Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 9 Jul 2018

1. Disarray as Davis quits Brexit secretary role

Theresa May is expected to announce a reshuffle shortly, after David Davis resigned from his role as Brexit secretary. His departure puts May’s Brexit strategy in doubt – and some commentators are even saying it could end her leadership. Davis wanted a more complete separation from the EU and also felt that he had been sidelined by May.

2. Four boys rescued from Thai cave

Eight boys and their football coach remain trapped in a cave in Thailand following the rescue yesterday of the four other members of their group. Thai Navy Seal divers brought the four boys to the surface one by one, wearing full-face oxygen masks. The operation then paused for ten hours while new oxygen tanks were laid out along the route. The rescued boys were taken straight to hospital.

3. Novichok murder inquiry launched as woman dies

Police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman exposed to nerve agent novichok in Wiltshire died. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in hospital on Sunday evening after falling ill on 30 June. Her family have been informed and a post-mortem will be carried out. Charlie Rowley, 45, who was also exposed to the nerve agent in Amesbury, remains critically ill.

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4. Japan floods: at least 100 people killed

At least 100 people have died in record floods in western Japan following intense rainfall, with another 50 believed to be missing. The military has been airlifting marooned survivors to safety, and rescuers began a search through the muds left by retreating waters this morning. Most of the deaths occurred in the Horishma district.

5. Police plan huge operation for Trump trip

Donald Trump’s visit to the UK later this week, his since becoming US president, will seeing British police mobilising on a scale not seen since the 2011 riots. Thousands of officers will deployed amid fears of huge protests across the country. The Guardian quotes one chief constable as saying the police response will be on the scale that would be required if “London was burning”.

6. Chinese insulation identified as ozone threat

A massive rise in emissions of CFC gases has been traced to cut-price Chinese home insulation. Scientists had been puzzled as to why levels of the ozone-destroying chemical had risen even though it was banned worldwide in 2010. There were fears that the chemical was being used to secretly enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons, but researchers now believe that builders in China are using it illegally to inflate thermal insulation in homes.

7. Wimbledon and World Cup finals clash

The All England Club is under pressure to break with tradition and move the Wimbledon men’s singles final forward, to avoid a clash with the World Cup final. Contender Novak Djokovic said he would support a move, in the event that England are playing. Centre Court was two-thirds empty on Saturday during the women’s singles, with sports fans opting instead to watch England’s game against Sweden.

8. The English Patient voted Booker of Bookers

A public poll to find the best winner of the Man Booker prize from the last 50 years has chosen Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, which shared the prize in 1992 with Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger. The prize of prizes was dubbed the Golden Booker and was given to Ondaatje yesterday at the close of the Man Booker 50 Festival in London.

9. Woman who jumped on ambulance identified

Police have identified one of a group of people who jumped on an ambulance in central London as they celebrated the England football win on Saturday. Paramedics had appealed for help in tracing the woman, who leapt on the response vehicle as they attended a call in central London. The incident, which left the ambulance unroadworthy, has triggered pleas for fans to behave responsibly.

10. Briefing: what is causing the record heat wave?

Temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere have hit record highs over the past week, raising questions about whether this is just a freak heat wave or part of a wider pattern caused by global warming.

From the normally mild summer climates of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the sweltering Middle East, large areas of heat pressure scattered around the hemisphere have led to some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded.

What’s behind the world’s record heat wave?