Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 28 February 2023

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1. All eyes on DUP after Brexit deal
2. A&E waits cause excess deaths
3. Couple found without baby
4. Violence escalates in West Bank
5. Covid mask rule lifted after 959 days
6. DeSantis takes control of Disney park
7. Harassment fear stops women exercising
8. Murdoch admission on Trump claims
9. Ripper ashes scattered at ‘beauty spot’
10. Hancock seen wearing donated shirt

published 28 February 2023

1. All eyes on DUP after Brexit deal

The DUP has warned that “key issues of concern” remain over the new Brexit agreement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described his deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland as a “decisive breakthrough” and many Tory MPs have given their backing to the agreement. However, while the DUP acknowledged “significant progress”, leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party would study the legal text before deciding whether to support the deal. His party won’t be “rushed or pushed” into a hasty decision, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“Hidden” NHS data shows that half of all excess deaths last year were caused by patients facing long waits in A&E, said the Times. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine obtained figures showing that 1,656,206 patients spent at least 12 hours in A&E departments — and estimated that 23,000 of these patients later died as a result. The college estimated that “23,003 patients potentially died in 2022, equalling 446 patients a week”. An NHS England spokesman said: “The cause of excess deaths is down to a number of different factors.”

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A couple who disappeared with their newborn baby have been found and arrested in Brighton, but the baby is still missing, police have said. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who were spotted in Brighton by a member of the public last night, have been taken into custody. The couple have appeared to be trying to avoid the police, travelling in quick succession to Liverpool, Essex, Colchester, and London, said the BBC. Police said they were “extremely concerned” for the wellbeing of the baby.

An Israeli-American has been shot and killed in the West Bank as violence escalates in the occupied territory. The man was killed in an attack on vehicles on a highway near the city of Jericho after Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Sunday night, with dozens of cars and houses burned. The settlers’ “retaliatory rampage” in the Palestinian village has been compared to a “Kristallnacht in Huwara”, said The Guardian. It came after two settlers, from a nearby village, were shot dead by a Palestinian on Sunday.

Hong Kong has become one of the last major international cities to lose the requirement to wear face-masks, nearly three years after it was put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Hong Kong’s rule, enforced through fines that could reach more than $1,000, had required facial coverings in all public spaces. However, it will be lifted on Wednesday, the city has announced – some 959 days since it was imposed. “I’m looking forward to seeing a smile on everyone’s face now,” said Health Secretary Lo Mau-chung.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned people to “buckle up” as he tightened his control over Walt Disney World. The Republican signed a bill giving the state control over Disney’s Orlando theme parks, a move seen as retaliation after Disney opposed state laws curtailing gender and sexuality education. “There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be the order of the day,” he said. Disney shares were up 0.4% on Monday, noted Reuters.

Three in 10 women are harassed while exercising, according to a report. A study by Sport England found that there are 5.8m women in England who enjoy sport and exercise, compared with 8.2m men, and this “enjoyment gap” is influenced by fears over safety. One in five women told researchers they are concerned about sexual harassment when working out, and the figure doubles to two in five when outdoors in the dark. A spokesperson for Sport England called for activities for women to be “social, suitable, self-affirming and safe”.

Court documents revealed that Rupert Murdoch acknowledged under oath that several Fox News hosts endorsed Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. The Fox News owner made the admission during a deposition in the $1.6bn defamation lawsuit brought against the network by a voting machine company, which has accused Fox News and its parent company of maligning its reputation. “Some of our commentators were endorsing it,” Murdoch said. “I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it, in hindsight,” he added.

The niece of the Yorkshire Ripper said some of her uncle’s remains were scattered by the seaside in the beauty spot village of Arnside, Cumbria. Peter Sutcliffe, who was convicted of 13 murders, died in 2020 aged 74 after contracting Covid. Revealing where her father’s ashes were scattered, his niece Emily Sutcliffe told The Mirror: “I was taken there once or twice when I was a child. It is lovely. That area means a lot to the whole family. We had family living in the area at the time and would visit them.”

Matt Hancock has been seen wearing a signed football shirt he sold at auction to raise money for the NHS. The former health secretary donated the Newcastle United shirt for an online auction hosted by the radio DJ Chris Evans in 2020, describing it as his “pride and joy”. Although it sold for a reported £1,850 at auction, Hancock was seen wearing the shirt in a video posted to his TikTok on Sunday. A spokesman for Hancock said the shirt was returned to the MP by the winner of the auction.

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