Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 30 August 2023

1. Delayed Brits face long wait

Britons left stranded by the air traffic control disruption are being denied compensation, reported the Daily Mail. Passengers have been warned they face waiting 10 days for a flight home, while others have been “forced to sleep on make-shift beds laid out on airport floors”, added the paper. Around 200,000 “irate” British travellers have been told their first available flights home could be at the end of next week, said The Sun. Passengers are stuck in the UK and abroad after National Air Traffic Services began to limit the number of planes landing.

Disruption to flights could last days after air-traffic control failure

2. Priests say UK ‘no longer Christian’

Three quarters of Church of England priests believe Britain can no longer be described as a Christian country, according to a study in The Times. Researchers, who analysed responses from 1,200 serving priests, also found a “strong desire” for significant changes in church doctrine on issues such as sex, sexuality, marriage and the role of women, to bring it into “greater line with public opinion”, said the paper. In results described as “absolutely huge” by campaigners, a majority of priests want the church to drop its opposition to premarital and gay sex.

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What does the rise in non-Christians mean for the Church of England?

3. Cleverly China visit

MPs said the UK must take a tougher stance on China over its human rights abuses and also help Taiwan build its defences to deter a potential invasion. A report, which comes as the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, arrives in China for a first official visit in five years, says Beijing’s behaviour is a threat to world security that cannot be ignored. In “an embarrassment for Cleverly”, the committee “accuses him of leaving a void in the government’s China policy”, said The Guardian.

Cleverly China visit: can UK pull off tricky diplomatic balancing act?

4. Brexit checks delayed again

Post-Brexit border checks on food, animal and plant products imported from the European Union have been delayed for a fifth time, the government has confirmed. The “additional red tape” had been due to be phased in from October, said The Independent, but will now be pushed back until 2024 amid fears that “the cost burden will add to inflation”. Business groups have “largely welcomed” the decision to delay, saying it would help avoid “major disruption” for firms and customers alike.

Brexit: what changed after the UK pulled out of the EU

5. UK could host US nukes

An airbase project could pave way for the UK to host US nuclear weapons for the first time in 15 years. Explaining the $50m (£39m) expenditure on a dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, the US air force said the building was intended to “house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission”. That phrase is jargon “used by the Pentagon to refer to handling of nuclear weapons”, said The Guardian. The Ministry of Defence said it is policy to “neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location”.

MAR 22: The countries with nuclear weapons

6. Palace ‘vetted Meghan scripts’

Buckingham Palace vetted the scripts of Meghan Markle’s television drama in the early days of her relationship with Prince Harry and banned her from saying the word “poppycock”, claimed the show’s creator. Aaron Korsch told the Hollywood Reporter he had to change a line in “Suits” because “the Royal family…did not want to put the word in her mouth”. However, former aides said it was the Duchess’s agent, not the Palace, who demanded the change.

7. Khan asked for Ulez grace

The Transport Secretary has called on Sadiq Khan to give drivers a grace period before issuing ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) fines. On the first day of the expanded scheme, Mark Harper said it was “not reasonable” for the London Mayor to allow people to get fines because a website to check whether cars were compliant was suffering technical problems. Launching the expansion, Khan said that clean air is “a right not a privilege”. A YouGov survey found the majority of Londoners support the expansion of the ULEZ to all 32 boroughs, with 47% in favour and 42% against.

The cost of clean air: who will win the battle over low emissions zones?

8. ‘Beer goggles’ may not exist

Drinking alcohol does not give you so-called “beer goggles”, said researchers, but it does boost your confidence. Men were found to be 71% more likely to want to chat with people they found attractive after just one bottle of beer, said researchers at Stanford University, California, but the alcohol “did not make them less fussy about who they fancied”, noted The Sun. A study in 2016 found that beer goggles “really do exist”, said Forbes.

9. Australia names referendum date

Australia has set the date for its first referendum in 24 years. On 14 October, more than 17m registered voters will vote on whether to change the constitution to recognise formally the land’s original inhabitants. “On that day, every Australian will have a once in a generation chance to bring our country together and to change it for the better,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The date has been “widely anticipated for months”, said the Sydney Morning Herald, but supporters hope the announcement will “focus the minds of undecided Australians on the question being asked”.

10. Barbie leapfrogs Potter

“Barbie” has become Warner Bros’ highest-grossing film, earning more than $1.34bn (£1.06bn) at the global box office. The “critically acclaimed movie” reached “cultural phenomenon status” even before its debut last month, said The Times. Its box office performance has surpassed that of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”. Barbie is “not done yet”, said MovieWeb, as it is “still playing in cinemas, and has its on-demand, MAX, and physical home video releases to come”, which “will no doubt see more records falling”.

Barbie: from problematic toy to feminist icon?