Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 31 Dec 2014

1. TONY BLAIR: TORIES WILL WIN ELECTION

Tony Blair says the Tories will win the next general election unless Ed Miliband moves Labour from the left to the centre ground. The former Labour PM said May’s poll could be one "in which a traditional left-wing party competes with a traditional right-wing party, with the traditional result". Under Miliband, Labour has adopted policies which have alienated the business community.

2. NEW YEAR HONOURS LIST REVEALED

Two Hillsborough campaigners, Joan Collins, Kristen Scott Thomas, John Hurt and James Corden are among those named in the New Year Honours list. Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said she considers her CBE as an apology from the establishment. Esther Rantzen became a dame for her work as founder of ChildLine.

3. TODDLER SHOOTS HIS MUM AT WAL-MART

An American woman was killed as her two-year-old son accidentally shot her with a gun he found in her handbag. The 29-year-old woman was was shot in a Wal-Mart in Hayden, a town in Idaho. Witnesses and closed circuit video surveillance from the store helped police determine the shooting was accidental, said a US broadcaster.

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4. ‘CHAOTIC’ EBOLA SCREENING SLAMMED

Britain’s screening procedures for Ebola are to be reviewed after infected nurse Pauline Cafferkey was allowed to travel from London to Glasgow despite raising concerns. Cafferkey told officials at Heathrow airport she felt unwell but was allowed to continue her journey. She was diagnosed in hospital the next day. Another passenger on her flight described the screening as "chaotic".

5. ITALIAN FERRY CREW ‘BAILED OUT’

The crew of the stricken Italian ferry have been accused of “bailing out” before the passengers, reports The Times. Nick Channing-Williams, the British showjumper who survived the disaster said: “From what I understood, some of the crew members bailed out at the beginning.” He added that they “got off with the first lifeboats”.

6. UN REJECTS PALESTINIAN MOTION

The UN security council has rejected a resolution demanding Israel ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories within three years. The draft resolution, put forward by the Palestinians, was one vote short of being adopted. "We voted against it because… peace must come from hard compromises that occur at the negotiating table," said a US official.

7. MAN JAILED FOR EATING RARE TIGERS

A man in China has been jailed for 13 years for buying and eating endangered tigers and making wine out of their blood, says The Guardian. The man arranged three trips to the southern province of Guangdong last year to buy the tigers, which he took to his home region of Guangxi. “If anyone asks, say it is beef, horse or big cat meat,” he told friends.

8. STORM HAMPERS AIRASIA SEARCH

Poor weather conditions have hampered efforts to locate victims and wreckage from AirAsia flight QZ8501. Indonesian search and rescue officials have already confirmed that remains and debris found in the waters off Borneo are from the plane. The authorities say that seven bodies have been retrieved. However, strong winds and high waves are stalling rescue efforts.

9. MAN FALLS FIVE FLOORS AT STORE

A man in his twenties is in hospital after falling 50ft from the escalator at the Peter Jones department store. Eye witnesses reported screams as the man fell five storeys to the ground floor of the crowded Sloane Square outlet. One said the man had “thrown himself backwards” off the escalator. He was taken by ambulance to St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.

10. WENGER CALLS FOR DIVING PANEL

Arsene Wenger has called for the creation of an independent panel with the power to issue retrospective bans for players who dive. The Gunners boss says the panel should be made up of people with "experience in the game" to punish "obvious cases". He said: "I am against diving, but the only way players will stop doing it is if they can get punished.”