Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 13 Oct 2016

1. High Court to hear challenge to Brexit

The High Court in London is today hearing a challenge to the government's right to begin the legal process of Brexit by triggering Article 50. Investment manager Gina Miller says the government will undermine the rule of law in the UK if it does not seek parliamentary approval on the process with a Commons vote.

2. Trump accused of sexually harrassing woman on plane

Several women have come forward to claim Donald Trump sexually harassed them following the release of a video in which he makes lewd comments about women. One of the women, Jessica Leeds, 74, alleged the Republican presidential candidate groped her on a flight to New York in the 1980s. Trump denies the claims.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

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3. US enters Yemen war with air strikes

The US has for the first time become an active combatant in the war in Yemen between government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, and Iran-supported Houthi rebels. The Pentagon says it struck and destroyed three radar sites controlled by rebels in retaliation for attacks on one of its warships.

4. German bomb suspect found dead in cell

A Syrian man arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack has killed himself in his cell, authorities say. Jaber al-Bakr, 22, was on a round-the-clock suicide watch after being picked up in Leipzig on Monday, two days after police found explosives in his flat in the city.

5. Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Singer Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. The folk artist is the first songwriter to win the accolade. Announcing the decision Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Dylan was "a great poet in the English speaking tradition" and compared him to Greek poets Homer and Sappho.

Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in literature

6. Rise in number of reported rapes

The number of rapes reported in England and Wales has doubled in the past five years, official figures show, while the percentage of allegations which end in a conviction has fallen. Police and prosecutors believe the figures show people are more willing to come forward in the wake of high-profile cases such as the Jimmy Savile abuse inquiry.

7. Tesco drops Marmite in price row

Tesco has stopped selling some of its most famous brands, including Pot Noodles and PG Tips, on its online site in a dispute over prices with Unilever. The supplier reportedly says it needs to increase wholesale prices because of the post-Brexit vote fall in the value of the pound, but Tesco refuses to pay.

Brexit hits Marmite lovers around the UK

8. New Scottish independence referendum planned

Scotland will publish a draft bill for a second independence referendum next week, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. She told her party conference that Scotland should reconsider the issue of independence before the UK leaves the EU, in order to protect the country's interests. Only 38% of Scottish voters backed Brexit in the referendum.

Scottish independence: Is IndyRef2 'dead' after election losses?

9. King of Thailand dies at the age of 88

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 88, 70 years after he took the throne. The Thai royal family issued a statement saying the king "passed away peacefully" at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok. Although seen as a stabilising influence, he had made few public appearances in recent years due to ill health.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn: Who is Thailand's heir apparent?

10. Briefing: Obama's mission to Mars 2030s

Barack Obama has promised to land humans on Mars within the next 20 years. Laying out his vision for future manned missions to the Red Planet for CNN, Obama said the US government would partner with private companies to send humans on an expedition to Mars and back by the 2030s.

Obama calls for manned mission to Mars by 2030s

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