Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 20 Dec 2012

1. MITCHELL 'STITCH-UP': SECOND MAN ARRESTED

Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into whether police tried to 'stitch up' former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell over the 'plebgate' row. A police officer who claimed in an e-mail to an MP that he had heard Mitchell insulting Downing Street officers has now admitted he was not a witness. A second man was arrested on Wednesday.

2. SOUTH KOREA ELECTS 'VIRGIN QUEEN'

South Korea has elected its first woman president, conservative Park Geun-hye, 60, the daughter of the post-Korean War dictator Park Chung-hee. She had acted as his first lady after her mother was assassinated. The Times says she has cultivated the image of 'Korea's Virgin Queen', rejecting marriage to dedicate her life to the nation.

3. BBC'S EXEC PAY-OFFS SLAMMED BY MPs

The Commons Public Accounts Committee last night accused the BBC of "cavalier" use of public money in the pay-offs it had awarded fallen BBC director general George Entwistle, forced to resign over the Savile sex scandal, and other executives. Entwistle's £450,000 and payments to 10 others were "out of line with public expectations."

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Why was Entwistle paid so much and why has no one been fired?

4. HEAVY RAINS BRING FLOOD FEARS

More than 80 homes in a village in Hampshire have been evacuated after cracks appeared in a flood defence wall, as heavy rain brings more flooding to Britain. Motorists have been rescued from cars stranded by rising water and some train services in the West Country have been affected and there are now fears of travel chaos over Christmas.

Forget about a white Christmas – and prepare for a wet one

5. MAN UNITED TO FACE REAL MADRID

Arsenal, Manchester United and Celtic have all been handed difficult draws in the last 16 of the Champions League. United face the toughest task after being paired with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, and will face former player Crisitano Ronaldo. Arsenal take on German giants Bayern Munich and Celtic have been drawn with Italian champions Juventus.

Man U and Arsenal 'underdogs' after Champions League draw

6. CAMERON PROMISES WEB PORN BLOCK

David Cameron has promised that the government will pass laws for 'blocks' on internet pornography for households with children. His promise comes in an article for the Daily Mail after ministers last week appeared to reject automatic blocks, angering the Mail which had mounted a campaign to protect children from pornography.

Cameron announces porn filter to protect children's 'innocence'

7. US: BULLET-PROOF BACKPACKS SALES UP

Makers of bullet-proof backpacks for schoolchildren have reported a "surge" in sales in America following the Sandy Hook school massacre which left 20 children and six adults dead. Utah-based Amendment II, which offers backpacks built with carbon nanotube armour and decorated with Disney designs for $300, said sales had tripled in a week.

8. EXTRA £685 A DAY FOR NEW BANK GOVERNOR

The new Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will be paid a housing allowance of £685 a day when he starts the job next year, on top of a £624,000 salary and pension package, Reuters reported last night. The Bank said that Carney, currently governor of the Bank of Canada, will receive a £250,000 a year for housing his family.

Bank boss Mark Carney will get £874,000 a year: is he worth it?

9. GOLDEN EAGLE VIDEO A STUDENT HOAX

A viral video showing a golden eagle apparently swooping down to grab a toddler in a Montreal park turns out to be a hoax. Students at the Centre NAD in Montreal admitted using 3D animation to create the video as part of a simulation workshop class. The video has notched up more than five millions views on YouTube.

Birdwatchers angry as viral video is exposed as hoax

10. HOT TICKET: ANG LEE'S LIFE OF PI

The film 'Life of Pi', based on Yann Martel's best-selling novel, opens in UK cinemas today. Oscar-winner Ang Lee directs the story of teenage Pi's fight for survival after he's cast adrift in a boat with a hungry tiger. With Suraj Sharma and Gerard Depardieu. "Miraculous," says Empire.

Ang Lee's 3D adaptation of Life of Pi is 'a masterpiece'