Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 27 Apr 2017
- 1. Terror arrest in Whitehall prompts lockdown
- 2. Boris Johnson criticises 'mugwump' Corbyn
- 3. May wants 'deep and special' EU partnership
- 4. US to tighten sanctions on North Korea
- 5. UK drops to 40th in press freedom rankings
- 6. Huge explosion hits Damascus airport
- 7. Ministers admit 'mistake' over Dubs refugee scheme
- 8. Couple married 69 years die holding hands
- 9. Ebook sales fall as readers shun fiction
- 10. Briefing: Labour's Brexit reset
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
1. Terror arrest in Whitehall prompts lockdown
A man has been arrested following a suspected terror incident close to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. Armed police swooped on the man, said to be in his 20s, following a stop-and-search operation in Whitehall, which was sealed off. Police said the man was arrested at approximately 2.22pm by armed officers from the Met's specialist firearms command.
Man 'carrying knives' arrested in Whitehall on terrorism charges
2. Boris Johnson criticises 'mugwump' Corbyn
Boris Johnson has used an article in The Sun to strike his first blow in the election campaign, writing that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a "mutton-headed old mugwump" and a threat to national security. Shadow housing minister John Healey accused the Foreign Secretary of feeling "left out" and resorting to "look-at-me name-calling that you would expect in an Eton playground".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
What is a 'mugwump'? The multiple interpretations of Boris Johnson's bizarre Corbyn put-down
3. May wants 'deep and special' EU partnership
Theresa May held a working dinner for European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, at Downing Street last night, telling them she wanted a "deep and special partnership with the EU". Sky News says the Prime Minister was "all smiles" as she greeted Juncker.
Brexit: Theresa May says ‘trust me’ to deliver
4. US to tighten sanctions on North Korea
The US is to tighten sanctions and apply diplomatic pressure to deal with the "problem" of North Korea. The announcement was made after Donald Trump briefed all 100 US senators at the White House yesterday. However, "it is not clear what further sanctions Washington could impose" on top of those put in place by Barack Obama last year, says the BBC.
5. UK drops to 40th in press freedom rankings
Journalists in the UK are now less free to hold people in positions of power to account than their peers in South Africa, Chile or Lithuania, according to the latest Press Freedom Index. Britain came 40th in the world in the latest rankings, published annually by Reporters Without Borders, which accused the government of "menacing measures". The UK has dropped 12 places in the past five years.
UK drops to 40th place in global Press Freedom Index
6. Huge explosion hits Damascus airport
A large explosion has hit the area around Damascus Airport, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which claims the blast could be heard 15 miles away in the city. There is no word on casualties or the cause of the explosion, which was followed by a large fire. Damascus has remained relatively insulated from the fighting in Syria's bitter civil war.
Syria 'planning a new chemical attack', US claims
7. Ministers admit 'mistake' over Dubs refugee scheme
Another 130 unaccompanied child migrants will be allowed into the UK after the government admitted making a mistake when calculating the number it was willing to take. An "administrative error" meant it had not taken up all the offers of places from local councils, ministers said. Labour peer Lord Dubs, who proposed the original scheme, criticised the "shocking mistake".
8. Couple married 69 years die holding hands
A US couple married for 69 years died side-by-side in hospital beds within minutes of each other, US media reports. Isaac Vatkin, 91, held his wife Teresa's hand as she passed away at the age of 89, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died 40 minutes later. They met in their native Argentina before moving to Illinois.
9. Ebook sales fall as readers shun fiction
Ebook sales fell 3% to £538m last year, although a boom in non-fiction saw a 6% rise in total book sales, including print editions. Figures from the Publishers Association showed fiction fell 7% while sales of factual titles rose 9%, helped by books about the Danish lifestyle concept hygge.
10. Briefing: Labour's Brexit reset
Labour will scrap the government's white paper on Brexit and replace it with a new one should Jeremy Corbyn become prime minister in June. In a speech today, shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said: "We do not accept that there has to be a reckless Tory Brexit."
He added that if Labour won the election, it would rip up Theresa May's plans for leaving the EU and give EU citizens the right to stay.
General election 2017: Security tight as Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn cast their votes
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Bribery indictment
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
The daily gossip: Hollywood writers and studios reach tentative agreement to end strike, Taylor Swift attends Chiefs game amid Travis Kelce dating rumors, and more
The daily gossip: September 25, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Disaster averted
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 25, 2023
Daily Briefing GOP leaders pressure far-right holdouts to help prevent a shutdown, Hollywood writers reach tentative deal to end strike, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 25 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 24, 2023
Daily Briefing Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population to leave region amid fears of persecution, Atlantic coast remains under flood warnings from Ophelia, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 22, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy visits Washington as Biden unveils more Ukraine aid, Rupert Murdoch steps down at Fox and News Corp., and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 21, 2023
Daily Briefing Biden extends temporary protections to 470,000 Venezuelans, Republicans grill Garland on Biden and Trump investigations, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 20, 2023
Daily Briefing Zelenskyy, Biden urge UN members to oppose Russian aggression, hardline Republicans block spending bill as shutdown looms, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 19, 2023
Daily Briefing Iran, US swap prisoners in a complex deal, Canada accuses India of role in Sikh leader's assassination, and more
By Harold Maass Published