Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 5 Jun 2018

1. Ministers to approve third Heathrow runway today

A Cabinet sub-committee is expected to approve plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport today, following years of debate and consultation. The signed-off proposal will then be sent to the full Cabinet for approval. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, whose constituency is under the flightpath, has previously vowed to “lie down in front of bulldozers”.

2. Comic Michael McIntyre robbed by moped men

Comedian Michael McIntyre was robbed by two men on a moped outside his children’s school in north London yesterday. The pair smashed McIntyre’s car windows with a hammer before taking his watch and driving off. No arrests have been made. McIntyre, who was not injured, reportedly earned £21m for his last tour.

3. Islamic State women caught in undercover MI5 sting

MI5 officers posed as an Islamic State commander and a fighter’s widow to learn details of an all-female terror plot that was to have been carried out in London, the Times reports. Safaa Boular, who was then 17, was convicted of the plot with her mother and sister yesterday. The trio were reportedly recruited online by an Isis commander.

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4. One-year-old critically ill after stabbing

A manhunt is under way after a woman and a one-year-old boy were stabbed in west London. The child is said to be in critical condition in hospital, while the woman’s injuries are not life-threatening. Police believe the attacker was known to the woman and are seeking a man who lived at the same address in Feltham.

5. Record monthly rise in petrol prices

The price of petrol rose by an average 6p per litre in May, according to the RAC - the largest increase since the motoring group began tracking the price at the pump 18 years ago. The average price of a litre of petrol reached 129.4p last month, while the price of diesel was also up 6p, at 132.3p per litre. The weak pound exacerbated the rising cost of oil.

6. Royal wedding and weather boost retail sales

Retailers had one of their best months for several years in May, with the royal wedding and good weather credited with bringing people back into shops. Total sales in the UK were up 4.1%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and accountants KPMG. But the BRC warned that the outlook for retailers is still tough, with store closures ahead.

7. Melania Trump reappears following mystery absence

US First Lady Melania Trump was seen in public yesterday, at a White House event, for the first time in almost a month. Her long media silence had prompted speculation and rumours – exacerbated by the announcement that she will not attend her husband’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 12 June.

8. Niger Islamic State group ‘just wants to kill’

A soldier from Niger once held hostage by the Islamic State group has told The Guardian the militants have no demands and simply want to kill foreign soldiers. Abdoul Wahid, 28, says he was taken prisoner in a surprise attack similar to the one that left four US servicemen dead last October.

9. Swimmer sets off on record Pacific attempt

A 51-year-old Frenchman set off from the coast of Japan yesterday in a bid to become the first person to swim the Pacific Ocean. Ben Lecomte will swim for eight hours each day for more than six months, in an attempt to reach the west coast of the US. The swimmer, who will be shadowed by a support vessel, will face very low water temperatures, and the threat of sharks, storms and jellyfish.

10. The 2018 World Cup guide

The 2018 Fifa World Cup kicks off on 14 June when host nation Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the opening match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Russia 2018 will be the 21st Fifa World Cup finals and features 32 national teams from five confederations. Matches will be held at 12 stadiums in 11 host cities across Russia.

2018 World Cup guide: all the results and reports