Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 8 Mar 2018

1. Russian spy poisoning: police officer in coma

The police officer who was first on the scene of the suspected poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, is himself in a coma, Sky News says. All three are in a critical condition in hospital. Home Secretary Amber Rudd is expected to say today that a nerve agent was used in the attack, in Salisbury on Sunday.

2. Domestic abusers may be tagged for protection

The Government is launching a consultation today on its plans to change the law around domestic abuse, with proposals including electronically tagging abusers to protect their victims. New protection orders will allow police to act sooner to tackle suspected abuse, and the Bill includes the first legal definition of domestic abuse.

3. Submarine inventor on trial over journalist murder

Danish inventor Peter Madsen goes on trial today charged with the murder of 30-year-old award-winning Swedish journalist Kim Wall, who disappeared after boarding his submarine. Wall’s dismembered body parts were later washed up on the Danish coast. Her family have set up a fund in her name to encourage young journalists.

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4. Empty-nesters ‘resent live-in adult children’

Parents whose adult children return to live in the family home suffer stress and conflict, a new study has found. So-called ‘empty-nesters’ showed lowered quality of life when their children lived with them, according to researchers at the London School of Economics. The study analysed data from people aged between 50 and 75 from a total of 17 European countries, not including the UK – but it is thought British data would be similar.

5. Florida passes gun control bill

The Florida House of Representatives has passed a bill raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21, and imposing a three-day waiting period on all gun sales. The state Senate has already passed the Bill, so it will now go before the state governor. The move comes after the deaths of 17 people in a Florida school shooting last month.

6. Gary Oldman’s son denies abuse claims

Gulliver Oldman, son of British actor Gary Oldman, has written an impassioned defence of his father after his mother, long divorced from Oldman, again accused him of domestic abuse. Gulliver Oldman said the fact he had long lived with his father should be proof enough of his innocence. Oldman’s agent said he was cleared of the allegations in 2001.

7. School class sizes growing as cuts bite

Class sizes are being pushed up in English schools as a result of funding cuts, accordin to a coalition of education unions. Their research found that 62% of state schools in England had larger classes last year than they did two years before. The group says the income received by schools for each pupil has fallen in real terms from £5,396 to £5,173 in just three years.

8. Council deputy steps down over hospitality

The deputy leader of Westminster Council has stepped down weeks after The Guardian revealed he had received hospitality or gifts 893 times in six years, often from developers seeking planning permission. Robert Davis chaired the borough’s planning committee for 17 years.

9. Amazon to fix ‘creepy’ Alexa laugh problem

Amazon has promised to find a fix for an outbreak of spontaneous, unprompted laughter from its Alexa voice assistant devices. Startled users have complained that the laugh, which seems to occur randomly, is “witchlike”. The online retail giant said: “We’re aware of this and are working to fix it.”

10. Briefing: why is the Saudi visit so controversial?

Hundreds of demonstrators from groups including Stop the War and the Campaign Against Arms Trade will gather outside Downing Street this evening to protest the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi royal will have audience with both Theresa May and the Queen, as Britain rolls out the red carpet for one of its closest Middle Eastern allies.

Why is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s UK visit so controversial?