Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 5 Aug 2017
- 1. Tories lost majority 'because they abandoned change'
- 2. Mini lab-grown brains could repair Alzheimer’s damage
- 3. UK 'epidemic' of car-clocking misleading buyers
- 4. White House confirms intention to withdraw from Paris deal
- 5. Mo Farah revives 2012 spirit as he wins 10,000 metres
- 6. Scientists warning on heatwaves as Lucifer bakes Europe
- 7. UK cyber expert denies malware bank charges
- 8. Irish PM tells Theresa May to tear up her Brexit blueprint
- 9. Netflix documentary claims eggs as unhealthy as cigarettes
- 10. Game of Thrones episode leaked after 'chaos' at HBO
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. Tories lost majority 'because they abandoned change'
Theresa May's former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, says the Tories lost their majority at the election because they abandoned the Prime Minister’s promise of "change" in favour of a "continuity" message. "We knew the campaign wasn’t going as well as we’d hoped," he admits. Turning to his subsequent resignation, he said: "Nobody told me I had to go, but it became inevitable."
2. Mini lab-grown brains could repair Alzheimer’s damage
Tiny human brains grown in laboratories by UK scientists could be used to repair damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, reports the Daily Telegraph. The mini brains, fashioned from human skin cells, are transformed into neurons and formed into clusters so that they resemble the structure of the brain. Professor Edik Rafailov, of Aston University in Birmingham, said: "This is kind of science fiction."
3. UK 'epidemic' of car-clocking misleading buyers
Britain is facing a "car-clocking epidemic" says The Times, as new finance deals leave as many as one in 16 used vehicles showing the wrong mileage. Up to 500,000 second-hand cars purchased in 2016 were clocked, as the price of correction devices which can be used to alter the mileage fell to as little as £80. In one case, a Mercedes had more than 100,000 miles wiped from its odometer.
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.
4. White House confirms intention to withdraw from Paris deal
The White House has issued its first written notification that the US intends to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement. President Donald Trump caused outrage in June when he first announced his intention to withdraw, claiming that the deal "punished" the US and would cost millions of American jobs. The largely symbolic written notice states that Washington would remain in the talks process.
5. Mo Farah revives 2012 spirit as he wins 10,000 metres
Sir Mo Farah won gold in the 10,000 metres at the World Athletics Championship. The 34-year-old athlete held off a group of determined African opponents to win in 26 minutes, 49.51 seconds - the fastest time in the world this year. After overcoming two stumbles on the final lap, he powered to his customary final surge. The victory in London brought back memories of the 2012 Olympics.
6. Scientists warning on heatwaves as Lucifer bakes Europe
Scientists are warning that heatwaves, wildfires and floods could kill more than 150,000 Europeans every year by the end of the century. Unless there is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, say experts, there will be a series of weather-related disasters. Meanwhile, 11 southern and central European countries have issued extreme heat warnings amid a brutal heatwave called Lucifer.
7. UK cyber expert denies malware bank charges
The 23-year-old British man praised for ending the NHS cyberattack admitted to police he created a code to harvest bank details, a US court has heard. Marcus Hutchins plans to plead not guilty to all six counts he faces regarding the creation and distribution of the Kronos malware. A prosecutor described Hutchins as a "danger to the public”.
8. Irish PM tells Theresa May to tear up her Brexit blueprint
The prime minister of Ireland has called on Theresa May to scrap her Brexit blueprint and strive to keep Britain part of the European customs union and the single market. Leo Varadkar is demanding that May drops her proposal for a "technological solution" to the Irish border. He said: "If the UK does not want to stay in the customs union, perhaps there can be an EU-UK customs union."
9. Netflix documentary claims eggs as unhealthy as cigarettes
A new film claims that eating an egg is as unhealthy as smoking five cigarettes, reports The Times. The Netflix documentary What the Health, executive produced by actor Joaquin Phoenix, examines "the link between diet and disease, and the billions of dollars at stake in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and food industries". Scientists have challenged some of the claims in the film.
10. Game of Thrones episode leaked after 'chaos' at HBO
A new episode of Game of Thrones has leaked online after HBO suffered what The Guardian describes as a "week of chaos". The low-quality version of latest episode has emerged hot on the heels of a separate hack that has been described as "the greatest leak" of the digital era. Game of Thrones has suffered leaks and pirating in previous seasons, with unauthorized files being downloaded and shared millions of times.
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
-
A weekend in Lausanne: travel guide, things to do, food and drink
The Week Recommends Everything you need to know for a city break on Lake Geneva
By The Week Staff Published
-
A Ukraine election in 2024: how it would work
The Explainer Zelenskyy hints that country is ready for March polls but logistical, security and democratic obstacles remain
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
'Firearm officers need to know the law is on their side'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 26, 2023
Daily Briefing Congress returns to work with shutdown looming, Ukraine says it killed Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 26 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 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
-
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