Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 26 Dec 2014

1. MET OFFICE WARNS OF SNOW DISRUPTION

Severe weather warnings are in place for Boxing Day, with the Met Office expecting a cold snap of several days’ duration to begin with snowfall across Northern Ireland, central and northern England and parts of southern Scotland. In places precipitation will fall as rain, with snow and disruption on higher ground.

2. UNION SLAMS XMAS DAY CITY LINK CLOSURE

The RMT union has criticised yesterday’s announcement that parcel delivery firm City Link has gone into administration as “disgraceful”. General secretary Mick Cash said it was “shocking” that the news was sprung on workers on Christmas Day after deliveries for the festive period had been completed.

3. SWEDEN: FIVE HURT IN MOSQUE ARSON ATTACK

Five people have been hurt in a case of suspected arson on a mosque in Sweden. The attack took place in Eskilstuna, 55 miles west of Stockholm. A witness saw somebody throw an object through a window, after which the blaze broke out. Around 20 people were on the ground floor at the time of the fire.

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4. TSUNAMI MEMORIALS AFTER TEN YEARS

Nations hit by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed more than 200,000, are remembering their dead on the tenth anniversary of the disaster, caused by an underwater earthquake. Memorial services are being held in Indonesia, with the largest taking place at the Great Mosque in Banda Aceh.

5. PILOT’S FATHER BEGS I.S TO ‘TREAT HIM WELL’

The father of a Jordanian pilot taken hostage by Sunni militant group IS (Islamic State) has renewed a plea for his release. In a video message, Youssef al-Kasaesbeh urged the group to “treat him well” because he was their “guest”. Lt Moaz al-Kasaesbeh was captured after his jet crashed in Syria on Wednesday.

6. BOXING DAY WON’T BEAT BLACK FRIDAY

Millions of shoppers are expected to spend money on the high streets and online today in the Boxing Day sales - but the day is not expected to trump ‘Black Friday’ in early December for total spending. Some analysts predict shoppers will spend £748m in the UK today - equivalent to £519,000 every minute of the day.

7. QUEEN’S MESSAGE: RECONCILIATION

The Queen’s Christmas Day speech yesterday focused on reconciliation, saying it was needed in Scotland to heal the divide caused by the failed independence referendum - but already working Northern Ireland, which she visited in June. She wore a diamond and pearl broach inherited from her grandmother, Queen Mary.

8. GIRL ‘TOO SCARED’ TO BE SUICIDE BOMBER

A 13-year-old girl was shown to the media by Nigerian police yesterday and made to tell an unverifiable story, without a lawyer present, of how she was allegedly told to detonate a suicide vest in a busy market after her father “gave” her to Islamist group Boko Haram. She said she was “too scared” to comply.

9. OLYMPIC CYCLISTS REVEAL ENGAGEMENT

Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, cyclists who each won two gold medals for Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics, have announced their engagement. The two went public about their relationship during the 2012 games. Trott broke the news of their engagement via Twitter on Christmas Day morning.

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.