Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 13 Nov 2018

1. California wildfire: death toll reaches 42

At least 42 people have died in the deadliest wildfire ever in California. At least a further 50,000 people have been displaced and 7,177 buildings have been destroyed, many in the town of Paradise. The fire covered 183 square miles on Monday, while a separate blaze at Woolsey, in the south of the state, has claimed two lives.

2. May says Brexit talks have reached ‘endgame’

Theresa May last night insisted that the Brexit negotiations have reached an “endgame”. Speaking in London, the prime minister said that the “immensely difficult” talks had involved working “through the night”. The UK and Brussels have both agreed that tomorrow is deadline for calling a summit to agree the terms of British exit.

3. Third Heathrow runway ‘not enough by 2050’

Expanding Heathrow with a proposed third runway at Heathrow would still not be sufficient to cope with demand at the airport by 2050, a senior Department for Transport official has warned. Sarah Bishop says that estimates for the number of flights landing and taking off need to be revised, with “demand at a national level growing 10% faster” than expected in 2015.

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4. Call to ban ‘grotesquely sugary’ freakshakes

Campaign group Action on Sugar wants to ban restaurants and fast food shops from serving the new food fad of “freakshake” – sugary milkshakes – because of their “grotesque levels of sugar and calories”. A shake sold by the Toby Carvery chain has 39 teaspoons of sugar, more than six times the recommended maximum daily intake for ten-year-olds.

5. Homebase named worst online retailer

A new survey about online retailers has identified Homebase as the worst in the UK. Respondents to the poll, by consumer group Which?, said the DIY chain’s website was hard to navigate, often not up-to-date on stock levels and did not offer good value for money. Also low-rated were SportsDirect.com and DorothyPerkins.com.

6. Australia: killer driver Gargasoulas convicted

An Australian man who deliberately drove his car along the pavement in Melbourne in January last year was found guilty today of six murders, after a jury deliberated for less than one hour. James Gargasoulas, 28, took the life of a three-month-old baby and injured a further 27 people. He had taken the drug ice in the weeks before the attack.

7. Far-right figure Tommy Robinson misses visa

The far-right founder of the English Defence League (EDL), who goes by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, has not been granted a US visa in time for a planned meeting with Republican politicians. Robinson had planned to attend an event discussing Islam. He is currently on bail after being charged with contempt of court.

8. Marvel comics creator Stan Lee dead at 95

The co-creator of Marvel comics, now the biggest film franchise in the West, has died at the age of 95. Stan Lee passed away at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles yesterday, his daughter said. Lee was the inventor of the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men when he was based in New York in the 1960s and 70s.

9. Irish aviation experts investigate UFO sighting

The Irish Aviation Authority is investigating a sighting of an unidentified flying object. A British Airways pilot called Shannon airport control on 9 November to report seeing an object moving past her plane at speed – and to ask if there were any military exercises in the area. Other pilots of other flights also reported seeing the phenomenon.

10. When are the police allowed to stop and search?

Police chiefs across England and Wales are reportedly discussing plans to broaden officers’ stop and search powers by scrapping the “reasonable grounds” condition - a move critics say would further exacerbate tensions between police and communities.

When are the police allowed to stop and search?