1. May to explain Brexit failure to Cabinet
Theresa May will face the Cabinet today to explain the failure of yesterday’s Brexit talks in Brussels, after the DUP forced the Prime Minister to pull out of a deal with the EU on Britain’s “divorce bill”. The DUP wanted the agreement on the new Irish border to specify that Northern Ireland would separate from the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK.
2. France warns US not to recognise Jerusalem
France has become the latest nation to warn Donald Trump against recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Most states maintain embassies in Tel Aviv instead – but it is rumoured the US president will put his backing behind Jerusalem this week, despite opposition from Arab nations. Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem is their capital.
3. Court rules Trump’s Muslim travel ban can go ahead
The US Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Donald Trump’s ban on travel to the country by Muslims can go ahead, albeit in a reduced form and pending legal challenges. Travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are covered by the new ban. Federal courts will now hear the arguments against the ban and the Supreme Court will then give a final verdict.
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4. NHS suffers as one in five miss GP appointments
As many as one in five patients frequently miss GP appointments in Scotland, a new study has revealed. Young men aged 16 to 30 were the worst offenders – and appointments made a few days ahead were the most likely to be missed. A 2014 study by the NHS found that an estimated 12 million appointments are missed in the UK every year.
5. Police warn of live streaming child abuse risk
Police are warning that live-streaming services such as Periscope, Omegle, Live.me and Lively pose a risk to children, with abusers using them to target vulnerable young people for grooming or blackmail. A police spokesperson said: “We need parents and carers to talk to their children about healthy relationships and staying safe online.”
6. Presenter Reggie Yates sorry for Jewish slur
TV presenter Reggie Yates has apologised for “ill-considered remarks” he made in a podcast – and has stepped down from co-hosting Top of The Pops on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Referring to music industry managers, Yates used the phrase “fat Jewish guy” and said independent artists were “managed by their brethren”.
7. Freddie Mercury film director Bryan Singer fired
The director of upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been fired for “erratic behaviour”. The Hollywood Reporter says Bryan Singer, known for The Usual Suspects and Superman Returns, clashed repeatedly with star Rami Malek and failed to arrive for filming. Singer said he had asked for time off because his mother was unwell.
8. House of Cards to resume without Kevin Spacey
The US drama series House of Cards is to have a final, shorter series without star Kevin Spacey, who has been accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour on set and elsewhere. The final eight episodes will focus on the former lead character’s wife, played by Robin Wright. Details of the plot have not yet been released by producer Netflix.
9. Nine-hour rainbow in Taiwan ‘breaks records’
Professors at a university in Taiwan say they have witnessed and recorded the world’s longest-lasting rainbow. The phenomenon clocked in at eight hours and 58 minutes, and there are plans to submit it to Guinness World Records, which currently records a six-hour rainbow in Sheffield as the longest. The university called the rainbow “a gift from the sky”.
10. Will Meghan Markle be Britain’s first mixed-race royal?
Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry is an unusual royal match in many respects - not only is she older than him, an American and a divorcee, but she is also biracial.
The daughter of a black mother and a white father, Markle’s ethnicity has been a talking point since her relationship with the Prince became public last year. But is Markle really the first person of colour to join the Royal Family? The answer is complex, raising questions of perception and identity that go back hundreds of years.
Will Meghan Markle be Britain’s first mixed-race royal?
