Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 8 Feb 2019

1. Plane crash body identified as Emiliano Sala

A body recovered earlier this week from a crashed plane on a seabed near Guernsey has been confirmed to be that of footballer Emiliano Sala. The Argentine footballer was on a light aircraft that went down in bad weather last month while taking him from Nantes to Wales for his first training session with Cardiff City. The body of pilot David Ibbotson has not been found.

2. May in Dublin for Brexit talks with taoiseach

Prime Minister Theresa May is in Dublin today for talks with her Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar. The two leaders will discuss the Irish border backstop - a sticking point for many MPs who voted against May’s Brexit deal. Varadkar has repeatedly insisted there must be a legal guarantee that there will be no hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

3. Amazon boss ‘blackmailed over nude pics’

Jeff Bezos has published emails alleged to be from an editor at the National Enquirer that threaten to release nude selfies of the Amazon founder and his former lover unless he rows back on claims that its reporting is politically motivated. The tabloid is engaged in a war of words with Bezos - owner of The Washington Post, which has criticised Donald Trump - over its coverage of his divorce, announced in January.

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4. Thai princess to run for PM against junta leader

The sister of Thailand’s monarch is to run for prime minister - an announcement that is created a “political earthquake” in the Southeast Asian nation, according to one expert. Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi will be the first member of the Thai royal family to try for office. She is standing against the leader of the military junta that took power in 2014.

5. Instagram to remove self-harm images

Social media platform Instagram has agreed to remove all graphic images showing self-harm – but will allow pictures of scars to remain online – after coming under increased pressure following the suicide of 14-year-old British schoolgirl Molly Russell. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri admitted the platform is “not where we need to be on the issues of self-harm and suicide”.

6. EE customer ‘stalked’ after data breach

Mobile phone firm EE has “sincerely apologised” to a customer who says her ex-partner stole her data while working at the firm and then used it to stalk her. By moving Francesca Bonafede’s number to another phone, the employee allegedly accessed her address and bank details. Her ex-partner was eventually arrested and given a harassment warning.

7. Woody Allen sues Amazon for film embargo

Veteran director Woody Allen is suing Amazon Studios for $68m (£52m) for its refusal to distribute his completed movie A Rainy Day in New York and its decision to abandon a four-film production and distribution arrangement. The 83-year-old says the deal was dropped because of historic abuse allegations that his lawsuit describes as “baseless”.

8. Battery-powered trams ‘could help congestion’

The UK government is proposing to cut congestion in urban areas across England by encouraging local councils to build battery-powered tram networks. A report for the Department of Transport says trams could carry four times more passengers than buses. The country’s first battery-powered tram debuted in Birmingham last year.

9. How beer before wine will not leave you fine

Researchers in Germany have found that the order in which alcoholic drinks are consumed makes no difference to the calibre of the resulting hangover - putting the lie to the old saying: “Beer before wine, you’ll feel fine.” Volunteers were tested under lab conditions, with one in ten throwing up the next day. The researchers said they only tested beer against white wine.

10. Briefing: why energy prices are about to rise

Millions of UK households will see on average a £117 rise in energy bills from April after regulator Ofgem announced an increase in its price cap on default tariffs.

Introduced in January at £1,137, the cap will rise by £117 for customers on default tariffs, including standard variable tariffs on 1 April.

Why energy prices are to rise for millions across UK