Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 19 Mar 2019

1. Ardern: ‘I’ll never speak mosque attacker’s name’

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the country’s parliament today that she will never publicly say the name of the gunman who killed 50 people in two mosques in Christchurch on Friday. She said: “He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety – that is why you will never hear me mention his name.”

2. May to rethink Brexit following Bercow’s ‘sabotage’

Theresa May and her cabinet are discussing their next move this morning after the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, said the prime minister cannot hold a third vote on her Brexit deal unless it is first substantially altered. The Times says Downing Street sources accused Bercow of “sabotage” and “conspiring” to keep the UK within the EU.

3. Dutch police arrest tram shooting suspect

Police in Utrecht arrested a 37-year-old Turkish man last night on suspicion of shooting dead three people and injuring five others in an attack on a tram in the city on Monday. Suspect Gokmen Tanis was taken into custody following an hours-long manhunt. However, the motive for the killings remain unclear. Prosecutors said terrorism was a possibility but also cited “family reasons”.

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4. Mozambique: cyclone deaths to top 1,000

More than 1,000 people are feared to have been killed in the devastating cyclone that hit Mozambique on Friday, the country’s President Filipe Nyusi has said. And he warned that more than 100,000 people are at risk as a result of severe flooding, adding that he had seen “many bodies” floating in rivers. Tropical Cyclone Idai also hit Malawi and Zimbabwe.

5. Breast cancer deaths falling faster in UK than Europe

The rate of deaths from breast cancer is dropping faster in the UK than in any other of the six most populous countries in Europe, new figures show. The rate of death from the disease has fallen by 17.7% since 2010-2014 thanks to improved screening, earlier diagnosis and better treatment, according to an Italian study. Germany saw the next greatest equivalent reduction, at 12.5%, followed by France (12.1%), Spain (11.3%) and Italy (9.7%), while Poland recorded a 6.1% rise.

6. Environment Agency pleads for water thrift

England will not have enough water to meet its population’s needs within 25 years, the head of the Environment Agency is warning today. Sir James Bevan will say in a speech in London that he wants wasting water to become “as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in the face of a baby”. He will add: “We all need to use less water.”

7. Paris one of world’s most expensive cities

The Economist has published its annual ranking of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live – and for the first time, three cities share the top spot. Paris, Singapore and Hong Kong are jointly the priciest places to live, according to the survey, which compares the cost of food, rent and even haircuts in 133 cities worldwide.

8. Human body ‘detects Earth’s magnetic field’

Animals including pigeons have long been known to have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, using it to navigate. Now a study by a US-Japan team using artificial fields suggests humans may also have an innate sense of which way North lies – although the mechanism by which the magnetic field is sensed is still not known.

9. Frozen stage musical to come to London

A stage version of hit Disney film Frozen is to transfer from New York’s Broadway to London’s West End. The show will be directed by former Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage, who told the BBC that the US staging would be “enhanced and developed” to create a “bespoke” UK version.

10. Briefing: what is the Brexit backstop?

Theresa May is battling to overcome the obstacle of the so-called Brexit backstop plan for Northern Ireland as she prepares for another Commons vote on her withdrawal deal.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up the Conservative government in Parliament, has so far refused to support any Brexit deal that contains the backstop in its current form. So what exactly is the row about and is there any way out of the impasse?

Boris Johnson’s alternative to the Irish backstop