Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 3 Oct 2018

1. Trump mocks ‘evil’ Kavanaugh accuser Ford

US President Donald Trump yesterday mocked one of the women who accuses Brett Kavanaugh, his supreme court pick, of sexual assault. At a rally of supporters in Mississippi, Trump crudely imitated Dr Christine Blasey Ford and implied she was part of a conspiracy of “really evil people”. Last week he called her a “very credible witness”.

2. Doing the washing up priced at £12,000

The Office for National Statistics has estimated the contribution to the national economy made by people who do unpaid domestic work at home. Washing, cleaning, cooking and looking after children is worth £12,000 a year per adult. Driving and caring for elderly family members add another £7,000 approximately to this value.

3. Melania Trump makes first solo trip overseas

US First Lady Melania Trump is on a four-nation tour of Africa, arriving yesterday in Ghana where she was met by her counterpart, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and visited a baby clinic. New York Times reporter Katie Rogers said Melania seemed happy and “more smiley than she is in Washington”. She will visit Malawi, Kenya and Egypt.

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4. Man stabbed on rush-hour London train

A man was stabbed on a packed Overground train in Hackney Central station during rush hour yesterday. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening and one man has been arrested. There has been a wave of stabbings and shootings in London this year. Services were suspended on the Overground line between 6pm and 8pm.

5. ‘Self-made’ Trump had $413m loan from father

During his campaign to become US president, Donald Trump described himself as a self-made man who turned a “small loan of a million dollars” from his father into a billion-dollar empire. However, an examination of tax documents by the New York Times suggests Trump’s father actually gave him $413m (£318m) in today’s money.

6. Bacon and sausages ‘linked to breast cancer’

Researchers have found a link between regular consumption of processed meat including sausages and bacon and an increased risk of breast cancer. A US-led study aggregated data from 15 earlier studies, and thus looked at more than one million women. Researchers stress it is not known that eating processed meat actually causes breast cancer.

7. Bus driver killed by falling window pane

A coach driver died in London yesterday when a window pane fell 250ft from a new block of luxury flats near Vauxhall. Mick Ferris, 53 and from Kent, had parked at the foot of the Corniche block and was walking back from a cafe when he was killed instantly. The developer which owns the block is investigating “urgently”.

8. Noel Edmonds fails to get Lloyds add banned

TV presenter Noel Edmonds has lost an attempt to get an advertisement for Lloyds Bank banned from television. The Advertising Standards Authority rejected his claim that the ad was misleading because it did not reflect the way the bank handled victims of fraud at its Reading HBOS branch, including Edmonds, whose firm collapsed.

9. Costa radio ad banned for criticising avocados

A radio advertisement for coffee shop chain Costa has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority after listeners complained it discouraged people from eating fresh fruit. The ad warned that avocados are only “ready to eat for about 10 minutes, then they’ll go off” and suggested trying a Costa bacon roll or egg muffin instead.

10. Tory conference 2018: what are the Conservatives’ new policies?

The Conservatives’ annual meeting is underway, with some members concerned the party lacks a positive message about either Brexit or domestic policy.

Tory conference 2018: what are the Conservatives’ new policies?