Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 13 Sep 2018

1. May to hold no-deal Brexit cabinet meeting

Theresa May is to convene her cabinet for a three-hour meeting to discuss plans for a no-deal Brexit. The news comes as the Government publishes guidance about future headaches with mobile phone roaming charges, driving licences and passports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without reaching an agreement.

2. Six people dead in linked California shootings

Six people have been killed in a series of linked shootings in Bakersfield, California. It is thought a man shot his wife and four other people dead, then turned his gun on himself when confronted by police after taking a woman and child hostage. The local sheriff’s department said the killings were not random and took place over a short period of time.

3. Pussy Riot activist ‘may have been poisoned’

An activist with the Russian protest punk band Pussy Riot may have been poisoned, his wife says. Activist Nadezhda Tolokonnikova says husband Pyotr Verzilov is seriously ill in hospital and has lost the ability to see, talk and walk. Verzilov was one of four members of the group who carried out a pitch invasion of the football World Cup final in Moscow this summer.

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4. ‘Challenging times’ as John Lewis profits fall 99%

The head of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield, has spoken of “challenging times in retail”, after the store announced its profits were down 99%. Pre-tax profits for the first six months of 2018 were just £1.2m, down £95m on the same period last year. The firm is also warning that its profits for the full year will be “substantially lower”.

5. ‘Gut instinct’ helped catch child sex abuser

A man who reported a child sex tourist from Hull to the National Crime Agency after spotting him with groups of young girls while on holiday in Kenya says he acted on “gut instinct”. Keith Morris, 72, was observed by David Bushell, from London, interacting with girls as young as ten at a hotel in the East African country. Morris was prosecuted and jailed 18 years and six months after being found guilty of a range of sex abuse charges.

6. Video shows Harvey Weinstein touching accuser

A video has emerged showing disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein repeatedly stroking the arm of a woman who accuses him of later raping her – and seemingly propositioning her. Weinstein’s lawyer said the recording, made by alleged victim Melissa Thompson, showed “awkward flirting from both parties”.

7. Breitbart releases video of Google executives

The right-wing US website Breitbart has released a video of Google’s first all-staff meeting following Donald Trump’s election victory in 2016 - and claims it proves there is anti-Republican bias at the tech giant. In the footage, Google co-founder Sergey Brin says: “As an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive and I know many of you do too.”

8. South Koreans eat pizza to dodge the army

Twelve South Korean students binged on pizza and burgers in order to gain weight in the hope they would be excused military service, according to the authorities. The men, all aspiring singers, aimed to fail the physical and instead perform community service so that they would still have time to sing after work, a military investigation found. Their case has been referred to prosecutors. Young South Koreans are required to spend 22 months in the army.

9. ‘Oldest known drawing’ found on tiny rock

Archaeologists believe they have found the oldest known drawing made by a human – a tiny series of lines scratched in ochre on a small stone 73,000 years ago. The rock has been found in the Blombos Cave on the south coast of South Africa and is thought to be a small fragment of a larger, more complex, abstract design.

10. Briefing: ten fattest countries in Europe

Only two European nations have higher levels of obesity than the UK, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

At 27.8%, the percentage of the UK population who are obese is lower only than that of Turkey, at 32.1%, and Malta, with 28.9%.

Ten fattest countries in Europe