Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 22 Nov 2018

1. May to return to Brussels for extra talks

Theresa May will head back to Brussels on Saturday, ahead of an EU summit on Sunday, in a last-minute bid to finalise a draft agreement on the UK’s future relations with the bloc. The draft terms of the Brexit “divorce” have already been arranged. Meanwhile, Spain is threatening to reject the deal over the issue of Gibraltar.

2. At least 320,000 homeless in UK, says Shelter

The number of homeless people in the UK has increased to at least 320,000, according to charity Shelter. That represents a 4% on last year’s figures - equivalent to 36 people becoming homeless every day. The situation is at worst in London, but there has also been rapid growth in homelessness in the Midlands, Yorkshire, Humber, and northwest England.

3. Britain jailed for spying in UAE ‘pleaded guilty’

The British PhD student jailed for life in Dubai yesterday on spying charges pleaded guilty when confronted with “compelling” evidence, prosecutors have claimed. Jeremy Hunt is to meet Matthew Hedges’s wife today to discuss the case. The foreign secretary says feels personally “betrayed”, as he was told Hedges would be acquitted.

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4. Amazon admits data breach in run-up to Black Friday

Just days before its busiest day of the year, online retailer Amazon has admitted suffering a major data breach. The firm says that a technical error has caused customer names and email addresses to be disclosed on its website, but has not said how many people were affected. In a statement, Amazon said: “We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted.”

5. London: ‘huge’ explosions as 11 buses burn

Residents living near a bus depot in southeast London were woken by “huge explosions” at 4am this morning after 11 of the vehicles stored there caught fire. Firefighters say seven buses were completely destroyed, and another four damaged, in the blaze in Orpington. Around 30 more buses were moved for safety. The fire is now under control but its cause is not yet known.

6. Salisbury poisoning spy chief dead at 62

The head of Russian spy agency GRU, believed to have ordered the novichok poisoning in Salisbury earlier this year, has died at the age of 62. The Russian Defence Ministry said General Igor Korobov died after “a serious and long illness”. Korobov’s predecessor, Igor Sergun, also died on the job, three weeks after visiting Syria.

7. Leaning tower of Pisa ‘slowly straightening’

The famous leaning tower of Pisa is slowly straightening out and has lost 1.5in of its tilt in the 17 years, according to experts. An increasing lean saw the famous tower close to the public in January 1990 for 11 years over safety fears. Italian media reports Professor Nunziante Squeglia as saying that the tourist landmark is “stable and very slowly reducing its lean”.

8. Media and arts courses at college ‘give false hope’

Ofsted is warning today that colleges in the UK are giving “false hope” to students pursuing media studies and arts courses who have little chance of working in those fields afterwards. The watchdog says further education colleges are prioritising the “financial imperative” of recruiting over the interests of students.

9. Satanists settle copyright claim with Warner

A group of Satanists in the US say they have “amicably” settled a copyright claim with Warner Bros, the makers of new TV series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The Satanic Temple objected to a statue of a goat-headed Satan being featured in the show, about a half-witch, half-human teen, which they said copied their own depiction of the goat-headed deity.

10. Briefing: why Saudi women are wearing their clothes inside out

Women across Saudi Arabia are striking back against the strict rules that govern their lives by subverting the kingdom’s dress codes.

For decades, women have been required to wear the abaya, a loose, body-covering robe, when in public - a dress code strictly enforced by police

Why Saudi women are wearing their clothes inside out