WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Trump charges dropped, unrest in Pakistan, and why multivitamins may save coral reefs

 
today's us election story

Prosecutor drops federal cases against Trump

What happened
Special Counsel Jack Smith yesterday officially requested that a federal judge dismiss his office's long-standing indictment against Donald Trump for allegedly working to subvert the 2020 presidential election. This marks an end to Smith's years-long effort to hold the former and future president legally accountable for his actions almost four years ago.

Who said what
"The (Justice) Department's position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated," Smith wrote of the election subversion case in new documents filed yesterday. "This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant."

The request for dismissal is a "major victory for the rule of law", said incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung to Fox News. The charges had been on hold while the courts "awaited word from Smith about how he wanted to proceed in the cases due to Trump's election", said MSNBC.

The move is a "significant victory for Trump", said The Times. The federal case in Washington was "initially seen as one of the most serious threats facing Trump as he plotted a return to office".

What next?
Trump is "still working to stave off prosecution in Georgia" for his alleged election subversion actions there, said CNN. Crucially, Smith's filing yesterday "held out the possibility that the charges could be refiled" against Trump following his incoming term in office.

 
 
today's international story

Khan supporters converge on Islamabad

What happened
One police officer is dead and dozens of people have been injured as clashes between Pakistani authorities and protesters demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan intensified yesterday. Pakistan's capital Islamabad has been placed under lockdown for a second straight day as thousands take to the streets to demand Khan's release and fresh elections.

Who said what
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said it would be "very easy" for the government to open fire on the demonstrators, but that it would exercise restraint – for now.

Khan has been in prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, but "remains hugely popular despite his legal troubles", said the BBC.

Since the weekend "Islamabad has resembled a city under siege", said The New York Times. Khan accuses the government and military of jointly attempting to crush his party and undermine democracy. The government, meanwhile, says Khan is sowing chaos through protests.

What next?
Khan's wife Bushra Bibi told supporters yesterday that the marches would continue until her husband was freed. The ongoing clashes may signal that Pakistan is "nearing a breaking point," added The New York Times. Schools in Islamabad "remain closed' today, according to Reuters.

 
 
Today's tourism story

Wales to introduce European-style tourist tax

What happened
Visitors to Wales could be charged a levy of between 75p and £1.25 a night in a scheme modelled on those used in European tourist hotspots.

Each one of Wales's 22 councils will decide whether to introduce the tourist tax, but a public consultation found "broad support" for the move in principle, said WalesOnline. The revenue would help fund improvements to transport and promote the Welsh language.

Who said what
Dr Jeff Smith, chairman of the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Communities Group, "welcomed" the tourist tax, saying: "Tourism in its current form is an extractive, uncertain and seasonal industry that can erode the sustainability of our communities and our language."

But Peter Fox, a Conservative member of the Senedd, said the tax would "impose huge amounts of red tape on small businesses and add significant costs to family holidays".

What next?
The bill has been introduced to the Senedd, paving the way for the tax to be brought in by 2027.

 
 

It's not all bad

Could multivitamins help save the world's coral reefs? That is the suggestion of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who are investigating whether deploying nutrient-infused tiles could enhance coral resilience to climate stressors such as warming oceans and hurricanes. The tiles, embedded in a 20 square metre artificial reef, release essential micro-nutrients to boost coral immune systems. Preliminary lab results show corals exposed to these nutrients resist heat stress better. Scientists say further field testing is necessary to check that adding nutrients to the environment doesn't promote just one coral species or encourage the growth of unwanted or invasive species.

 
 
under the radar

Why the UK is running out of burial plots

The country's graveyards and cemeteries are close to capacity, and Britain is running out of places to bury its dead.

The "death care sector" is "creaking" as it struggles to keep up with the steadily increasing death rate "of an ageing population", said The Daily Telegraph, and officials are being forced to consider ever more "unpalatable" solutions.

In 2021 The Times predicted that cemeteries in a quarter of local councils would be full in "10 years or less", while "almost one in six" councils would have full cemeteries within five years. Last week The Daily Telegraph confirmed that burial space was already "running out" across England and Wales, with "anecdotal evidence" suggesting that pandemic pressures had only "exacerbated the issue".

And cremation is not the obvious solution it might seem: although 78% of British funerals are cremations, said BBC Science Focus, many relatives "like the idea of having somewhere to visit to pay their respects, remember and mourn the dead", so "ashes are often buried or interred".

Meanwhile, other problems in the death care sector are also creating capacity issues above ground. Difficulty securing time slots at crematoria and delays in an "under-resourced" coroner service mean families are waiting longer for their loved one's body to be buried or cremated, added The Daily Telegraph. This means bodies have to be stored somewhere above ground for longer periods.

And a reluctance to talk about death risks letting things get worse, according to The Daily Telegraph. Our "instinctive squeamishness" about "discussing the business of dealing with the dead" won't help solve the problems the sector is facing.

 
 
on this day

26 November 1922

English archaeologist Howard Carter opened the antechamber of boy king Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, finding "wonderful things" inside. The mystery of the young pharaoh's death has since captivated historians. Researchers at the University of York recently suggested earholes in his famous funerary mask suggest it may have originally been intended for a woman.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Daily Mail leads on Rachel Reeves' pledge that she is "not going to have to come back for more". The Telegraph says a "string of executives" have warned that Britain is "becoming a less attractive place to invest under Labour". "Mud, sweat and tears" says The Mirror after Storm Bert left a "trail of heartbreak and destruction" in its wake. The Daily Express says that Britain will say thank you to the "Greatest Generation" with a "four-day jamboree" of bank holidays to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Cheeky little earner

British pop star Kate Nash says she is "creating jobs with my bum" after launching an OnlyFans page to subsidise the soaring costs of touring, calling it "Butts for Tour Buses". She told BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme: "I couldn't bring a crew member that's on tour with me in the UK to Europe, but now I can because of my OnlyFans website." In an increasingly tough landscape, she believes musicians are "going to have to find solutions to fund their art".

 
 

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

Image credits, from top: Saul Loeb and Eva Marie Uzcategui / AFP / Getty Images; Aamir Qureshi / AFP / Getty Images; Loop Images / Universal Images Group / Getty Images.