Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 11 Oct 2019

1. Brexit talks resume following upbeat UK-Ireland meeting

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is meeting the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Brussels today as talks resume following an upbeat meeting yesterday between Irish leader Leo Varadkar and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Varadkar and Johnson said they could now “see a pathway to a possible deal”, after more than three hours of talks in the northwest of England.

2. Remain MPs aiming to force referendum vote next week

MPs involved the People’s Vote campaign say they hope to hold a vote in the Commons on Saturday 19 October on whether there should be a second national referendum about leaving the EU. The Guardian says Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is “under intense pressure from senior allies” to back a second referendum.

3. US Republicans plan sanctions on Turkey over Syria

Republican members of the US House of Representatives intend to bring in sanctions against Turkey over the European’s country’s cross-border offensive in northern Syria. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he was pulling out US troops from the region - leaving the coast clear for Turkey to target Kurdish-led forces allied to the US. Trump now says he hopes to “mediate” between the Turks and Kurds.

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4. ‘Stormzy effect’ brings black Britons to Cambridge

A record number of black Britons are studying at the University of Cambridge – more than 200 – thanks to what has been dubbed the “Stormzy effect”, newly released figures show. The rapper set up two scholarships and is paying the fees and expenses of an additional two students – and the university says the publicity has inspired other black Britons to apply there.

5. Teenager stabbed to death at London shopping centre

A 15-year-old boy died yesterday after being stabbed outside Stratford Shopping Centre in east London. Police believe he was attacked on a bus or just after getting off one. A second teenager sustained non-life threatening stab wounds. An 18-year-old was knifed to death in south London five hours later, as the spate of attacks continues.

6. Delays in secondary breast cancer diagnoses ‘unacceptable’

A breast cancer charity has warned of “unacceptable” delays in diagnosing secondary breast cancer, after a new survey suggested that one in four patients had to visit a GP three or more times before their condition was diagnosed. Breast Cancer Now says there should be more awareness that the disease can spread to other parts of the body.

7. Assault suspect ‘analysed pop star’s eye reflection’

A Japanese man accused of assaulting a female pop star told police he was able to work out where she lived by zooming in on the reflection in her eyes in selfies she posted online. The 26-year-old man, named by police as Hibiki Sato, said he found his victim after identifying the train station reflected in her eye and then waiting there for her before following her home.

8. Grand Designs home costs £5m and owners’ marriage

A former couple have told how a so-called dream home featured on Channel 4 show Grand Designs has taken eight years so far to construct and is still not finished. Edward and Hazel Short ran out of money after spending £3m to build Short Chesil Cliff House in Devon, and need another £2m to complete it. The strain has caused them to separate, it emerged in an episode screened this week.

9. Vicar ends ghost tours in ‘most haunted’ village

A vicar appears to have put an end to guided tours focused on stories about ghosts in what is said to be England’s most haunted village. Rev Nick Bromfield objected to the tours passing through his churchyard in Prestbury, Gloucestershire, and claimed that visitors were often taken near recent graves. The tours are to cease from next month.

10. Briefing: what is virtue signalling?

Virtue signalling, a phrase coined just four years ago, has become a popular putdown for anyone who appears to hold a belief but doesn’t act on it.

But has the term always had such negative connotations? Here, The Week takes a look at the rise – and bastardisation – of a sociological phenomenon.

What is virtue signalling?