Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 22 Aug 2018

1. Lawyer accuses Trump of directing hush money

Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty to violating electoral laws, saying he did so at Trump’s direction for the “principal purpose of influencing” the 2016 election in which his boss became US president. Meanwhile, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, has been convicted of financial crimes.

2. Emergency Brexit talks as ministers hide plans

The Times reports that Business Secretary Greg Clark has held emergency talks with officials in Dublin on what might happen to Northern Ireland after a no-deal Brexit, adding that Downing Street wants to keep the plans secret. The emergency proposals include bringing thousands of generators from the Republic north of the border.

3. Puppy and kitten farms to be banned

The government is to make it illegal to buy puppies or kittens from a third party, in an attempt to end the unethical practice of puppy and kitten ‘farming’. Unscrupulous breeders keep the young animals in cramped and filthy conditions before selling them, often taking them away from their mothers far earlier than recommended.

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4. Aung San Suu Kyi to lose freedom of Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s council is to strip de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the freedom of the city, granted to her in 2005 because of her long detention and work to overturn military rule. Edinburgh is the fourth UK city to revoke Suu Kyi’s freedom awards, after Oxford, Glasgow and Newcastle, because of her failure to stop the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

5. Undercover checks find benefits tenants discrimination

An undercover investigation by the housing charity Shelter has found letting agents routinely discriminate against tenants who are claiming housing benefits. One in ten agencies has a blanket ban against letting to such tenants, the charity says. The worst offender is said to be the large agency Haart, with a ban in one third of its branches.

6. Ryanair compensation cheques ‘bounced’

Several Ryanair passengers say compensation cheques they received from the budget airline because of delays were rejected by their banks because they had not been signed. The rejection meant extra charges for the customers. Ryanair, which cancelled 400 flights earlier this year, apologised and blamed an “administrative error”.

7. Children’s TV villain Robbie Rotten actor dies

The actor who played Robbie Rotten in the children’s TV show LazyTown, which ran from 2004 to 2014, has died at the age of 43 of pancreatic cancer. Icelander Stefan Karl Stefansson was first diagnosed in 2016. He underwent surgery and recovered, but announced in March that the cancer had returned and was no longer operable.

8. Singer Pete Doherty wins breakfast-eating competition

Libertines singer Pete Doherty is to have his name inscribed on the wall of a cafe in Margate after he successfully ate its “mega-breakfast”. The 39-year-old managed to eat four rashers of bacon, four eggs, four sausages, a burger, chips, hash browns, onion rings and beans within 20 minutes. The Dalby Cafe estimated it at 4,000 calories.

9. Hut south of Jersey sold for ‘six-figure sum’

A tiny hut built on rocks to the south of the Channel island of Jersey has sold for a six-figure sum, estate agents say. It is one of fewer than 20 built on the Les Minquiers reef, the southernmost part of the UK. France tried to claim ownership of the rocky island in the 1950s. The huts are usually passed down through families and not sold.

10. Briefing: how Eid al-Adha is celebrated

Muslims around the world are preparing to mark one of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar.

Centred on prayer and animal sacrifice, Eid al-Adha symbolises Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as a sign of devotion to Allah.

Eid al-Adha 2019: when is Greater Eid and how is it celebrated?