Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 15 May 2018

1. More protests expected in Gaza following deadly clashes

Fresh protests are expected in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories today, after Israeli troops killed at least 55 people in Gaza yesterday. Today is the 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call the Catastrophe, when thousands fled their homes following the creation of Israel in 1948. Palestinian officials say a total of around 2,700 demonstrators were injured in yesterday’s clashes.

2. Capita staff used excessive force on asylum seekers

Staff working for private contractor Capita used physical restraint that was “not necessary, proportionate or reasonable” on a flight taking low-risk asylum seekers out of the UK, according to a damning report by the prisons inspectorate. The watchdog says the escort staff violated the dignity of detainees, making the only woman use the toilet with the door open.

3. Police face recognition ‘staggeringly inaccurate’

Trials of automatic facial recognition technology by two police forces showed that it was “dangerous and inaccurate” and wrongly identified a “staggering” number of innocent people as suspects, an investigation by pressure group Big Brother Watch has found. The new technology is still being tested by London’s Met Police, as well as by the South Wales force.

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4. Meghan Markle’s father ‘will not attend wedding’

The father of Meghan Markle, Thomas Markle, will not attend her wedding, according to US gossip site TMZ. The site also claims that the retired TV lighting director helped to stage paparazzi pictures. His other daughter, Samantha, said the idea to stage the photos was hers and was intended to generate good publicity, rather than profit.

5. Norway-style Brexit off the table, says Corbyn

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told his MPs that a Norway-style relationship between the UK and EU after Brexit cannot be considered, as it would leave Britain a “rule taker” without influence in the bloc. He was speaking after Labour peers rebelled against the party to back keeping the country within the European Economic Area (EEA), as is Norway.

6. Pilot sucked half out of cockpit during flight

The co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight was nearly killed when a windshield abruptly cracked and blew out in mid-air, Chinese authorities say. The pilot, who was wearing a seatbelt, was pulled back in while Captain Liu Chuanjian made an emergency landing in Chengdu, bringing down the Airbus A319 manually.

7. Lethal virus in pigs ‘could jump to humans’

US researchers are warning that a lethal virus in pigs could jump to humans. Porcine deltacoronavirus was first detected in animals in China in 2012 and no human cases have been recorded, but lab tests show it readily jumps between the cells of different species. The virus causes acute diarrhoea and vomiting and is similar to the Sars and Mers viruses, according to the team at Ohio State University.

8. Superman actor Margot Kidder dead at 69

Actor Margot Kidder, best known for her portrayal of Lois Lane in the 1970s and 1980s Superman films, has died at the age of 69. No cause of death has been given yet following her passing, at her home in Livingston, Montana, on Sunday. Kidder was a political and human rights activist and also spoke publicly about her mental health problems, breaking taboos.

9. No more romcoms for ‘older, uglier’ Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant has said he is being offered “more varied” parts now that he is “older and uglier”, but that he will no longer star in romcoms. The 57-year-old actor has taken his first TV role in years, playing 1960s Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe in BBC drama A Very English Scandal. Grant told the Radio Times that snobbery about television was “eroding fast”.

10. Briefing: why the US embassy move to Jerusalem is so controversial

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner were in Israel for the official opening ceremony of the US embassy in Jerusalem yesterday.

The embassy’s move from Tel Aviv is being celebrated by Israel but has triggered overwhelming global opposition - and deadly violence.

Why the US embassy move to Jerusalem is so controversial