Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 18 August 2023

1. US green lights F-16s for Ukraine

Washington has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands, according to a letter seen by Reuters. “I am writing to express the United States’ full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors,” said US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, in the letter. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack has hit a building in Moscow, causing an explosion that was heard across the city’s business district, said Russian officials.

How fruitful was Zelenskyy’s European tour?

2. Falling births ‘good for planet’

A leading demographics commentator has said the falling number of babies born in Britain is a “good thing”. Speaking after new data showed the number of births had hit a 20-year low, Professor Sarah Harper CBE, director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and a former government adviser, said falling birth rates were “good for… our planet”. Official data from the Office for National Statistics showed there were 605,479 live births in England and Wales last year, the lowest number since 2002 and down 3.1% on 2021.

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What declining birth rates mean for our future

3. Injustice body to investigate itself

The body responsible for investigating miscarriages of justice has opened a review into its own handling of the Andrew Malkinson case. The Criminal Cases Review Commission twice refused to refer the case to the court of appeal. Malkinson, 57, spent 17 years in prison for a 2003 stranger rape in Greater Manchester that he did not commit. He was cleared by the court of appeal last month after fresh DNA testing had linked another man to the crime. He always maintained his innocence.

Andrew Malkinson: why cleared inmates have to pay back prisons from compensation

4. Torrential rain warning

More than half a month’s rain could fall across the south of England today, said the Met Office. “Britons could end up soaked” because 30mm to 40mm of rain is expected to fall in some spots in just six hours, said The Independent, but usually in August, 63mm of rain falls across south-east England during the entire month. Conditions should brighten up on Saturday with sunshine, said the BBC.

5. Salad antibiotics warning

People on antibiotics should cook food thoroughly and avoid salads to reduce antimicrobial resistance, said experts. Bacteria carrying genes resistant to antibiotics were often found on foods such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and leafy greens like pak choi, said researchers at the University of Nottingham. “Those resistances could become established in your gut ecosystem”, said Dov Stekel, lead author of the study, “so, the next time you need antibiotics they may not work effectively”.

6. Green light for ‘high street jabs’

Vaccine manufacturers are preparing to make Covid booster jabs available for the public to buy after health officials gave the go-ahead to private sales. “High street jabs” are unlikely to be available in time for an autumn booster campaign but could become available next year, said The Times. The paper added that the development marks “another key moment in normalising the disease” following a pandemic in which access to the vaccines became a “geopolitical flashpoint”.

7. New rules for bank cash

Banks will be forced to provide customers with free access to cash within three miles of their home if they live in rural areas, and just one mile for those in towns and cities. Ministers said the rules will ensure that millions of people who rely on cash every day won’t have to “trek for hours” for basic banking services. The new rules come amid fears banks are “waging a war on cash” to try and “force customers to switch to card payments”, said The Telegraph.

The pros and cons of ditching cash

8. ‘Flexibility’ needed for Lionesses final

The government has told councils to make sure England fans can have a pint as they watch the World Cup final, which kicks off at 11am on Sunday. Local authorities have been encouraged to fast-track temporary licences to allow pubs to serve alcohol early, and both councils and the police were told to show “maximum flexibility” for fans. However, fans are disappointed that councils have failed to put on free public viewing parties for the final. England’s women face Spain in Australia.

‘Fairytale’ for Wiegman as Lionesses roar into first Women’s World Cup final

9. Praise for ‘one-off’ Parkinson

Tributes have been paid to Michael Parkinson, following his death at the age of 88. Sir Elton John said he was “a TV legend who was one of the greats”, and David Beckham wrote: “We say goodbye to the best.” Dame Judi Dench told the BBC Parkinson was “a one-off”. In an era of “shallow celebrity interviews”, Parkinson was “a master of the form”, said The Guardian, while The Telegraph said that although Parkinson “would have made a terrible guest on his show”, there will “never be a better broadcaster”.

Michael Parkinson: five best interviews by star presenter

10. Trump objects to ‘orange’ photo

Donald Trump has criticised Fox News for using unflattering photos of him, taking particular offence at an image of him looking “orange” and with his “chin pulled back”. Trump’s views on his “once beloved network” have “soured” since it took the lead in calling the crucial state of Arizona for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, said The Telegraph. “They think they are getting away with something, they’re not”, he said.