1. Official estimates show cost of Brexit
Official estimates of the impact of Brexit, shown to MPs after they were leaked to Buzzfeed News, reveal those parts of the UK that voted strongly to leave the EU will be the hardest hit. Northeast England and the West Midlands are expected to suffer the worst slowdown. The Government says it will make a better exit deal than that anticipated in the research.
2. Councils across England to increase taxes
Big council tax hikes, and increases in other local authority charges, are on the way. Think tank the Local Government Information Unit surveyed local authorities and found that 95% plan to increase council tax this year, while 93% will put up other charges. Some 80% said they were worried about getting into dire financial straits this year.
3. British territory Bermuda bans equal marriage
Britain’s Caribbean island Bermuda has become the first territory in the world to repeal marriage equality. Governor John Rankin signed a bill into law that means same-sex couples can no longer marry but must seek civil partnerships instead. Labour MP Chris Bryant said the move “totally undermines [the] UK effort to advance LGBT rights”.
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4. Trump aide quits after ex-wives claim abuse
One of Donald Trump’s most senior aides, staff secretary Rob Porter, has quit following allegations of abuse from his two ex-wives. One former wife says he physically and verbally abused her. The other claims she filed a protective order against him after allegedly punched a door in their home. Porter said the allegations were “outrageous” and “simply false”.
5. Oxford graduate loses 2:1 degree lawsuit
A graduate of Oxford University who sued for damages based on the claim that “inadequate teaching” had led him to get a 2:1, not a first, has lost his case at the High Court. Faiz Siddiqui said his degree cost him entry to a US law school, and sought £1m in compensation for lost earnings. He graduated from Brasenose College in 2000.
6. Spanish police step aside to let gang storm hospital
Armed Spanish police who failed to draw their weapons when about 20 people stormed a hospital to free a suspected drug trafficker stood aside “to prevent the situation from turning into a drama”, according to local authorities. The suspect was taken for treatment after being injured while police were chasing him. The mayor of La Linea has complained that drug dealers feel “total impunity”.
7. Hunt for killer of homeless in Las Vegas
Police in Las Vegas are appealing for help from the public to identify a suspected serial killer who has approached homeless people on the street and then shot them. The suspect has killed two men and wounded two others in recent days. Las Vegas police told the media: “If he isn’t a serial killer, he’s on his way to being one.”
8. Norwegian Olympians scramble to return eggs
Chefs for Norway’s Winter Olympics team have admitted ordering 15,000 eggs instead of 1,500 by mistake. It is thought a complex Korean counting system could be the cause of the mix-up. Norway has a delegation of 109 athletes in PyeongChang for the Games. The chefs were able to return the excess eggs to the grocer which supplied them.
9. Quincy Jones: ‘The Beatles were the worst’
Legendary record producer Quincy Jones, now 84, has recalled meeting The Beatles for the first time, saying: “They were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherf***ers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it.” Jones made the comments during a startlingly frank interview with New York magazine.
10. Briefing: what are Freemasons and what do they actually do?
Reports that two Freemason lodges are operating in the heart of Westminster, with MPs among their members, are a conspiracy theorist’s dream come true.
The suggestion that politicians, judges and police could be members of the secretive society has long raised concerns about transparency and nepotism.