Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 22 Dec 2017

1. Catalonia re-elects pro-independence parties

In a snap regional election imposed by the Spanish government, Catalans have re-elected pro-independence parties. The result is a serious blow to Madrid, which had hoped the ballot would halt the region’s calls for self-government. In Brussels, former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont hailed a victory for “the Catalan republic”.

2. Johnson to warn Russia against online attacks

Boris Johnson is in Moscow today, meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov - the first such visit by a UK foreign secretary in five years. Johnson will urge closer cooperation between the two nations, but will also warn Russia that the UK has developed sophisticated cyberweapons and will use them in retaliation if Russia carries out online attacks or sabotage.

3. No. 10 ‘knew of Damian Green claims in 2016’

Kate Maltby, the journalist and family friend of Damian Green who says the recently sacked Conservative minister made inappropriate sexual advances to her, has told the BBC that Downing Street knew of her claims as long ago as 2016. Green denies the allegation that he touched her knee in a bar and sent her a sleazy text message, but apologised for making her feel “uncomfortable”.

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4. Post-Brexit passports will return to navy blue

British passports will return to the old blue style following Brexit, Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis has said. Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage responded to the news by tweeting: “Happy Brexmas! …we wanted our passports back. Now we’ve got them back!” But Labour MP Mary Creagh said blue passports were “not worth £50bn and crashing the economy”.

5. Travellers braced for ‘frantic Friday’ today

Commuters and those travelling home for Christmas have been warned to expect major delays today as the seasonal rush reaches its climax. The RAC is warning of a “frantic Friday”, while Highways England is predicting “busy road conditions” across the country. Virgin Trains say some West Coast services will be cancelled.

6. Woman stabbed in Yorkshire supermarket dies

A woman of 30 stabbed in the Skipton branch of discount supermarket Aldi has died. The attack yesterday afternoon terrified shoppers, who “screamed and ran up and down”, according to a witness. A 44-year-old local man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said the suspect was detained by staff and members of the public.

7. ‘Slender Man’ stabber gets 25 years in psychiatric institute

One of two US girls who at the age of 12, lured a friend into woods, stabbed her 19 times and left her for dead, has been sentenced to 25 years in a psychiatric institute. Anissa Weier, who looked on while her friend Morgan Geyser stabbed the victim, pleaded guilty. The girls said they were honouring horror character Slender Man.

8. Italian ambulance worker arrested over deaths

Italian police have arrested a 42-year-old ambulance worker suspected of killing patients in order to earn commission from a funeral parlour owned by the mafia, encouraging grieving relatives to use its services. The man is accused of injecting air into the veins of three terminally ill patients, and it is claimed there may have been other victims.

9. Former Trump adviser accused academics of bias

A former adviser to US President Donald Trump accused British academics of anti-Russian bias when they twice failed his PhD thesis, The Guardian claims. Examiners said Carter Page’s work was “verbose” and “vague”, says the newspaper. Page was bugged by the FBI in 2016, suspected of being a Russian agent. He denies the claim.

10. Briefing: is Poland drifting towards totalitarianism?

The European Union is considering unprecedented disciplinary measures against Poland over its judicial reforms - specifically, the adoption of 13 new laws that allow the Polish government to meddle in legal matters and threaten the independence of the judiciary.

Poland has been given three months to either address the EU’s concerns or face sanctions under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Is Poland drifting towards totalitarianism?