Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 20 Oct 2017

1. May ‘pleads’ for Brexit deal she can sell

Theresa May last night “pleaded” with EU leaders for a Brexit deal she can sell to voters, during a “crisis” dinner meeting in Brussels, according to The Guardian. The Daily Telegraph says she “appealed” to them for help. Arriving at the dinner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Brexit talks had not yet made enough progress to move on to a future trade deal.

2. Bush and Obama criticise political ‘bullying’

Barack Obama and George W. Bush have broken the usual practice of former US presidents staying quiet about the country’s current leader – albeit without directly naming Donald Trump. Speaking at separate events, Obama urged the US to reject the politics of “division” and “fear”, while Bush criticised “bullying and prejudice” in public life.

3. Oxford University accused of ‘social apartheid’

Newly released data on admissions by Oxford and Cambridge universities shows the upper classes are more dominant there than previously realised. The data has prompted Labour MP David Lammy to accuse Oxford of “social apartheid”, after it emerged ten out of 32 colleges there did not offer places to any black students in 2015.

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4. Storm Brian to bring floods on Saturday

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for strong winds and flooding in south and west England and Wales this weekend, when Storm Brian hits the UK. Coastal areas could be affected by large waves, and transport disruption is “likely” from 4am on Saturday. Ireland is expected to be hardest hit by the storm.

5. M&S to offer mortgages from next year

Marks & Spencer will attempt to take on rivals Tesco and Sainsbury’s by offering mortgages from next year. M&S Bank announced today that it will offer home loans at “competitive rates across a range of terms” to first-time buyers and home movers, in an attempt to monetise its trusted brand. No mention was made of whether it will offer remortgaging.

6. Tarantino ‘knew Weinstein mistreated women’

Director Quentin Tarantino has admitted that he knew of incidents of producer Harvey Weinstein mistreating women before the many allegations faced by the Hollywood producer became public knowledge – and said he should have done more to help. Weinstein denies all claims of assault and rape, but admits treating colleagues badly.

7. Neo-Nazi speech sparks protest in US

An attempt by a self-styled white supremacist to deliver a speech at the University of Florida prompted the state governor to declare a state of emergency, after a large group of protesters disrupted the address. The demonstration stayed mostly peaceful, however. Alt-right leader Richard Spencer is notorious for leading chants of “heil Trump” after the US election last year.

8. Left-spiralling snail Jeremy dies

A snail which became famous because of its one-in-a-million left-spiralling shell has been found dead after finally finding a mate. Nicknamed Jeremy, because of its Corbyn-esque bent, the mollusc could only mate with other left-spiralling snails. When two were found after a national appeal, they at first mated with each other, before Jeremy finally got a look-in.

9. Airline sued for not serving real champagne

A Canadian man is suing Sunwing Airlines for serving him sparkling wine on a promised “Champagne service” on his outgoing flight – and no bubbly at all on the return. The airline says the lawsuit is “frivolous and without merit”, but Daniel Macduff says the promise of Champagne was central to the flight’s marketing.

10. Briefing: Xi Jinping lays out sweeping vision for China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has laid out a “sweeping vision” for China today, in a three-and-a-half-hour speech to the country’s ruling elite that commentators say seemed designed to “shore up his grip on power”.

The president called China’s progress during his reign - which began at the previous congress in 2012 - “truly remarkable”, but added that more effort is needed to move the country towards a goal of “national rejuvenation”, a phrase he used several times during the speech.

He also suggested that China’s success under “socialism with Chinese characteristics” demonstrated “a new choice for other countries”.

Xi Jinping lays out sweeping vision for China