Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 7 Apr 2018

1. Extra Met Police officers on patrol after violence

An additional 300 Met Police officers are being deployed in areas of London after six people were killed in shootings and stabbings in the capital in the past seven days. Commissioner Cressida Dick denies her officers have lost control of the capital. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph says in some areas of Britain nine out of ten burglaries are written off without any action.

2. Facebook suspends Canadian data firm linked to scandal

Facebook has suspended the Canadian data firm that the official Vote Leave campaign spent 40% of its budget with. The social media giant has announced that it had suspended AggregateIQ (AIQ) from its platform following reports that the company may be connected to SCL, the parent company of the controversial Cambridge Analytica. Facebook is holding an internal review and promises to "co-operate fully with any investigations by regulatory authorities".

3. More Palestinians killed as UN urges Israel to exercise caution

At least seven Palestinians have been killed and scores more injured by Israeli gunfire on the Gaza border. Thousands of protesters have demonstrated near the border, calling for Palestinian refugees’ right of return. Last week 18 Palestinian demonstrators were killed by Israeli troops. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has called for Israel to exercise "extreme caution".

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Hungarian voters expected to elect anti-EU Orban

Voters in Hungary are expected to elect Viktor Orban tomorrow for his fourth term as prime minister. The Times says Orban’s campaign was characterised by fierce anti-EU rhetoric, xenophobia and a demonisation of George Soros, the billionaire financier. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s governing party, helped Orban’s campaign and the pair became "a thorn in the side of Brussels".

5. OAP is released after burglary 'murder' arrest

A 78-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering a suspected burglar has been released without charge. Scotland Yard said it made the decision after consulting the Crown Prosecution Service. Henry Vincent, 37, died after the incident at the home of Richard Osborn-Brooks late on Tuesday evening. Several newspapers have welcomed the decision, with the Daily Express describing it as a "victory for common sense".

6. Hard Irish border would lead to 'eruption' of violence

The return of physical checks on the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland would cause an "eruption of civil disobedience", according to an investigation in The Times. Residents south of the border say that installing physical infrastructure such as cameras would incite violence. Police in Northern Ireland believe that dissident republicans would see the infrastructure as "fair game".

7. Ex-president of South Korea jailed for 24 years

Former president of South Korean Park Geun-hye has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for abuse of power and corruption. The charges against her ranged from corruption to maintaining a blacklist of artists. The Guardian says the saga exposed "webs of double-dealing" between political leaders and conglomerates, and revealed the power of a "Rasputin-like figure" in government.

8. Is the Queen related to the Prophet Muhammad?

Historians are claiming the Queen is a descendant of the founder of Islam. After tracing her family tree back 43 generations, a Moroccan newspaper said Elizabeth II's bloodline runs through the Earl of Cambridge in the 14th century, across medieval Muslim Spain, to Fatima, the Prophet's daughter. A similar claim was made in 1986 by Burke's Peerage, a British authority on royal pedigrees.

9. Conor McGregor released on bail after New York arrest

Conor McGregor has been released on bail after appearing in court in New York charged with three counts of assault over an alleged bus attack. The UFC fighter was escorted by officers to an arraignment hearing at Kings County criminal court in Brooklyn. The Dublin-born 29-year-old had earlier been stripped of his UFC lightweight title.

10. Police warning on fake holiday advert scams

Fraudsters are placing false adverts on accommodation websites, tricking holidaymakers out of hundreds of pounds. During 2017 alone, some 4,700 travellers fell victim to such scams, losing an average of £1,500 - a 25% rise on 2016. Typically, fraudsters hack into accommodation websites and asked to be paid directly before disappearing as soon as payment was made.

Explore More