Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 9 Nov 2017

1. Priti Patel replacement to be announced

Theresa May is expected to announce who will be the new international development secretary later today. Priti Patel resigned yesterday after the Prime Minister recalled her from a trip to Uganda and Ethiopia following revelations that Patel had not been candid about 14 unofficial meetings she held with Israeli ministers, business people and a lobbyist.

2. Gove says UK will back bee pesticide ban

Environment Secretary Michael Gove says the UK will back an EU-wide total ban on pesticides that harm insects including bees, reversing the Government’s previous position, after new evidence showed neonicotinoids have contributed to the loss of 75% of all flying insects in Germany. Gove’s support means the ban is likely to be voted in.

3. Obama reports for jury duty in Chicago

Barack Obama caused a stir yesterday when he arrived for jury duty in Chicago. The recent US president turned up at court with his secret service motorcade, watched an introductory video about jury service – and was dismissed by the judge, Timothy Evans, without having to serve. He will receive $17.20 (£13.10) for his pains.

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4. Spacey removed from film by Scott

Actor Kevin Spacey, accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men, is to be cut out of director Ridley Scott’s new movie. Scott has decided to re-shoot Spacey’s scenes with a replacement, Canadian actor Christopher Plummer. The 87-year-old is said to have been Scott’s first choice to play J. Paul Getty in All The Money In The World.

5. Buffet, Gates and Bezos richer than half US

US tycoons Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett are richer than the entire poorest half of America’s 320 million population, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, which warns the widening gap between rich and poor has created a “moral crisis”. The think tank says Donald Trump’s proposed tax changes will “exacerbate existing wealth disparities”.

6. F-word ‘no longer rude’ for French Canadians

Canada’s broadcasting regulator has decided that French-language radio stations can freely use the F-word. The English swear word is said to have become so commonplace for French speakers as to no longer be taboo. The word had previously been classified as unsuitable for children in both English and French programmes.

7. Dead grasshopper found in Van Gogh painting

A dead grasshopper has been found embedded in Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 painting Olive Trees. Curators at the Nelsons-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, spotted the insect and hoped it might provide a clue about when exactly the painting was created – but an entomologist established that it was long dead when it blew onto the canvas.

8. Thames dolphin found dead on riverbank

A two-metre-long dolphin first spotted in the Thames on 30 October has died. The animal’s body was found on the foreshore at Wandsworth on Tuesday, police say. Early post-mortem findings suggest the dolphin was comparatively old, had failed to find food in the river and had lost several teeth. It was also said to be undernourished.

9. Self-driven bus crashes on first day

A self-driven shuttle bus was yesterday involved in a crash on its first day in service on the streets of Las Vegas. However, the accident was deemed to be the fault of a lorry driver – who he was given a ticket by police. The shuttle is the first self-driving bus to go into service in the US, following extensive tests earlier this year.

10. Briefing: do terrorists exploit the US green card lottery?

US President Donald Trump has urged Congress to scrap the so-called green card lottery after it emerged that the New York truck attack suspect used the system to enter the country.

Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov - charged with killing eight people after mowing down cyclists in Lower Manhattan last week - arrived in the US in 2010 under the Diversity Visa Lottery programme.

Less than 24 hours after the attack, Trump called for the scheme to be replaced with a “merit-based” system. But is there any evidence that terrorists are taking advantage of the visa lottery?

Fact Check: Do terrorists exploit the US green card lottery?