Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 22 Mar 2018

1. Zuckerberg ‘open’ to testifying to Congress

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has broken his silence on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, saying he is “open” to appearing before the US Congress, to testify on the alleged misuse of private data in an attempt to influence the US election result. He also said he was open to the idea that social networks should be regulated by governments.

2. EU leaders set to approve Brexit transition

EU leaders will gather for a summit today at which they are expected to approve the terms of the UK’s transition period after it formally leaves the EU next year. The transition deal is controversial with Tory MPs, not least because it keeps the UK within the Common Fisheries Policy, hated by fishermen, until the end of 2020 at least.

3. Footage shows self-driving car accident

Uber has released footage showing the moments before a self-driving car hit and killed a pedestrian in Phoenix, Arizona, earlier this week. The video throws doubt on the possibility that the car could have stopped in time to save Elaine Herzberg, 49. It shows her stepping out of a darkened area into the light of the SUV’s headlights.

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4. Austin bomb suspect left video confession

The young man suspected of carrying out a bombing campaign over three weeks in Austin, Texas, before blowing himself up in his car left a video “confession”, police say. Mark Conditt died on Tuesday, surrounded by police and apparently recorded his video two hours beforehand. Police say there is nothing to suggest a racist motive.

5. One muffin could exceed daily sugar limit

Analysis by health groups has found some supermarket American muffins contain more than the recommended adult daily dose of sugar. The daily limit is seven teaspoons of sugar – and some of the cakes were found to contain as much as eight teaspoons. Among the most sugary were McDonalds, Pret A Manger and Tesco.

6. Police take ‘days’ to answer 999 calls

The police watchdog says some forces in England and Wales are “overwhelmed” and may take hours or even days to respond to 999 calls which require immediate action. The watchdog said it had “major concern that policing is under significant stress”. It added that the system was under “severe strain” with “cracks” showing.

7. Shoreham crash pilot to be charged

The pilot whose plane crashed at the Shoreham air show in August 2015, killing 11 men on a main road, is to be charged with manslaughter by gross negligence, the CPS says. Andrew Hill was flying a 1950s fighter bomber, a Hawk Hunter jet, when he failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop and crashed onto the A27 in West Sussex.

8. Manchester United apply for women’s team

After enduring widespread criticism, Manchester United have applied to have a women’s team. If they are allowed to go ahead, the new United will be based at the Cliff training ground in Salford. They would play as a full-time adult side in the women’s second tier for the 2018-2019 season. United already have a junior women’s side.

9. Musk could get $50bn Tesla pay package

Elon Musk, the PayPal entrepreneur already worth $21bn (£15bn), is on course for a $50bn (£35bn) pay package over the next decade, after the board of his firm Tesla approved a new deal. Musk will only earn this fortune – which would make him one of the richest people in the world – if he achieves extremely ambitious targets.

10. Briefing: when do the clocks change?

Snow is still covering the ground in parts of the UK, but already Britons are looking ahead to warmer spring weather and more sunshine.

At 1am on Sunday 25 March, the UK will enter British Summer Time (BST). Clocks will move forward to 2am, leaving them one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) for the summer.

As we prepare for longer days and shorter nights, The Week looks at the history of British Summer Time, as well as the pros and cons of making the change permanent.

When do the clocks go forward and why?

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