as "our star".
5. Naked demonstrators slaughter a sheep at Auschwitz
Polish police have detained at least 11 people after a peculiar demonstration at Auschwitz. The museum announced that "a group of people killed a sheep, undressed and chained themselves together" beneath the main gate. Officials say the motive was unclear, but some Polish media outlets are claiming that the action was a protest against the war in Ukraine.
6. Prince George to attend a mixed-sex Battersea school
Prince George is to become the first direct heir to the throne to attend a mixed-sex school. Kensington Palace has announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will send their son to Thomas’s school in Battersea. The south London establishment charges fees of £5,653 a term and has 540 pupils. The palace said: "Their royal highnesses are… confident George will have a happy and successful start to his education."
7. Anxious Pret to offer unpaid work experience to Brit teens
Pret a Manger will offer 500 British teenagers a week of unpaid work experience in a bid to solve a looming recruitment crisis. The coffee chain wants to hire 16- to 18-year-olds, who would not be paid but would be offered free food. Just 2% of Pret’s workers were born in the UK, so the company is worried that Brexit could cause problems if foreign workers shun Britain.
8. Red Nose Day raises £71 after gala evening on BBC
Red Nose Day has so far raised £71m for Comic Relief. The entertainment on the night came from a cast including the reunited cast of Love Actually, Mrs Brown and Ed Sheeran. Others to appear included James Corden with Take That, Sir Lenny Henry, Russell Brand, Emeli Sande, Romesh Ranganathan, and French & Saunders. Comic Relief has raised more than £1bn since it launched in 1985.
9. Brits shun the US as 'Trump slump' and weak pound kick in
British travellers are steering clear of the United States, as the weak pound and "Trump slump" see the number of British visitors to the US fall by 17% year on year. Some 230,000 Britons travelled to the US in January 2017, compared with 276,000 in January 2016. Sterling has dropped by about 15% against the dollar since last summer, with £1 now worth only $1.25.
10. British town with worst restaurant hygiene standards revealed
The restaurants of Hyndburn, Lancashire were found to have the worst hygiene standards in a survey by Which. The consumer group named Birmingham the second worst area for hygiene, and put four London neighbourhoods – Newham, Ealing, Lewisham and Camden – in the bottom ten. Hydnburn is the area where Megan Lee, 15, died on New Year’s Day when she suffered severe anaphylactic shock after eating a takeaway from a curry house in Oswaldtwistle.
