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Food industry seeks no-deal Brexit competition waiver

Should food industry rivals be able to work together without fear of prosecution in order to maintain supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit? The Food and Drink Federation says it has been calling on ministers to guarantee just that for months. But with the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a formal deal becoming more likely, it says: "We're still waiting." As one leading retail boss tells the BBC: "At the extreme, people like me and people from government will have to decide where lorries go to keep food supply chain going... we'd have to work with competitors, and the government would have to suspend competition laws".

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not commented to the BBC, which throughout Wednesday is exploring exactly what might happen in the event of a no-deal scenario. Many MPs and companies fear dire economic consequences and disruption to business. Our Reality Check examines the measures the government is putting in place to limit any upheaval, such as stockpiling drugs and contingency measures at ports. You can read 10 ways no deal could affect you, hear about anticipated effects in Europe and potential challenges at the Irish border. Or, to start with the basics, we explain exactly what politicians mean when they talk about a no-deal Brexit.

Ministers act to end NHS pensions row amid waiting list rise

The government is bidding to end a pensions row with doctors in England and Wales which has been blamed for contributing to increasing NHS waiting times. Many senior doctors currently turn down overtime, saying the pay from extra shifts can land them with hefty tax bills because they fall foul of complex rules limiting tax-free pensions contributions for the highest earners. Now, the British Medical Association has welcomed consultation on a plan that would allow doctors flexibility on what they pay into pensions and divert employer contributions to their pay packets.

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Boardmasters music festival cancelled due to 'severe' weather

There's disappointment for fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, Florence + The Machine and Foals with the news that this weekend's Boardmasters festival has been called off because of warnings about the weather. Tens of thousands of fans were expected to gather in Newquay, Cornwall, for the annual celebration of live music and surf culture. But organisers say they pulled the plug after talks with police and independent safety advisers. A Met Office yellow weather warning is in place for much of England and Wales on Friday and Saturday.

The real cost of buying cheap clothes

By Dharshini David, economics correspondent, BBC News

A quick trawl around the high street reveals dresses aplenty for under a tenner, and you can get a bikini for as little as £1. Globalisation means things can be produced in far-off lands at low cost, meaning more choice and lower prices. But how is that even possible? And what of the environmental cost of our shopping habits?

The relationship between shopper and fashion industry may have become dysfunctional. A BBC Radio 4 investigation for the Today programme took us from Spain to Ethiopia as we examined whether the planet, and some of its poorest inhabitants, are footing the bill for our unquenchable thirst for fashion - and how we should tackle that.

Read the full report

What the papers say

The impasse between London and Brussels leads the Daily Express, which quotes UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the EU "must back down" over its refusal to renegotiate the Brexit deal to win over MPs. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar tells the i the EU is open to a new deal, provided Mr Johnson drops his "red lines". Meanwhile, the Times says the SNP and Labour will bid to oust Mr Johnson entirely by forming a "progressive alliance" after any autumn election. Other papers lead on the Set for Life lottery winner who's given up his Amazon warehouse job to look after his autistic brother. Read the full review.

Daily digest

Madagascar Plane fall student's body found

Military Complaints by female and BAME staff a 'serious concern'

TV habits Traditional viewing holds off streaming, Ofcom reveals

Domestic violence Child-parent abuse doubles in three years

If you watch one thing today

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'She was the greatest living American writer'

If you listen to one thing today

Seriously... Hannah Walker is a Highly Sensitive Person

If you read one thing today

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What really happens to bodies left to science?

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Look ahead

09:30 Office for National Statistics to release annual figures on living arrangements in the UK, including families with children and people living alone.

21:00 Samsung expected to reveal the next model in its Galaxy smartphone series in New York.

On this day

1998 At least 200 people are killed and many more injured when US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania are bombed within minutes of each other.

From elsewhere

How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists' models (Economist)

Obituary: Toni Morrison, whose soaring novels were rooted in black lives (NPR)

Straight, staid Strictly has become a drag - but Michelle Visage will make it fabulous (Telegraph)

A crashed Israeli lunar lander spilled tardigrades on the Moon (Wired)