Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 6 Dec 2017

1. Johnson and Gove ‘lead revolt against May’

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are among cabinet ministers revolting against Theresa May’s leadership over fears that she is leading the UK into a soft Brexit, according to The Daily Telegraph. They believe she tried on Monday to “bounce” the UK into a deal that includes “regulatory alignment” for Northern Ireland, the newspaper claims.

2. Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Donald Trump is expected to say today that the US will now recognise Jerusalem – a city claimed by both Israel and Palestine – as the Israeli capital. The US will be the first country to do so since 1948, and Arab leaders have warned recognition will be a serious provocation to Muslims. It The US embassy is expected to remain in Tel Aviv for several years.

3. MI5 ‘thwarted plot’ to kill Prime Minister

Two men were arrested last week accused of plotting to bomb their way into Downing Street and then assassinate the Prime Minister, security officials have revealed. The pair, aged 20 and 21, they will appear in court later today. The alleged plot was reportedly foiled by MI5, which is actively investigating around 3,000 terror suspects at any one time.

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4. Profumo scandal’s Christine Keeler dies at 75

Christine Keeler, who as a teenage model became embroiled in a political scandal that shook the Tory government of the day, has died of pulmonary disease at the age of 75. Keeler revealed in 1963 that she was having relationships with both cabinet minister John Profumo and Russian diplomat Eugene Ivanov at the same time.

5. Pay-out after hospital loses woman’s living will

A Midlands hospital has agreed to pay £45,000 in compensation to the family of a woman who was kept alive after a stroke against her will. Brenda Grant made a living will saying she did not want to be kept alive artificially – but the George Eliot Hospital, in Nuneaton, misplaced the document and she was fed through tubes for 22 months.

6. Two million customers ‘stuck in overdraft’

Debt charity StepChange is warning today that more than two million people in the country are stuck with permanent overdrafts, and that many of them are trapped in a “vicious cycle” of borrowing. The charity says it has found evidence of unaffordable lending in overdrafts and of banks not helping customers who warn them they are struggling.

7. French rock star Johnny Hallyday dead at 74

Rock star Johnny Hallyday, known as the French Elvis, has died of lung cancer at the age of 74. Born Jean-Philippe Smet, he sold more than 110 million records in a career that began in 1960 – and earned France’s equivalent of a knighthood. Responding to the news, President Emmanuel Macron said: “There is a little bit of Johnny in all of us.”

8. Hip-hop musical Hamilton opens in London

Broadway hit Hamilton, which tells the story of one of America’s founding fathers as a hip-hop musical, opens in London tonight. The show has been described as changing the face of musical theatre – and hailed as a “hip-hop masterpiece”, says Sky News. The show is already sold out for months, but there is a daily ticket lottery.

9. ‘Father Christmas bone’ dated to correct age

Oxford University researchers have dated a fragment of pelvis kept for centuries in a church in France that is supposedly a relic of St Nicholas, the fourth-century saint who inspired the folk figure of Santa Claus, or Father Christmas. The team say the bone does date from the correct period, while many bogus relics were often concocted centuries later.

10. Briefing: plague returns as a modern killer

A sudden and rapid outbreak of plague in the past few months has led to more than 200 deaths and at least 2,348 suspected and confirmed cases on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar.

Although the outbreak in Madagascar, off Africa’s southeastern coast, appears to be slowing down, its severity and speed has raised fears about the likelihood of the disease claiming more lives. Nine other countries and overseas territories in the African region remain on high alert, the World Health Organization reports.

Madagascar plague: Middle Ages’ disease now a modern killer