Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 13 October 2022

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1. ‘Open revolt’ against Truss
2. WHO calls for long Covid action
3. Wildlife down by 69% in 50 years
4. India issues diamond warning
5. Ukraine ‘shoots down helicopters’
6. Jones ordered to pay nearly $1bn
7. Nurse ‘sent card to family of murdered baby’
8. Charles greets Truss with ‘dear oh dear’
9. Royal Mail workers walk out
10. ‘Wagatha Christie’ drama set for TV

published 13 October 2022

1. ‘Open revolt’ against Truss

The Tories are in an “open revolt” against Liz Truss, said the i news site, with the PM’s attempt to calm angry rebels ending in a “showdown”. Truss is facing mounting pressure from Conservative MPs to rewrite last month’s controversial mini-budget, which has caused market turmoil. Senior Tories have accused her of “trashing” the last ten years of the Conservative government’s record, with one Conservative MP telling the Daily Mirror: “Liz either needs to get rid of her tax cuts or it will be her who is gone.”

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments to launch “immediate” and “sustained” efforts to tackle the “very serious” crisis of long Covid. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said long Covid is “devastating” the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of people, and wreaking havoc on health systems and economies, reported The Guardian. The virus has infected more than 600m people, with the WHO estimating that 10% to 20% of survivors have been left with mid-to-long-term symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive dysfunction.

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Earth’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. Many scientists believe we are living through the sixth mass extinction, the largest loss of life on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, said The Guardian, as humans “continue to clear forests, consume beyond the limits of the planet and pollute on an industrial scale”. The study used 2018 data on the status of 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species.

India’s ruling party has warned that crowning the Queen Consort using the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond would bring back “painful memories of the colonial past”, said The Telegraph. Buckingham Palace is reconsidering whether Camilla should wear the jewel when she is crowned alongside King Charles at Westminster Abbey after a spokesperson for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said it would “transport” some “back to the days of the British Empire in India”. The thousand-year-old, 105.6-carat diamond is claimed by several nations, including India, Afghanistan and Iran.

Ukraine has claimed that it shot down at least four Russian helicopters in a span of just 18 minutes. Anti-aircraft missile units managed to hit the Russian aircraft between 8.40am and 8.58am on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Air Force reported. “Combat work was carried out on two more helicopters, so there is a high probability that the number of confirmed down helicopters will increase,” it said. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Nato-led allies have announced deliveries of advanced air defence weapons to Kyiv following a spate of Russian strikes, said the BBC.

The controversial broadcaster Alex Jones has been ordered to pay $965m (£869m) in damages after falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. The families of eight victims, and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, claimed the right-wing radio host’s continued misinformation regarding the incident led to ten years of harassment and threats. CNN said the “punishing award” could “shrink or even doom Jones’s Infowars media empire”. A decade ago, twenty children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

A nurse accused of murdering seven babies sent a sympathy card to the parents of an infant she killed on her fourth attempt, a jury has been told. Lucy Letby, 32, is said to have kept an image of the card she sent to the child’s family on her phone. She denies murdering five boys and two girls and attempting to murder another five boys and five girls at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. The trial continues.

King Charles murmured “dear oh dear” as he greeted Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday night. “Your Majesty, great to see you again,” said the prime minister, who was being hosted in one of the palace’s large reception rooms. Charles replied: “Back again? Dear oh dear.” Truss said: “Well, it’s a great pleasure.” HuffPost described the King’s words as “enigmatic”, while the Daily Mail said the incident was an “apparent gaffe” from Charles.

Royal Mail workers are holding the first of several strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions. The walkout of Communication Workers Union (CWU) members marks the first of 19 days of strike action taking place throughout October and November, with the potential for further disruption into the Christmas period. The CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, said workers faced the “biggest ever assault” on jobs, terms and conditions “in the history of Royal Mail”, but Royal Mail said further strikes would “weaken” members’ financial position.

Michael Sheen will star in a television drama about the “Wagatha Christie” case. The actor, who has previously portrayed Tony Blair, will play Coleen Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne. Game of Thrones and Harry Potter star Natalia Tena will portray Rebekah Vardy and This Is England actress Chanel Cresswell will play Rooney. Channel 4's two-part film, Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, will recreate the “‘modern-day whodunnit’ trial” in which Rooney accused Vardy of leaking private stories about her to the press.

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