Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 12 Dec 2018

1. Police hunt gunman after three killed in Strasbourg

French police are hunting a gunman who opened fire on a Christmas market in Strasbourg yesterday, killing three people and leaving at least 12 wounded. The suspect is known to security services and is thought to be injured after exchanging fire with police. France has upgraded its terror threat level – but the gunman’s motive is unknown.

2. Theresa May faces no-confidence vote from Tory MPs

Tory MPs will vote on Theresa May’s continued leadership today, after the required minimum of 48 wrote letters saying they no longer had confidence in her. If the Prime Minister loses the vote, there will be a leadership contest which she can enter - if she wants. If she wins today’s vote, she will be secure in her job for at least another year.

3. Anger over ‘sexism’ of male-only farming awards

Women farmers in Devon have expressed anger at the continuation of a 100-year-old male-only annual dinner, saying it is time for the Dartmouth Fatstock produce show to let in female winners. Men and women are presented with prizes for the best livestock in the afternoon but the evening dinner in a hotel is still not open to women.

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4. Military chief: UK must move to wartime footing

The head of the British military, General Sir Nick Carter, says the UK should drop its peacetime mentality to cope with the threats posed by new technology and other nations. The 59-year-old warned last night that China and Russia pose new threats with cyber attacks, space weapons, low-yield nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

5. Trump may intervene in Huawei case ‘for trade’

US President Donald Trump has suggested he may intervene in the case of the chief financial officer of Chinese firm Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, who has been arrested in Canada for allegedly violating US sanctions in Iran, and who faces extradition to the US to face the charges. Trump said he would do “whatever’s good for this country”.

6. Ofcom warns that home broadband is too slow

Telecoms regulator Ofcom says more than one quarter of homes in the UK do not have broadband fast enough to cope with a typical family’s needs – such as downloading films or watching TV show via streaming services such as Netflix. More than 26% of the country’s estimated 28 million households copes with low speeds of 10Mbps.

7. Comedian cancels gig over ‘safe space’ contract

A stand-up comedian has cancelled a show at Soas, part of the University of London, after he was presented with a safe-space contract prohibiting him from telling jokes which were not “respectful and kind”. Konstantin Kisin said the contract, which included a list of banned prejudices, reminded him of his childhood in the Soviet Union.

8. Britain’s quietest railway station gets busier

The railway station revealed to be Britain’s quietest last year has received as many customers in the past 12 months than it did in the previous 17 years, as tourists flock to see its deserted platforms. Sugar Loaf station has now been replaced by Dolgarrog, also in Wales, as the UK’s least-used. The busiest station last year was Waterloo.

9. Firefighters tackle chocolate spill in Germany

Firefighters in Germany were called to help tackle a spill of one tonne of chocolate which leaked out of a confectionery factory and solidified on the tarmac of a street in Westoennen. Around 25 firefighters used shovels to pry off the chocolate – and hot water and blow-torches to remove the bits which had hardened into cracks in the road.

10. Briefing: why more people are developing a meat allergy

Most of us know someone who is gluten or lactose intolerant but now a new food allergy appears to be spreading across the world.

Increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed as allergic to red meat after suffering reactions to “alpha-gal” - a sugar found in the blood of many mammals. Although alpha-gal in meat usually poses no problems for humans, people can become sensitised to the carbohydrate after being bitten by a tick.

Alpha-gal: why more people are developing a meat allergy