Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 13 April 2023

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1. MPs: leaks ‘endanger lives’
2. Study dampens cancer cure hope
3. Clampdown on holiday lets
4. Truss blames ‘establishment’
5. Biden makes Irish gaffe
6. Meghan to miss coronation
7. Trio to sue Andrew Tate
8. Tories investigate ‘slave’ remark
9. Trump sues former lawyer
10. Radcliffe backs child transitions

published 13 April 2023

1. MPs: leaks ‘endanger lives’

MPs have warned that British lives have been put at risk by a major leak of US intelligence. According to the leaked documents, the UK has deployed 50 elite troops to Ukraine, making it the largest Nato contributor of special forces. Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the defence select committee, told The Times: “This deliberate large-scale disclosure of sensitive material could easily endanger lives.” Whitehall officials as well as the military and intelligence agencies are now preparing for the release of more information. William Burns, the director of the CIA, said the recent leaks were “deeply unfortunate” and the Pentagon has launched an international manhunt for the leaker.

Scientists said a study has revealed an “almost infinite” ability of cancerous tumours to evolve and survive. The “unprecedented analysis of how cancers grow” left the research team “surprised” and “in awe” at the formidable force they were up against, reported the BBC. They concluded that a “universal” cure for cancer is unlikely in the near future. Therefore, said Prof Charles Swanton, from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London, “if we want to make the biggest impact we need to focus on prevention, early detection and early detection of relapse”.

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Second-home owners will have to seek planning permission to start renting out their properties as holiday lets, Michael Gove, the housing secretary, will announce today. In a bid to reduce housing pressure in tourist hotspots, the government wants to change planning laws to give councils the power to ban future holiday lets if their local area does not have enough affordable housing to rent or buy. Airbnb said the scheme must “strike a balance between protecting housing and supporting everyday families who let their space to help afford their home”.

Liz Truss has blamed the “British corporate establishment”, the International Monetary Fund and Joe Biden for her downfall, said the i news site. In her “latest comeback attempt”, the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister claimed her tax-cutting plans were opposed by a “co-ordinated resistance”, added the website. Commenting on her address, at the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at the Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington DC, The Guardian said “the lady’s not for learning”.

Joe Biden appeared to confuse the name of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team with the Black and Tans during a speech in Ireland. The US president was speaking at the Windsor Bar in Dundalk, when he referred to the tie that he was wearing. “See this tie I have, this shamrock tie? It was given to by one of these guys right here, who’s a hell of a rugby player who beat the hell out of the Black and Tans.” The Black and Tans were notorious British reserve troops deployed against rebels in the Irish war of independence in 1920.

Buckingham Palace has announced that Duke of Sussex will be present at the King’s coronation but Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will not be attending. The announcement brings to an end months of speculation over whether the couple would travel to the ceremony. Meghan will remain in California with the couple’s two children, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie - whose fourth birthday is on the same day. “No one will ever admit it but they’ll be sighing with relief at the Palace,” wrote the Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine.

Three women plan to sue Andrew Tate for damages over allegations he raped and abused them. The women, who first made complaints to the police eight years ago, said they suffered physical injury and psychological harm which has stopped them working or living a normal life for many years. The women, aged in their late 20s or early 30s, worked as webcam models for Tate from 2013 onwards. One told Sky News: “we intend to prove in court that Andrew is abusive, coercive and controlling and that his public statements about women are nothing more than fantasy.” Speaking through his legal team. Tate denied their accusations and said the trio “wanted money because I fired them”.

Party bosses are investigating a Conservative councillor who was accused of claiming that “all white men” should be able to keep black people as slaves. In an audio recording, Andrew Edwards, a Pembrokeshire county councillor and magistrate, is also alleged to have claimed that black people were of “lower class” than whites. In a statement, Edwards said the matter is “now in the hands of legal experts and the ombudsman” and “it would be unfair on the process for me to comment”.

Donald Trump is suing Michael Cohen for $500m in damages for allegedly breaching his contract. The US president’s lawsuit, filed in a Florida federal court, accuses his former personal attorney of spreading false information and breaching his contractual obligations to the former president in public statements, published books, podcast series and other media appearances. “It appears Trump is trying to hush up the person previously in charge of making his hush money payments,” said MSNBC.

The actor Daniel Radcliffe has said that children should be trusted to transition from one gender to another if they wish. The Harry Potter star said that it was “condescending” for adults to question whether such a significant decision was in the best interests of a child. Radcliffe has taken an “opposing stance” to JK Rowling, the author “whose movie franchise made him famous”, in the debate over transgender rights, said The Times.

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