Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 11 Nov 2013

1. PHILIPPINES: ‘BEDLAM’ AFTER TYPHOON

Parts of the Philippines hit by Typhoon Haiyan, which has left around 10,000 dead, are in a state of “absolute bedlam”, says the head of the Red Cross in the country. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the storm but a destroyed airport and blocked roads are making it hard for rescue workers to reach them.

Typhoon Haiyan: 10,000 dead in scenes of 'utter devastation'

2. CLOSURE OF WALK-IN CLINICS HITS NHS

The NHS regulator Monitor has revealed that nearly a quarter of the popular walk-in clinics introduced by Labour in 2000 have closed in the past three years. The watchdog is warning that the closure of the units, criticised by some as duplicating services, will make it hard for vulnerable people to get access to GPs.

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3. JOHN MAJOR: ELITISM IN UK IS ‘SHOCKING’

Sir John Major, former Tory PM, has called for more to be done to boost social mobility, describing the dominance of privately-educated, affluent elites as “truly shocking”. His remarks are expected to sting David Cameron, who has faced criticism for surrounding himself with people with a similarly privileged background.

'Toffs are still running Britain': what’s John Major up to?

4. TWO-MINUTE SILENCE FOR WWI ARMISTICE

The 95th anniversary of the armistice of WW1 was commemorated with a two-minute silence across the UK at 11am today. Services took place in churches, schools and military bases to remember service personnel who have died since the Great War. The Duke of Edinburgh is visiting battlefields in Belgium.

5. SYRIAN OPPOSITION: WE’LL ATTEND TALKS

Syria’s ‘National Coalition’, the main grouping of opposition to president Bashar al-Assad, says it will attend postponed peace talks in Geneva - if its conditions are met. The coalitions says a political transition must be a result of the talks - and wants political prisoners released and access to besieged areas for aid agencies.

6. SKY SHARES FALL AFTER BT RIGHTS WIN

Shares in BSkyB fell by 10 per cent as investors reacted to the broadcaster lost the right to screen Champions League matches from 2015. Investors were reacting to a deal announced over the weekend in which BT Sport will pay £897m over three years to show all 350 fixtures per season for three years.

BT Sport declares war on Sky with Champions League deal

7. LENNON ‘DETENTION SHEETS’ ON SALE

A list of misdemeanours punished by detentions handed out to John Lennon when he was at Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool is up for auction. The two pages, torn from an old register by a teacher in the late 70s when Lennon was a global star, list crimes including “fighting”, “shoving” and “just no interest whatsoever”.

8. MILEY CYRUS ‘LIGHTS JOINT’ AT MTV AWARDS

Publicity-courting singer Miley Cyrus has stirred up controversy by appearing to smoke a joint as she collected her award for best video at the MTV Europe Awards, given this year in Amsterdam, where smoking marijuana is tolerated. Cyrus lit a hand-rolled ‘cigarette’ after doing her signature ‘twerking’ dance with a dwarf.

Miley Cyrus steals MTV Europe awards show with 'joint'

9. SATELLITE BURNS UP ON RE-ENTRY

Scientists, who had feared that a defunct GOCE orbiter might crash land in Europe, say that the defunct one-tonne satellite has safely burnt up in the Earth's atmosphere. It had been directed towards an empty area of the Southern Ocean east of New Zealand using its last reserves of fuel.

Goce satellite Q&A: what is it and why did it crash?

10. HOT TICKET: TUCKER GREEN'S NUT AT NT

Writer-director Debbie Tucker Green's new play Nut has opened at The Shed, National Theatre. A poetic study of depression and family breakdown, it follows the life of a troubled recluse, Elayne, her divorced sister and her occasional unwelcome visitors. "Mesmerising," says Metro. Until 5 December.

Tucker Green's 'mesmerising' urban drama Nut – reviews