Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 13 Oct 2017

1. Weinstein claims: Amazon Studios boss suspended

The head of Amazon Studios, the online retailer’s TV and film production arm, has been suspended after actor Rose McGowan claimed he “over and over” ignored her allegation that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein. Roy Price is also accused of inappropriately propositioning producer Isa Hackett in the back of a taxi in 2015.

2. EU to ‘start preparing for post-Brexit trade talks’

A leaked EU draft document seen by the BBC reportedly calls on the 27 non-British member states to begin discussing the post-Brexit trade deal with the UK among themselves, while Brussels officials prepare the details. The EU is still refusing to start those discussions with the UK, saying the “divorce” bill must come first.

3. Trump ‘will not abandon Iran nuclear deal yet’

European officials have expressed relief after being briefed that US President Donald Trump will not yet abandon the deal orchestrated by Barack Obama to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump will make a speech today in which he accuses Iran of not fulfilling its part of the bargain – but will stop short of calling to drop the accord.

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4. White House chief of staff: ‘I’m not being fired today’

White House chief of staff John Kelly has told a press conference: “I don’t think I’m being fired today.” The former Department of Homeland Security head and retired general made a surprise appearance at the press briefing yesterday to deny rumours he was on the point of quitting or being fired by Donald Trump.

5. Missing dementia sufferer ‘victim of crocodile attack’

Police in Australia believe a woman suffering from dementia who went missing from a care home fell victim to a crocodile attack. Anne Cameron, 79, was last seen on Tuesday in the home, near Port Douglas, Queensland. Clothes and a walking stick bearing her name were found close to human remains beside a nearby creek.

6. Student fell to death after posing for photo on East Sussex cliff

A 23-year-old student died when she fell off a cliff while posing for photographs this summer, an inquest heard yesterday. Hyewon Kim, who came to the UK from South Korea to study English, made a trip alone to the Seven Sisters cliffs, in East Sussex, on 22 June. She asked a stranger to take her picture and jumped in the air for the snap, but fell after losing her footing when she landed.

7. Hong Kong ‘could ban former governor Lord Patten’

The last governor of Hong Kong before the end of British rule, Chris Patten, could be among those refused entry by its current Chinese masters, according to the territory’s chief executive, Carrie Lim. She was asked on a radio programme who else might be blocked from visiting after British human rights campaigner Ben Rogers was denied permission to enter.

8. Prince Harry calls for regular HIV testing

Prince Harry yesterday said that if his mother were still alive, she would urge all people, “not just those most at risk”, to embrace regular HIV testing. Collecting an award on her behalf from gay magazine Attitude in London last night, the Prince also said Diana would be “demanding” free HIV testing and treatment for people across the world.

9. Chinese space station to crash to Earth ‘in months’

Experts say an out-of-control 8.5 tonne Chinese space station will crash onto the surface of the Earth, in pieces, within a few months. Tiangong-1 was launched in 2011 to conduct scientific research, but control was lost in 2016. Much of the craft will burn up in the atmosphere, but parts weighing as much as 100kg will crash down.

10. Briefing: could Harvey Weinstein go to prison?

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein – who has been accused of sexual harassment and rape by a number of women from across the globe in the past week – could be charged in New York State over a 2004 assault allegation detailed in an investigation by The New Yorker.

“Legal experts and law enforcement sources said that the claims described by Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actor, rise to the level of a felony charge under New York laws,” says The Guardian. However, “because a criminal conviction could be difficult to achieve, prosecutors may be reluctant to bring a case in the first place,” the paper adds.

Oscars board expels Harvey Weinstein as allegations mount