Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 19 Nov 2013

1. TORONTO MAYOR STRIPPED OF POWERS

Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto who admitted smoking crack and has been filmed entertaining a prostitute and abusing aides, has had most of his powers removed but refuses to quit as mayor. At a stormy debate where he accidentally pushed over a 60-year-old female councillor, he vowed to remain in office and fight.

Rob Ford knocks over granny as he loses powers - video

2. HOSPITALS TO PUBLISH STAFFING LEVELS

English hospitals must publish their staffing levels, as part of the government’s response to the inadequate care uncovered by the Stafford Hospital scandal. From April, patients will be able to check a new website to see if their hospital has enough nurses on the wards to meet recommended minimum safety levels.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Jeremy Hunt: NHS hospitals must publish staffing levels

3. SARDINIA HIT BY A POWERFUL CYCLONE

At least 17 people have died and hundreds have been evacuated from their homes, after a powerful cyclone swept across the island of Sardinia. The Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has declared a state of emergency and described the event as a "national tragedy".

4. WORD OF THE YEAR IS ‘SELFIE’, SAYS OED

Oxford Dictionaries, the group behind the OED, has named ‘selfie’ - meaning a self-portrait photo - as the word of the year for 2013. The neologism grew in frequency of use in English by 17,000 per cent in the past year, they said. They also cited ‘twerk’, a type of sexy dance, and ‘binge-watch’, referring to TV viewing.

'Selfie' is Oxford Dictionaries' 2013 word of the year

5. BODY HAD BEEN IN WELL FOR TWO YEARS

Police in Surrey say the body found in a well in a suburban garden last week by workmen had been there for at least two years. They also said the white man had injuries consistent with being beaten. He had been tied up before being placed in the well. Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and bailed.

6. MONTY PYTHON: STAGE REUNION ON CARDS

Comedy group Monty Python are planning to reunite, three decades after their last live performance together. John Cleese, 74, Terry Gilliam, 72, Terry Jones, 71, Eric Idle, 70, and Michael Palin, 70, have all agreed to the reunion, which looks likely to take the form of a stage show.

Monty Python reunion: comedy group not dead - just resting

7. MANHUNT IN PARIS AFTER JOURNALIST SHOT

Police in Paris are searching for a man who shot and critically injured a photographer’s assistant at the offices of a newspaper, Liberation. It is believed the same man also shot at receptionists at the Societe General bank and also forced a driver to take him from the scene. He may be armed with hand grenades.

Police scour Paris for gunman who blasted photographer

8. WOMAN ADMITS KILLING THREE MEN

Joanna Dennehy, 30, startled her defence team at the Old Bailey yesterday when she unexpectedly pled guilty to murdering three men, and the attempted murder of two others, over a property dispute. She appeared in the dock with her boyfriend, Gary Richards, charged with leaving the men’s bodies in ditches.

Serial killer Joanna Dennehy admits to killing three men

9. CO-OP CHAIR QUITS OVER 'DRUG SCANDAL'

The chairman of the Co-operative Group, Len Wardle, has quit in the wake of the alleged drug scandal surrounding former banking chairman Paul Flowers. Wardle admitted that “serious questions” had been raised about Flowers’ appointment in 2010 after a video emerged which appeared to show him [Flowers] buying illegal drugs.

Co-op chairman Len Wardle quits over Paul Flowers 'drug scandal'

10. HOT TICKET: LEGEND OF ZELDA RETURNS

The latest instalment of the popular Legend of Zelda video game series is released in the UK this week. Link Between Worlds for Nintendo 3DS consoles follows the adventures of boy-hero Link as he explores dungeons, fights evil and protects princesses in two realms. "Magical," says The Observer.

'Magical' Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds - reviews