Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 17 April 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
- 1. Sunak to tackle ‘anti-maths mindset’
- 2. More violence in Sudan
- 3. Nurses may strike until Christmas
- 4. Business confidence bounces back
- 5. Mass shooting at 16th birthday
- 6. Germany’s nuclear era is over
- 7. Children denied mental health support
- 8. PPE bill still ‘balloons’
- 9. Hate crimes against ‘disfigured’ up
- 10. ‘Vasectomy revolution’ in the US
1. Sunak to tackle ‘anti-maths mindset’
Rishi Sunak will say that adults who cannot understand basic maths ought to be embarrassed. In a “tough message” designed to change public attitudes towards innumeracy, the prime minister will take aim at the “anti-maths mindset” that he says is damaging the economy, reported The Times. In a speech later, he will argue that poor understanding of maths should not be “socially acceptable”. An advisory group will consider what maths skills students need, and whether a new maths qualification is necessary.
Rishi Sunak and the importance of maths
2. More violence in Sudan
Further clashes have erupted across Sudan as fighting between rival factions continues. At least 97 people were killed and up to 1,000 injured after violence broke out on Saturday in the capital Khartoum and across the country between armed forces and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. The violence began amid tensions over a proposed transition to civilian rule. The international community should take urgent action to call for an end to the violence, the thinktank Sudan Policy and Transparency Tracker told Sudan Tribune.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Nurses may strike until Christmas
Nurses have threatened to keep striking until Christmas and the NHS believes they might join forces with doctors for “months of rolling walkouts”, said The Times. When the next planned strike ends on 2 May, nurses will be “immediately” consulted over new six-month mandate for action, which “will mean further strike action right up until Christmas”, said Pat Cullen, head of the Royal College of Nursing. Polling for YouGov shows that the majority of voters continue to back the strikes, despite one in 10 people having treatment disrupted.
Why nurses are taking historic strike action
4. Business confidence bounces back
Business confidence in the UK has seen its sharpest rise since 2020, according to Deloitte. The group’s chief financial officers showed sentiment rebounded among finance chiefs at the UK's biggest companies as their concerns about energy prices and Brexit problems eased. There are now 25% more chief financial officers feeling better about the future than worse, compared to 17% more feeling the opposite three months ago. “Not since the Covid vaccine rollout has there been such a swing in confidence,” observed the BBC.
Is the UK facing a ‘cost of doing business’ crisis?
5. Mass shooting at 16th birthday
At least four people were killed in a mass shooting at a 16th birthday party in the US state of Alabama. There were also dozens of injuries, some critical, after shots were fired at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio in the city of Dadeville on Saturday evening. The “joyful birthday party” of about 40 to 50 people “quickly turned into a chaotic and terrifying nightmare as party-goers ran for their lives”, said the New York Post.
Gun violence: why does the US have so many mass shootings?
6. Germany’s nuclear era is over
Germany’s final three nuclear power plants closed over the weekend, “marking the end of the country’s nuclear era that has spanned more than six decades”, said CNN. Nuclear power has “long been contentious” in the country, said the outlet, with opponents saying it is “unsustainable, dangerous and a distraction from speeding up renewable energy”. However, others insist it is a “reliable source of low-carbon energy at a time when drastic cuts to planet-heating pollution are needed”.
The pros and cons of nuclear power
7. Children denied mental health support
A quarter of a million children with mental health problems have been denied help by the NHS, according to research shared with The Guardian. As the health service struggles to manage “surging case loads”, some NHS trusts are failing to offer treatment to 60% of those referred by GPs, said the House magazine. There is also a “postcode lottery”, with spending per child four times higher in some parts of the country than others, and average waits for a first appointment ranging by trust from 10 days to three years.
How the NHS is failing children on mental health
8. PPE bill still ‘balloons’
PPE storage still costs British taxpayers £580,000 a day, according to new data released by the Labour Party. The government’s spending on storing personal protective equipment in China increased by £2.35m in the year to January. The taxpayer paid £23.5m from February 2021 to January 2022 - but in the same period the following year that had “ballooned” to £25.9m, said Sky News. John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “While costs are falling, the Covid hangover is still placing an enormous burden on taxpayers.”
Fact check: is PPE causing an environmental pandemic?
9. Hate crimes against ‘disfigured’ up
Reports of hate crimes against people with visible differences or disfigurements have increased since 2019, according to new research. The charity Changing Faces said a third of people (33%) with a visible difference said they had experienced a hate crime, compared to 28% of respondents in 2019. Some 49% reported negative interactions such as staring, comments, and intimidation, a figure that has been steadily rising from 34% in 2019 and 43% in 2021. There is “shocking prejudice” against people with visible differences, said chief executive Heather Blake.
10. ‘Vasectomy revolution’ in the US
The US is now undergoing a “vasectomy revolution” that could have far-reaching consequences, said a urologist. Since America’s Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe vs. Wade ruling that made abortion a federally protected right, the SimpleVas clinic in Iowa saw a 100% rise in bookings. If maintained, this surge could “further exacerbate a decline in the US birth rate that is already putting long-term growth at risk in the world's largest economy”, said The Telegraph. Today, those “getting the snip” are younger and much more likely to be childless.
Roe vs. Wade overturned: what the ruling means for other American rights
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is a town for all seasons
The Week Recommends Fall, winter, spring and summer all usher in new activities
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
What went wrong at CVS?
Today's Big Question Pharmacy chains are in crisis
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Russia's best investment
Opinion Eric Adams isn't the only politician with foreign benefactors
By William Falk Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published