Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 29 Jun 2018

1. EU leaders reach deal on migration at Brussels summit

EU leaders say they have clinched a crucial deal on the migrant crisis during all-night talks in Brussels and will set up joint asylum processing sites and restrict the movement of migrants between European countries. In a joint statement, they said the measures will be voluntary but gave few other details, with no mention of which nations will take migrants.

2. Five people killed in US newspaper shooting

Five people were shot dead yesterday, and others injured, in a targeted attack on a local newspaper office in Maryland. Jarrod Ramos, in his 30s, is believed to have fired a shotgun through a glass door into the newsroom of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis. Ramos, who was arrested at the scene, is believed to have tried to sue the paper for defamation in 2012.

3. Drivers to face fines for passing cyclists too closely

Drivers who pass cyclists without leaving them enough room are to be targeted by police and may face fines. Some police forces have already began to impose £100 fines and three penalty points for drivers caught passing less than 5ft (1.5 metres) from bikes. Transport Minister Jesse Norman will announce the new rules today.

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4. ‘Apocalyptic’ moors fires could last for weeks, firefighters warn

More than 200 soldiers and firefighters are struggling to put out the huge fire on moorland near Manchester that began on Sunday. They say it could take weeks to extinguish the blaze on Saddleworth Moor, which now spans over seven square miles and which one local resident described as “apocalyptic”. However, chief fire officer Tony Hunter said “significant improvements” have been made in fighting the fire.

5. Legalising cannabis ‘would bring in £1bn in tax’

Legalising cannabis would bring in £1bn a year in tax for the UK, according to the Institute for Economic Affairs. The think tank, which estimates the black market in the drug is worth about £2.6bn a year, says that legalisation would also lead to savings for police and other public services. The findings follow a call from former Tory leader William Hague for cannabis to be decriminalised.

6. Boy of 12 sails across the English Channel

A 12-year-old French boy has become the youngest person ever to cross the English Channel in a small children’s sailing dinghy. Tom Goron, from Brittany, made the journey from the Isle of Wight to Cherbourg in 14 hours and 21 minutes, beating the previous record of 14 hours and 56 minutes set by Violette Dorange in 2016, when she was 15.

7. CO2 shortage halts crumpet production

Britain’s biggest crumpet maker, Warburtons, has become the latest casualty of a shortage of industrial CO2 that is also affecting producers of beer, fizzy drinks and meat producers. Warburtons uses the gas to extend the shelf life of the 1.5 million crumpets it supplies to UK consumers each week, but has now had to halt production at two of its four plants.

8. Chances of dying ‘lessen beyond age 105’

A person’s risk of dying gets statistically higher with each passing year - but then decelerates from the age of 80 and plateaus at 105 and over, new analysis by an international team suggests. At age 68, there is a 2% chance of death; at 97, the chance is 30%. By 105, it is 50% but then remains constant, the study of 4,000 Italians found. The researchers say that the findings suggest there may be no fixed limit on human longevity.

9. Couple banned from looking at neighbours

An East Sussex couple have been warned by police that they face prosecution if they are “perceived … to be looking into any neighbour’s property”, following a row over building work. Nigel and Sheila Jacklin, both 55, were unhappy when a workshop opposite their house in Bexhill-on-Sea was converted, but have now been issued with a “community protection warning”, the modern version of an Asbo, after being accused of harassing their neighbours.

10. Briefing: Is there life in UKIP yet?

UKIP bosses are celebrating a reversal in their struggling party’s fortunes after gaining around 500 new members following their decision to join forces with three activists linked to the “alt-right”.

Having taken the reigns in April, new party leader Gerard Batten has “opened its doors to three controversial YouTube personalities”, The Independent reports.

Is there life in UKIP yet?