Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 28 Nov 2017
- 1. Crisis talks in Ireland as snap election looms
- 2. Bali airport still shut over volcanic ash
- 3. All banks pass Bank of England test
- 4. MPs call on Davis to reveal full Brexit reports
- 5. Temperatures set to dip to -10C in Scotland
- 6. Deprivation ‘at worst in richest places’
- 7. Details of royal wedding to be revealed
- 8. Trump uses ‘racial slur’ at White House event
- 9. Profumo ‘had relationship with Nazi spy’
- 10. Briefing: what title will Harry’s bride hold?
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. Crisis talks in Ireland as snap election looms
The leaders of Ireland’s two main political parties – Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, of Fine Gael, and Fianna Fail’s Micheal Martin – are holding talks this morning in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a snap election. Fianna Fail is demanding the resignation of Fine Gael deputy PM Frances Fitzgerald over a scandal involving a police whistle-blower.
2. Bali airport still shut over volcanic ash
Bali airport was closed for a second day this morning, stranding thousands of travellers, because of a huge column of volcanic ash being emitted by Mount Agung. The plume of ash reaches up as high as two miles into the atmosphere. Indonesian authorities have instructed 100,000 residents to evacuate a six-mile area around the volcano.
3. All banks pass Bank of England test
For the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, all of the country’s biggest banks have passed the Bank of England’s stress test, which asks how well financial institutions would handle another crisis. Barclays and RBS came closest to failing – a snapshot of their businesses at the end of 2016 was not promising, but both have since improved.
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. MPs call on Davis to reveal full Brexit reports
MPs including the Eurosceptic Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg have attacked Brexit Secretary David Davis for releasing only heavily-edited analyses of the potential impact of leaving the EU, rather than simply handing over the full reports. Opposition MPs accused Davis of leaving out “politically embarrassing” information from the papers.
5. Temperatures set to dip to -10C in Scotland
The UK is set for a big freeze this week, the Met Office says, with temperatures as low as -10C expected in parts of Scotland on Thursday. Yellow warnings for ice have been issued for parts of Wales, the northwest of England and the West Midlands. Thursday is forecast to be the coldest day, with snow in Durham, Newcastle and East Anglia.
6. Deprivation ‘at worst in richest places’
Wealthy areas including Berkshire and Crawley deliver worse outcomes for disadvantaged children than poorer areas such as Sunderland or Tower Hamlets, according to a new report by the Government’s social mobility watchdog. Chairman Alan Milburn is warning today of a “self-reinforcing spiral of ever-growing division” in the UK.
7. Details of royal wedding to be revealed
More details of next year’s royal wedding are expected later, after the Archbishop of Canterbury hinted that Prince Harry and divorcee Megan Markle will tie the knot in a church. The wedding was announced on Monday, but no date was given. Social media users were quick to ask if there would be a special bank holiday – the answer seems to be “no”.
8. Trump uses ‘racial slur’ at White House event
US President Donald Trump has been accused by Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren of making a “racial slur”, after he referred to her as “Pocahontas” over claims she exaggerated her Native American ancestry to advance her career. The remarks were made by Trump at a ceremony honouring two Native American WWII veterans.
9. Profumo ‘had relationship with Nazi spy’
Former Tory minister John Profumo had a relationship with a German model, starting in the 1930s, who became a Nazi spy, newly declassified government papers reveal. Profumo, who died in 2006, later became notorious for lying to the House of Commons about his relationship with Christine Keeler, in events later dramatised in the film Scandal.
10. Briefing: what title will Harry’s bride hold?
No sooner had Prince Harry announced his engagement to his American girlfriend Meghan Markle than speculation began on both sides of the Atlantic about his wife-to-be’s future title.
“She will make history as the first American, the first actress and the first biracial person to be welcomed into the British royal family, most likely as a royal duchess with the Her Royal Highness title,” USA Today reports.
Princess Meghan Markle? Duchess of Sussex? What title will Harry’s bride hold?
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
-
10 things you need to know today: September 28, 2023
Daily Briefing Republican rivals clash as absent Trump tries to upstage debate, the Senate approves a formal dress code, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Every parent's nightmare'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Squirrel kebabs on London menu
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 28 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 27, 2023
Daily Briefing A New York judge rules Trump defrauded banks, Biden visits auto workers on picket line, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Drug could allow you to 'grow new teeth'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden 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