Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 30 Oct 2012

1. SANDY: NY DECLARED 'MAJOR DISASTER'

New York State has been declared a 'major disaster' after superstorm Sandy swept through the East Coast. A record 13.88ft surge of sea water has left large parts of Lower Manhattan flooded. At least 16 people are dead and six million people are without electricity. In New Jersey, an entire borough is under 4m of water after a levee broke and a nuclear plant has been flooded.

Superstorm Sandy floods New York - pictures

2. LABOUR POLL LEAD UP SIX POINTS

Labour has its biggest lead over the Conservatives since the last general election, according to a poll in The Independent. It puts Labour on 44% (up six points), the Tories on 33% (down two) and the Liberal Democrats down three on 12%. Some 67% of voters agreed that David Cameron and George Osborne are out of touch with ordinary voters.

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Tories split over whether to hire Lynton Crosby to run election

3. OCCUPY WERE RIGHT, SAYS LEADING BANKER

The Occupy activists who protested against the banking system at St Paul's Cathedral were morally and analytically right, a senior official from the Bank of England has argued. Andrew Haldane told an event in London: “Occupy has been successful in its efforts to popularise the problems of the global financial system for one very simple reason; they are right."

4. PREGNANT SMOKING 'HARMS GRANDCHILDREN'

Women who smoke during pregnancy are risking the health not only of their baby but also their grandchildren, medical researchers from California have claimed. The researchers found that smoking in pregnancy can 'switch on' bad genes in the baby which it will subsequently pass on to its own offspring.

5. TWO APPLE EXECS 'ASKED TO LEAVE'

Two Apple executives have quit the tech giant after being asked to leave, according to the Wall Street Journal. Scott Forstall, the head of the company’s mobile software unit, was reportedly given his marching orders after he refused to sign his name to a public apology for the fiasco over Apple’s mapping app. John Browett, who joined Apple as head of retail from Dixons only six months ago, “failed to fit in”.

Why Apple asked two senior executives to leave

6. CLATTENBURG COULD FACE POLICE PROBE

The FA is investigating claims that Mark Clattenburg used "inappropriate language" to two Chelsea players. The Society of Black Lawyers has called for the police to launch their own investigation into the allegations. Reports this morning claim Chelsea players and officials stormed into Clattenburg's dressing room after the match to confront him.

Clattenburg row: Now Chelsea in dock over post match brawl

7. RONNIE WOOD 'TO MARRY AGAIN'

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is to marry for a third time, claims The Sun. The 65-year-old proposed to 34-year-old Sally Humphries last week, reports the paper. The couple have been dating for six months. Wood's son Jamie said Humphries is not "one of the bimbos he usually goes for", adding: " I don’t think he can keep up with bimbos anymore.”

8. BLAIR WARNS AGAINST 'TWO SPEED' EUROPE

Tony Blair has warned David Cameron not to create a "two speed" Europe that would set the European Union "on a path to break up". As Wednesday's EU budget debate looms, Blair advised Cameron against playing "short term politics" and called on Britain to take a "constructive role" in shaping the new EU.

9. NYT QUESTIONS NEW BOSS THOMPSON

For the second time in a week, a New York Times columnist has asked whether former BBC Director-General Mark Thompson is the right man to become CEO of the paper. Throughout the Jimmy Savile affair, says Joe Nocera, Thompson comes across as "wilfully ignorant", adding: "It also makes you wonder what kind of chief executive he’d be at The Times." Last week NYT Public Editor Margaret Sullivan expressed similar reservations.

Should Mark Thompson be our boss, asks NY Times (again)

10. HOT TICKET: RETURN OF ASSASSIN’S CREED

The latest instalment of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ historical action video game series is released in the UK this week. Set during the American Revolution, ‘Assassin’s Creed III’ sees a half-English, half-Mohawk hero take up the fight for the future of humanity in the ongoing Assassin-Templar war. “Exhilarating,” says The Guardian.

Assassin's Creed III set to be epic game of this generation