Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 28 Oct 2019

1. EU ‘will grant three-month Brexit extension’

Leaked documents show the EU is preparing to grant the UK another extension on its deadline for leaving the bloc, The Guardian reports. The newspaper says that the new deadline will be 31 January but that there will be an option for Brexit to happen earlier if a deal is voted through by MPs. An announcement is expected today.

Brexit extension: what’s on offer from EU leaders?

2. Commons to vote on Johnson’s election bid

MPs will decide today whether to back Boris Johnson’s call for a 12 December election, with Labour expected to vote against the proposal. The Times says that Johnson’s ministers are hoping a new House speaker will refuse to let backbenchers seize control of the order paper again to pass legislation to prevent a no-deal Brexit - leaving Labour with no choice but to back an election. Current Speaker John Bercow retires from the role this Thursday.

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3. Trump says Isis leader blew himself up

Donald Trump yesterday confirmed reports that former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. The US president said the 48-year-old blew himself up in a tunnel after being cornered by US special forces during a military operation in northwest Syria. Trump gave an unusual amount of detail, saying al-Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying and screaming”.

The consequences of killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

4. Cimabue’s lost masterpiece sells for £20m

A small painting by Italian Renaissance master Cimabue that hung in a kitchen for years has sold at auction for €24m (£20m). Christ Mocked was rediscovered last month in northern France, hanging above a hotplate. The elderly woman who owned the painting had believed it to be a religious icon of little value. The price is a new world record for medieval painting.

5. Gender pay gap ‘worst for women in 50s’

The gender pay gap is at its widest for women in their 50s, with female workers earning an average of 28% less than their male peers in that age group, new analysis of official data suggests. Both genders experience a drop in salary in their 50s but women’s pay falls by 8% on average, compared with 4% for men. Salaries for both peak in their 40s.

6. Third day for toddler stuck in Indian well

Rescuers are trying for a third day to reach a two-year-old boy trapped in a deep well in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Sujith Wilson fell into the abandoned narrow borehole while playing with friends on Friday. He was initially stuck about 30ft down but has since fallen further to about 100ft. Rescuers are pumping oxygen to him but are unable to assess his condition.

7. Britannia Hotels voted worst for seventh consecutive year

The Britannia hotel chain has been voted the worst in the UK for the seventh year in a row. The latest annual customer satisfaction survey by consumer group Which? found repeated claims that rooms were “filthy” with mouldy bathrooms and peeling paintwork. EasyHotel and Ibis Budget also came low in the rankings, with Wetherspoon Hotels rated the best.

8. Katie Hill: US Democrat star quits over affair

US Democratic Congresswoman Katie Hill has announced her resignation after admitting to having an “inappropriate” consensual sexual relationship with a subordinate. The publication of nude photos online prompted the House Ethics Committee to open an investigation into allegations that Hill had engaged in a sexual relationship with her legislative director. She denied the claim but has admitted to a relationship with a different, unnamed staffer.

9. Morrissey sings in ‘F**k The Guardian’ shirt

Singer-songwriter Morrissey performed in Hollywood on Saturday wearing a T-shirt with the words “F**k The Guardian” printed on it. The 60-year-old former Smiths frontman is now a supporter of far-right political party For Britain and has become increasingly critical of the UK newspaper over its acceptance of multiculturalism.

10. Briefing: who is responsible for the Brazil oil spill?

Anger is growing in Brazil over a mysterious oil spill that has forced the closure of some of the country’s most naturally diverse beaches.

In early September, oil began washing up on Brazil’s northeastern shores, covering a stretch of coast around 1,300 miles long, killing a number of animals and destroying swathes of pristine coral. So what happened?

Brazil oil spill: who is responsible?