Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 15 Aug 2018

1. Genoa bridge collapse: search continues for survivors

Hundreds of rescue workers are searching for survivors of the bridge collapse in the Italian city of Genoa yesterday, as police confirmed at least 35 people had been killed. Up to 12 further people are missing. Former professional footballer Davide Capello survived a 150ft drop during the disaster, which he described as an “apocalypse”.

2. Police raids following Parliament car crash

Police investigating yesterday’s apparent terror attack on the Houses of Parliament have raided three addresses in the Midlands. Suspect Salih Khater, a 29-year-old British citizen of Sudanese origin, drove a car into cyclists and pedestrians before hitting a security barrier at Westminster. He is believed to have lived in Birmingham. Two people were treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries following the crash.

3. White House admits N-word recordings may exist

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders yesterday responded to questions about whether tapes exist of US President Donald Trump using the N-word - and admitted: “I can’t guarantee anything.” Trump’s former adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman made the tape claims. In a tweet yesterday, Trump called Manigault Newman “a crying, crazed lowlife” and a “dog”.

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4. Gay couple: Stokes should not have faced trial

A gay couple have thanked England cricketer Ben Stokes for allegedly defending them against homophobic abuse, and said that he should not have been prosecuted for affray as a result. Kai Barry and William O’Connor told ITV that Stokes “didn’t deserve being put through a trial”. The sports star was charged over a brawl near a Bristol nightclub last September, but was found not guilty yesterday.

5. Classics scholars object to Johnson’s burka comments

Trustees and patrons of the charity Classics For All, which encourages the study of the ancient world in schools, have written to the charity raising objections to Boris Johnson remaining its honorary patron. The objections follow the MP’s comments in his newspaper column last week in which he likened women wearing the burka to letterboxes.

6. Gordon Brown calls on UK to fight child poverty

Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown will today say it is a national disgrace that more than five million children are expected to be living below the poverty line by the early 2020s. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Brown will say child poverty is reaching “epidemic proportions”.

7. Arguing couple ‘caused Jet2 flight to be diverted’

A London couple appeared in court yesterday to deny a charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft. A witness told the jury that he believed Ronald St Ville, 53, and Pauline Gordon, 66, were drunk and had argued over a text message. The flight was diverted from Gran Canaria to Portugal, where the couple, from Stratford, were removed.

8. Heatwave reveals archaeological sites in dry fields

This summer’s record-breaking heatwave has revealed “scores” of lost archaeological sites across the UK, according to The Guardian. The drought caused grass and crops to die, revealing ancient structures that have been ploughed flat but that are visible from above when plants grow at different heights or stay a different green as a result of the drought.

9. India: postman sacked for hoarding 6,000 letters

An assistant branch manager in a post office in India has been suspended from his job after he was found not to have delivered letters for more than ten years. Some 6,000 items were found in mailbags at the post office in Orissa state where Jagannath Puhan was employed. He said he was not easily able to walk and could not deliver the items.

10. Briefing: will tenants’ rights reforms curb rogue landlords?

Social housing tenants will be given greater support when tackling rogue landlords under a new strategy laid out by the Government.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government green paper, published this morning, includes plans to introduce landlord ratings to expose poor practice, and to provide the social housing regulator with “sharper teeth” to intervene in landlord-tenant disputes.

Will tenants’ rights reforms curb rogue landlords?