Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 17 Oct 2018

1. Low expectations for May’s Brussels meeting

Today’s summit between Theresa May and EU leaders is no longer a key moment for Brexit because talks are still deadlocked on the Irish border, the BBC says. The Guardian quotes former PM John Major, who last night called leaving the EU a “colossal misjudgement”, while The Times says May could lengthen the Brexit transition.

2. Canada legalises recreational marijuana use

Canada has become the second nation, after Uruguay, to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. Customers queued outside shops in Newfoundland just before midnight last night, the official time that buying the herb became legal. Concerns remain about the readiness of police forces to deal with drug-impaired driving, which is expected to rise.

3. Housebuilder Crest Nicholson: profit warning

One of the biggest housebuilders in the south of England, Crest Nicholson, has issued a profit warning for the year to 31 October, blaming Brexit. The firm says it now expects a pre-tax profit of between £170m and £190m, figures well below market expectations of £205m. It says house buyers have been put off by “political and economic uncertainties”.

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4. First Northern Irish writer wins Man Booker

A Northern Irish writer has won English literature’s most prestigious award for the first time. Belfast-born novelist Anna Burns was given the Man Booker prize last night for her book Milkman, set during the Troubles. At a ceremony in London’s Guildhall yesterday, judging panel chair Kwame Anthony Appiah described the experimental novel as “incredibly original”.

5. Three killed by car going wrong way on M40

Three people died on Monday when a car towing a caravan drove the wrong way down the M40 in Oxfordshire, crashing into two cars, a Ford Mondeo and a Ford Focus. Dashcam footage shows vehicles swerving wildly to avoid a Subaru Forester with foreign licence plates travelling in the fast lane. The driver and passenger of the Subaru, both in their 80s, were killed in the accident, as was the driver of the Ford Mondeo, who was in his 30s.

6. Transgender laws ‘overlook women’s rights’

Senior MPs warned yesterday that the government’s inquiry into transgender rights, due to end on Friday, is “fundamentally flawed” because it has failed to consider the implications of legal reforms on women. Maria Caulfield MP said: “I very much feel that the female side of the argument hasn’t really had a strong enough voice.”

7. Paddington station closed over damaged wires

One of London’s biggest stations, Paddington, faces major disruption today due to damage to the overhead wires that carry power. Commuters have been tweeting angrily about “chaotic scenes” at the station. In 2015, Paddington recorded nearly 36 million entries and exits, making it the capital’s seventh-busiest station.

8. Love Island breast surgery advert banned

A TV advert for cosmetic surgery broadcast during the reality TV show Love Island has been banned. The Advertising Standards Authority agreed that the ad for breast enlargement suggested that the women it featured could only be happy by having surgery. One of the complainants was the Mental Health Foundation.

9. Graffiti reveals truth about eruption of Vesuvius

Never-before seen ancient graffiti suggests the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which buried the Roman city of Pompeii in AD74, took place two months later than previously thought. The charcoal daub by a builder records “I had a great meal” and is dated mid-October, weeks after the town was supposedly smothered in ash.

10. Briefing: what is universal credit?

Universal credit, the government’s flagship welfare reform project, is facing mounting opposition both in Parliament and from the public, leaving its long-term future in doubt.

The concept of universal credit, first announced in 2010 by Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary at the time, initially enjoyed cross-party support. Its rollout has come under fire amid delays and cuts to payments.

What is universal credit?