Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 17 Jan 2018

1. Hundreds of drivers stuck overnight in snow

Hundreds of drivers spent last night in their cars after heavy snowfall in southern Scotland blocked roads. The M74 was closed in both directions during the night, with drivers waiting in queues as ploughs worked to clear drifts around jackknifed lorries. Met Office yellow alerts for snow, ice and wind remain in place for most of the UK.

2. Watchdog says new cars must be electric

The climate change watchdog is warning ministers that 60% of new cars sold in the UK must be electric by 2030 if greenhouse gas reduction targets are to be met. The committee praised the Government’s recently published Clean Growth Plan but noted that it does not offer detailed policies on how to meet reduction targets.

3. One in ten nurses leave NHS every year

One in ten nurses leave NHS England every year, new figures show. More than 33,000 quit last year, says the BBC, a rise of 20% since 2012-13 - and there are now more leaving than joining. More than half of those who left the service last year were aged under 40. The number of new nurses has halved since the EU referendum took place.

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4. Demise of Carillion starts to bite across industry

The impact of the collapse this week of construction contractor Carillion is starting to be felt, says The Guardian, with subcontractors owed money by the firm now laying off their own staff. Lord Adonis, former Labour cabinet minister, likened the effect to the “contagion” in financial services during the 2007 global credit crisis.

5. Trump’s cognitive ability ‘normal’, says doctor

The White House doctor says he has “no concerns” about Donald Trump’s “cognitive ability or neurological functions”, following a health examination. Dr Ronny Jackson said the president was healthy and enjoyed the “significant long-term cardiac and overall health benefits that come from a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol”.

6. Bannon refuses to answer Trump-Russia questions

Former White House strategist and far-right website publisher Steve Bannon has refused to testify to the US House Intelligence Committee on alleged links between Donald Trump’s election team and Russia. Bannon’s lawyer said his client was told by the White House not to respect the subpoena and would otherwise have testified.

7. Government appoints minister for loneliness

The Government has appointed a minister for loneliness, in fulfilment of a project started by Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered by a right-wing extremist during the EU referendum campaign. Tracey Crouch MP said she would take on the “generational challenge” to tackle the problem, which is believed to affect around nine million people in the UK, many of them elderly.

8. Captive children: home school not inspected

The homeschool run by David Turpin, the Californian father arrested with his wife and charged with torture and neglect of their 13 children, was never inspected by education officials, it has emerged. The 13 siblings, aged between two and 29, were found imprisoned in the family’s house, some chained to their beds, in dark, foul-smelling conditions.

9. France agrees to lend Bayeux Tapestry to UK

French President Emmanuel Macron will announce tomorrow during a visit to the UK that he has agreed to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain, if tests suggest it is safe to move. It will be the first time in 950 years that the woven historical document has left France. The tapestry depicts the Norman conquest of England and death of Harold at Hastings in 1066.

10. Briefing: how to sneeze safely

Australian flu has hit the headlines this winter, with an ever greater number of Brits coughing and spluttering their way through the beginning of 2018.

While many would say stifling a sneeze at this time of year is best practice for maintaining friendships, the example of a 34-year-old man revealed in the BMJ’s journal Case Reports may give cause for concern.

Do you know how to sneeze safely?