Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 30 Jan 2018

1. Leaked paper predicts economic damage of Brexit

Brexit, whether ‘soft’ or ‘hard’, will be bad for the economy over the next 15 years, according to a leaked government analysis to be shown to cabinet ministers this week, The Guardian says. The report predicts that national income will fall by 8% if there is no trade deal; by 5% with a free trade deal; and by 2% with single market membership.

2. Cost of passport to rise

The cost of an adult passport for those applying by post will rise by £12.50 to £85 - a 17% increase - from 27 March, the Government has announced. Online adult applications will rise by £3 to £75.50. Children’s applications will increase by £12.50 to £58.80 – up 27% – via post, but will rise by only £3 when applying online.

3. Violent robberies ‘may be work of former soldier’

Police say the highly organised nature of a series of seven violent robberies in the Home Counties has led them to suspect the man carrying them out is ex-military, or even a serving officer or policeman. The raids, which started in November 2014, are carried out with advance knowledge of the layout of victims’ homes - and with ruthless efficiency.

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4. Musk sells £2.5m worth of flamethrowers in a day

Entrepreneur Elon Musk has pre-sold £2.5m worth of flamethrowers in a single day. The novelty devices are produced by The Boring Company, set up by Musk – who made his fortune with PayPal before setting up electric carmaker Tesla – to construct tunnels between major US cities in order to improve transport links.

5. Sky Sports presenter ‘broken’ after wife’s death

Sky Sports and former Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas has gone public about the effect his wife’s death has had on him and his son, Ethan. Gemma Thomas died in November, just three days after being diagnosed with leukaemia. In a blog post, her widower says he is broken, vulnerable, tearful and unsure if he could “ever sit in front of a TV camera again with the same confidence”.

6. Ireland to hold abortion referendum in May

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar announced last night that a national referendum on abortion laws will be held in May, describing it as a “difficult decision for the Irish people to make”. Ireland currently bans terminations even in cases of rape and incest, with the result that many women make expensive journeys abroad for abortions.

7. Tory MP calls for referendum on NHS spending

Tory MP Robert Halfon has called for a referendum on NHS spending to be held every ten years. The backbencher, who was a cabinet minister under David Cameron, is just one of several Conservatives pressing Theresa May to divert more funding to the health service, which is suffering its worst winter crisis for several years.

8. Man dies after being sucked into MRI scanner

An Indian man has died after he was sucked into an MRI scanner while visiting a relative in a Delhi hospital. The man was pulled towards the machine by its magnetic force when he entered the room carrying an oxygen cylinder. It is thought that the cylinder ruptured when it hit the scanner, which contains a huge electromagnet, and that he died from inhaling liquid oxygen.

9. Impressionist Culshaw portrays Bowie’s last weeks

Impressionist Jon Culshaw – known for Spitting Image and Dead Ringers – has taken on a serious role, playing David Bowie in a radio play about the final weeks of the singer-songwriter’s life. The play, called The Final Take, will be the first time Bowie has been portrayed at length in a drama. It will be broadcast on the BBC World Service on 30 January.

10. Briefing: Cape Town prepares for life without running water

Cape Town is facing a dystopian future - on 12 April, dubbed Day Zero, the South African city is expected to become the world’s first major metropolis to run out of water.

Cape Town plans to shut its pipe network and instead designate 200 water collection points once dam levels reach 13.5%. The city’s four million residents will then be allocated 25 litres of water a day.

Cape Town crisis: preparing for life without running water