Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 27 Apr 2018

1. Kim Jong Un visits South Korea – with noodles

Kim Jong Un has become the first North Korean leader to visit South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Kim was greeted by his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, after stepping over the border at the so-called truce village of Panmunjom. The two men then stepped back across to “visit” North Korea, before returning to the southern side for talks. Kim brought Pyongyang noodles for a banquet.

2. Germany’s Merkel visits Trump in Washington

German leader Angela Merkel is in Washington DC today for talks with US President Donald Trump. The BBC says that Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who also visited this week, had discussed their anti-protectionist message to Trump ahead of their US trips, to ensure a “single, orchestrated European approach”.

3. Scientists discover dozens of genes linked to depression

Researchers have mapped out 44 genetic variations that increase the risk of depression - 30 of which have never previously been associated with the debilitating condition. The team of 200 experts from the UK, US and Australia hope the work may lead not only to a better understanding of depression but also to the development of new drugs.

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. Bill Cosby found guilty of sexual assault

Comedian and writer Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexual assault at a second trial, after an earlier mistrial. The 80-year-old was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting former basketball player Andrea Constand in 2004, when she was 30. Cosby had claimed they had a consensual relationship. He faces 15 to 30 years in jail.

5. Rudd promises to ditch removal targets

Home Secretary Amber Rudd yesterday told the Commons that she will scrap targets for removing illegal immigrants from Britain, one day after denying such quotas existed. Rudd has been urged to resign after it emerged that people who have lived legally in the UK for decades have been targeted for removal because of missing paperwork.

6. Trump ‘likely’ to meet Queen on UK trip

US President Donald Trump is “likely” to meet the Queen when he visits the UK in July, the BBC reports. However, the controversial Republican will not receive the full state visit he was originally offered. Instead, this will be a “working visit”, according to Downing Street. Trump will fly to Britain for talks with Theresa May on 13 July, immediately after attending a Nato summit in Brussels.

7. Stolen heart of Dublin’s patron saint returned

The 800-year-old heart of Dublin’s patron saint has been returned to the city’s Christ Church Cathedral, six years after the reliquary was stolen, following a police investigation. St Laurence O’Toole’s heart has been kept in the wooden box since he died in 1180. On Saturday, the stolen heart of former French queen Anne of Brittany was recovered by police in Saint Nazaire, in west France.

8. Wembley Stadium ‘could be sold in 12 weeks’

Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan says he hopes to buy Wembley Stadium from the Football Association within eight to 12 weeks. The Pakistani-American billionaire, who also owns NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars, is thought to have offered £900m for the stadium and the Club Wembley hospitality business. The FA would use the money for grass-roots football.

9. Elbow’s Guy Garvey to be professor of songwriting

Singer Guy Garvey is to become a professor of songwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. The Elbow frontman says he hopes to pass on to students what he has learned from songwriters including Elton John and Robert Plant, some of whom he has met in his other job as a BBC Radio 6 Music presenter.

10. Briefing: What can we expect from Trump’s visit?

Donald Trump will make his first official visit to the UK on 13 July, according to media reports - but the US president won’t be getting the red-carpet treatment.

Trump will join Theresa May for talks at Downing Street, and attend a meeting with the Queen or other members of the Royal Family, according to anonymous sources speaking to The Guardian, Sky News and CNN. Further details about the trip are expected to be given in a formal announcement within the next few days.

Donald Trump’s UK visit: who will he meet and will he face protesters?