Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 18 Dec 2018

1. Ministers to discuss no-deal Brexit plans

The Cabinet will meet today to discuss stepping up preparations for a no-deal Brexit, several newspapers are reporting. Meanwhile, the Government has refused to give Labour parliamentary time to debate Jeremy Corbyn’s proposed no-confidence vote on Theresa May, with both Tory Eurosceptics and the DUP rallying behind the prime minister.

2. Ceasefire in Yemen ‘only lasted minutes’

Forces loyal to the Yemeni government say a ceasefire brokered by the United Nation was violated by Houthi rebels just minutes after it came into effect at 9pm UK time yesterday. A truce had been agreed for the port city of Hodeidah to allow aid to be brought into the war-torn country, but sporadic fighting between the two sides is said to be continuing there.

3. Russian cargo ship grounded off Cornwall beach

A Russian cargo ship ran aground off the coast of Cornwall this morning after strong winds caused it to drag its anchor. Emergency services were launched just after 6am to help the 600ft-long Kuzma Minin bulk carrier ship, which is stuck metres off Gyllyngvase Beach and Swanpool Beach in Falmouth Bay. There are 18 Russian crew on board but the vessel is not loaded with cargo.

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4. Former CBS boss loses £95m severance pay

The former chief executive of US broadcaster CBS will not receive his $120m (£95m) severance package, after refusing to cooperate with an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Les Moonves has been accused of abuse including forced oral sex and groping by several women, many of them former employees.

5. Femicide: 76% of women killed by men they knew

A survey on the murder of women in the UK has found that 76% of those killed by men last year knew their killer. According to the Femicide Census, of a total 139 women murdered by men in 2017, only 30 were killed by strangers, with 21 of these victims dying in terrorist attacks. Some 46% of all the female victims were killed by a current or former partner.

6. Homeless Christmas back on after hotel row

A hotel in Hull has offered rooms to homeless people over Christmas after another hotel in the city cancelled their booking a week ahead of the festivities. A homelessness charity had booked rooms for 28 at the Royal Hotel, which then went back on the arrangement without explanation or warning this weekend. The Hilton Double Tree has stepped in.

7. M6 reopened after multi-vehicle crash

The M6 motorway, Britain’s main traffic artery, is open again after a multi-vehicle crash in Cheshire forced its closure last night. The collision took place at about 10.30pm, with one woman reported to have been injured. Motoring groups warned yesterday that delays are expected on roads across the country this week as travellers head off for Christmas.

8. Advertisers use emojis to target customers

Advertisers are tracking people’s use of emoji symbols on Twitter in order to more accurately target potential customers for specific products, it has emerged. The Times reports that emojis are easier for software to interpret than text, and gives the example of pizza adverts being directed at people who often use the pizza slice icon. More than 3.2 billion of the pictograms are sent every year.

9. Hamilton upsets Stevenage with ‘slums’ remark

F1 star Lewis Hamilton has sparked anger in his home town of Stevenage by saying that driving allowed him to “get out of the slums”. The leader of Stevenage Borough Council said the remark, at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards on Monday, was “disappointing” and that local people felt “very offended”.

10. Briefing: how to avoid the Christmas strikes and traffic

With around 20 million leisure journeys expected to be made on the UK roads in the run-up to Christmas Day, drivers are being warned of significant congestion.

This will be compounded by extensive disruption to the rail network and an airline strike. So where are the predicted travel hotspots and how can you avoid them?

Christmas travel: how to avoid the traffic and strikes