Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 12 Nov 2018

1. Armistice: Macron warns against nationalism

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out against nationalism yesterday as world leaders came together in Paris yesterday to mark 100 years since the armistice that ended the First World War. In remarks widely seen as criticism of US President Donald Trump, Macron said that by saying “our interests first”, nations risk erasing their “moral values”.

2. Cabinet ministers ‘expressed Brexit fears in July’

Senior cabinet ministers expressed serious doubts about Theresa May’s vision for Brexit as early as July, when they were agreed at Chequers, the BBC reports. The broadcaster says it has been told by two ministers that May’s plan would have little chance of getting parliamentary approval and that pursuing it is “self-harming”.

3. Police ‘want to increase stop and search power’

Police chiefs have met with advisers to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to ask him to scrap the requirement for officers to have “reasonable grounds” for suspicion before they can stop and search people, according to The Guardian. The practice has already proved controversial amid fears that minority groups are overtargeted.

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4. Californian wildfires claim 31 lives

At least 31 people have died in the worst wildfire in Californian history, with a further 228 people missing, US authorities say. More than 8,000 firefighters are tackling blazes at three separate sites at both ends of the large state. Governor Jerry Brown has asked Donald Trump to declare a major disaster across California.

5. Rain keeps Trump from Armistice event

President Donald Trump is facing criticism and mockery after staying in his hotel room in Paris yesterday instead of attending a First World War. Trump’s team blamed bad weather for his absence from the memorial at a cemetery in Belleau, where 2,000 US marines are buried. Commentators responded by posting pictures of other world leaders enduring heavy rainfall at the commemoration event.

6. Government ‘influenced by betting report’

The UK government’s decision not to cut the maximum odds that can be wagered on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) until October 2019 was influenced by a “discredited” report paid for by bookmakers, The Guardian claims. The decision to delay limiting bets to £2, rather than the current £100 maximum, was announced in Chancellor Philip Hammond’s latest Budget.

7. Concern over plans to microchip employees

A firm that manufactures microchips which can be implanted in people’s hands has told The Sunday Telegraph that it is in talks with several UK companies about fitting them in employees. Business group the CBI and the Trade Union Congress have expressed alarm at the claims made by Swedish company Biohax.

8. Australia: strawberry sabotage ‘an act of spite’

A woman suspected of putting needles into strawberries was motivated by “some spite or revenge”, a magistrate told a court in Brisbane this morning. My Ut Trinh, 50, was arrested on Sunday. Police said she worked as a supervisor at a strawberry farm near the Queensland city. There have been more than 100 reports of needles being found in fruit in Australia since September.

9. ‘Bleeding’ vegan burger in UK supermarkets

A vegan burger that “bleeds” goes on sale across the UK from today, following months of delays caused by supply problems. The Beyond Burger, from US firm Beyond Meat, is made from processed pea protein and oozes a beetroot-based juice when consumers bite into it. It is being launched in more than 350 branches of Tesco nationwide, after proving popular in the US.

10. How to solve knife crime

Five people have been stabbed to death on London’s streets in six days, amid a worsening knife crime epidemic in the capital. But many believe that tighter laws and harsher punishments are not the solution.

How to solve Britain's knife crime epidemic