Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 5 September 2022

1. Truss tipped to freeze energy cap

The next prime minister will be revealed today when either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak is named next Conservative leader. The winner of the leadership contest will be announced at 12.30pm and will take office on Tuesday. Truss, heavily tipped to win the contest, has promised further help for struggling households. The BBC said its sources are increasingly optimistic that Truss will back plans to freeze the energy cap. However, she warned yesterday that there would be difficult decisions ahead and “not all those decisions will be popular”.

The energy price cap explained

2. Ten dead in Canada knife rampage

At least 10 people were killed and another 15 injured in a stabbing spree in Canada’s central Saskatchewan province. The attacks happened at several locations: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they are investigating 13 crime scenes. Two suspects, named as Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, are on the run and considered armed and dangerous. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau described the incidents as “horrific and heartbreaking”.

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3. Petrol prices ‘long way off fair’

The RAC said motorists are still getting a “raw deal” at the pumps despite a record petrol price drop last month. Although the average price of a litre of unleaded dipped below 170p (169.8p) at the end of August for the first time since May, the motoring organisation said it believed prices should be about 161p based on current wholesale costs. “Pump prices remain a long way off what the RAC believes are fair given current wholesale fuel costs,” it said.

4. Arrest in Pratt-Korbel investigation

Police have arrested a man suspected of shooting Olivia Pratt-Korbel and two others suspected of protecting him after the murder. The Merseyside force said the man remains in custody and is being questioned by detectives. Olivia died after being shot in her home in the Dovecot area of Liverpool when a gunman chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into the property on 22 August. A minute’s applause in memory of the nine-year-old was held during the ninth minute of play at the Merseyside derby match between Liverpool and Everton on Saturday.

What the shooting means for Liverpool

5. Chile rejects progressive proposals

Chileans have voted overwhelmingly against a new, left-wing constitution that had been put forward to replace the 1980 document written under General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. With 96% of the votes counted in Sunday’s referendum, the “no” camp had 61.9% support compared with 38.1% for “yes”. The proposals included 388 articles that would have extended social rights, boosted environmental regulation and handed the government wider responsibility for social welfare programmes.

November 2021: Chilean election throws up ‘stark’ choice

6. Tugendhat suggests Xinjiang boycott

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat has urged the government to look at banning the import of all cotton products produced in the Xinjiang region of China as a response to the country’s treatment of Uighur Muslims. Writing for The Telegraph, the former Tory leadership hopeful said that “given the human rights catastrophe that is unfolding,” the UK should “look at the possibility” of banning the import of cotton products produced in whole or in part in Xinjiang.

What next for China after UN’s damning Uighur report?

7. Nirvana baby’s lawsuit dismissed

A judge in the US has dismissed a 31-year-old man’s latest lawsuit against Nirvana over the band’s album cover that showed him naked as a baby. Spencer Elden said his appearance on the front of the Nevermind record constituted child sexual abuse, but the judge said he had left it too late to claim he had been exploited. Elden was interviewed in 2003 at the age of 12 by Rolling Stone magazine about the photo, which depicted him swimming naked, saying he was “probably gonna get some money from it”.

8. Mystery jet crashes off Latvia

A private plane has crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia in mysterious circumstances. The jet, which was carrying four people and was due to land in Germany, continued to fly across Europe as air traffic controllers tried unsuccessfully to make contact, authorities said. Nato jets were scrambled to follow the plane on its erratic flight. It flew over Swedish airspace in the Baltic Sea before crashing into the sea off Ventspils last night. The authorities said “no human remains have been found”.

9. Berlin announces energy package

The German government has announced a €65bn (£56.2bn) package of measures to address rising energy costs. The new support will include one-off payments to the most vulnerable and tax breaks to energy-intensive businesses. Energy prices have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and EU officials have warned of an impending “crunch point” when countries start to feel acute economic pain while also still being asked to help the Ukrainian military and humanitarian effort, said Politico.

10. Sales of ‘lockdown products’ down

Customers are “casting off the trappings of a life in lockdown” with sales of loungewear velour tracksuits, jigsaw puzzles and wall-mounted desks all down, according to data from John Lewis. Sales of soup makers fell by 12% and bread bins were down 42%, in an indication that people are returning to eat lunch outside the home, said The Times. A spokesman for the retail chain said: “We’ve seen a profound shift in shopping behaviour.”

The pros and cons of hybrid working