Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 6 Dec 2018

1. Trump ignores Clintons at Bush funeral

There was a rare gathering of five former US presidents yesterday at the funeral of George HW Bush – and reporters noted tension between incumbent Donald Trump and his predecessors. Trump shook hands with Barack Obama but ignored Bill and Hillary Clinton. George W Bush gave a eulogy for his father – and ended it in tears.

2. Huawei executive arrested in Canada

The chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms firm Huawei has been arrested in Canada and is facing extradition to the US over suspected violations of US sanctions. Meng Wanzhou is the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei. The arrest may increase tension between China and the US, despite a rapprochement at the G20 summit.

3. UK neo-Nazi group calls for Harry murder

The BBC says it has uncovered a British offshoot of an American neo-Nazi group which is calling for the murder of Prince Harry on the basis he is a “race traitor”. The broadcaster alleges a student from Bath, Andrew Dymock, set up the group. He denies the allegations. The BBC says one of the organisers is a 17-year-old from London.

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4. ‘Alarming’ responses to survey on rape

The campaigning coalition End Violence Against Women has surveyed 3,922 people on sexual violence – and says the results are “alarming”, suggesting Britons are confused about what constitutes rape. One third of males – and 21% of females – said that sex without consent is not rape if a woman has flirted on a date with her attacker.

5. Hundreds of newly built homes ‘crumbling’

Hundreds of newly built properties are crumbling because they have been built with the wrong type of mortar, the BBC says, with reports of problems on at least 13 housing estates across the UK. The broadcaster says the extent of the problem is hard to gauge because owners have been made to sign gagging orders to claim compensation.

6. New Zealand police search for missing backpacker

New Zealand police are investigating the disappearance of a British backpacker of 22, Grace Millane, who has not been seen for five days. She has not been in contact with her family since Saturday 1 December, despite Sunday being her birthday. She was last spotted on CCTV footage on Saturday night in the capital, Auckland.

7. Stonehenge tunnel work ‘damages platform’

Archaeologists say a unique Mesolithic site near Stonehenge may have been irreparably damaged by Highways England engineers. The alleged damage occurred when gauges were being put in to keep track of the water table at Blick Mead.

8. BT removing Huawei equipment from 4G

After concerns were raised by the security services last month, BT today said it is removing Huawei equipment from key parts of its 4G phone network. Australia and New Zealand have refused to allow the Chinese firm to provide their 5G technology over fears the company is too closely linked to China’s totalatarian government.

9. Tom Cruise warns against ‘frame interpolation’

Action actor Tom Cruise has released a short film in which he urges owners of high definition televisions to adjust their settings. The clip explains that many of the sets use software to add extra frames to films, creating a strangely smooth look to motion, known as the ‘soap opera effect’. Some viewers say the action looks “too real”.

10. Briefing: when will 5G launch in the UK?

Technology giant Samsung and chipmaker Qualcomm have unveiled a prototype smartphone that will lay the foundations for a new cellular network set to arrive next year.

In a big reveal at its Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm has demonstrated the 5G network compatibility of its new 855 processor using Samsung prototype 5G handsets. The new network is up to 100 times faster than current cellular connections, says CNet.

5G network: what is it and how much faster is it than 4G?