Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 9 June 2023

1. Trump faces federal charges

Donald Trump has been charged over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. The former US president faces seven charges including unauthorised retention of classified files, US media reported. The “stunning development” marks the first time a former president has faced federal charges, said CNN. Trump, who denies wrongdoing, said yesterday was a “dark day” for America. He said he’s been “summoned to appear” at a Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday.

Trump told he could face charges over classified Mar-a-Lago documents

2. Ministers drop asylum policy

The government has “quietly dropped” a “key plank” of last year’s asylum law that introduced a two-tier refugee system, said The Guardian. In a bid to cut the asylum backlog, the Home Office said that it would no longer differentiate between people who arrived by irregular means, such as those who crossed the Channel, and other asylum seekers. The decision will see processing claims expedited up and means that “people who arrived by small boat will be given improved rights such as the ability to reunite with family members”, said the paper. Welcoming the move, Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, told The Guardian “the government is now admitting that its flagship Nationality and Borders Act has failed to deliver”.

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Stop the boats: will immigration define the next election?

3. France playground attack

Four young children who were stabbed in a park in France are now in a stable condition. The children, aged between one and three, are being treated in hospital following the incident in Annecy, in France’s south-east. Police overpowered and arrested the knifeman after he entered a children’s playground to carry out the attack. French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the attacker had certain “Christian religious insignia” on him during the incident but at this stage, there is “no apparent terrorist motive”, a prosecutor told Le Monde.

4. Police regulator demands

The police watchdog has demanded new powers to oblige police forces to tackle a historic crisis in law and order. “Public trust in the police is hanging by a thread,” said Andy Cooke in his first annual assessment as head of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. He wants his watchdog to be handed the power to compel forces to follow its recommendations. He blamed the collapse in public confidence on “dreadful scandals”, including the murder of Sarah Everard by the serving Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens.

5. Tesco denies Clubcard ‘rip off’

A consumer group has reported Tesco to the competition watchdog as officials continue their inquiry into whether the grocery sector is “ripping off shoppers”, reported Sky News. Which? said it complained to the Competition and Markets Authority about a lack of clear pricing on the “vast majority” of the retailer’s food and drink promotions through its Clubcard scheme. The consumer magazine said Tesco could be “breaking the law” but the chain sad it was “disappointed” by “these ill-founded claims”.

The best supermarket loyalty schemes

6. US and UK agree alliance

Britain and the US have struck an economic alliance to “close ranks against China”, said The Times. Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden “effectively declared the era of unfettered globalisation over”, said the paper, as they announced an “Atlantic declaration” to allow western allies to retain control over key sectors of the world economy. Despite “wildly different backgrounds” and a “four-decade age gap”, the US president and his British counterpart are developing a “warm relationship”, said Politico.

Sunak-Biden talks: can Rishi revive the ‘special relationship’?

7. Piers Morgan royal stories claim

A former Daily Mirror royal editor said Piers Morgan would regularly “inject” information into her stories without explaining where it was from. Giving evidence in Prince Harry’s hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers, Jane Kerr, who worked for the paper’s royal team from 1996 to 2007, told the High Court that her then-boss would add snippets of information into stories and would engage with the Palace press team regularly. The Prince’s lawyer David Sherborne claimed these details were “information that would precisely have come from people listening to voicemail messages”. Morgan has denied any illegal newsgathering on his watch.

David Sherborne: the ‘barrister to the stars’ representing Prince Harry

8. Female lord chief justice to be chosen

A woman will become lord chief justice for the first time, ending a “male stranglehold on the post dating back 755 years”, said The Telegraph. Victoria Sharp, 67, a senior high court judge, and Sue Carr, 58, an appeal court judge, were the only judges to make the final shortlist for the role. Both have been interviewed and an announcement on which of the two women will be head of the judiciary in England and Wales is expected within two weeks. The title is expected to be amended to “Lady Chief Justice.”

9. China ‘plans spy facility in Cuba’

Intelligence sources have told CNN that Cuba has agreed to allow China to build a spying facility on the island that could allow Beijing to eavesdrop on electronic communications across the southeastern US. US spies have discovered the plan in the last several weeks but they are unclear on whether building of the facility has begun. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio denied the report. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said: “We remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home and in the region.”

10. Red Bull ingredient may slow ageing

Scientists have found that taurine, which is added to many energy drinks, may slow the ageing process and promote healthier lives. The levels of the micronutrient fall significantly with age, but researchers found that topping them up boosted the health of mice and monkeys and even extended the lifespans of mice. Energy drinks like Red Bull contain taurine but the scientists warned they also contain other substances that may not be safe to consume at high levels.