Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 2 Nov 2017

1. May looks for replacement for Fallon

Theresa May is looking for a new defence secretary following Sir Michael Fallon’s resignation yesterday. The 65-year-old said his behaviour had “fallen below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces”. On Tuesday, a spokesman admitted Fallon had put his hand on journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer’s knee in 2002.

2. Manchester attack: brother to be extradited

Greater Manchester Police say the Libyan authorities are considering a request to extradite the brother of Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who has reportedly been held by a militia group since the day after the terror attack in May. Police also revealed that 512 people are now known to have been injured in the blast, while a total of 22 were killed.

3. Bank expected to raise interest rates

The Bank of England will announce today if it is raising interest rates – and most analysts believe it will, by 0.25%. If that happens, it will be the first time the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee has raised the base rate of interest since July 2007, at the height of the global financial crisis. Charities warn that many struggling families will be hit by the resulting increases in mortgage payments.

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4. EU nurses ‘looking elsewhere for work’

New figures show that the number of nurses from other EU countries working in Britain is continuing its downward trajectory following the 2016 referendum vote. In September, the Nursing and Midwifery Council register showed a total of 36,200 EU nurses and midwives - 2,700 fewer than a year before. Ministers have created more training places.

5. Suspect charged with NYC terror attack

The man shot and arrested at the scene of Tuesday afternoon’s truck attack in New York, Sayfullo Saipov, has been charged with terror offences and causing the deaths of at least eight people. A further 11 people were injured when the truck was driven down a cycle lane in Manhattan. Prosecutors say Saipov admitted the crime.

6. ‘Shocking’ wealth gap in dental health

A report by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation says there is a “shocking” and “consistent” divide between the dental health of rich and poor people – and between the North and the South. People from the most deprived backgrounds were found to be twice as likely to be admitted to hospital needing dental work than the better off.

7. Banksy holds street party in West Bank

British artist Banksy yesterday organised a street party for children in the occupied West Bank, the territory disputed by the Palestinian Authority and Israel, to critically mark 100 years since the Balfour Declaration paved the way for the creation of the Jewish state. The UK Government said it would celebrate the anniversary “with pride”.

8. Girl of seven boards plane without ticket

A seven-year-old girl ran away from her parents at a railway station in Geneva and managed to travel to the city’s airport and board an easyJet flight to Corsica, by pretending to be with adults near her and fitting through a small gap to get past the airport’s security. She was spotted by staff before the plane took off.

9. ‘Fake News’ is real word of the year

The term “Fake News”, often capitalised, has been named word of the year by Collins, which says usage has increased by 365% since 2016. The dictionary group contradicts US President Donald Trump’s claim to have invented the phrase, however, instead dating its first use to the early 2000s. Also on the list of buzzwords is “Corbynmania”.

10. Briefing: the UK’s next generation of political stars

France’s Emmanuel Macron, Ireland’s Leo Varadkar, Estonia’s Juri Ratas and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern have a lot in common - as part of a group of under-40s leading their nations and a political revolution.

And as The Times says: “The baby leaders club is swelling.”

With young political stars sweeping to power worldwide, some commentators are asking whether Britain is missing an opportunity.

Wild things: the UK’s next generation of political stars