Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 3 Mar 2018

1. Warnings as black ice and floods replace snow

Weather authorities are warning of dangers from floods and black ice. Although the snow is stopping, there are perilously icy roads across the country with 15 flood warnings in place across the southwest and north of England. The ‘Beast from the East’ has now claimed its 10th victim: a 51-year-old hiker called Alison Fox, who became lost in snowy Scottish hills near Stirling.

2. Trump ally sold $31.3m of shares before tariffs announcement

A former special adviser to Donald Trump sold $31.3m of shares in a steel imports firm last week, shortly before Trump’s announcement of new tariffs sent its shares plummeting. Carl Icahn, a billionaire investor and Trump cheerleader, started selling the shares on 12 February, days before the administration first mooted plans to impose stiff tariffs on foreign steel imports.

3. Reaction to May's 'exquisite' but 'convoluted' speech

Commentators have responded to Theresa May’s Brexit speech, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as an "exquisitely crafted synthesis of domestic opinion on Brexit". The Guardian complained of "convoluted proposals" and the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said "it did not provide encyclopaedic levels of information about exactly what the UK would propose". The Financial Times says the PM "deployed the softest of touches with her EU counterparts".

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4. Surgeons say it is 'cruel' to deny treatment to obese

Refusing surgery to obese people and smokers is "discriminatory and cruel", say surgeons. According to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, health authorities are making decisions contrary to the fundamental principles of the NHS. Professor Derek Alderson, President of the Royal College of Surgeons said new policies are "draconian… singling out specific groups of patients".

5. Italian election could deliver far-right administration

Voters in Italy are preparing to go to the polls in tomorrow’s general election. Surveys suggest former premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right alliance will emerge as the largest bloc in a hung parliament. Sky News says the election could deliver the most far-right government in decades if a coalition led by Berlusconi triumphs. More widely, the election is seen as the latest test of Europe’s appetite for populist movements.

6. Lab-grown meat 'will be served by end of the year'

Lab-grown could be on restaurant menus by the end of the year, a manufacturer has claimed. The products, widely known as 'clean meat', are made from stem cells harvested via biopsy from living livestock, which are then grown in a laboratory. Chicken nuggets, sausage and foie gras created using the technique could be served in restaurants in the US and Asia within months, said a spokesman for Just.

7. Catalan chief Puigdemont 'to lead from exile'

Fugitive Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has vowed to lead the Catalan government in exile. Although he has suspended his attempts to return to office, Puigdemont intends to carry on his campaign for independence from the safety of Belgium. He told The Guardian he would use a new "Council of the Republic" to push the cause forward. "It’s like a government in exile," he said. "It’s not in the shadows."

8. BlackRock joins America's anti-guns backlash

BlackRock Inc is the latest company to put pressure on companies that make and sell guns in the US. Following the Florida school shooting, the world's biggest investment management firm is considering excluding them from some of its portfolios. Other firms, including Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods, have announced curbs on gun sales, while Delta airlines, car rental giants Hertz and Enterprise have ended discounts for NRA members.

9. NHS to launch speedier prostate cancer system

A 'one-stop' system to revolutionise prostate cancer treatment has been launched by the NHS. Health chiefs hope the new arrangement will cut the time taken for a diagnosis from around six weeks to a matter of days. Speed is significant: 98% of those who are diagnosed early survive for more than five years. This figure drops to 36% for those who are diagnosed late.

10. Arrest after four skiers killed in huge Alps avalanche

A guide has been arrested after four skiers were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps. The group was skiing off-piste near the Mercantour national park, not far from France’s border with Italy, as the winter’s deadliest avalanche to date struck. The guide was held in police custody on Friday night and an investigation has been launched into possible manslaughter and unintentional harm.