Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 13 Feb 2019

1. Brexit negotiator overheard touting delay

Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator, civil servant Olly Robbins, has been overheard in a Brussels bar saying MPs will be given a last-minute choice between her deal and a lengthy delay to Britain’s departure from the EU. His comments, heard by an ITV reporter, suggest the prime minister is banking on a cross-party bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

2. Couple killed in police chase were expecting child

A newlywed couple who died when their car crashed head-on into a coach after driving the wrong way up the A40 during a police chase were expecting their first child in April, it has emerged. Patrick McDonagh, 19, is alleged to have carried out an aggravated burglary in Pinner with three male accomplices. His 18-year-old wife, Shauna, was with him when he fled police on Sunday night.

3. Victims’ families denied access to Ian Brady files

Police and relatives of victims of moors murderer Ian Brady have been denied access to two locked briefcases containing his personal papers following his death in May 2017, The Times reports. The newspaper reports that investigators believe the documents could contain information on where Brady buried 12-year-old Keith Bennett in 1964. A district judge denied the application because there was no prospect of an investigation leading to a prosecution.

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4. Spain facing snap election if budget rejected

The Spanish government may be forced to call a snap election if right-wing parties and Catalan secessionists carry out their threats to reject the national budget in a key vote today. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government does not have a majority in parliament and needs the support of Catalan nationalists.

5. Trump close to accepting wall compromise

Donald Trump seems to be “leaning toward” accepting an agreement struck between Republicans and Democrats to avoid another government shutdown, even though it gives the US president only a fraction of the budget he wanted for a border wall, The Guardian claims. Trump yesterday told White House reporters: “I can’t say I’m happy. I can’t say I’m thrilled.”

6. Police survey reveals extent of staffing crisis

A survey of 18,000 officers by the Police Federation of England and Wales has found that 90% believe their forces are understaffed, 79% have experienced stress or anxiety in the last year and 61.7% suffer a traumatic incident at least once year. Federation representative Che Donald said the findings should be a “red flag” to the Government.

7. Drug lord ‘El Chapo’ found guilty in US

Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been found guilty on all ten counts at his drug-trafficking trial at a federal court in New York. The 61-year-old was extradited to the US in 2017, a year after he escaped from a Mexican prison through a tunnel, and now faces spending the rest of his life in jail.

8. Rare tiger dies in fight at safari park

A rare Amur tiger has died in a fight with two other tigers at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire. The 13-year-old female had lived there since 2006 but was not supposed to be in the same enclosure as the animals that killed her. The park was not open to the public at the time of the killing, which is being investigated by Longleat bosses.

9. Papua New Guinea appeals for missing cars

The government of Papua New Guinea says it is still waiting for the return of nearly 300 cars imported for the recent Apec summit and loaned to officials. Although 40 luxury Maseratis and three Bentleys have been recovered, 284 other vehicles are missing. Importing the cars for the summit sparked nationwide protests over the cost.

10. Briefing: the history of blackface

More than a third of Americans believe it is not offensive for a white person to wear make-up to appear black, according to a new survey.

A total of 15% of poll respondents said that wearing blackface is always acceptable for Halloween, while a further 19% said it was sometimes acceptable, reports CNN.

Why Little Britain has been shelved over blackface backlash