Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 4 Sep 2016

1. Brexit: Theresa May warns of 'difficult times' ahead

There are "difficult times" ahead for Britain as it leaves the European Union, Theresa May has warned. The prime minister warned Brexit would not be "plain sailing" for the UK. Although she said formal EU talks will not begin until 2017, she vowed the process would not be "kicked into the long grass". May also ruled out a snap general election, saying the UK needs "stability".

2. 'Modern life is killing children', say scientists

Scientists say modern life is killing children with the number of youngsters diagnosed with cancer rising 40% in the past 16 years because of air pollution, pesticides, poor diets and radiation. New analysis found that there are now 1,300 more cancer cases a year compared with 1998. The rise is most apparent in teenagers and young adults aged between 15 and 24.

3. Mother Teresa to be named a saint at the Vatican

Mother Teresa is to be declared a saint at a ceremony in the Vatican. Two miraculous cures of the sick after the nun’s death in 1997 have been attributed to her intercession. Mother Teresa has previously won the Nobel Peace Prize but she remains a divisive figure, with critics saying she accepted money from dictators for her charity work.

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4. 'Severe' test for Angela Merkel in German polling

Voters in a north-east German state are due to go to the polls in a vote seen as a major test of Angela Merkel's policies towards migrants and refugees. The anti-migrant and anti-Islam Alternative fuer Deutschland could get more votes than the chancellor’s CDU in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. This would significantly weaken Merkel ahead of national elections next year. Germany took in 1.1m refugees and migrants last year.

5. Why coffee could become extinct by 2080

Is coffee at risk of extinction? A report from the Climate Institute has suggested that coffee could disappear by 2080 if global warming continues. It says that by 2050 half of the world’s coffee farming land could be useless due to rising temperatures which can encourage the growth of fungi and pests, adding: "By 2080, wild coffee, an important genetic resource for farmers, could become extinct."

6. Nicola Sturgeon reveals she suffered a miscarriage

Nicola Sturgeon has revealed that she suffered a miscarriage and has spoken about her agony at losing the baby. Scotland’s first minister was in the early stages of pregnancy at the age of 40 and preparing to share her news when she miscarried. The childless 46-year-old SNP leader has been upset in the past by suggestions that she decided to put her political career before having children.

7. Protect our nationals, Poland urges Britain

Poland's foreign minister has urged Britain to keep its nationals safe from xenophobia as the Polish community led a silent march in Essex, in memory of a factory worker killed in a possible hate crime. Witold Waszczykowski said: "We're counting on the British Government and authorities responsible for the safety of British and European citizens, including Poles, to prevent the kind of xenophobic acts we've seen recently."

8. Conservative Anglicans express 'concern' over gay bishop

Conservative Anglicans have described a bishop’s announcement that he is gay as a “major error” and promised to pray for him. After Nicholas Chamberlain, Bishop of Grantham, came out, a group issued a statement condemning the announcement as a "serious cause for concern". They said: "We note with prayerful concern the revelation that Nicholas Chamberlain, Bishop of Grantham, is in a same-sex relationship."

9. Theresa May urged to vet £5bn China digital deal

Theresa May is being encouraged to enlist the security services to examine a £5bn business deal that would see China take control of one of the world’s largest computer hosting networks, based in the UK. Sir Malcolm Rifkind is among senior politicians and experts who raised concerns this weekend about the security risks posed by the sale of the data centres to the Chinese by Britain’s richest brothers.

10. Maggie Thatcher 'would not have approved of Brexit'

Margaret Thatcher would not have supported Brexit, claims her longest-serving and most trusted former foreign policy adviser. Lord Powell of Bayswater told The Observer: "Of course she got fed up with it, but I don’t believe that as prime minister she would ever have campaigned to take Britain out of Europe or had a referendum to allow that to happen."