UK: Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 31 Mar 2018
Britain’s most senior police officer has warned that social media is driving children to commit violence and murders "within minutes". Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said that online rows between young people were escalating into murder and other violence. "There’s definitely something about the impact of social media in terms of people being able to go from slightly angry with each other to 'fight' very quickly," she said.
At least 16 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded by Israeli forces in Gaza. The bloodshed came as demonstrators began a six-week protest demanding the right of return for refugees. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has called for an independent investigation into the violence, which the Palestinian ambassador, Riyad Mansour, called a "heinous massacre" of peaceful demonstrators. Israel says the Palestinians were "rioting".
Moscow says UK authorities searched one of their planes at a London airport, describing the incident as a "blatant provocation". Meanwhile, Russia has revealed further measures against UK diplomats, ordering the British ambassador to cut staffing to the size of the Russian mission in the UK. Moscow rejects UK accusations that it is behind the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter in the UK.
The Work and Pensions Secretary says British teens should take up Saturday and after-school jobs to prepare them for the world of work. Esther McVey said: "What you've seen from the 1980s, particularly in this country, is far fewer people doing Saturday jobs and doing jobs after school." She said this must change if Britain is to provide more resilient home-grown workers after Brexit.
Malala Yousafzai has returned to her hometown in Pakistan for the first time since being shot by Taliban militants. The 20-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was shot in the head by a gunman in 2012, due to her high-profile campaign for female education. Reuters says roads leading to her home in the town of Mingora have been blocked off.
Melrose Industries’ £8bn acquisition of GKN could be challenged on national security grounds as it comes under the microscope of Britain’s defence secretary. Gavin Williamson has expressed "serious concerns" about the proposed takeover of the 259-year-old UK engineering company. He is expected to assess whether Melrose needs to give further assurances about its plans for GKN's defence business.
Two men accused of being members of the "Beatles" group in Islamic State have claimed that revoking their UK citizenship denies them a fair trial. Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh criticised the "audacity" of the UK for its "illegal" decision to strip them of their British citizenship in February. Meanwhile, a British soldier has been killed in a bomb blast in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Goldman Sachs has offered to meet a former employee who claimed six of her colleagues tried to rape her at a client dinner. The former junior associate says the men tried to sexually assault her in London in March 1994 for a bet. She says the media coverage of the Harvey Weinstein story triggered an episode of post traumatic stress disorder.
Almost nine out of 10 public sector organisations pay men more than women. The deadline for government departments, councils, NHS trusts, universities, schools and other public bodies with more than 250 employees to report their gender pay gap arrives at midnight on Friday. Figures revealed so far show that women in the public sector are paid on average 14% less than their male colleagues.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is recovering and in a stable condition following heart surgery in Los Angeles. The Terminator star’s first words after the operation were "I'm back". The 70-year-old former California governor had heart surgery to replace a valve that was originally replaced 20 years ago. He is due to reprise his previous role as The Terminator in the coming years.
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