Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 15 Apr 2017

1. War between North Korea and US could start at 'any moment'

War between America and North Korea "may break out any moment", says China’s foreign minister Wang Yi. As North Korea showed off new submarine-based ballistic missiles in a massive military parade, it warned the US it is ready to go to war. Pyongyang told Washington to end its "military hysteria" or face retaliation as a US aircraft carrier heads towards the region.

2. 'Panicked' hospitals offer doctors £95 an hour to fill holes

Short-staffed hospitals are begging doctors to take on extra shifts, offering up to £95 an hour to plug gaps in rotas. Desperate to maintain standards of care, understaffed hospitals are bombarding doctors with urgent emails and text messages. The Guardian says the messages "paint a picture of near panic". The Department of Health said: "Staffing is a priority."

3. Syria's Assad 'still has stockpile of chemicals'

Bashar al-Assad still has hundreds of tonnes of his country's chemical stockpile, Syria’s former chemical weapons chief has told the Daily Telegraph. Brigadier-General Zaher al-Sakat said the Syrian President failed to declare considerable quantities of sarin precursor chemicals when he claimed he had handed over his entire chemical arsenal to the UN in 2014. Assad still insists he is not in possession of any chemical weapons.

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4. British Canoeing hit by 'sex for selection' allegation

British Canoeing says it is "appalled" by allegations that an elite coach told a female athlete he could guarantee her team selection in exchange for sex. The governing body, which is investigating the claims, insists significant governance changes have already been made. But the Daily Mail says whistleblowers have described "a culture of cronyism and bullying" within the organisation.

5. British woman stabbed to death in Jerusalem

A 20-year-old British woman has been stabbed to death in Jerusalem. She has been named as Hannah Bladon, a student at the University of Birmingham. Bladon died in hospital after being stabbed several times in the chest while she travelled on a tram. She had taken classes in bible studies, archaeology and Hebrew at the Hebrew University. A 57-year-old Palestinian man has been detained.

6. Learner drivers will now need to use sat navs

Learner drivers will have to be able to use a sat nav and drive into a parking space before passing their test. The changes, which are among four announced by the government, will come into force in December. The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency said it wants tests to have "more real life scenarios". The reforms are described by the RAC as "a far more realistic assessment".

7. Heroin linked to four deaths in South Yorkshire

Heroin has been linked to the unexplained deaths of four people in South Yorkshire in less than 24 hours. Three of the deaths were reported yesterday morning and a fourth was reported last night evening. Police said: "An early line of inquiry is to establish if the deaths are linked to heroin use, although the results of post-mortem examinations and toxicology tests are awaited."

8. Sun suspends Kelvin MacKenzie over Ross Barkley column

The Sun has suspended Kelvin MacKenzie after complaints about a column in which he compared the footballer Ross Barkley, who is of mixed race, to a gorilla. The paper’s former editor also said men with similar "pay packets" to Barkley in Liverpool are "drug dealers" and in prison. Media commentator Roy Greenslade wrote: "This time, surely, MacKenzie’s great supporter, Rupert Murdoch, cannot save him."

9. Judge describes rapist bishop as 'extraordinarily good man'

A judge in Utah has caused a storm by calling a former Mormon bishop convicted of rape an "extraordinarily good man". While sentencing Keith Robert Vallejo this week, Judge Thomas Low said he had "no doubt that Mr Vallejo is an extraordinarily good man... but great men sometimes do bad things". Vallejo was convicted of 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of object rape.

10. 'Hay fever hell' as British pollen levels soar

Allergy experts say hay fever sufferers will face soaring levels of pollen this weekend. A spokeswoman for Allergy UK, said: "The Easter weekend will be far worse for hay fever sufferers than last year. Because of the fine weather we have had a lot of high birch pollen counts." The Sun says that UK pollen counts have hit a peak 10 days early, sparking "hay fever hell".