Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 1 Mar 2019

1. US offers $1m reward for bin Laden son

The US is offering $1m (£750,000) for information on the favourite son of late al-Qa’eda boss Osama bin Laden. Hamza Bin Laden is “emerging as a leader in the al-Qaeda franchise”, according to the State Department. He is thought to be based near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and has released several militant videos.

2. Umunna named spokesperson of Independent Group

Chuka Umunna has been chosen as the spokesperson for the new Independent Group of MPs who quit Labour and the Conservatives over issues including Brexit. The 11 MPs in the new grouping have no formal leader, but the announcement about Umunna suggests that the former Labour MP is a key figure.

3. North Korea disputes Trump account of talks

North Korea has disputed US President Donald Trump’s explanation for the collapse of this week’s summit between the two nations. Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho denied that Kim Jong Un had asked for all sanctions to be lifted in return for denuclearisation, claiming that the North Korean leader had requested only partial relief in return for closing a nuclear plant.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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. Pakistan to release Indian pilot ‘as gesture’

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says the Indian pilot shot down and captured by his military earlier this week will be released today, “as a peace gesture”. The recent air strikes by both nuclear powers over the disputed Kashmir region were the first since the war between the rival nations in 1971.

5. Four-hour A&E waiting target to be scrapped

NHS England wants to scrap the four-hour waiting target in hospital A&E wards, 15 years after it was introduced by Labour. Some critics believe the target encourages hospitals to game the system by prioritising patients who have been waiting for longer over those in greatest need, but others say the plan is politically motivated.

6. ‘Rushed’ probation reform cost extra £500m

The partial privatisation of the probation system introduced when Chris Grayling was the secretary of state cost the Ministry of Justice an extra £500m because it was “rushed” through, with reform designed “too quickly”, according to a new report by the National Audit Office. The Government said it took the watchdog’s finding “very seriously”.

7. ‘Coercive control’ wife’s conviction quashed

A woman who killed her husband after suffering what her lawyers described as decades of “coercive control” at his hands has had her murder conviction quashed. Sally Challen, now 65, was sentenced to 22 years in jail for the hammer attack on Richard Challen. This was later reduced to four years on appeal.

8. Minicab drivers sue London mayor

Private hire drivers are suing London Mayor Sadiq Khan over plans to make them pay the £11.50 congestion charge while black cab drivers will remain exempt. The group, which includes Uber drivers, say the decision is racially discriminatory as 94% of them are from black, Asian or other ethnic minority backgrounds.

9. Tesla to lower price of Model 3 in US

Electric car manufacturer Tesla has announced that the price its Model 3 is to be cut to $35,000 (£26,400) in the US - a move that will fulfil the company’s long-standing commitment to produce a truly mass-market electric vehicle. Boss Elon Musk said the only way to make the price “financially sustainable” would be to close stores and make sales online-only.

10. Briefing: what is the Momo Challenge?

An online “game” that encourages young people to harm themselves and in some cases even take their own lives has been reported in the UK for the first time.

Momo, described as a WhatsApp “suicide challenge”, features an avatar of a woman with dark hair, pale skin and oversized eyes, who sends young people images and instructions on how to harm themselves and others.

Momo challenge: what is it and how did the hoax begin?