Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 21 Dec 2018

1. Flights resume from Gatwick as Army hunts drone

Planes are taking off from and landing at Gatwick Airport this morning, as police and the Army continue hunting for a drone operator who caused a shutdown that affected around 120,000 passengers. People due to travel today are advised to check with their airline before heading to the London airport, with at least 100 of the 753 scheduled flights expected to be cancelled.

2. US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis resigns

US Defence Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis has resigned, just days after Donald Trump announced his controversial decision to pull all US troops out of Syria. In his resignation letter, Mattis says his views differ from the president’s, though he does not mention Syria. The 68-year-old former marine corps general will leave his post in February.

3. MPs push for measures to prevent no-deal Brexit

Senior MPs from the Conservatives and Labour are working together on an amendment seeking to commit Theresa May to avoiding a cliff-edge, no-deal Brexit if the Commons rejects the deal she has arranged with the EU. The amendment would mandate the prime minister to extend or cancel Article 50, thereby putting off Brexit, if the vote goes against her.

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4. Johnson cleared over burka newspaper column

An independent panel investigating claims that Boris Johnson used hate speech in a Daily Telegraph newspaper column has cleared him of wrongdoing, saying the article fostered “respect and tolerance”. In the piece, Johnson argued against a France-style burka ban but that women wearing the garment looked like “letter boxes”.

5. Tax chocolate and crisps, says chief doctor

Taxes should be imposed on chocolate, crisps and all other junk food with high salt, sugar and fat content, the chief medical officer for England has argued. Professor Dame Sally Davies said her “dream” was to use the proceeds to make fruit and vegetables cheaper for all. In her annual report, she also calls for a ban on added sugar in baby food.

6. City banker guilty of murdering woman with pestle

A City banker has been found guilty of murdering Christina Abbotts in the West Sussex town of Crawley on her 29th birthday, after apparently hiring her services as an escort. Zahid Naseem struck his victim 13 times on the back of her head with a pestle, then pretended to be unconscious when an ambulance came. He claimed self defence in court.

7. Trump to pull 7,000 troops out of Afghanistan

President Donald Trump is planning to pull 7,000 US troops out of Afghanistan within months, US media reports. The figure is roughly half the US forces stationed in the war-devastated country, where the Taliban’s hold has strengthened in recent months. The news comes days after Trump announced he was withdrawing all US forces from Syria.

8. NHS paying £300,000 for drunk tanks

NHS England is spending £300,000 on temporary drunk tanks across England over the Christmas period once again this year, in the hope that people who have overindulged can receive help without having to go to A&E. NHS boss Simon Stevens repeated his message from last year, that NHS “does not stand for National Hangover Service”.

9. Services on 30th anniversary of Lockerbie bombing

The 30th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 from London to New York will be marked with services in Scotland and the US today. The total 270 people killed in the attack included passengers, crew and residents of the Scottish town of Lockerbie, where the wreckage landed.

10. Briefing: celebrities who died in 2018

The world lost more than a few iconic stars in 2018, from Hollywood heartthrob Burt Reynolds and the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and the 41st president George H.W. Bush.

Remember some of the prominent public figures that we said goodbye to this year with The Week’s gallery of late celebrities.

Celebrities who died in 2018