Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 28 Dec 2014

1. AIR ASIA PLANE DISAPPEARS

An AirAsia flight travelling from Indonesia to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control. Flight QZ8501, which has 162 people on board, lost contact at 07:24 (23:24 GMT), Malaysia-based AirAsia announced. The missing jet had requested a "deviation" from the flight path due to bad weather, the carrier said. A search and rescue operation is underway.

2. MILLIONS OF BRITS UNDERNOURISHED

Millions of Britons are struggling to get enough food to maintain their body weight, according to government figures. The Family Food report reveals that the poorest 10% of the population – some 6.4m people – consumed an average of 1,997 calories a day last year, compared with the average guideline figure of around 2,080 calories.

3. QUEEN NAMED ‘MOST MORAL’ LEADER

The Queen has taken the title of ‘most moral leader’ in a poll. The YouGov survey for The Sunday Times, in which respondents were asked to choose names from a list, saw 34% of people name the Queen as giving the strongest moral lead. In second came Prince William and Kate, named by 30%. Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai came third with 19%

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4. 2014 TO BE NAMED WARMEST YEAR YET

It may not seem so now as Britain shivers but 2014 was the warmest year on record, scientists are to say. Data going back to the 17th century show that 2014 has been a tenth of a degree warmer than 2006, the previous warmest. Although official confirmation will have to wait until the end of 2014, Met Office scientist Mike Kendon said: “We have seen continuous warmth throughout the year.”

5. ARREST A&E DRUNKS SAYS MEDICAL CHIEF

Drunks who clog up hospital accident and emergency wards should be arrested, says the leader of A&E doctors. Dr Cliff Mann says he wants police forces to mount campaigns against those who are drunk to prevent them diverting resources from patients who are “more deserving”. He said Britain’s growing problem of “gratuitous consumption” should not be considered “normal”.

6. BRITAIN SET FOR -10C COLD SNAP

Temperatures have dropped below freezing in parts of the UK as the Met Office predicts a cold snap that may see temperatures fall to as low as -10C in some areas. Forecaster Simon Partridge says: “Most inland areas will see temperatures of -5C to -8C and sheltered valleys in central England could get as low as -10C. Daytime maximum temperatures could be as low as 2C.”

7. NETWORK RAIL FACES FINE FOR CHAOS

Network Rail faces multi-million pound fines after tens of thousands of holiday passengers were left stranded or suffering major delays. Services were thrown into chaos as Kings Cross station was closed while Paddington was shut for much of the day. Finsbury Park station became overcrowded as Kings Cross passengers were diverted there.

8. 300 OPERATIONS CANCELLED DAILY

Hundreds of patients a day are having operations cancelled as the NHS runs out of beds, official figures show. Surgeons were forced to delay planned surgery 3,113 times in the first two weeks of December, an average of 311 each working day. This is a rise of almost 50% on the same period two years ago. Labour said the data shows that “chaos… is spreading through the NHS”.

9. GUARDS WITHDRAWN FROM POSTS

Royal Guards have been withdrawn from their high-profile posts outside palaces amid mounting fears of ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks, says the Mail On Sunday. Soldiers are no longer allowed on sentry duty alone, and are now accompanied by armed police for the first time since the height of the IRA’s campaign. The move comes after the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby and similar crimes.

10. YOUNG VOTERS TO SNUP FARAGE’S UKIP

Young voters will shun Nigel Farage, according to a new poll in The Observer. Farage is the least popular leader among first-time voters, who are over six times more likely to back the Greens than Ukip. Only 3% of young people questioned said that they intended to vote for Farage’s party, compared with 19% among voters of all ages.