Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 13 February 2023

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1. US shoots down another UFO
2. Tories and Labour in ‘credit card’ row
3. Arrests after murder of trans teen
4. Turkey detains builders over fraud claims
5. Government backs away from water fines
6. Israel authorises nine settlements
7. BBC chair’s position ‘untenable’
8. Truss backers renew tax cut calls
9. Quarter of pubs are on the brink
10. ‘Secret plot’ to ‘unravel Brexit’

published 13 February 2023

1. US shoots down another UFO

The Pentagon said the US has shot down another unidentified flying object - the fourth military operation of its kind this month. The object was shaped like an octagon with strings hanging off it and did not appear to be carrying anything. Joe Biden ordered it to be downed near Lake Huron, close to the Canadian border, on Sunday afternoon. CNN noted that detection methods have changed, so “it’s possible that it’s not so much the objects that are new, but our ability to track them”.

Labour has accused the Conservatives of overseeing “lavish spending” on hotels, hospitality and other costs using taxpayer-funded debit cards. Spending on government-issued “credit cards” has soared by 70% since 2010, when the Tories first warned they were generating “hideous waste”, according to a Labour analysis of civil service spending. Liz Truss and her team spent nearly £1,500 on lunch and dinner at two of Jakarta’s most exclusive restaurants, and Rishi Sunak spent more than £3,000 on photographs to hang on the walls when he was chancellor. The Conservatives branded Labour's analysis a “political stunt”.

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A boy and girl, both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a 16-year-old transgender girl at a park in Warrington. Brianna Ghey was found with serious injuries on a path in Culcheth Linear Park at around 3.13pm. Emergency services were called but she died at the scene. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the circumstances surrounding Brianna’s death are hate related,” said a detective.

Authorities in Turkey have detained building contractors trying to flee the country as more than 100 people are under investigation over the collapse of homes in the country’s recent earthquake. Fuat Oktay, the vice president, promised a “meticulous” effort to charge builders who failed to abide by earthquake protection standards, amid claims of fraud and slapdash workmanship. Experts told the Hurriyet Daily News that negligence in constructions magnified the earthquake’s destruction.

Water companies will avoid big fines for spilling sewage into rivers and seas because Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, feels penalties of up to £250m for polluters are “disproportionate”, said The Times. Meanwhile, reported the i news site, the prime minister is facing a defeat in the House of Lords over his bid to scrap clean water regulations that protect swimmers and wildlife as part of his “post-Brexit bonfire of European Union red tape”. Both papers are launching separate clean water campaigns.

Israel has authorised nine Jewish settlements in the West Bank which were previously unauthorised outposts. The “exceptionally rare” move came “despite clear objections from the United States to such actions” and in the aftermath of terror attacks, said the Jerusalem Post. The international community regards all settlements as illegal under international law, but Israel disagrees. Palestinians regard settlements as a major obstacle to a peace deal with Israel.

Richard Sharp’s position as chair of the BBC is “increasingly untenable”, said Labour, after MPs found he made significant errors of judgment in failing to disclose his role in an £800,000 loan facility for Boris Johnson. Following the report by the digital, culture, media and sport committee, Labour’s Lisa Nandy said that “increasingly”, the “circumstances around the relationship between the Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson and Richard Sharp” are “looking more and more murky”, and “his position is becoming increasingly untenable as a result”. But former culture minister Ed Vaizey told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House: “The report doesn’t say he should resign. It is really stretching it to say that Richard Sharp arranged a loan for Boris Johnson.”

Supporters of Liz Truss will submit a “tax-cutting manifesto” to the chancellor before the budget, reported The Times. A former minister, Sir John Redwood, called for “sensible targeted tax cuts” on businesses, pensions and the self-employed, and claimed the Conservative Growth Group is “gathering strength” after signing up “dozens of Conservative MPs”. Hunt has previously signalled that tax cuts will only come “when the time is right”.

Pub firm closures have risen 180% as “costs soar and punters stay home”, said The Independent. An accountancy group found that insolvencies rose from 280 in 2021 to 512 last year and a survey forecast that nearly 25% of pub firms could be forced out of business after just three bad months. The cost of living crisis and interest rate rises have made customers less inclined to spend on drinks and meals in pubs, while rail strikes have stopped punters from travelling into city centres.

There is a “secret plot” to unravel Brexit, said the Daily Mail. The paper reported on a warning from Lord Fox after prominent politicians, business chiefs and ex-civil servants held a summit on EU relations. The Tory peer, who was chief negotiator for the withdrawal agreement, said: “This secret conference is a further piece of evidence that many in our political and business establishment want to… stay shadowing the EU.” The Observer reported that the cross-party summit set out to “address the failings of Brexit”.

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