Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 24 Dec 2014

1. HIGH STREET SALES TO REACH £342BN IN 2014

The Office for National Statistics has predicted 2014 will be an all-time high for sales, with a huge £342bn spent on high streets around the country and online, once Christmas figures are factored in. If so, that will be an increase of £48bn since 2010. Pre-Christmas sales are up 5.2% on last year.

2. SERVICE MARKS BIN LORRY CRASH DEAD

A special service is to be held in Glasgow today to mark the deaths of six people, killed when a bin lorry careered out of control onto the pavement in the busy city centre. Three of the dead were from one family. The driver is in hospital. Witnesses say he was slumped over the wheel as the crash happened.

Glasgow bin lorry crash: service held to remember six victims

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3. CAMERON STRESSES HIS ‘CHRISTIAN VALUES’

David Cameron’s Christmas message to the UK stresses his commitment to “Christian values”. He says Britons should be proud of “giving, sharing and taking care of others” at home and abroad. Ed Miliband based his message on the famous 1914 Christmas truce between German and UK soldiers.

Christmas messages from world leaders – 2014

4. EX-PRESIDENT BUSH SENIOR IN HOSPITAL

George Hunter Walker Bush, president of the US from 1989 to 1993, has been taken to hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. The 90-year-old’s spokesman said the move was a “precaution” and he would be “held for observation”. Barack Obama sent his “good wishes” to Bush Sr and his family.

5. OBAMA HAILS SONY AS THEY SCREEN NK FILM

Barack Obama has praised Sony Pictures for a U-turn decision to screen The Interview, albeit in a limited number of cinemas, on Christmas Day in the US. Sony had cancelled the film’s release after the major cinema chains pulled out because of terror threats made because the film satirises dictator Kim Jon-un.

Obama praises Sony move to release North Korea film

6. POLICE SHOOT BLACK TEENAGER IN ST LOUIS

Another black teenager has been shot dead by police in St Louis, Missouri. Antonio Martin was gunned down in Berkeley, the suburb next to Ferguson, where Michael Brown was shot in August. There were protests and reports of looting after the 18-year-old's death. Police say he pointed a handgun at officers at a petrol station.

7. BONHAM CARTER AND TIM BURTON SPLIT UP

A publicist for actress Helena Bonham Carter and director Tim Burton has confirmed the couple split up earlier this year, saying they “continue to be friends and co-parent their children”. The pair, who were not married, have been together for 13 years and collaborated on films including Alice in Wonderland.

8. HEDGEHOG 999 CALL WAS ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’

Greater Manchester Police have released a recording of a 999 call they say was “irresponsible”. The caller says he is “a bit scared” about having a hedgehog in his garden. The handler reassures him the “natural inhabitant of the British Isles … won't harm you”. There was also a call about a late pizza delivery.

9. I.S CAPTURES SHOT DOWN JORDANIAN PILOT

A Jordanian pilot has been captured by Islamic State militants after his plane was shot down over Syria during a US-led air strike. The group claimed the plane had been downed by a heat-seeking missile near Raqqa. It published pictures of the pilot, identified as Flight Lieutenant Moaz Youssef al-Kasasbeh, being dragged from what appears to be a lake.

10. HOT TICKET: SCOTT'S BIBLE EPIC EXODUS

Ridley Scott's biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings opens in UK cinemas this week. Christian Bale stars as Moses, an adopted Egyptian general who discovers his true identity and leads an uprising to free Egypt's Hebrew slaves. "Spectacular and surprising," says Empire.

Exodus: Gods and Kings – reviews of 'eye-popping' epic