Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 4 Feb 2019

1. Sala plane wreckage found

The wreckage of the light aircraft that crashed while transporting Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala to Wales for his first training session with Cardiff City has been found on the seabed near Guernsey, by a team hired by his family. Accident investigators are expected to use a submersible to inspect the wreckage. Sala’s father told the press: “This is a dream. A bad dream.”

2. Brexit: MPs discuss alternatives for Ireland

MPs, ministers and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay today start three days of discussions on an alternative to the Irish backstop, the clause in Theresa May’s Brexit plans that has proved unpopular with the DUP and Leavers. Irish leader Leo Varadkar told national broadcaster RTE that the UK is “going back” to ideas which have “already been rejected”.

3. Trump: ‘something special’ in race issues

Donald Trump has told US broadcast CBS that he believes “something very special” is happening in race relations under his administration, adding that African-Americans “like me a lot and I like them a lot”. The president also claimed that the number of sports professionals kneeling during the national anthem in protest at police brutality has dropped as a result of criminal justice reforms.

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4. Hermes couriers offered ‘gig economy’ deal

Couriers working for Hermes have been offered a new employment status that the GMB union says could be “groundbreaking” for the gig economy. Under the deal, struck with the GMB, parcel workers can opt for “self-employed plus” status, under which they get paid holiday and a minimum pay rate in return for following certain rules.

5. Debenhams ‘may close 20 stores this year’

Debenhams may bring forward the closure of 20 of its department stores to this year, after announcing last year that 50 of its outlet would shut over a three- to five-year period, putting 4,000 jobs at risk. The chain is now exploring a company voluntary agreement (CVA), which would allow rental rates to be renegotiated with landlords, as well as speeding up plans to shut shops. The talks come ahead of a quarterly rent payment, due on 25 March.

6. Ketamine use increasing among young

The number of police seizures of the horse tranquilliser ketamine has increased for a third year in a row. Newly released Home Office figures show the number of confiscations increased by 30% in 2018 compared with the previous year. The increased use of the drug by young people comes amid a general reduction in drug seizures.

7. Staff shortage leads to 35,000 train cancellations

A total of 35,030 rail services have been cancelled in the past year because of staff shortages, The Times reports. The newspaper says its analysis will add weight to claims that train operators are running the national network “on the cheap”. The figure increased by more than a third in a year and represents a fivefold rise from six years earlier.

8. Snow and sleet disruption as temperatures rise

Weather forecasters have warned that snow and sleet could cause further disruption for commuters today, particularly in Scotland. However, temperatures across the country are rising following the recent cold snap, which saw temperatures dipping as low as -11.7C in Northumberland on Saturday night.

9. Atlanta rapper 21 Savage ‘really from UK’

Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage has been arrested by immigration officials who say the 26-year-old is really British and has overstayed his US visa. The MC, real name Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, has spoken of his life growing up around guns and drugs in the US city, in Georgia – but officials say he is a UK national whose visa expired in 2006.

10. Briefing: will there be a Peterborough by-election?

Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya was yesterday sentenced to three months in prison for lying to avoid a speeding ticket.

The Labour party expelled her last month and has already started campaigning in the key marginal seat. But will there actually be a by-election?

Peterborough by-election: who is in the running?