Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 26 Oct 2017

1. Workplace mental health ‘costs £99bn a year’

An independent review into mental health at work, commissioned by the government, warns that poor mental health care costs the UK economy an average of £99bn a year. It finds that 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems lose their jobs every year. The authors urge employers to ensure a healthy work-life balance for employees.

2. Boy of 14 arrested over fatal shooting

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder in Lancashire, after a man aged 32 was shot fatally in the chest. Police were called to Barnard Close in Oswaldtwistle last night at 8.25pm. The man was taken to hospital but declared dead. Police are appealing for information but said the crime was an isolated incident.

3. Actor Malthe says Weinstein raped her after Baftas

Norwegian actor Natassia Malthe, who has appeared in around 50 films, has claimed that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein raped her after the 2008 Baftas ceremony in London. Meanwhile, the honours forfeiture committee is examining whether the film mogul should lose the CBE he was awarded for services to film in 2004.

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4. NHS to test ‘Airbnb’ plan for recovery

A new NHS scheme to tackle bed shortages is being tested in Essex, provoking comparisons to accommodation website Airbnb. Patients recovering from surgery may be discharged from hospital to recover in private houses nearby, freeing up beds for others and earning the owners of the rooms they use up to £1,000 a month.

5. North Korea ramps up nuclear test threat

A senior North Korean diplomat has told CNN that a previous threat by the country’s foreign minister to explode a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean as a test should be taken “literally”. The threat, made by Ri Yong Ho last month, came after US President Donald Trump said he would “totally destroy” North Korea if it threatened the US.

6. Voting begins in Kenya as tensions simmer

A re-run of a presidential election is being held today in Kenya because of voting irregularities in the original poll. Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won the first ballot. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has urged his supporters not to vote this time, however, and turnout is expected to be low. There is tight security at polling stations.

7. Trump hails Xi for ‘extraordinary elevation’

US President Donald Trump has tweeted his pleasure at the news that Xi Jinping has consolidated his grip on China’s communist party. Trump last night praised the authoritarian leader’s “extraordinary elevation”, the day before he was due to visit China. He told US media that some might call “powerful” Xi the “King of China”.

8. Worst ever figures for Radio 1’s Grimshaw

The lowest listening figures for the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show since records began have just been recorded. Between July and September, just 4.93 million people per week heard the show, which has been presented by Nick Grimshaw since 2012. Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper insisted the show was still “the most relevant youth brand in the UK today”.

9. Ikea apologises for ‘sexist’ Chinese ad

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has apologised for a TV advertisement it ran in China that was decried as sexist. The commercial showed parents harassing a daughter because she did not have a boyfriend. Pressure of this sort is common for young women in China, with those who are not married condemned as “leftover women”.

10. Mugabe: from dictator to goodwill ambassador - and back again

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe may hold the world record for shortest stint as a goodwill ambassador - an appointment as improbable as Wonder Woman becoming an honorary UN ambassador to empower girls.

The 93-year-old dictator, who has presided over the collapse of Zimbabwe’s healthcare system, was given the role by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week and tasked to tackle non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Mugabe: from brutal dictator to WHO goodwill ambassador - and back again