Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 12 Oct 2017

1. Oscars academy to discuss Weinstein

The US body that hands out the Oscars will meet on Saturday to discuss the allegations of sexual harassment and rape made against Harvey Weinstein – and to consider “any actions warranted by the Academy”. Dozens of films produced by Weinstein have won Academy Awards. In the UK, his membership of Bafta has been suspended.

2. British IS member Sally Jones ‘killed’

A woman from London who went from being a punk rock singer to becoming an online recruiting officer for Islamic State was killed in a drone strike in June, according to The Sun and other media. Sally Jones, who was 50, was one of two IS women known as the ‘White Widow’. Her 12-year-old son may also have been killed.

3. Davis and Barnier to give Brexit summary

Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, will give their summaries of the state of exit talks later today, as the fifth round ends. The talks were the final such discussions before a crucial EU summit on 19 and 20 October, but according to the BBC, there is nothing to suggest “gathering momentum”.

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4. Riot teams sent to Long Lartin prison

Around ten ‘Tornado’ teams of riot officers were sent to Long Lartin prison, in Worcestershire, last night after staff were attacked with pool balls, with as many as 80 inmates of the high-security jail becoming violent. The Prison Service said the incident was “successfully resolved” without any injury to staff or to inmates.

5. Trump threatens to block NBC

Donald Trump is threatening to revoke NBC News’s licence to broadcast, after the network reported that the president wanted to see a “tenfold” increase in US nuclear weapons. Speaking at the White House yesterday, Trump said: “It is frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write, and people should look into it.”

6. IMF says taxing rich does not hit growth

The International Monetary Fund has published analysis suggesting that Western countries would not damage growth if they increased taxes for the top 1% of earners. Labour, which has proposed a new 45% tax band for those earning more than £80,000, said the statement shows that fairer taxes are needed in the UK.

7. ‘Golden hello’ of £20,000 for rural GPs

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will today announce a £4m scheme to pay newly qualified GPs a “golden hello” of £20,000 if they start their careers in areas of England that struggle to attract doctors. Many rural and coastal regions suffer from a lack of GPs. Hunt will also announce plans for flexible working for older doctors.

8. Gucci to stop using fur from 2018

Fashion brand Gucci has said it will stop using real fur in its clothes from next year, in order to promote “sustainability” and be “socially responsible”. The fashion house currently uses mink, coyote, raccoon dog, fox, rabbit and other species. Its remaining fur items will be sold at auction and the proceeds given to animal rights groups.

9. Village pub named world’s best restaurant

Review site TripAdvisor has awarded the title of world’s best restaurant to a family-run pub in North Yorkshire - albeit one with a Michelin star. The Black Swan, in Oldstead, replaces Spain’s Martin Berasategui restaurant at the top of the list, which is based on customer reviews.

10. Briefing: could a single deep-sea wind farm power the world?

A major new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has claimed that all of Earth’s energy needs could be met by a single massive deep-sea wind farm stretching across the Atlantic.

Co-authors Anna Possner and Ken Caldeira, from the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, in California, have calculated that a wind farm covering about three million square km (1.2 million square miles) of ocean - roughly the size of India - could theoretically be used to generate “civilisation scale power”, or 18 terawatts, humanity’s entire current energy needs.

Could the whole world one day be powered by a single deep-sea wind farm?