Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 7 Jan 2015

1. YEMEN: SANAA BOMB KILLS DOZENS

A suspected suicide bomber has killed dozens in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Witnesses described bodies scattered in the streets after the blast outside a police college. The explosion was heard across the city. The security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since its 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ popular rising.

2. LABOUR CALLS FOR A&E SUMMIT

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has called on the government to hold an urgent summit to discuss alleviating pressure on A&E services. New figures show the NHS has missed the four-hour waiting time target. Burnham said local government, emergency services and NHS staff should be involved.

3. CAMERON DISCUSSES EU WITH MERKEL

EU reforms and the economy were the main topics discussed by the UK and German leaders today as David Cameron and Angela Merkel met in Downing Street. Labour has complained it was not told of the visit in advance - and it is understood that Merkel did not ask to meet Ed Miliband.

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David Cameron meets Angela Merkel: what's on the agenda?

4. OLDHAM TO SIGN RAPIST CHED EVANS

Convicted rapist Ched Evans is set to be unveiled as an Oldham United player after the club's sponsors were told to prepare for an announcement on Thursday. One of Oldham's backers, Verlin Rainwater Solutions, has ended its association with the club as a result. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition calling on the club not to sign him.

5. 12 DEAD IN PARIS MAGAZINE GUN ATTACK

Twelve people have been killed in a gun attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Three men armed with Kalashnikovs walked into the building at around midday local time and opened fire. The magazine has been at the centre of controversy in the past after publishing images of the Prophet Mohammed and was firebombed in 2011.

Charlie Hebdo suspects dead as police free hostages

6. AIR ASIA CRASH: TAIL FOUND IN JAVA SEA

The tail of the crashed Air Asia plane, flight QZ8501, has been discovered in the Java Sea by divers and unmanned underwater vehicles. It is hoped the tail will still contain the black box flight recorders. Only 40 bodies have been recovered so far. The plane went down on 28 December with 162 people on board.

7. EARTH-LIKE PLANET FOUND BY KEPLER

The Kepler space telescope has been used to spot a further eight ‘exoplanets’ - planets which orbit a star other than our own Sun - and one of them is the most similar to our own Earth yet discovered. Astronomers say Kepler 438b is 12% larger than our home planet - and is also slightly warmer.

Alien earth 'could support life', but what is Kepler 438b like?

8. DOG LEFT IN STATION WITH SUITCASE

The Scottish SPCA is attempting to trace the owner who abandoned a Shar-Pei crossbreed dog outside Ayr station on 2 January. The animal was left tied to a railing with a suitcase containing his pillow, toy, food bowl and food supply. The charity has reminded owners it is an offence to abandon a pet.

9. ENERGY PRICES SEND EU INTO DEFLATION

The eurozone has slipped into deflation according to new figures which show that prices in December were 0.2% lower than in the same month in 2013. The fall was prompted by lower energy costs caused by the collapsing price of oil. Prices rose by 0.6% if energy is taken out of the equation, but the results still increase pressure on the EU to act.

10. HOT TICKET: THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Biopic The Theory of Everything, which tells the tale of Stephen Hawking's marriage to his wife Jane, has opened in UK cinemas. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones star as the couple as they come to terms with his illness and the impact of his ground-breaking research. "Compassionate and inspiring," says Empire.

The Theory of Everything – reviews of Hawking biopic