Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 27 Jul 2015

1. Lord Sewel referred to police after ‘drug use’ pictures

The parliamentary authorities have called in police to investigate claims that Lord Sewel, deputy speaker of the House of Lords and chairman of its conduct committee, took drugs with prostitutes. The Sun on Sunday published video in which Sewel appears to snort cocaine from a woman’s breasts. He now faces calls to quit or be thrown out.

Lord Sewel to keep title despite quitting over prostitute claims

2. Body found in search for missing seven-year-old

Police searching for a seven-year-old boy, who went missing from a park in Barnsley on Sunday night, have discovered a child's body at a construction site close to his home. Conley Thompson had been playing in Locke Park and was last seen at about 8pm, but never returned to his home about two miles from the park.

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Conley Thompson: body found in search for seven-year-old

3. Cuts ‘will hit minorities harder than white Britons’

A study by thinktank the Runnymede Trust has found that ethnic minority Britons will be twice as likely as white people to lose out following the cuts announced in George Osborne’s budget, risking widening the racial divide. Among ethnic minorities, more than 1.25 million households could now be worse off, the study says.

4. Cameron hints at strikes against IS in Libya and Syria

Prime Minister David Cameron has paved the way for military action against Islamic State in Libya and Syria, by ordering "initial planning" for possible intervention. However, he added that his priority was to establish a stable government in the North African state. Elsewhere, Turkey has carried out strikes against IS on Syrian soil for the first time.

David Cameron drafts plans to attack IS in Libya

5. Man shot dead in ‘targeted attack’ in Salford

A businessman, convicted criminal and former mayoral candidate for Salford has been shot dead there in what police are calling a “targeted attack”. Paul Massey, 55, was shot dead at around 7.30pm on Sunday evening on Manchester Road in the city’s Clifton area. Massey was jailed in 1999 for stabbing a man in the groin outside a nightclub.

6. Rollercoaster could cost Alton Towers owner £47m

Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns Alton Towers, has warned that the rollercoaster accident earlier this year could affect profits by £47m. The accident on the Smiler ride led to the closure of the park for several days and also led to the temporary closure of other rides at the company's theme parks. Profits could fall from £87m to £40m this year.

7. Woman dies after being 'swallowed' by escalator

A Chinese woman has died after being "swallowed" by an escalator at a shopping centre in the city of Jingzhou. The woman, aged 30, fell through a metal panel at the top of the escalator which gave way as she reached the top. The woman managed to push her child to safety as she fell in, but onlookers were unable to stop her being pulled in.

8. Froome is first Briton to win Tour de France twice

Chris Froome has become the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France twice, with a performance so powerful it sparked allegations of doping in the French press. There were a record ten Britons in the Tour this year, with Geraint Thomas of Wales the next-highest placed at 15th. Froome last won the world-famous race in 2013.

Froome wins Tour de France: why do the French hate him?

9. Scotland: no plans for Salmond’s ‘inevitable’ referendum

After former SNP leader Alex Salmond yesterday said a second referendum on Scottish independence was “inevitable”, Scottish Secretary David Mundell MP has said no contingency plans have been made for one. A spokeswoman for first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is visiting China, said she agreed entirely with Salmond.

Scottish independence: Is IndyRef2 'dead' after election losses?

10. Briefing: the suspected 'death squad' in Brazil's police

Last weekend, 35 people were killed in execution-style shootings by balaclava-wearing gunmen in the Brazilian city of Manaus. The suspected trigger for the killings was the murder of a military police sergeant – and some detectives are beginning to suspect their own men. Even the state prosecutor general has said that evidence points to the existence of a death squad within the police.

Have Brazilian police gone rogue?