Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 28 Feb 2017

1. Trump to increase defence spending budget

In his first speech to Congress, President Donald Trump will today announce plans to cut spending on environmental protection and overseas aid in favour of increasing the defence budget, even though the US already spends more on its military than the next eight biggest-spending countries combined.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

2. SpaceX to fly tourists around the moon in 2018

SpaceX is to fly two private citizens around the moon next year, in the first "tourist" flight to go further than the International Space Station. Owner Elon Musk said he hopes the flight will happen in late 2018. Who the travellers are and how much they are paying has not been revealed.

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3. Tunisia victims' families to sue tour operator

The 30 Britons shot dead by a terrorist on a Tunisian tourist beach two years ago were unlawfully killed, an inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice has ruled, but Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith found that little could have been done to prevent the massacre. Relatives of the victims are to sue tour operator TUI, a lawyer representing many of the families has said.

Tunisia beach attack inquest: 30 Britons 'unlawfully killed'

4. PwC explains Oscar envelope mix-up

The Oscar mix-up that saw La La Land mistakenly win best picture, when the award should have gone to Moonlight, was down to a mix-up with the envelopes it has emerged. PriceWaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan mistakenly gave Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the back-up envelope for best actress rather than best picture.

PwC accountants 'banned' from Oscars after best picture fiasco

5. Sir Philip Green agrees BHS pension deal

Sir Philip Green, the former owner of BHS, has agreed a £363m deal to help plug the gap in the failed retailer's pension scheme. The Pensions Regulator launched enforcement action against Sir Philip and other former owners of BHS after it collapsed. Workers will get the same starting pension that they were originally promised.

Sir Philip Green's Arcadia agrees £30m deal in BHS legal battle

6. Farage wants only Ukip MP expelled from party

Nigel Farage has called for Douglas Carswell to be expelled from the party after leaked emails showed the the party's only MP did not support the former party leader's bid for a knighthood. Carswell suggested Farage complain to the Ukip parliamentary party, adding: "It won't take long – it's just me."

Nigel Farage: I could lead Ukip again

7. Blood test 'spots ovarian cancer early'

A blood test every four months on women could spot ovarian cancer early and save lives, a UK study has shown. In a trial of 4,348 women at risk of the disease, 19 cancers were spotted, ten at an early stage. The test monitors the levels of CA125 in women's blood – elevated levels are a sign of cancer.

8. Beloved hippo killed in El Salvador zoo

A much-loved hippopotamus known as Gustavito has been killed in El Salvador's national zoo. A gang appears to have entered the hippo's enclosure and beaten the animal with a variety of weapons. Gustavito died of his injuries late on Sunday.

El Salvador outraged by brutal killing of hippo Gustavito

9. Vase auctioned for 'impossible' price

A Chinese vase has been sold at auction for £810,000 - 450 times its guide price - after a bidding war between two telephone buyers in China and Japan. The wucai fish vase had been thought by auctioneers Fellows in Birmingham to be a modern copy and the original estimate had been given by the vendor.

10. Briefing: Why car insurance premiums are set to rise

The average annual car insurance policy is likely to rise by as much as £75 a year as insurance companies transfer the cost of the increased pay-outs to policyholders. Insurers are being forced to pay more in compensation to accident victims by a change in the law. The Association of British Insurers says premiums will increase on 36 million policies.

Insurance shake-up set to increase compensation – and premiums

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