Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 20 Feb 2017

1. Lords to debate May's Article 50 bill

The House of Lords will today start debating the Brexit bill introduced by Theresa May, which gives her the right to trigger the UK's withdrawal from the EU by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The government does not have a majority in the Lords but the bill is expected to win support – though peers may want to amend it first.

What is Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – and will it be delayed by the House of Lords?

2. English councils warn of cuts to services

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that almost every local authority in England is planning to raise council tax – and to make "deep cuts" to services. The LGA says the increasing numbers of elderly people requiring support are stretching budgets. Councils are planning rises of up to 4.99% and cuts to libraries and bin collections.

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3. Officials dispute 'NHS at breaking point' claim

Officials in the Department of Health are disputing some of the key findings in a report by the British Medical Association (BMA) which warns the NHS in England is at "breaking point". However, figures show a deficit of nearly £900m was racked up by NHS trusts in the first nine months of the 2016-17 financial year.

4. Borrowing and growth 'both better than expected'

The EY Item Club, an independent economic forecasting group sponsored by Ernst & Young, is predicting that the Chancellor's March budget will be informed by better-than-expected growth and borrowing. The Club says it expects the Office for Budget Responsibility to cut its borrowing forecast for this year by £3bn to £65bn.

5. Iraq resumes assault on IS stronghold Mosul

The Iraqi army has resumed its assault on west Mosul today, the second day of its attack on the last major stronghold of Islamic State (IS) in the country, where as many as 650,000 civilians are feared to be trapped. Several villages were seized yesterday as the assault began. The eastern half of the city was taken from IS last month after heavy fighting.

Iraqi army launches offensive to retake west Mosul from Islamic State

6. UKIP officials quit over Hillsborough claims

Two senior UKIP officials have left the party, accusing leader Paul Nuttall of being "unprofessional" and donor Arron Banks of "crass insensitivity" over claims about the Hillsborough disaster. Nuttall apologised last week for suggesting that he had lost friends in the disaster, but the chairmen of the Liverpool and Merseyside branches have quit.

7. Trump attempts to clarify Sweden remarks

US President Donald Trump has tried to clarify remarks he made at a rally on Saturday which implied there had been a terrorist incident in Sweden on Friday. Trump said he had been referring to a Fox News programme which looked at immigration and crime in Sweden. His remarks prompted mirth and confusion from Swedes.

Donald Trump sued by two states over business links

8. Attenborough returns for Blue Planet II

Sir David Attenborough is to present a seven-part natural history series on the world's oceans and marine animals, a sequel to 2001's The Blue Planet. The BBC's natural history unit has spent four years filming for the new programme, which will be shown later this year on BBC One. Innovations include suction cameras on the backs of orcas.

9. Ice-bound ship to drift over North Pole

Germany plans to sail an Arctic research ship into the polar ice and allow it to become locked in, so that it drifts over the North Pole. The 1,550-mile trip is expected to start in 2019 and take around one year. Scientists believe they will gather valuable new insights into the region where "Earth's climate is changing fastest", says the BBC.

Why scientists want to lock ship in ice to drift across North Pole

10. Briefing: Earth's hidden eighth continent

Geologists are calling for a land mass submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean to be recognised as Earth's eighth continent. Scientists first detected signs of a mystery land mass in the 1990s and gave it the name Zealandia, as it lies in the area around New Zealand and includes the country's two main islands. The other 94 per cent lies deep beneath the waves.

Zealandia: Is this Earth's hidden eighth continent?