Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 20 Aug 2018

1. EU workers ‘can stay in UK’ if Brexit deal fails

The Daily Telegraph says Theresa May has decided to take “the moral high ground” by promising EU citizens living in the UK can stay, with the same rights, even in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The paper says the decision was made because EU workers’ labour will be needed. The move was welcomed by arch-Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg.

2. Government takes back crisis prison from G4S

The government has taken over a prison where inmates are too scared to leave their cells, saying private contractor G4S has failed and will not be allowed to run the jail again for at least six months. HMP Birmingham will get a new governor – and 300 prisoners will be moved elsewhere – after inspectors found “appalling” failings.

3. Cruise ship fall: woman saved after 10 hours

A British woman was rescued by Croatian coastguards yesterday, 10 hours after she fell off the back of a cruise ship into the Adriatic Sea. Kay Longstaff, 46, told Croatian news channel HRT she felt “very lucky” to have survived. She told her rescuers she had sung to herself to stay warm overnight and felt fitness due to yoga helped her survive.

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4. Rescuers save 22,000 from Kerala monsoon floods

Around 22,000 people were rescued from severe floods in Kerala, southern India, on Sunday, officials say, when rains finally eased. The monsoon season, which started in June, has been the worst for nearly 100 years, with 350 people killed so far and 150,000 displaced from their homes. There are now 725,000 people in refugee camps.

5. Greece leaves eurozone bail-out programme

Greece has finally emerged from its eight-year eurozone bail-out programme – but the milestone is unlikely to be celebrated as austerity measures continue. The country’s economy remains 25% smaller than it was before the financial crisis began, despite recent growth and the biggest financial bail-out in history, totalling €260bn (£233bn).

6. Pakistan PM Imran Khan drops hundreds of servants

Former cricket star Imran khan, now Prime Minister of Pakistan, has said he is cutting hundreds of official servants and selling off his office’s fleet of bulletproof cars, as he calls for an austerity drive. Khan wants to introduce an Islamic welfare system, reduce poverty and cut debt. He is calling on the country’s wealthy elite to pay more tax.

7. Weinstein accuser Argento settles out of court

An actor who accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her in 1997 has settled out of court for $380,000 (£298,000) after she was herself accused of sexual assault, the New York Times says. Asia Argento, a prominent #MeToo campaigner, was accused by actor Jimmy Bennett of having sex with him in 2013 when he was 17.

8. Man held after horrific hammer attack in London

A 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a hammer attack on two women in south-east London. Joe Xuereb was arrested after a member of the public followed him in her car and stayed with him until police arrived. The women, aged 64 and 30, were taken by air ambulance to hospital and remain critical.

9. Trump lawyer Giuliani: ‘Truth isn’t truth’

Forget “alternative facts”, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has told a US TV host that “truth isn’t truth”. Giuliani was arguing the US president should not have to testify on alleged collusion with Russia in case he was “trapped into perjury” when NBC’s Chuck Todd said that “truth is truth”. Giuliani refuted the statement.

10. Briefing: will the EU have to intervene in Romania?

European Union authorities are under pressure to intervene to uphold the rule of law in Romania, a week after anti-corruption protests left 450 activists injured.

Last Friday, 100,000 “mostly peaceful” demonstrators took to the streets in different cities. Four hundred and fifty people were left “needing medical help” after riot police used what Romanian President Klaus Iohannis called “unacceptable’ force”, The Guardian reports.

Romania protests: will the EU have to intervene?