Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 23 Apr 2018

1. UK will leave customs union, No. 10 insists

A Downing Street has insisted that the Government will not back down on its pledge to leave the EU customs union post-Brexit, despite the defeat of the EU Withdrawal Bill in the Lords last week. The Commons will debate the Bill on Thursday after the Upper House sent it back with an amendment forcing ministers to explore the option of staying in the union.

2. Four Britons killed during Mecca pilgrimage

Four Britons making the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca were killed in a coach crash in Saudi Arabia on Saturday afternoon. The bus caught fire after being hit by a petrol tanker about 30 miles north of the holy site. The victims reportedly include grandmother-of-13 Raj Begum Hussain, 70, from Blackburn.

3. Investors ‘furious’ over Sir Martin Sorrell’s pay-off

Investors in the world’s biggest advertising firm, WPP, said yesterday that they were “furious” former boss Sir Martin Sorrell is to receive a £20m shares windfall following his resignation amid allegations of personal misconduct. According to The Daily Telegraph, Sorrell is facing an investor “backlash”. The advertising tycoon, who stepped down earlier this month, is being investigated for financial misconduct.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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. Rudd plans new anti-terror powers for police

A draft of Amber Rudd’s new terrorism strategy leaked to The Sunday Times says that the Home Secretary wants to give police and the security services the power to report suspicious people to local authorities and other government agencies earlier. Plans to further target prevention strategies at specific communities may be controversial.

5. Sir Mo Farah sets new marathon record

Sir Mo Farah yesterday smashed the British record for the London Marathon, with a time of 2:06:21, coming third. The marathon was the hottest since 1995, with the Met Office recording temperatures of up to 23.5C. Some water stations ran out, and there were reports that runners had been forced to make pit stops in pubs.

6. Waffle house shooting hero: ‘I saved myself’

A man who disarmed a gunman in Nashville has insisted he is not a hero, saying he tackled the man in a bid to save himself. James Shaw Jr was eating in the Waffle House in the Tennessee city when 29-year-old Travis Reinking reportedly entered wearing only a jacket and shot four people dead. Reinking is still on the run.

7. Martin Lewis sues Facebook over ‘fake ads’

Consumer campaigner Martin Lewis is suing Facebook, saying that the social network has repeatedly failed to stop adverts appearing that use his image without his permission. Facebook insists it has acted promptly to take them down. Lewis, founder of the MoneySavingExpert website, says any damages will go to anti-fraud charities.

8. Canadian accused of murder lynched in Amazon

A Canadian man accused by local people of the murder of an indigenous spiritual leader in the Peruvian Amazon has been lynched, with a video of his death posted online. Police found Sebastian Woodroffe’s body on Saturday near the home of murder victim Olivia Arevalo Lomas, a human rights activist from the Shipibo-Konibo people. Lomas, 81, was shot dead on Thursday.

9. Pet dog helps save girl lost in Australian bushland

A deaf and partially sighted pet dog has been made an honorary police dog in Queensland, Australia, after staying with a three-year-old girl lost in the bush for more than 15 hours. Max, 17, kept three-year-old Aurora Bennett safe overnight after she wandered off from the family home on Friday – and then led rescuers to her the next morning.

10. Briefing: best lidos and outdoor pools in London

The clouds have parted over London, and city-dwellers looking to soak up the first rays of the summer sun poolside have a wide range of options to choose from this year.

When it comes to alfresco swimming, here are some of the finest pools in the capital.

The best lidos and outdoor pools in London