Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 30 May 2019

1. Seven South Koreans killed in Hungary boat capsize

At least seven people have died and 19 are missing after a boat capsized on the Danube river in Hungarian capital Budapest. A total of 30 South Korean tourists, three tour guides and two Hungarian crew were on board the moored Hableany when it was struck by another vessel at about 10pm local time on Wednesday.

2. Mueller’s surprise speech: I did not exonerate Trump

US investigator Robert Mueller has made a surprise intervention in the Trump-Russia scandal, telling the press that his report on alleged links between the US president’s election campaign and Russia does not exonerate Trump of collusion. Mueller said his investigation had not sought to determine whether the president had committed a crime.

3. Mother of murdered teenager asks for body law

The mother of a 15-year-old girl murdered by her uncle 18 years ago wants a law to be introduced which would prevent the killer being released until he says where he hid the body. Danielle Jones was killed by her uncle by marriage Stuart Campbell on 18 June 2001. Campbell is to be released in two years, despite never revealing the location.

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4. Chicken nuggets and ice cream ‘linked to early death’

Ultra-processed foods including chicken nuggets, breakfast cereal and ice cream are linked to early death, according to researchers in Spain and France. It is not clear why, but earlier studies have linked processed foods to overeating. Professor Maria Bes-Rastrollo said that “if a product contains more than five ingredients, it is probably ultra-processed”.

5. Actor Aston Kutcher ‘freaked out’ over date’s murder

Actor Aston Kutcher told a Los Angeles court yesterday that he “freaked out” after learning that a young woman had been found dead at her home the day after they were due to go on a date, because he knew his fingerprints would be on her front door after going there but getting no answer. Michael Gargiulo is on trial for the murders of Ashley Ellerin, stabbed to death in 2001, and two other women.

6. Corbyn ally blames Brexit U-turn on ‘intellectuals’

An influential ally of Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that “left-wing intellectuals” who sneer “ordinary people” had put pressure on the Labour leader to back a so-called People’s Vote ahead of his abrupt U-turn on the issue. Labour Party chair Ian Lavery spoke out after Corbyn yesterday issued a statement saying that a “general election or … public vote” is the “only way out of the Brexit crisis”.

7. Rees-Mogg’s book on Victorians sells just 734 copies

Conservative MP William Rees-Mogg’s poorly reviewed book on eminent Victorians sold just 734 copies in the first weekend of publication, leaving it at 379th place in Nielsen’s UK book charts. Around a third of the sold copies of the book, titled The Victorians: Twelve Titans Who Forged Britain, were purchased in London. Only 22 were bought in the southwest of England, where Rees-Mogg has his constituency.

8. More electric car charging points ‘needed for safety’

A charity has warned that the UK urgently needs more charging points for electric vehicles in order to prevent owners taking risks when repowering the vehicles. Campaign group Electrical Safety First says three-quarters of owners who charge at home admit to “daisy-chaining” multisocket extension leads to charge their car from their mains supply.

9. Cannabis oil restaurant shut down despite ‘legality’

The director of a vegetarian restaurant shut down for infusing its dishes with cannabis oil says he has evidence that police and trading standards officials assured him less than a year ago that the product was legal. Sam Evolution’s Canna Kitchen restaurant in Brighton has been closed since being raided by police on 11 May.

10. Briefing: will Scotland leave the UK?

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is gearing up for a battle with Westminster after publishing legislation that lays the groundwork for a second independence referendum.

This would leave the way open for a fresh independence referendum – known as IndyRef2 – as early as next year, with Sturgeon this week saying that the “latter half” of 2020 would be the “right time for a new poll”.

Scottish independence: new poll reveals majority now in favour of quitting UK