Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 8 April 2022

1. New atrocities ‘worse than Bucha’

The scene of death and destruction in the town of Borodyanka is “more horrific” than the atrocities uncovered in nearby Bucha last weekend, according to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. “They have started sorting through the ruins in Borodyanka,” he said last night in an address on Facebook. “There are even more victims of Russian occupiers.” Separately, Moscow admitted it has suffered an economic blow from sanctions and the “tragedy” of mounting troop losses.

What constitutes a war crime?

2. Murty may have avoided £20m tax

Rishi Sunak’s wife may have avoided up to £20m in UK tax by being non-domiciled and pays £30,000 a year to keep the status, reported The Guardian. Akshata Murty’s spokesperson said she had paid all necessary tax but refused to say where, arguing that the information was not “relevant”. The Mirror also reports that a string of lucrative UK public sector contracts have been won by Infosys, the Indian IT firm which is part-owned by Murty.

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

What is non-domiciled status and why does it cut tax?

3. Two dead in Israel shooting

Two people have been killed and 12 were injured by a gun attack in the centre of Tel Aviv – the fourth attack of its kind in Israel in just over two weeks. The latest shootings happened on Dizengoff Street, one of the busiest in the city. The Jerusalem Post said the gunman was captured and killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces. He was identified as a Palestinian man from the West Bank.

Why are IS-linked attackers targeting Israel?

4. Patient waited for 14 hours

One in four patients arriving at A&E last week spent at least 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance before being admitted to hospital, reported The Times. In one example, a patient waited outside Worcestershire Royal Hospital for 14 hours before they were finally let out of the ambulance to see a doctor. Ambulance handover delays are now at their worst level this winter after admissions for patients with Covid surged to the highest level since early 2021.

The UK’s Covid timeline: key dates in the pandemic

5. Scientists take 30 years off skin

Scientists in Cambridge have rejuvenated a 53-year-old woman’s skin cells so they resemble a 23-year-old’s. The research could lead to the development of techniques that will stave off the diseases of old age by restoring the function of older cells and reducing their biological age. Skin specialist Dr Amiee Vyas said: “This could also revolutionise the skin and beauty industry.”

Will humans someday live forever?

6. Shoplifting ‘effectively decriminalised’

Shoplifting prosecutions have fallen to an all-time low, with just one in six (16.8%) shoplifting offences reported to police now leading to a charge. Five years ago the rate was 30.8%, according to figures from the Home Office. This leaves between 200,000 and 300,000 offences going unpunished each year, as police chiefs say the offence has been effectively decriminalised. The Telegraph said thefts are expected to soar because of the cost-of-living crisis.

7. Jackson confirmed for Supreme Court

Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the US Supreme Court on Thursday, becoming the first black woman to serve as a justice in its 200-year history. Democrats in the Senate broke out into loud applause and cheers when the vote was confirmed. CNN said it “marks a major milestone for the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary”, but pointed out that Jackson’s confirmation won’t change the ideological balance of the court, which has a conservative majority.

Ketanji Brown Jackson: five things you may not know

8. Waist metric for healthy life

A health watchdog is urging millions of people to ensure their waist size is less than half their height to help avoid serious health problems. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence proposed the measure in an overhaul of obesity management guidelines. The UK has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, with two in three adults officially overweight or obese in an worsening crisis that costs the NHS £6bn a year and wider society £27bn.

9. Italy sounds air-con warning

Italy’s PM has warned that European citizens may have to give up their air conditioning to help secure peace in Ukraine. “If the price of gas can be exchanged for peace... what do we choose? Peace? Or to have the air conditioning running in the summer?” Mario Draghi said. Earlier, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, told Nato and EU members that “as long as the West continues buying Russian gas and oil it is supporting Ukraine with one hand while supporting the Russian war machine with another hand”.

Hungary sides with Russia on gas payments

10. Jet snaps in two in Costa Rica

A Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft operated by DHL broke in two as it made an emergency landing at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria international airport. The plane was doused with firefighting foam where it had landed on a grassy field next to a runway. DHL said the crew was unharmed and that one member was undergoing a medical review as a precaution. Airways Magazine said the pilot’s loss of control was caused by a “hydraulic issue”.