WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Georgia shooting investigation, an accident at sea, and Thailand's war on an 'alien' fish

 
today's international story

Police charge father of Georgia shooting suspect

What happened 
The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people at his high school in the US state of Georgia this week has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Who said what
Colin Gray, 54, is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, officials confirmed yesterday. Gray told investigators he had purchased the gun used in the shooting at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder as a holiday present for his son, Colt, last December, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to CNN.

This isn't their first brush with the law. In May last year the boy and his father were both interviewed by local sheriff's deputies sent by the FBI after authorities were "alerted to threats to commit a school shooting posted online", said the BBC. The boy, who was 13 at the time, reportedly told his father his account had been hacked. "I'm going to be mad as hell if he did" make threats, said Colin Gray, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by The New York Times.

What next? 
Barrow County schools will be closed for the rest of this week less than a month after the district's 15,000 students came back from their summer holidays. Some Apalachee High School students told CNN they were worried about returning. "I really don't want to go back", 14-year-old student Macey Right told the broadcaster. "I feel like I shouldn't have to go back to school worrying about dying."

 
 
today's defence story

Royal Navy investigates fatal helicopter crash

What happened
The Royal Navy is examining whether a "double engine failure" caused a fatal Merlin helicopter crash off the Dorset coast on Wednesday night, said The Times. Three crew members were on board the aircraft when it ditched into the sea. Two were reportedly taken to hospital while the third died, with their body recovered from the scene.

Who said what
One line of inquiry is looking into whether a "double engine" failure occurred during a night-flying exercise, leading to "total loss of power", an unnamed former senior navy source told The Times.

Keir Starmer said he was "deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of a member of the Royal Navy".

What next?
Defence Secretary John Healey said the investigation into the accident had already started. The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was involved in the night-flying exercise, remains at sea, according to reports. The helicopter crew member who was killed has not been named.

 
 
Today's retail story

John Lewis brings back price-matching promise

What happened
John Lewis is reinstating its "never knowingly undersold" price promise, which it abandoned two and a half years ago after nearly a century. 

The British retailer is bringing back the commitment as part of a Christmas "marketing blitz", said The Guardian. Under the revamped scheme customers who find a cheaper price on branded goods at one of 25 competitors – including Marks & Spencer, Boots, Currys, House of Fraser and, on technology only, Amazon – within seven days can receive a refund for the difference.

Who said what
Peter Ruis, head of the department store group, said: "We are reimagining never knowingly undersold for how customers shop today – offering great quality, service and prices in store and online – and restarting the conversation as to what it means to live knowingly in the 21st century."

What next?
The new scheme has been tested on 7,000 customers in recent weeks, with 63% saying they were more likely to buy from the department store as a result.

 
 

It's not all bad

Good news for tea lovers on a budget: cheaper tea bags can be better than pricier options. A recent blind taste test by Which? revealed that Asda's Everyday Tea Bags, costing just £1.20 for 80 bags, are the nation's tastiest, returning the highest overall score of 72%. The budget-friendly tea beat out pricier rivals like Twinings and PG Tips. Twinings, at £4.80 for 80 bags, came last in the study alongside Tesco Original Tea, with both scoring 67%.

 
 
under the radar

Thailand's war on an 'alien' fish

Over the years Thailand has fought battles against Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia. But it's now at war with a different foe: an "alien" fish with a black chin and a prolific reproduction rate. Politicians believe the latest explosion of blackchin tilapia will cost the Thai economy at least 10 billion baht (£223 million).

The blackchin tilapia, native to Africa, has spread to waters in at least 13 Thai provinces, threatening local aquaculture and biodiversity as it preys on smaller fish and shellfish. But how did this West African fish "end up causing havoc half a world away", asked the BBC.

Politicians investigating the fish's presence have explored a theory that an experiment by a food giant 14 years ago is to blame. Charoen Pokphand Food (CPF), which runs shrimp and livestock farms, imported 2,000 of the fish from Ghana in late 2010. The company has strongly rejected the allegations, branding them "misinformation".

A government minister said it was possible that the invasive fish species could have been smuggled into Thailand. "In the end though, how they came to be in Thai waterways is the past," said the BBC. Now "the problem is the future", and "getting the outbreak under control".

To that end Thailand's former prime minister Srettha Thavisin approved a plan to turn the fish into fertiliser, with the government offering cash payments for every kilo of blackchin tilapia caught in Thai waters. Authorities have also released the blackchin tilapia's predators – Asian seabass and long-whiskered catfish – to "hunt them down".

But "who will win?" wondered Bangkok MP Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat during an interview with the BBC, calling on the Thai government to do more.

 
 
on this day

6 September 2017

Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, made landfall on the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, Sint Maarten and the British Virgin Islands, leaving 95% of Barbuda's buildings damaged. Despite predictions of a highly active Atlantic hurricane season this year, the first half has been unusually quiet.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Plans to tackle overcrowding in Britain's jails could see prisoners sent to Estonia to serve their sentences, says The Telegraph.  Checks on fruit and vegetables being imported from the EU are to be delayed again over fears they will inflate food prices, says the i paper. Meanwhile, The Mirror says that a monument honouring Queen Elizabeth II is to be announced within days to coincide with the second anniversary of her death.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Dating turned upside down

Chaos has reportedly broken out in Mercadona supermarkets as young Spaniards seek love in the aisles between 7pm and 8pm. A quirky dating tactic involves pushing a trolley with an upside-down pineapple into the wine section, hoping to catch the eye of a potential match. This isn't the humble pineapple's first use as a coded signal; it's more traditionally been employed as a discreet symbol for swingers looking to swap partners.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Sorcha Bradley and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Jessica McGowan / Getty Images; Finnbarr Webster / Getty Images; Newscast / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.