Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 8 Nov 2012

1. JUSTIN WELBY 'TO BE NAMED ARCHBISHOP'

Justin Welby, a 56-year-old Old Etonian and former oil company executive, has accepted the post of Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77-million-strong Anglican Communion, according to well-sourced press reports. He has been the Bishop of Durham for only a year. His appointment will be made official tomorrow.

Justin Welby: conflict resolution specialist for a warring Church

2. WIGGINS AND SUTTON HURT IN BIKE CRASHES

Two of British cycling’s most prominent men, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins and coach Shane Sutton, have been injured in separate road accidents. Wiggins is recovering from broken ribs sustained in a collision with a van near his Lancashire home. Sutton has been diagnosed with bleeding on the brain after a bike crash in Manchester.

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Bradley Wiggins crash offers reminder of sport’s dangers

3. STOCK MARKETS FALL ON OBAMA VICTORY

Wall Street and London's Stock Exchange both fell sharply yesterday as a re-elected President Obama returned to the White House to face a looming crisis over the 'fiscal cliff', with Republicans in Congress still threatening to refuse tax increases. The Dow Jones fell 312 points, the steepest drop this year, and London's FTSE 100 fell by 93.27 points.

$64,000 question: can Obama avoid becoming a lame-duck?

4. CELTIC IN FAMOUS VICTORY OVER BARCA

In one of the biggest shocks in the history of the Champions League, Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1 last night with goals from Victor Wanyama and teenager Tony Watt. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster pulled off a string of outstanding saves to make victory possible at Celtic Park. Manchester United beat Braga 3-1 in Portugal.

Celtic stun Barcelona with historic 2-1 win in Glasgow

5. MERKEL: WHY BRITAIN MUST NOT QUIT EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Britain yesterday it would lose friends and influence if it ever left the European Union. Before a private dinner to discuss the EU budget with David Cameron at Downing Street, she said she would do everything to ensure Britain remained in Europe. Dinner was venison and "traditional German cake".

6. ASSAD: 'I WILL LIVE AND DIE IN SYRIA'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he will "live and die in Syria" just days after David Cameron said he would give the despot safe passage out of the country if it would end the bloodshed. Assad told Russian TV channel Rusiya al Yaum today: "I think that the cost of a foreign invasion of Syria - if it happens - would be bigger than the entire world can bear."

Britain takes step towards arming Syrian rebels

7. ASH TREES DISEASE DEEMED UNSTOPPABLE

Hundreds of thousands of young ash trees in nurseries and forests are being burned immediately following the 'summit' on the deadly ash die-off disease Chalara fraxinea held by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson. Chief scientific adviser Ian Boyd said "not much can be done" and Britain's ash woodlands will be lost over the coming decades.

8. SHOOTING SPREE BY LAWYER KILLS FIVE

Lawyer Dmitry Vinogradov, 30, said to be suffering from unrequited love, yesterday stormed into the Moscow offices of a pharmaceutical firm where he worked and fired numerous shotgun rounds, killing five co-workers and injuring two more, including the target of his affections. Police who took him into custody said he had been drinking for five days.

9. CAMERON AMBUSHED WITH 'TORY ABUSERS' LIST

David Cameron was handed a list of alleged Tory paedophiles live on TV today by This Morning host Philip Schofield. It was claimed that names on the piece of paper were visible momentarily to viewers. The PM cautioned against rushing to identify alleged abusers, saying: “There is a danger, if we're not careful, that this can turn into a sort of witch-hunt, particularly against people who are gay.”

Schofield ambushes Cameron with list of ‘Tory paedophiles’

10. HOT TICKET: PILGRIM'S PROGRESS REVIVAL

The English National Opera's new production of Vaughan Williams's opera 'The Pilgrim's Progress' has opened at the London Coliseum. Yoshi Oïda directs and Martyn Brabbins conducts the opera based on John Bunyan's 17th century allegory of a pilgrim's quest for salvation. "Ecstatic", says The Times. Until 28 November.

Magnificent music a triumph in Pilgrim's Progress revival