Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 23 Apr 2019

1. Sri Lanka terror: death toll rises as funerals start

The first mass funeral for victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka is taking place today, with the death toll now confirmed to be at least 310. A state of emergency is in place and police have arrested 40 people. Investigators believe the attack was carried out by members of an Islamist organisation called the National Thowheed Jamath. At least eight British citizens were among those killed.

2. Hottest Easter Monday on record

Yesterday was the hottest Easter Monday ever recorded in all four nations of the UK, according to the Met Office. In England, temperatures topped 25C at Heathrow. The high in Scotland was 23.6C in Kinlochewe, with the mercury hitting 21.4C in Northern Ireland, and 23.6C in Cardiff. Temperatures of around 20C are expected today, followed by cooler weather and showers tomorrow.

3. Climate protests: more than 1,000 arrested

More than 1,000 people have been arrested during climate change protests in London over the past week, police say. Organisers say the ongoing demonstrations around Marble Arch are the biggest act of civil disobedience in recent British history. Activists met yesterday to discuss what to do next.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Trump to make state visit to UK in June

Donald Trump is reportedly set to make a state visit to the UK in June. The US president is expected to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace and then visit France for the 75th commemoration of the D-Day landings. Trump visited the UK last July but avoided London amid fears of mass demonstrations against his presence.

5. TfL commissioner blamed for Crossrail delay

The commissioner of Transport for London (TfL) should consider his position over his handling of the much-delayed Crossrail project, a damning report from City Hall says. Mike Brown is accused of downplaying the risks associated with the £17.6bn flagship infrastructure scheme in weekly updates to the capital’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. Problems highlighted by an independent review are also said to have been ignored.

6. Swedish teen activist calls for general strike

Teenage activist Greta Thunberg has said she backs the idea of a general strike to force world leaders to act to prevent climate change, during a debate in London with the UK’s only Green MP, Caroline Lucas. The 16-year-old inspired a global movement of school strikes by holding her own one-person protest. Thunberg has joined the protests in London during her visit.

7. Samsung puts cracking Galaxy Fold on hold

Samsung has postponed the launch of its eagerly anticipated Galaxy Fold smartphone amid reports that the $2,000 (£1,500) handset cracked or broke when folded by reviewers. The company had been planning to launch the new phone on Friday, with a UK release date of 3 May, but will now run more tests.

8. Outcry over ‘deeply racist’ rat poem in Austria

A poem comparing immigrants to rats has caused outrage in Austria. The controversial composition was written by Christian Schilcher of the far-right FPO party, which is part of the coalition government, and was printed in a party newspaper published in Adolf Hitler’s birthplace. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who is not in the FPO, said it was “disgusting, inhuman and deeply racist”.

9. Craft beer boom halts as big firms muscle in

The British craft beer boom is stalling, with only eight new breweries opened over the past 12 months, compared with 390 the previous year. Newly released figures show that there are now 2,274 breweries in the UK, up from 1,352 in 2013. But experts say it is becoming harder for new firms to prosper because big brewers are buying up smaller competitors.

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

More than 1,000 people affiliated with climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after protests caused significant disruption in central London last week.

What is Extinction Rebellion and what does it want?