Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 24 Oct 2017

1. Weinstein assistant breaks silence

A former assistant of Harvey Weinstein in the UK has broken a non-disclosure agreement she signed in 1998 to claim the Hollywood producer repeatedly sexually harassed her until she left the job. Zelda Perkins told the Financial Times she shared a £250,000 payment with another woman who claimed Weinstein assaulted her.

2. Barnier: Brexit deal will take years

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told newspapers that the UK is likely to end up with a trade deal little better than that between Canada and the EU – and securing even that will take “several years”. He said there could be a transition period until 2020 – but only if the UK agreed to abide by European law.

3. Kim Jong Nam suspects taken to scene

The two women charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, were taken to the scene of the crime this morning. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong say they were tricked into the crime by North Korean agents, who lied to them.

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4. Supreme Court considers abortion law

The Supreme Court in London will today consider Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws, settling a case brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Like women in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Irish women must travel abroad to have terminations, unless there is a direct medical threat to the mother’s life.

5. Man charged over bowling alley siege

A 53-year-old man has been charged with false imprisonment, possessing an imitation firearm and other offences after being arrested at the scene of a four-hour siege in a bowling alley in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. David Clarke will appear before magistrates later today. Two alleged hostages were freed unharmed.

6. Operating theatres ‘waste hours a day’

NHS operating theatres in England waste, on average, two hours each day, according to NHS Improvement. The regulator says late starts, early finishes and poor planning of schedules mean the chance to carry out 280,000 more non-urgent operations each year is missed. Surgeons responded, saying the service needs more funding.

7. Florida residents warned of serial killer

Police in Tampa, Florida, have warned residents that they believe a serial killer is on the loose, after a series of unsolved murders. They say they do not have a motive for the shootings of two black men and one white woman, which they believe were carried out by the same killer. The mayor of Tampa has added new street lights.

8. Vasco de Gama astrolabe found on wreck

An astrolabe brought up from a shipwreck off the coast of Oman is believed to be the oldest known example of the navigational tool. The astrolabe dates from between 1495 and 1500 and came from the wreck of the Esmeralda, part of a fleet led by the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, the first person to sail from Europe direct to India.

9. Supercar worth £1.5m damaged in crash

A one-off ‘supercar’ worth £1.5m was badly damaged when it hit a crash barrier on the A27 in West Sussex on Saturday. The Pagani Zonda, with a top speed of more than 200mph, was left with “significant damage”, police say, thought the driver was not injured. It is thought it was travelling in a convoy of sports cars at the time.

10. Briefing: are we conscious after death?

Death is the great unknown but researchers are trying to understand what happens to the brain in the afterlife.

Dr Sam Parnia, director of critical care and resuscitation research at New York University, is carrying out a study of Europeans and Americans who had cardiac arrests, technically died, but were later revived.

Are we conscious after death?