Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 20 Apr 2018

1. Brexit divorce bill ‘will be more than £39bn’

The National Audit Office is warning that the Brexit ‘divorce bill’ will be more than the £35bn-£39bn suggested by Theresa May, saying the UK will have to pay an extra £3bn in budget contributions and £2.9bn to the European Development Fund. The watchdog also says the government has counted £7.2bn of receipts wrongly.

2. After hottest April day since 1949, thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are forecast across England and Wales for Saturday and Sunday, after the hottest April day since 1949 yesterday, when a temperature of 29.1C was recorded in London. Runners in the London Marathon on Sunday have been warned against fancy dress, with 23C forecast in London, before colder weather next week.

3. ‘Toxic’ levels of novichok still in Salisbury

Defra has warned that there may still be “toxic” levels of the nerve agent novichok present at known locations in Salisbury. At those places, the precise positions of concentrations of the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal are not yet known. Finding them and cleaning them up will cost millions of pounds.

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4. Ariana Grande’s new single alludes to Manchester

US pop star Ariana Grande has released a new single – and it alludes to the terror attack which killed 22 people outside her Manchester Arena concert in May 2017. No Tears Left To Cry sends a message of overcoming sadness and fear and celebrating life. Its video concludes with a worker bee, the symbol of Manchester, flying.

5. Britons ‘divided’ over Commonwealth head

A new poll by Sky Data suggests Britons are divided over whether Prince Charles should succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth, with 44% saying he should and 32% saying the job should rotate between heads of member states. The Queen has said she hoped Charles will be chosen at a London summit today.

6. Man of 83 executed after 22 years on death row

An 83-year-old murderer has been executed in Alabama, the oldest person to be killed by the state since the US restored capital punishment in the 1970s. Walter Moody killed several people by mail bomb, including a judge, Robert Vance, in 1989. His lawyers argued that his age might make execution painful but were overruled.

7. Cow could be largest land mammal in centuries

A new study led by the University of New Mexico has found that the cow could be the largest land mammal left within a few centuries, with human activity pushing other species into extinction. Researchers note the spread of early humans coincided with the extinction of large mammals such as the mammoth and glyptodon.

8. Lance Armstrong settles lawsuit with $5m

Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong has agreed to pay $5m (£3.5m) to settle a lawsuit brought by government which might have cost him $100m (£71m) in damages. The 46-year-old was accused of committing fraud by cheating to win races while he was being sponsored by a public body, the US postal service.

9. King of Swaziland changes name to eSwatini

The king of Swaziland, Mswati III, has announced on the 50th anniversary of his tiny country’s independence from the British Empire that it will now be known as eSwatini. The old name is said to have upset Swazilanders with its colonial overtones, mixing the local Swazi language and English. eSwatini means ‘land of the Swazis’.

10. Briefing: Seven ways to reduce plastic waste

Theresa May has announced plans to ban the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds, straws and drinks stirrers in a bid to reduce plastic waste.

The Prime Minister is urging other Commonwealth leaders to follow suit, branding plastic waste “one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world”.

Ten ways to reduce plastic waste