Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 13 Dec 2018

1. May at EU summit after surviving no-confidence vote

Theresa May is in Brussels today for an EU summit, having survived a Tory party no-confidence vote last night. A total of 200 Tory MPs backed the prime minister’s leadership after she promised to step down before the next general election, while 117 voted against. During the talks in Brussels, May will seek legally binding pledges on the Irish backstop.

2. Trump lawyer Cohen handed prison sentence

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has been sentenced to three years in jail for lying to Congress and making illegal payments to silence women who had affairs with the US president. In a statement in court, Cohen admitted: “It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.” He said there was “little to be admired” about Trump.

3. UK facing snow and sub-zero temperatures

The Met Office is warning of a “big change” in the UK weather from today, with snow forecast for the Scottish Highlands and northern England. Night-time temperatures in central England and Wales could be as low as -7C, and winds of up to 45mph are predicted. The cold snap is expected to continue into the weekend.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. At least seven killed in Turkey train crash

A high-speed train crash in Turkey has resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and left more than 40 injured. The train was travelling from the capital, Ankara, to the city of Konya when it collided with a railway engine and then crashed into an overpass at 3.30am UK time. In July, 24 people were killed in a train crash in northwest Turkey.

5. New EastEnders set is £27m over budget

The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the BBC after it emerged that the new set for long-running TV soap EastEnders has soared to £86.7m - £27m over the original budget. The NAO said mistakes were made in planning the new outdoor set, which is due to be completed by 2023 and will use real bricks instead of facades in order to look better in HD.

6. Restaurant meals ‘unhealthier than fast food’

The calorie content of meals in British restaurants is “excessive” – and sit-down restaurants serve less health meals than fast-food chains, according to new research. Only one in ten of 13,500 meals analysed by a team from the University of Liverpool contained fewer calories than Public Health England’s recommended 600 for a lunch or dinner, and nearly half topped 1,000 calories.

7. Two technicians killed at Arctic research station

Two contractors working on a fire suppression system have died at a US Arctic research station. The men were found unconscious at the McMurdo station on Ross Island on Tuesday by a helicopter pilot who spotted what appeared to be smoke coming from a building. They were given CPR but one died at the scene and the other died later at a clinic.

8. Man trapped for two days in grease vent

Firefighters in California have released a man who spent two days trapped in the grease vent of a Chinese restaurant, covered in grease and oil and unable to climb out. It is thought the 29-year-old may have been trying to trespass or even carry out a burglary. He was saved from the rooftop vent after a “faint voice calling for help” was heard.

9. Facial recognition used on Taylor Swift stalkers

Facial recognition software was used to identify stalkers of Taylor Swift at one of her concerts, it has emerged. A California security firm says it used the technique during a gig in the Pasadena Rose Bowl stadium in May, but did not say whether any alleged stalkers were removed from the concert.

10. Briefing: who will win the Golden Globes 2019?

The 2019 Golden Globes nominations are in - and there are a few surprises in the mix.

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A Star is Born has been expected to be a major success during awards season, but scored a relatively disappointing five nominations, tying with Green Book and The Favourite. Instead, the shock front-runner is Dick Cheney biopic Vice, which has bagged six.

Here is a full list of the main nominations and the experts’ predictions.

Golden Globes 2019: who is predicted to win?