Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 24 January 2024
The Week's daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
1. Trump wins key primary
The race for the Republican nomination is "all but over", said the BBC, after Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary. It is a highly significant victory for the former president and puts him in pole position to become the party's candidate in November's White House election. Joe Biden said it was "clear" Donald Trump would be the 2024 Republican nominee and warned that "the stakes could not be higher".
Why is Donald Trump so appealing to American voters?
2. Tory calls for Sunak exit
A Tory MP said the party must replace Rishi Sunak as prime minister or be "massacred" in the general election. Writing for The Telegraph, former cabinet secretary Sir Simon Clarke said the Conservatives have "lost key voters" and need a leader who "shares the instincts of the majority". But Priti Patel accused Clarke of "facile and divisive self indulgence" and backbench Tories "used WhatsApp groups to attack the former levelling-up secretary", said The Times.
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.
Who will win the next general election? The odds and polls
3. Army chief warns UK public
The head of the Army is to "warn that the British public will be called up to fight if the UK goes to war", claimed The Telegraph. In a speech later, General Sir Patrick Sanders will say the government will need to "mobilise the nation" if there is a war with Russia. Gen Sir Patrick has been "openly critical of troop cuts" and believes there should be a "shift" in the mindset of regular British people, where they "think more like troops". But the paper understands he does not support conscription.
Pros and cons of national service
4. UN warns Israel
Israel's "clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution" is unacceptable, said the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Speaking at a meeting in New York, he said that the denial of a Palestinian state will embolden extremists everywhere and indefinitely extend the fighting. Meanwhile, the Israeli army says its ground forces have encircled Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's largest city. More than 25,400 Palestinians have been killed, said the Gaza health ministry.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Pros and cons of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians
5. Student killer to be sentenced
Prosecutors have accepted a plea of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility from Valdo Calocane who fatally stabbed students Grace O'Malley Kumar and Barnaby Webber before stabbing to death another man, Ian Coates, and attempting to kill three others. The mother of Barnaby Webber tells The Sun she has "utter rage and pure hatred" for Calocane, who will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court later.
6. New storm arrives
Storm Jocelyn has arrived in the UK with a gust of 76mph recorded in Aberdaron, Wales. Thousands of homes have been affected by power cuts, and parts of York have been flooded. The disruption comes days after Storm Isha caused chaos and left at least two people dead. The main driver for storms is a "powerful jet stream", or fast moving winds high in the atmosphere, which "meanders west to east across the Atlantic", said the BBC.
7. 'Prolonged' Red Sea warning
Experts have warned that the UK should "brace itself for a prolonged period of military action in the Red Sea", said the i news site. Rishi Sunak told MPs that he could not rule out a "prolonged and persistent" campaign to protect civilian shipping in the region and Transport Secretary Mark Harper has warned that "things may get more tricky before they get better" in the Red Sea.
The maritime choke points threatening supply chains across the world
8. Fox lukewarm on Trump
Fox News won't support Donald Trump as aggressively as before, insiders have told the i news site. Bosses at the channel would "reluctantly" get behind Trump in the race for the White House but they are "secretly hoping" he won’t succeed in getting his name on the ballot, according to the sources. Rupert Murdoch "famously infuriated" Trump by phoning him to tell him he had lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, recalled the paper. The 92-year-old retains influence at the channel, despite standing aside.
Fox News: the high price of peddling lies
9. Delays cause 'tax on wax'
An NHS "postcode lottery" means people with ear wax issues are being left with hearing loss and social isolation, according to a charity. The RNID found that ear wax removal services have declined so dramatically that 9.8m people in England now cannot access help on the NHS, forcing some to pay a "tax on wax" for private treatment. It said wax buildup "can cause painful and distressing symptoms – such as hearing loss, tinnitus and earache".
10. Doomsday Clock warning
The Doomsday Clock has remained at 90 seconds to midnight for a second successive year after experts warned that "humanity continues to face an unprecedented level of danger". Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists which decides the setting, said that "resetting the clock at 90 seconds to midnight is not an indication that the world is stable". Founded in 1945, the Bulletin "attempts to educate people on potentially world-ending dangers", said The Guardian.