Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 28 Feb 2014

1. YANUKOVYCH BLAMES FASCIST HOOLIGANS

Viktor Yanukovych has appeared in public for the first time since going on the run last weekend. Speaking in Rostov in Russia he said the new Ukrainian parliament was "illegitimate" and blamed the revolt on "fascist hooligans". Meanwhile Ukraine's interior minister has accused Russia of an "armed invasion", after armed men took over airports in Crimea.

Ukraine rekindles Nato aspirations, angering Russia

2. NORTHERN LIGHTS SEEN ACROSS UK

The Northern Lights were seen across the UK last night, with sightings as far south as Essex. Normally only visible in the far north, the lights have been spotted in Lancashire, Tyneside, Norfolk and South Wales. The colourful display, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is caused by electrically charged particles from the Sun.

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3. WORLDWIDE FAKE SHARES CRACKDOWN

Around 110 people have been arrested in a worldwide sting led by City of London Police in the culmination of a two-year operation, the biggest ever crackdown on so-called ‘boiler room’ fraud in which gangs trick people into investing in worthless shares. Arrests were made in Spain, Serbia and the US.

Boiler room gangs targeted in 'landmark' police crackdown

4. UK 'UNRECOGNISABLE' CLAIMS FARAGE

Britain has become unrecognisable and is no longer a community fit for passing to our children and grandchildren, Ukip leader Nigel Farage told his party's spring conference today. Highlighting yesterday's jump in net migration, he urged people who support immigration controls to vote Ukip at the European elections in May.

Inept handling of Merkel visit offers Nigel Farage a field day

5. HEWITT: I APOLOGISE FOR LIBERTY 'MISTAKE'

Former Labour MP Patricia Hewitt has made her first public statement on a Daily Mail story criticising her and other Labour figures for allowing a paedophile organisation to affiliate to the National Council for Civil Liberties, later Liberty, when they worked there. Hewitt said she “got it wrong” and was “naïve”.

6. WOMAN IN COMA TOLD TO FIND WORK

The minister for disabled people, Mike Penning, has apologised after woman in a coma was told to find work by Seetec, a contractor working for the Department of Work and Pensions. Sheila Holt’s family believe her heart attack was caused by the “hounding” she received from Seetec.

7. DEAD WHALE SHOCKS KENT MOTORISTS

Motorists in Kent were stunned to see the rotting carcass of a 50ft sperm whale being driven along a busy dual carriageway on the back of a lorry yesterday. The dead whale was being taken to a landfill site, five days after it washed up on the coast near Seasalter. One driver described the smell as "something else".

8. DENNEHY GIVEN WHOLE-LIFE SENTENCE

Serial killer Joanne Dennehy has become the second person to be given a whole-life sentence this week after she was jailed for murdering three men in March last year. Mr Justice Spencer said 31-year-old Dennehy, who has been diagnosed a psychopath, had a "sadistic lust for blood". Accomplice Garry Stretch was also jailed for a minimum of 19 years.

Joanne Dennehy: what makes a female serial killer tick

9. GCHQ INTERCEPTED 'INTIMATE' WEBCAM PICS

Millions of private webcam conversations on Yahoo, many of which included nudity and sexually explicit material, were intercepted by GCHQ and American security agencies. The operation, codenamed Optic Nerve, aimed to identify targets by running an early version of facial-recognition software over the images.

GCHQ intercepted 'intimate' Yahoo webcam images

10. HOT TICKET: WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

American Gothic horror movie We Are What We Are is released in UK cinemas today. This English-language remake of a Mexican horror film tells the story of the secretive Parker family, who pass down their grisly ancient traditions to two reluctant teenage sisters. "Superb," says Total Film.

We Are What We Are - reviews of 'superb' Gothic horror film