Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 28 Dec 2012

1. GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF DIES

General Norman Schwartzkopf, the US general who commanded the allied forces in the 1991 Gulf War, has died at the age of 78 in Tampa, Florida. Nicknamed ‘Stormin’ Normin’, he became a household name when he led Operation Desert Storm, the campaign that pushed Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait.

2. THATCHER WAS READY FOR FALKLANDS DEAL

Margaret Thatcher was prepared to consider a deal with Argentina over the status of the Falkland Islands, newly released papers show. The British PM was put under intense pressure by the US following the 1982 invasion and was considering a "more flexible approach" to Argentina’s claim to sovereignty.

3. 2012 IS WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD

It’s official: 2012 is the wettest year in England on record and the downpour is set to continue through the weekend. The Met Office says a sodden Boxing Day pushed the year’s average rainfall past all previous records and "nearly a month’s rain" will fall in certain areas this weekend.

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4. SPIDERMAN’S PETER PARKER BOWS OUT

Spoiler alert: fans of Spiderman’s alter ego, Peter Parker, should stop reading now. The character has been "killed off" in the final issue of 'The Amazing Spiderman' comic series causing outrage among devoted fans. Spiderman writer Dan Slott joked he may have to go into hiding after news of Parker’s demise leaked on the internet this week.

5. CALL FOR QUOTA ON WOMEN DIRECTORS

Quotas are needed to get more women directors onto the boards of UK companies, the head of the TUC says. Frances O’Grady, the first woman to lead the trade union organisation, says the only way to break the continuing male domination of boardrooms is for the government to step in and impose a quota system.

6. KATE WINSLET GETS MARRIED AGAIN

Actress Kate Winslet has married for the third time, it was confirmed yesterday. Her new husband is a nephew of Sir Richard Branson called Ned RocknRoll (he changed his name from Abel Smith). The couple met on Necker Island, and were there together when Branson’s luxury home was destroyed by fire in August 2011.

7. LANZA’S DNA TESTED FOR ABNORMALITIES

The DNA of Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who shot 20 children and 6 adults dead at a Connecticut school, is to be tested for "abnormalities". Researchers at the University of Connecticut will examine the killer’s genetics for signs of any mutations that could "foretell a propensity toward violence".

8. MAN PUSHED ONTO SUBWAY TRACKS

Just weeks after shocking photographs of a man who was pushed onto the tracks of the New York subway outraged and sickened the city, another traveller has died in similar circumstances. The latest death occurred when a man was pushed onto the tracks at a station in Sunnyside, Queens, by an unidentified woman who has not yet been caught.

9. ROVERS MANAGER FIRED AFTER 57 DAYS

Blackburn Rovers have fired their new manager, Henning Berg, after only 57 days in the job. The Norwegian, who as a player helped Rovers win the Premier League in 1995, took over the club from Steve Kean on 31 October and has managed only one win in ten games since. The 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day was the last straw.

10. PEEING IN POOL IS NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL

Olympic champion Michael Phelps caused outrage during the London Olympics when he revealed that top swimmers often relieve themselves in the water. Now a scientist has weighed in on the argument revealing the activity does not pose a health risk because urine is "essentially sterile". US biochemist Stuart Jones said: "Urine is largely just salts and water with moderate amounts of protein and DNA breakdown products."