Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 2 Jan 2019

1. Manchester stabbings: mental health arrest

The man suspected of stabbing three people in a frenzied attack in Manchester Victoria railway station on New Year’s Eve is being held under the Mental Health Act, police say. The 25-year-old is accused of seriously injuring a man and woman in their 50s and of harming a British Transport Police officer. The suspect is not thought to have had accomplices.

2. Train fares rise three times faster than wages

Train fares have risen almost three times faster than wages since the start of this decade, according to new analysis by the TUC. Average fares have risen by 36% since 2010 - 2.6 times more than average earnings have grown. Increases introduced today see fares rise by 3.1% on average – more than the 2.5% increase in wages predicted for this year.

3. Forced marriage victims charged for rescue

The Government has been accused of charging women hundreds of pounds to rescue them from forced marriages abroad. An investigation by The Times found that the Foreign Office helped repatriate 27 British forced marriage victims in 2017, and 55 in 2016. The authorities offer loans to cover the cost of flying women home but adds 10% if they don’t repay the money within six months.

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4. Migrants caught stealing trawler in Boulogne

French prosecutors have accused 14 migrants of trying to steal a trawler in Boulogne in order to cross the English Channel. Police say they caught the group trying to hotwire the boat on New Year’s Eve. Two alleged people smugglers linked to the incident are still on the run. The migrants, who include a woman and her two children, said they were from Iraq.

5. Labour members ‘want second referendum’

Almost three-quarters of Labour Party members want a second referendum on Brexit, despite Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition, a new poll has found. The Queen Mary University of London study suggests that 72% of party members want Labour to support a second vote, and 88% would choose to remain in the European Union.

6. Mitt Romney: Trump lacks character to lead

Republican senator and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney has accused Donald Trump of lacking the “character” needed to lead a divided nation. In an article in The Washington Post, Romney criticises the US president for abandoning allies and “thoughtlessly” claiming that America has been a “sucker” in world affairs.

7. Xi warns Taiwan ‘must and will’ be Chinese

China’s President Xi Jinping has warned that Taiwan “must and will” be reunited with China, in a speech in which he reserved the right to use force to bring the island under mainland control. Taiwan has never formally declared independence from the mainland, despite being self-governed, and is regarded by China as a breakaway state.

8. Netflix complies with Saudi Arabian censors

Netflix has removed an episode of comedy show Patriot Act from its streaming service in Saudi Arabia after the kingdom complained about a segment in which host Hasan Minhaj links Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Netflix said it “strongly supports” artistic freedom but must “comply with local law”.

9. Australia: body missed over Google Maps error

Australian police failed to find the body of a man believed to have committed suicide because they relied on an incorrect print-out from Google Maps, it has emerged. Darrell Simon, 46, is thought to have killed himself on his rural property, 50 miles from Brisbane, in November 2014. However, his remains were not found until May 2016, after a map showing incorrect boundaries meant that only half of the land was searched initially.

10. Briefing: is it worth investing in cannabis?

The increasing liberalisation of cannabis across the world is fuelling excitement among investors who regard the drug as the next big trend for both consumers and medicine.

In October, Canada became the second country, after Uruguay, to legalise the possession and recreational consumption of marijuana. So will the green rush be the next gold rush?

Pot stocks: is it worth investing in cannabis?