News Daily: Meghan sues Mail on Sunday and PM to make ‘final’ Brexit offer
Your morning briefing for 2 October 2019. …
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Meghan sues Mail on Sunday over private letter
The Duke of Sussex makes clear his anger at a section of the British media – comparing “malicious” treatment of his wife to the way his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was “commoditised” – as his wife, Meghan, begins legal action. In a statement, Prince Harry says: “I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.” Referring to claims filed at the High Court that the Mail on Sunday breached data protection laws by publishing one of Meghan’s private letters, he says the paper strategically omitted sections “to mask the lies they had perpetrated for over a year”. The Mail on Sunday stands by the story and says it will defend the case “vigorously”, adding: “We categorically deny that the duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.”
Boris Johnson to set out ‘final’ Brexit offer
“What the whole world wants… is to move on.” That’s how Boris Johnson is expected to sum up the Brexit impasse when he addresses the Conservative Party conference later. But it’s the wording of proposals he will hand to the EU later that will determine whether an end is in sight. The prime minister’s “final” offer is intended to form the legal text of a new Brexit deal he hopes will win the backing of both European leaders and MPs in Westminster. However, the BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler says the mood in Brussels is “not optimistic”, amid fears Mr Johnson’s proposals for managing the Irish border would involve the EU abandoning key principles. Political editor Laura Kuenssberg says the coming days will indicate whether “the two sides reckon it’s worth sitting down to talk properly at all”.
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More rain forecast after flash floods
Dozens of flood warnings and alerts remain in place across the UK, with more rain forecast ahead of Thursday’s expected arrival of the remnants of Lorenzo – the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the far east Atlantic. Some areas in the Midlands, Wales and southern England were hit by a week’s rain in just an hour on Tuesday, as torrential rain swept across the country. Flooding left some people trapped in their homes in the Isle of Man, where a fire crew had to abandon their stricken engine. Forecasters say temperatures will turn colder on Wednesday before the former hurricane approaches Northern Ireland on Thursday.
The last legal sex workers in Tunisia
By Shereen El Feki
“I wake up at seven in the morning. I wash my face, I do my make-up. I go into the hall, I drink my coffee, and I wait to start our job.” Like many women in Tunisia, Amira, a single unmarried mother in her mid-20s, is working hard to make ends meet. But Amira’s job is far from usual: she is one of the few remaining legal sex workers in the Arab region.
Tunisia has a two-tier system of prostitution. One is made up of government-registered “maisons closes”, or brothels, where female sex workers are authorised by the state to ply their trade. The other involves illegal freelance sex work, where people involved risk of up to two years in prison if convicted.
What the papers say
For the Sun it’s an “ultimatum”, for the Guardian a “threat”, while the i sees a “plea” for secrecy in talks. Whichever way it’s reported, Boris Johnson’s “take it or leave it” message to the EU over his Brexit proposal is the focus of most front pages. The prime minister gives an interview to the Sun, in which he says there are – in reality – only 10 days to agree a deal with Brussels before the agenda is set for the next EU summit. Read the full review.
Daily digest
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Bad date Man gored by bison sees date undergo same fate
If you see one thing today
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If you listen to one thing today
Generation Z and the Art of Self-Maintenance
If you read one thing today
How this man came to control Saudi Arabia
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Lookahead
12:30 UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard joins Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the journalist’s murder.
20:35 The women’s 200m final takes place at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, where British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith is bidding to win a second medal of the games.
Women’s 200m Final – 8:35pm
On this day
1968 Birmingham woman Sheila Thorns gives birth to six babies in what is hailed as the first recorded case of live sextuplets in Britain.
From elsewhere
Hong Kong does its best to spoil China’s big anniversary (Economist)
How Big Oil of the past helped launch the solar industry of today (NPR)
What property crunch? Outside London, the housing market is doing just fine (Telegraph)
Rugby World Cup refereeing confusion is hindering drive to grow game (Guardian)
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