Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 18 Nov 2018

1. Zac Goldsmith joins campaign to unseat Theresa May

The Conservatives’ former London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has joined the campaign to unseat Theresa May. Brexiteer Goldsmith told the Sunday Telegraph he would have voted Remain rather than choose May’s plan and that her departure would “give us the chance of a fresh start”. Labour has opened up a three-point lead over the Tories.

2. Environmental activists block five London bridges

There were 85 arrests as thousands of activists occupied five bridges in central London to raise awareness of the looming climate crisis. In one of the biggest acts of peaceful civil disobedience in the UK in decades, the demonstrators blocked five of London’s main bridges. The Observer reports that some people locked themselves together, while others linked arms and sang songs.

3. HS2 rail company is 'gagging local councils'

The company behind the controversial HS2 rail link is gagging local authorities with non-disclosure agreements that keep residents in the dark, says the Sunday Telegraph. HS2 Ltd is stoking resentment among communities who discover their councils have signed NDAs with the company at the early planning stage. The authorities concerned include Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and North Yorkshire county councils.

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4. Dominic Raab says May is allowing EU to 'blackmail' UK

Dominic Raab claims that Theresa May has allowed Britain to be “blackmailed and bullied” by Brussels. Speaking to The Sunday Times, the former Brexit secretary said Britain must be prepared to walk away from the negotiations. Meanwhile, a team of army planners has started drawing up emergency measures for deploying troops to respond to chaos if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

5. Children killed in US-led airstrike on Syria

More than 40 people have been killed in US-led airstrikes on the last Islamic State stronghold in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Local reports say that homes were hit on Saturday in a village near the town of Hajin, near the Iraq border, and that the dead included 17 children and 12 women.

6. Government to offer accelerated two-year degrees

Students will be offered the option of “accelerated” two-year degree courses, saving 20% on tuition fees compared with a three-year course. Ministers have confirmed they want to encourage more flexible ways of studying. A fast-track degree, with two 45-week years of teaching, would allow students to borrow less on fees and to save on a year's living costs and accommodation.

7. Leaked emails 'show Banks tried to woo Bannon' in 2015

Arron Banks tried to involve Donald Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon in a plot to raise US cash for his Brexit campaign as far back as 2015, claims The Observer. Leaked emails suggest the controversial businessman wanted Bannon’s data company Cambridge Analytica to hatch a plan in late 2015 for raising funds in the US that would support the unofficial Brexit campaign.

8. BBC refuses to include atheists in Thought for the Day

The BBC has refused to broaden its Radio 4 Thought for the Day slot to include contributions from atheists and humanists. The British Humanist Association has led the campaign for the three minute slot to include contributions from those who are not religious. The editor of the Today Programme has previously spoken in favour of broadening its contributors to include non-religious groups.

9. Met says three hospitalised after London shooting

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed three people were hospitalised after a shooting in Edmonton, North London. Two of the victims are believed to have suffered gun injuries during the incident in Gordon Road. Police officers and paramedics from London Ambulance Service were called to the scene at about 6pm. A shopkeeper said: “We heard a bang noise and we saw a guy running toward the fruit shop next door.”

10. Georgia: train carriages fall onto highway after derailment

Up to 30 carriages have fallen on to a highway in Georgia after a train derailed on a bridge. Fire chief Brett Wallis told WMAZ-TV that some of the carriages contain propane gas. The entire population of Byromville - about 500 people - was evacuated following the accident, which happened at around 7am local time. No injuries have been reported but several roads have been closed in the area.