Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 9 Feb 2019

1. Sir Philip Green 'paid employees £1m over harassment claims'

Sir Philip Green paid a female employee more than £1m in hush money after she accused him of kissing and groping her, reports the Daily Telegraph. A black male executive received £1m after Sir Philip said he was “still throwing spears in the jungle”. Sir Philip’s lawyers say he is a “passionate businessman, who can at times be over-exuberant and hot-headed”.

2. Trump hails 'very productive' talks with North Korea

Donald Trump says that Washington diplomats have held a “very productive meeting” with North Korean officials. The US President also announced his summit later this month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be held in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. “I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim & advancing the cause of peace!” he wrote on Twitter.

3. Two arrested after children die in Stafford house fire

A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence after four children died in a house fire. Staffordshire Police said a 24-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man are in custody. The the blaze in Highfields, Stafford, on Tuesday, claimed the lives of Riley Holt, eight, Keegan Unitt, six, Tilly Rose Unitt, four, and Olly Unitt, three.

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4. No confidence motion against Labour MP withdrawn

Motions of no confidence in Labour MP Luciana Berger have been withdrawn. After the MP for Liverpool Wavertree MP was critical of leader Jeremy Corbyn's stances on anti-Semitism and Brexit, local activists had accused her of “undermining” Corbyn. However, several Labour MPs took her side, describing the episode as “disgraceful” and “bullying”.

5. Health chiefs concerned over rise in young stabbings

NHS chiefs have called for action to stop sales of weapons to young people after it was revealed that hospital admissions of children and teenagers assaulted with knives or other sharp objects have increased by 55% in five years. Earlier this week it was reported that the number of stabbing deaths in the year to March 2018 was the highest since records began in 1949, with 285 people killed.

6. Ministers withdraw controversial no-deal ferries plan

The Department for Transport has cancelled a controversial contract to provide contingency ferries under a no-deal Brexit after Seaborne Freight lost financial backing from Ireland’s largest shipping company. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling pulled the plug on the deal following suggestions the Irish government may have intervened. He had been criticised when the plan was announced in December.

7. Will Trump be engulfed in Bezos/Enquirer scandal?

Donald Trump may become engulfed in the scandal involving Amazon owner Jeff Bezos and allegations of “extortion and blackmail” against the National Enquirer. The media company has admitted in the past that it suppressed potentially damaging stories to help Trump win the election. Its chief executive, David Pecker, is a longtime friend of the US President.

8. Anger as paintings by Hitler are auctioned in Nuremberg

Paintings allegedly by Adolf Hitler will be auctioned in the German city of Nuremberg today. The sale of the artworks has provoked considerable anger with one landscape attributed to the Nazi leader's hands expected to fetch at least €45,000. The city’s mayor, Ulrich Maly, has described the upcoming sale as being “in bad taste”.

9. British actor Albert Finney dies at the age of 82

The British actor Albert Finney has died aged 82 after a short illness. Finney was a five-time Oscar nominee who had his big film break as "angry young man" Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. He also starred in Tom Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, Erin Brockovich and Skyfall. He was married three times and had one child with his first wife, actress Jane Wenham.

10. Nearly half of bus routes 'under threat due to cuts'

Nearly half of bus routes are in danger of being scrapped due to a funding crisis, reports The Mirror. Some 12,700 services are at risk because their funding may have to be diverted to deal with a £652m shortfall for the free bus pass scheme. Town hall leaders say older people could end up “having a free bus pass but no bus to travel on” as a result.