Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 25 Sep 2017

1. Merkel back in power as nationalists rise

Conservative leader Angela Merkel has been returned to office for a fourth term as Chancellor in Germany’s federal election while, for the first time since the Second World War, a far-right political party has won seats. Wins for the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam AfD – set to be the third-biggest party in parliament – provoked protests.

2. Surgeon stabbed in mosque hate crime

An orthopaedic surgeon was stabbed in the neck in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, on Sunday evening as he arrived at a mosque for prayers. Dr Nasser Kurdy, 58, was on his way to Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association, where he is vice-chair. He was taken to hospital but has since been discharged. Two men have been arrested.

3. BBC’s Kuenssberg given bodyguard

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, the first woman to fill the role, has been spotted by The Times with a bodyguard at the Labour Party conference in Brighton. The 41-year-old has received voluminous online abuse and has previously been barracked by Labour supporters. She has also once been jeered by UKIP followers.

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4. Fifa to lift ban on poppy armbands

Football governing body Fifa is preparing to lift the ban on players wearing poppy symbols on armbands to commemorate Armistice, or clubs displaying the symbol in stadiums. Last year, it fined England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, saying the poppy counted as a political symbol. Theresa May said that was “outrageous”.

5. NFL kneeling protests spread

A protest begun 13 months ago by American football player Colin Kaepernick when he knelt during the national anthem to draw attention to police treatment of black people, spread dramatically this weekend after US President Donald Trump said players refusing to stand should be fired. Even team staff and owners joined in.

6. Labour MPs angry over Brexit vote

Labour MPs on both sides of the Brexit divide have voiced their anger after the party decided not to hold a debate and vote on the subject at its annual conference. The decision was reportedly made after left-wing movement Momentum urged its supporters to vote against a divisive debate. One MP said the party was a laughing stock.

7. Trump son-in-law ‘used private email’

US media are reporting that Donald Trump’s son-in-law and political adviser, Jared Kushner, used a personal private email account for some official business. The news is embarrassing because Trump repeatedly called for Hillary Clinton to be jailed, during his campaign, because she had used a private email server as Secretary of State.

8. Passenger stops bus on cliff-edge

A French tourist in the Austrian Alps managed to stop a bus on a cliff edge when its driver passed out at the wheel. The 65-year-old passenger was sitting close to the driver, 76, when he lost consciousness on Saturday near the city of Schwaz. He managed to apply the brakes as the bus, carrying 21 passengers, approached a 328ft drop.

9. Stoned men rescued from mountain

Four men said by police to be “incapable of walking due to cannabis use” had to be brought down from one of England’s highest peaks by a mountain rescue team on Saturday. Cumbria police said the men called for help “because they [were] stuck on a mountain, after taking cannabis”. They were walking in the Lake District.

10. Briefing: Do we have a teenage jihadi problem?

A 17-year-old from south London is the latest person to be arrested in connection with the Parsons Green tube train bombing, bringing the number of those in police custody to six - all male, and four of them under the age of 25. None have yet been charged.

The youth of the suspects raises the question of whether the UK is becoming a breeding ground for teenage jihadis and, if so, is there a solution?

Parsons Green: Do we have a teenage jihadi problem?

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