1. Russian spy Sergei Skripal critically ill
A former Russian double agent, convicted in 2004 in Russia of spying for the British, is still critically ill in hospital this morning, as is his daughter. Sergei Skripal and the 33-year-old were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury. The Zizzi restaurant they ate in has been closed and tests for poison carried out.
2. Dozens killed in single day in eastern Ghouta
Yesterday was the deadliest for Syrian civilians in the besieged area eastern Ghouta since the UN security council demanded a cease-fire one week ago, with at least 77 people killed by air strikes and ground forces by the Syrian government. The violence continued even as a humanitarian convoy managed to bring in medical supplies.
3. BBC staff call for total pay transparency
Almost 250 BBC staff have signed an open letter to director general Tony Hall, calling on the organisation to publish all staff salaries and benefits. Presenters Victoria Derbyshire, Naga Munchetty and Mariella Frostrup join back-scenes staff in warning that BBC management are dragging their feet on promised pay transparency.
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4. Nunberg: Trump ‘may have done something illegal’
A former political aide to Donald Trump, fired in 2015 before the now US President entered politics, has said his ex-boss “may have done something” illegal. Sam Nunberg also said he would “rip up” a subpoena served on him by special counsel Robert Mueller, insisting that his Trump-Russia inquiry was a “witch-hunt”.
5. US aircraft carrier found after 76 years
The wreck of the USS Lexington aircraft carrier has been found, on the ocean floor near Australia, for the first time since it was sunk 76 years ago. The aircraft carrier, lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea from 4-8 May 1942, is lying at a depth of two miles, half a mile off the east coast of the country, by a firm led by Microsoft founder Paul Allen.
6. Watchdog warns Britain needs to go on a diet
Public Health England is warning that “Britain needs to go on a diet” today after its research found some children are eating between 290 and 500 unnecessary calories every day. The health watchdog wants fast-food outlets, supermarkets and food manufacturers to reduce calories in their products by at least 20% to tackle the obesity crisis.
7. Undersea mining ‘could destroy Lost City’
Scientists have written a letter of concern to the world authority which allocates the seabed to nations, after Poland was granted permission to mine an area of the seabed which includes a site of world importance known as the Lost City. The phenomenon is a hydro-thermal vent system first discovered by a Swiss team in 2000.
8. Man arrested after stealing best actress Oscar
A man is being held in custody by police in LA after stealing the best actress Oscar from winner Frances McDormand at a ball after the Academy Awards ceremony. Terry Bryant, 47, was arrested after witnesses said a man grabbed the statuette and ran out of the building with it. McDormand was seen leaving the event in tears later.
9. Actor Emma Watson seeks tattoo proof-reader
Former Harry Potter star Emma Watson has jokingly asked for volunteers to proof-read her tattoos after fans noticed a grammatical error in a temporary tattoo she had done for the Oscars. The 27-year-old appeared with “Times Up” written on her right arm, sans apostrophe. Watson is a leading light of the women’s movement.
10. Briefing: what is the Five Star Movement?
Italy’s Five Star Movement has blown a hole in the country’s political landscape by claiming the largest vote share in this weekend’s general election.
The controversial party, led by Luigi Di Maio and founded by former comedian Beppe Grillo, emerged as the “big winner” of a vote that has devastated hopes of the two traditional political blocs forming a government - and that will be viewed with “trepidation” in Brussels.
Italian elections: what is the Five Star Movement?
