Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 10 Oct 2018

1. First suicide prevention minister appointed

For the first time, the UK has a minister for suicide prevention. Jackie Doyle-Price will co-ordinate a national effort to end the stigma which stops people with suicidal thoughts from seeking help. Theresa May made the announcement to mark World Mental Health Day. Some 4,500 people take their own lives in England every year.

2. One third of under-25s don’t drink alcohol

A survey of almost 10,000 people aged 16 to 24 suggests that almost one third of young Britons do not drink alcohol, while the proportion who have never tried it at all has almost doubled in the past 10 years to 17%. The researchers say the decline in drinking is one of the most rapid social trends of recent years and reaches across the UK.

3. Nikki Haley quits as US envoy to UN

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has surprised US colleagues and allies by stepping down. A former governor of South Carolina, Haley had been rumoured to be planning to run for president in 2020 but said she would not at a press conference with Donald Trump yesterday. Trump said she had brought “glamour” to the job.

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4. Thames crossing ‘biggest project since M25’

A mooted new tunnel under the river Thames, downriver of the Dartford Crossing and linking Essex to Kent, would be the biggest road-building project in the UK since the M25 was constructed around London. Highways England, now consulting on the idea, says it would halve the average northbound time on the Dartford Crossing.

5. Tommy Robinson pictured with ‘soldiers’

The former far-right leader known as Tommy Robinson has posted a picture of himself on Facebook surrounded by young men who seem to be soldiers or cadets. The army said it was investigating, far-right ideology is “completely at odds with the values and ethos of the armed forces” and those with such views are not “permitted to serve”.

6. Hurricane Michael heads towards Florida

The governor of Florida, Rick Scott, has ordered more than 370,000 people to evacuate their homes as a “monstrous” hurricane approaches. Hurricane Michael is expected to make landfall today and is currently a category three storm, with winds of 125mph. At least 13 people have died in Central America from the effects of the hurricane.

7. People know 5,000 faces, study finds

Psychologists at the University of York have concluded that the average person knows about 5,000 different faces – though some can recognise as few as 1,000 and others as many as 10,000. Known faces include celebrities and family members. The team say theirs was the first experiment to try to establish how many faces we recognise.

8. BBC on Bowie: ‘A singer devoid of talent’

A new documentary on David Bowie’s early career has unearthed a BBC ‘talent panel’ report on one of his first bands, The Lower Third. One judge opined in November 1965: “Routine beat group – strange choice of material. Amateur sounding vocalist who sings wrong notes and out of tune. Group has nothing to recommend it.”

9. Vodafone ad with Martin Freeman banned

For the second time this year, the Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advert for Vodafone featuring the actor Martin Freeman. The watchdog says an ad in which Freeman seems to be breaking up with his partner but is trying to leave his mobile contract is misleading as it implies customers can leave contracts at any time.

10. Briefing: why average wage may not double for a century

The average wage of workers in Britain will take almost a century to double as the country counts the cost of economic stagnation, experts are warning.

According to a new report from the Resolution Foundation think tank, if recent levels of pay growth continue, it will be 2099 by the time real earnings double - much later than was forecast prior to the 2008 financial crisis.

Why average wage may not double for a century