Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 7 May 2018

1. Two boys shot within minutes in north London

Two teenage boys were shot yesterday afternoon in north-west London, neither fatally. A 13-year-old and a 15-year-old both suffered head injuries, at least one from a shotgun pellet. They were found within two minutes of each other on Wealdstone High Street, Harrow. Police are investigating whether the two incidents were linked.

2. Johnson urges Trump to stay in nuclear deal

The Foreign Secretary is in Washington today, meeting Vice-President Mike Pence and national security adviser John Bolton, as he urges the Trump administration not to abandon the international accord with Iran over its nuclear ambitions reached by Barack Obama in 2015. Trump must decide whether to again waive sanctions by 12 May.

3. Forecasts suggest hottest bank holiday ever

With temperatures of up to 29C forecast for today, this could be the hottest early May bank holiday recorded in the 40 years since it was first introduced. The previous highest temperature over this weekend was 28.6C in 1995 and the hottest bank holiday Monday was 23.6C in 1999. The hottest weather will not be widespread, however.

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4. Exercise to beat cancer, researchers say

Australian researchers have urged people to stay active to beat cancer, saying that if exercise was a pill it would be prescribed to every cancer sufferer in the world. Professor Prue Cormie of the Australian Catholic University said active people suffer less “cancer-related fatigue” or “mental distress” and enjoy better quality of life.

5. Sir Alex Ferguson still in serious condition

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is in hospital in a serious condition today after suffering a brain haemorrhage on Saturday at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The 76-year-old was taken by ambulance to the Salford Royal Hospital under police escort. His wife Cathy and son Darren are said to be at his bedside.

6. Giuliani: Trump may have paid off other women

Donald Trump’s lawyer has said it is possible the US President paid off other women to suppress claims of affairs, in addition to adult film star Stormy Daniels who was given $130,000 in the run-up to Trump’s election. Rudy Giuliani said he had “no knowledge” of other women but they would have been paid off “if it was necessary”.

7. Putin to be sworn in for fourth term

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is to be sworn in for a fourth term as president in Moscow today. More than 1,000 arrests were made at demonstrations against his 18-year dominance of Russian public life in cities across Russia on Saturday. Opponents accuse Putin of “managed democracy”, with real political opposition suppressed.

8. Secret chamber in King Tut’s tomb does not exist

Italian scientists and the Egyptian authorities say they have disproved a recent theory that there is a secret hidden second tomb in the 3,000-year-old burial chamber of King Tutankhamun. The theory was proposed by an English archaeologist in 2015 and at first radar scans seemed to support it. More thorough scans have found nothing.

9. Britain’s most unpopular train stations named

Independent group Transport Focus has surveyed more than 28,000 people to find Britain’s least popular railway station, based on how well information is displayed, waiting rooms and overall appearance. The least popular was Glasgow Queen Street, which satisfied just 58% of travellers, followed by Gatwick Airport and Oxford.

10. Briefing: Seven of the best autobiographies

Done well, an autobiography can be one of the most insightful - and powerful - literary forms. Done poorly, as Roald Dahl complained, it is merely ”a book a person writes about his own life, and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details”.

Here are seven autobiographies guaranteed to hold your attention.

The best autobiographies for Christmas 2019