Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 29 Jan 2019

1. Tory rebels ‘will reject’ May’s Plan B

MPs are voting today on a series of proposed amendments to Theresa May’s Brexit plan. The prime minister has told Tories to back Sir Graham Brady’s amendment, which would send her to Brussels to seek changes on the backstop plan for the Irish border. However, The Times says Tory rebels intend to defy her.

2. Huawei fighting criminal charges in US

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has denied wrongdoing and expressed “disappointment” after US prosecutors brought criminal charges including bank fraud, obstruction of justice and industrial espionage. The firm’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada last month and is currently wearing an electronic tag.

3. Snow and ice to hit Britain today

The Met Office is warning Britons that snow and ice will affect most of the country today. England, Wales and western and central Scotland will be hit by freezing temperatures and up to four inches of snow. The bad weather is expected to last until the middle of Wednesday, with more cold weather expected in February, forecasters say.

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4. Apple scrambles to fix FaceTime bug

Tech giant Apple is scrambling to fix a bug in its FaceTime video-calling software that allows users to hear audio of the person they are calling irrespective of whether they pick up. The glitch means also users can see video of the person being called. Apple will release a fix this week.

5. Ex-prisoner sues over PTSD from rats

A former inmate of London’s Wormwood Scrubs is suing the Ministry of Justice after allegedly developing PTSD as a result of an infestation of rats in his prison cell. The 71-year-old, who served a short sentence for benefit fraud, says he suffered depression and nightmares after the rodents ran over his body in the night.

6. Persistent sore throat ‘can be sign of cancer’

New research suggests that GPs should consider investigating patients for cancer if they have a persistent sore throat combined with shortness of breath, trouble swallowing or earache. At the moment, only patients with hoarseness or an unexplained neck lump are investigated for the disease. A sore throat on its own is not linked to cancer.

7. Woman trapped in billionaire’s lift for weekend

A domestic worker spent the entire weekend trapped in her billionaire employer’s town house lift in Manhattan, it has emerged. Marites Fortaliza entered the elevator on Friday evening and was only freed by firefighters at 10am local time on Monday. She is said to be dehydrated but unharmed by her ordeal in the home of investment banker Warren Stephens.

8. Palace staff block online abuse of duchesses

Kensington Palace staff are spending several hours a week screening and blocking racist, sexist and threatening comments from the royal Instagram account, it has emerged. The staff are using tools supplied by the social network after rival fans of the duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge turned abusive. Some of the worst abuse is directed at Meghan Markle.

9. Indonesia: rare fruit on sale for £750

The durian fruit is much-loved in Southeast Asia, despite having a strong odour that has been likened to rotting meat. Now, a new variety is on sale in Indonesia for an eye-watering $1,000 (£761) per fruit - three times the country’s average monthly wage. The creator of the so-called J-Queen durian claims its trees only flower once every three years and has a “peanut and butter taste”.

10. Briefing: what is France’s ‘red scarves’ movement?

Thousands of people have been protesting against the actions of the anti-government “yellow vest” movement.

The so-called red scarves, or foulards rouges, are demanding an end to the violence witnessed at yellow vest (gilets jaunes) rallies.

What is France’s ‘red scarves’ movement?