Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 16 Aug 2017
- 1. 'No hard border for Ireland', May says
- 2. Trump returns to blaming 'both sides'
- 3. Manchester 'hero' charged with theft
- 4. Former aide to Davis starts anti-Brexit party
- 5. US eclipse to cause mass movement
- 6. 'Frankenstein' dinosaur is missing link
- 7. MH370: Images show 'man-made objects'
- 8. Woman wins £800,000 home for £2
- 9. Daniel Craig to play Bond once more
- 10. Briefing: How the EU customs deal might work
1. 'No hard border for Ireland', May says
The government has published its latest position paper on Brexit and says it wants to agree upfront with the EU that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, specifying there is no need for "physical infrastructure". The document also suggests a "new customs partnership" with the EU.
2. Trump returns to blaming 'both sides'
Donald Trump has retreated from a position of criticising neo-Nazis and white supremacists specifically for violence and a killing in Virginia last week. In the US President's latest intervention on the subject, he said there were "very fine people on both sides" of the protest and equated Confederate generals with George Washington.
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3. Manchester 'hero' charged with theft
A homeless man hailed as a hero for tending victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack in May has been charged with two counts of theft. Chris Parker, 33, is accused of stealing a bank card amid the carnage after an Ariana Grande concert. Twenty-two people were killed by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, one dying in Parker's arms.
Manchester Arena relatives to get £250,000
4. Former aide to Davis starts anti-Brexit party
A former key aide to Brexit Secretary David Davis is to launch a new political party to oppose Brexit. James Chapman, also a former Daily Mail political editor, said: "I did my best to make Brexit work for a year – and it won't." He is to formally open the new party, The Democrats, during an anti-Brexit march on 9 September.
5. US eclipse to cause mass movement
The US authorities are concerned about the potential for chaos on Monday 21 August when a total solar eclipse will cross the country from coast to coast for the first time since 1918. It is thought some 7.4 million people will travel to watch the sun being obscured by the moon – the greatest mass movement for tourism ever.
6. 'Frankenstein' dinosaur is missing link
Scientists now believe a puzzling fossil – dubbed Frankenstein's dinosaur because it seemed to have been put together from unrelated body parts – is the missing link between plant eaters like Stegosaurus and carnivores. Chilesaurus, found in 2004 and about the size of a large dog, has legs like a Brontosaurus and arms like a T Rex.
7. MH370: Images show 'man-made objects'
The Australian authorities have released satellite images taken two weeks after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on 8 March 2014, which they say show several floating "probably man-made" objects. The photos are of an area near where the crash is now believed to have happened in the southern Indian Ocean.
8. Woman wins £800,000 home for £2
A finance worker from Warrington has won an £800,000 18th Century country home in Lancashire and the title Lady of Melling for a £2 raffle ticket. Marie Segar, 37, said she was "just in shock" after the previous owner, Dunstan Low, called her with the news. Low had failed to sell the house on the open market, so held a raffle.
9. Daniel Craig to play Bond once more
Actor Daniel Craig has revealed he will play James Bond at least once more. The 49-year-old revealed what The Guardian calls "the worst kept secret in the film world" to US talk show host Stephen Colbert on The Late Show last night. He suggested it would be his last turn as 007, saying he wanted to "go out on a high note".
Daniel Craig to return as James Bond - for the last time
10. Briefing: How the EU customs deal might work
The government is at last offering some clarity over its Brexit plans, and the Cabinet hostilities that have raged all summer appear to have ceased.
When senior Brexiters and Remainers agreed last month on the need for a transitional arrangement when the UK leaves the EU in March 2019, they kicked off a further round of squabbling about what the temporary rules ought to cover and how long they should remain in force.
This week, the government seeks to settle some of those disputes, providing more detail of its negotiating goals for the proposed interim deal. The first in a series of papers, published today, focuses on the EU customs union.
Brexit: How a 'temporary customs union' might work
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