Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 13 August 2023

1. UK ‘has moral duty’ on boats

The government is under renewed pressure to tackle boat crossings in the Channel after six migrants died when a vessel sank off the French coast on Saturday. “How many more must die before the Tories get a grip?” asked The Mirror, Labour urged ministers to end the “small boats nightmare”, and Tory backbencher Jake Berry said the UK had a “moral duty to act”. Investigations are underway into Saturday’s incident, in which 59 people were rescued and two may still be missing.

2. ‘Generous’ marking ‘harmed students’

Questions are being raised over whether “generous” exam results during Covid left teenagers “unable to cope at higher level”, said The Sunday Times. The paper found that students whose A-level results were graded by their teachers during the pandemic are dropping out of university in unprecedented numbers, with “close to 30%” quitting some courses. Many of the teenagers undertook courses for which they would not have been accepted if their grades had not been so generously awarded by their teachers, said the paper.

3. River pollution ‘utter disgrace’

More than 90% of freshwater habitats on England’s “most precious rivers” are blighted by farming pollution, raw sewage and water abstraction, said The Observer. None of the dozens of rivers with protected habitats in England were rated as in overall good health, according to an analysis of government reports. “It is an utter disgrace,” said Charles Watson, founder and chair of the charity River Action. He added that “these should be the most protected river catchments in the country”.

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4. Blair stuck by Saudis after death

Tony Blair continued to advise Saudi Arabia after the murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and still receives money from the Gulf kingdom, reported The Sunday Times. A multimillion-pound partnership between the former PM and the Gulf kingdom began in late 2017. In October 2018, the regime sparked international condemnation after it was linked with the assassination of Khashoggi. Blair told the paper he took the “view then and remains strongly of the view now that staying engaged there is justified” despite the “terrible crime”.

5. Obama had ‘gay fantasy’

Barack Obama’s “gay sex fantasy” has been revealed in a newly-redacted 1982 letter to his ex girlfriend, said the New York Post. Then 21, Obama wrote that he “loves making love to men daily, but in the imagination”, according to the previously-redacted portion of the letter. “In regard to homosexuality”, he continued, “I must say that I believe this is an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life”.

6. Driver wins payout over jabs

An unvaccinated driving instructor has won a payout after it was found that his employer discriminated against his “sincerely held beliefs” about not taking a jab. Aaron Green launched legal action against the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, claiming £6,336 after it refused him overtime because he had not been vaccinated twice against Covid. Judge Jennifer Bartlett ruled that the instructor was discriminated against on grounds of his belief by not being given overtime.

7. Pigs’ heads left at pub

A pig’s head has been pinned to the door of a pub in the north-east in a “targeted attack,” said police. An investigation is underway after a vehicle pulled up at the Coach and Horses in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, at 6.45am on Saturday, and a group of five began vandalising the building. Two pigs’ heads and posters accusing two locals of being police informants were left at the scene. Northumbria Police are taking the incident “incredibly seriously”, said the Northern Echo.

8. Tory donor linked to Russia

A tycoon who donated £2m to the Conservatives has links to Russia, said The Mirror. Nicknamed the Prince of Polyester, Amit Lohia has business interests that include a Russian textiles plant. He “boosted the Conservatives’ coffers” with “the second largest donation of the year”, said the paper. Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski said it’s “shameful that the party of government has been taking donations from a Russian-linked petrochemicals executive”. A spokesman for Lohia said Avgol Russia “represents less than 0.19%” of his company’s operations.

9. Hot temperatures due next week

High pressure caused by tropical air could make parts of the UK hotter than California at the end of next week, with temperatures forecast to possibly rise above 30C. Although heavy and persistent rain is predicted for most of the country on Sunday evening and Monday, temperatures in south-east England could reach 32C on Friday, said the Met Office. This would be significantly higher than the 26C predicted for Los Angeles.

10. Brits think Starmer is funnier

Most Britons would rather go on a night out or spend the weekend with Keir Starmer than Rishi Sunak, according to a poll in the Mail on Sunday. Sunak was the top choice for mortgage advice but Starmer was the more popular companion for sharing a Sunday roast. Some 37% said they believe Starmer would be better at telling a joke, with Sunak’s rating for humour at just 19%.