Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 19 Apr 2019

1. Mueller report connects Trump to obstruction

The US reacted yesterday to the release of a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on alleged links between Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia. The 450-page document lists 11 instances in which the President or his team may have obstructed justice but Trump again claimed it exonerates him.

2. Climate change protests: Javid calls for action

For a fifth day, main routes in central London remain blocked by protesters demanding action on climate change. Home Secretary Sajid Javid called on police to use the “full force of the law” to remove them but the activists say their numbers are overwhelming police struggling to cope with funding cuts imposed in the name of austerity.

3. Journalist of 29 shot dead in Derry terror attack

A 29-year-old journalist, Lyra McKee, was shot dead during rioting in Londonderry last night and police say they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Dissident republicans are being blamed for the murder which took place in Derry’s Creggan area. A reporter said a gunman fired shots “indiscriminately towards police vehicles”.

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4. Millions on roads for 25C Easter weekend

Severe traffic delays are expected in many parts of the country over the weekend, with the worst on Good Friday, as millions get away to enjoy predicted 25C temperatures. The worst jams are expected between 11am and 4.30pm, motoring groups warned. They estimated that as many as 4.4 million people would be travelling on Friday.

5. Notre Dame fire ‘caused by electrical fault’

A police official in Paris has suggested that the devastating fire in Notre Dame cathedral may have been caused by an electrical fault. Investigators are questioning staff and workers who were restoring the 850-year-old building – and are working on the belief the fire was accidental. A temporary structure may be built for services.

6. Footballers to boycott social media over racism

The Professional Footballers Association has organised a 24-hour boycott of social media by its members in protest over racism among supporters, often seen in online comments. Watford captain Troy Deeney, who has faced abuse, said: “The boycott is just one small step, but the players are speaking out with one voice against racism.”

7. Elite climbers ‘killed in Canada avalanche’

Three elite professional climbers – David Lama and Hansjoerg Auer from Austria, and Jess Roskelley from the US – are believed to have been killed in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies. Staff of Banff National Park say they flew over Howse Peak and saw “debris containing climbing equipment” caused by an avalanche.

8. Return of tiny knee bone ‘could cause pain’

Researchers say a tiny bone which some people have in their knees is making a comeback – and could be the cause of pain for some arthritis sufferers. The fabella is a sesamoid bone, meaning it grows within a tendon, just as a kneecap does. In 1918 just 11% of the world population had the bone but better nutrition means 39% do now.

9. Concrete-berg weighing 105 tonnes in sewer

Three London sewers are blocked by a 105-tonne ‘concrete-berg’, Thames Water said yesterday. The blue whale-sized mass of concrete under Islington will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to remove over two months. It is thought a construction company illegally poured the concrete down the drain. It has now set hard to brickwork.

10. Extinction Rebellion: who are they and what do they want?

More than 500 people affiliated with climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after protests caused significant disruption in central London this week.

Today’s front pages: Extinction Rebellion and the rise of the Brexit Party