1. Trump told Russia firing ‘nut job’ Comey eased pressure
Donald Trump told Russian officials that firing FBI director James Comey eased "great pressure" on him. The New York Times claims the President called Comey a "real nut job". Meanwhile, the Washington Post says a current White House official "close to the President" is a "significant person of interest" in the investigation into alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
2. Rouhani set to secure second term as Iran's president
Hassan Rouhani is on course for a second term as Iran's president, according to preliminary results. Rouhani has won more than half of the votes counted so far – 14.6m out of 26m - officials announced on state TV. His main rival, Ebrahim Raisi, has complained about voting irregularities, accusing Rouhani’s supporters of illegal propaganda at voting booths. There was an unexpectedly high turnout of about 70%.
3. Experts shrug at Theresa May's internet ambitions
Theresa May says she will make Britain the world’s internet policeman and has warned tech giants that she will force them to give their customers more power over their own data. Speaking to The Times, the PM said that Britain "should be a leader" in regulating the internet. Experts reacted with scepticism. "I’m not sure how achievable it is," said one.
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4. Julian Assange defiant after Sweden drops investigation
Julian Assange said that "the proper war is just commencing" after Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation into an allegation of rape against him. As a seven-year extradition battle came to an end, the 45-year-old WikiLeaks founder appeared on the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He said his organisation would escalate its leaks of documents about the CIA.
5. Jamie Oliver slams Theresa May's 'awful' food plan
Jamie Oliver has attacked Theresa May over her plan to end free lunches for some of the youngest primary school children. The celebrity chef and healthy eating campaigner said the "short-sighted" move would harm children’s health and end up costing the country in the long run. "It’s awful, it’s awful. She will regret it," he told Channel 4 News.
6. Labour at war over future of nuclear missiles
The Labour shadow cabinet is at odds over the future of Trident. Defence secretary Nia Griffith says shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry was "wrong" to suggest the party might drop its commitment to the nuclear deterrent. Griffith told Newsnight it was "already settled" that Trident would remain. She spoke out after Thornberry had hinted that support for the missile system could not be guaranteed following a defence review.
7. Pets' futures threatened by 1,900% price hike
Thousands of pets’ lives were put at risk after a drug giant raised the price of vital medication by 1,900%. Aspen Pharmacare, a South African company that is already under suspicion of "price gouging" in relation to five cancer medicines, hiked the price of 100 fludrocortisone tablets, a drug used to treat Addison’s disease, from £5 to almost £100.
8. Saudis offer to pump $200bn into American rust-belt
Saudi Arabia is offering to inject $200bn into the American rust belt as a sweetener for arms deals and better relations between the two countries, reports The Times. Sources say that deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman made the offer during a visit to Washington this year. President Trump hopes the money would benefit the impoverished states which helped propel him to power.
9. Britain's least punctual airline is named
Air Transat is the least punctual airline in Britain, with only 55% of its flights landing within 15 minutes of their planned arrival time. Icelandair and Norwegian Air Shuttle also fared badly in the research, which found that on average only 75% of all flights arrived on time. Consumer group Which says that Dutch airline KLM is the most punctual carrier.
10. Cher says her music is 'crap' and a 'nightmare'
Cher thinks that her music is "crap", reports Billboard. "I’m not a Cher fan. I just don’t think my aesthetic taste lies in that direction," she told the magazine. Asked about her 1990s output, she said it was "crap", adding: "I don’t remember what’s on it. I didn’t like any of it." She described her biggest hit Believe as "a nightmare".
