Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 9 Jan 2019

1. MPs vote to restrict no-deal Brexit options

A majority of MPs have signalled that they will not accept a “no-deal” Brexit by inflicting a humiliating defeat on the Government in the House of Commons. A total of 20 Tory MPs backed an amendment to the Finance Bill that would restrict the Government’s freedom to make no-deal Brexit tax changes without the “explicit consent” of Parliament, by 303 to 296 votes.

2. Trump demands wall funding in first Oval address

Donald Trump has demanded funding from Congress for his US-Mexico border wall to halt “a growing humanitarian and security crisis”, during his first TV address to the nation from the Oval Office. The row over the proposed $5.7bn (£4.5bn) steel barrier has triggered an 18-day partial government shutdown. Democrat leaders have accused Trump of holding the American people hostage.

3. Army called in as drone disrupts Heathrow Airport

The UK military was called in to help police after sightings of a drone briefly halted flights at Heathrow Airport yesterday. The Metropolitan Police said it was deploying “significant resources” to monitor the airport after a drone was spotted shortly after 5pm. Departures were quickly stopped as a precaution, but were resumed an hour later, with the airport fully operational again by 10pm.

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4. Saudi teenager granted refugee status by the UN

A young Saudi woman who fled her family and barricaded herself inside a Bangkok hotel room in order to avoid deportation has been declared a legitimate refugee by the United Nations. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, says she fears her family would kill her for renouncing Islam. Her father and brother have arrived in Thailand but she is refusing to see them. Renunciation of Islam, known as apostasy, is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

5. Facebook and PayPal close accounts of Westminster protestor

The Facebook and PayPal accounts of one of the “yellow vest” protestors who has verbally abused MPs and others in Westminster have been deleted. James Goddard’s Facebook profile disappeared on Tuesday afternoon amid growing calls for police to prevent the group from “harassing” politicians, journalists and pro-EU protesters. His PayPal account was disabled a short time later.

6. Erdogan set to attack the Kurds after snubbing Trump

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks set to attack Kurds after issuing what The Times describes as “an extraordinary snub” to the US yesterday. Erdogan refused to meet with Donald Trump’s national security adviser and demanded that Washington hand over its military bases in Syria to Turkey. Syria’s Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), is viewed as a designated terror group by Turkey, on the grounds that it is an affiliate of domestic guerrilla group the Kurdistan Workers’s Party, or PKK.

7. Suspicious packages sent to embassies in Australia

Detectives in Australia say suspicious packages have been delivered to the British Consulate and other embassies in Melbourne and Canberra. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Australian Federal Police are “dealing” with a report of a suspicious package at the British Consulate General in Melbourne. According to reports, similar packages have been delivered to consulates and embassies of the US, Germany, India, New Zealand, Korea, Greece, Egypt and Switzerland in the coastal city.

8. Sexual abuse in childhood linked to raised suicide risk

People who suffered sexual or emotional abuse as children are two to three times more likely to kill themselves as adults, a new study has found. Academics from the University of Manchester and South Wales University analysed the results of 68 previous studies on the subject from around the world. Suicide prevention charity Papyrus said 70% of calls to its helpline were from people who had been abused during childhood.

9. Tory claims London pollution charge will hit millions

The pollution charge being introduced in London could affect almost 2.5 million cars and vans a year, official figures suggest. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had previously stated that fewer than 60,000 vehicles a day would have to pay the £12.50 ultra-low emission zone fee, but Gareth Bacon, leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, has warned that the charges could be Khan’s “poll tax” moment.

10. Advertising watchdog slams retailers over faux fur

The UK advertising watchdog has censured two retailers for “misleading” consumers by advertising real animal fur on fashion items as fake or “faux”. The Advertising Standards Authority said a listing for a pompom jumper by the internet fashion retailer Boohoo and another for a pompom headband sold on Amazon by Zacharia Jewellers had broken rules set by the Committee of Advertising Practice.