Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 15 Oct 2018

1. Ministers told to prepare for no-deal Brexit

Senior civil servants have told ministers to start preparing for a no-deal Brexit, after last-ditch talks in Brussels broke up within just one hour, The Times reports. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab travelled to Belgium yesterday for the unscheduled meeting with Michel Barnier. No-deal plans will be put into effect by the end of the month, the newspaper says.

2. Journalist disappearance: Saudis threaten retaliation

Saudi Arabia has said it would retaliate to the imposition of sanctions threatened by the West over the disappearance of a journalist with “a bigger one”. US President Donald Trump and European foreign ministers proposed the move after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi had criticised Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

3. French hunter thought British man was a boar

A 22-year-old French hunter believed to have killed a British mountain biker with a single shot mistook 34-year-old Marc Sutton for a wild boar, a French prosecutor says. Since the year 2000, 350 people have been killed in France by hunters. Between 100 and 150 people are wounded every year and last season 13 were killed.

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4. Trump: climate change scientists are political

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that climate change scientists have a political agenda, without giving evidence for the claim. He again suggested humans may not be responsible for rising temperatures, though the majority of world experts agree they are. He retracted an earlier claim that climate change is a “hoax”, however.

5. Harry and Meghan begin tour in Australia

The Duchess and Duke of Sussex arrived in Sydney this morning to start their first full official tour together since getting married in May. Meghan and Prince Harry will spend a few days in Australia while the fourth Invictus Games are taking place before moving on to Fiji, Tonga and then New Zealand. Harry founded the Games in 2014.

6. Royal Mail staff angry over share price fall

Royal Mail workers have expressed anger that the company issued a profits warning two weeks before they were planning to sell the shares they were given five years ago at privatisation. Royal Mail insisted it had no choice but to issue the warning, which caused the value of its stock to drop dramatically. Some 145,000 staff have shares.

7. McDonald’s apologises for fire fighter refusal

Fast food chain McDonald’s has apologised after a branch in York refused free coffees and teas to firefighters who spent hours putting out a blaze nearby on Saturday. Fire crews do not carry cash or other payment when working, so asked the restaurant to help. After the refusal, two customers bought drinks for the crews instead.

8. Strictly kiss couple through to next round

Two competitors on the TV talent show Strictly Come Dancing who caused upset by being photographed kissing each other yesterday went through to the next round of the game. Comedian Seann Walsh apologised publicly for the kiss but was dumped by his girlfriend of several years. His married dance partner also apologised.

9. Plymouth island fortress for sale for £6m

A historic island fortress near Plymouth is on sale for £6m. Drake’s Island includes a 16th Century barracks, a pier and network of tunnels. It has planning permission for use as a hotel and luxury spa. Named after Sir Francis Drake, the island has been used as a prison and a religious centre – but has been unoccupied since 1989.

10. Briefing: what is flexitarianism?

Scientists are urging consumers to cut down on the amount of meat they eat amid growing fears about the environmental effects of global food production.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, an estimated 14.5% of human-induced global greenhouse gas emissions are produced by livestock.

What is flexitarianism?