Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 13 May 2018

1. Islamic State claims responsibility for Paris attack

A knifeman killed one person and wounded four in a suspected terror attack in central Paris on Saturday evening. Witnesses say they heard the assailant shout "Allah Akbar". Islamic State said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack. Authorities told French media the attacker was a man born in 1997 in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya. He was shot dead by police.

2. 'Self-made' fortunes dominate new rich list

Self-made fortune has triumphed over old money, says The Sunday Times, as 94% of those in its annual rich list are revealed to be self-made entrepreneurs. This forms a contrast to the first the rich list in 1989, when just 43% of the entries had made their money themselves. Jim Ratcliffe, who once lived in a council house near Manchester, is now the richest person in the UK.

3. North Korea to invite foreign media to nuclear dismantling

North Korea says it will officially dismantle its nuclear test site later this month at a ceremony attended by foreign media. State authorities will use explosives to collapse tunnels used for testing, while above ground North Korea will block all entries to the site. It is hoped that the move will pave the way for leader Kim Jong-un’s summit with Donald Trump.

Subscribe to 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. Serial killer Dennis Nilsen dies in prison at 72

Dennis Nilsen, the former civil servant who admitted killing at least 15 people in the 1970s and 1980s, has died in prison at the age of 72. The serial killer, who was jailed in 1983, murdered and dismembered several victims, most of them homeless young gay men, at his London home. He once said of his victims: "I still feel spiritual communion with these people."

5. Student protests on Brexit 'will dwarf fees demonstrations'

One million students are joining forces to demand a referendum on any final Brexit deal, reports The Observer. Student groups say they are planning action that would dwarf protests held in 2010 against the coalition government’s plans for student fees. Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph says at least 12 members of Theresa May’s Cabinet are preparing to block her plans for a new customs partnership with the European Union.

6. Israel wins Eurovision as protestor interrupts UK performance

Israel's Netta has won the Eurovision Song Contest. The vote went down to the wire with Cyprus finishing in second place. UK entrant SuRie, whose performance was interrupted by a stage invader, finished 24th out of the 26 countries. It is believed that the same man invaded the stage at the National Television Awards this year, and The Voice in 2017.

7. Government ministers may scrap civil partnerships

The government may scrap gay people’s rights to civil partnerships rather than extending them to heterosexuals. At a Supreme Court hearing tomorrow, Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan will apply for the right to enter a civil partnership rather than having to get married. The number of civil partnerships averaged 6,305 from 2007 to 2013 but after the introduction of same-sex marriages, they fell to a low point of 861 in 2015.

8. Jeremy Corbyn's 'twin' forecast to win Mexican election

The man described as Jeremy Corbyn's "ideological twin" is set to pull off a shock victory in the Mexico election, according to polls. The surveys put Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador 15 to 20 percentage points ahead of his closest, conservative rival. Victory on July 1st would put a left-wing president in charge of America's southern border, amid poor relations between Donald Trump and Mexico.

9. Forecaster says benefits from royal wedding will be limited

The benefits to the economy from the royal wedding will be "limited", says the EY ITEM Club. Ahead of Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle next weekend, the group says tourism and retail businesses are the most likely to cash in. But chief economic advisor Howard Archer said he would be "wary of over-egging the potential impact or seeking to put a hard figure on the potential gains".

10. Nine dead after suicide attacks on Indonesian churches

Suicide bombers attacked three different churches in Indonesia this morning, killing at least nine people and injuring scores more. Police say dozens were injured. Footage on television showed debris scattered around the entrance of one church. Indonesia has been cracking down on militants since bombings by al-Qaeda-affiliated radicals in Bali in 2002 killed 202 people. The country now also faces the rise of Islamic State.

Explore More