Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 20 Jan 2015

1. IMF LOWERS GROWTH FORECAST FOR WORLD

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its forecast for growth in the world economy this year. In October, it predicted 3.8% growth for 2015 - but that has now been revised down to 3.5% growth. Weaker investment, deflation and the slower economic growth in China are all factors in the revision.

2. THE SUN ‘DROPS PAGE THREE TOPLESS MODELS’

A report in The Times says its stable-mate newspaper The Sun, has quietly dropped Page 3 - its long-running series of models posing topless - after a campaign and groundswell of public opinion. Instead, the paper has yesterday and today featured models and actresses wearing lingerie or bikinis.

Page 3: topless models make a rapid return to The Sun

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3. I.S THREAT TO KILL JAPANESE HOSTAGES

Islamic State (IS) has issued a video in which they threaten to kill two Japanese hostages. In the unverified video, a militant criticises the Japanese government for pledging aid to countries fighting the brutal organisation and demands a $200m ransom is paid. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe called the threat "unacceptable" vowed to save the two hostages

4. DOCTORS CARRY OUT TRANSPLANT FIRST

For the first time in the UK, doctor have carried out transplants using organs taken from a newborn baby. The kidneys and liver cells from a baby girl whose heart stopped beating at six days old were given to two separate recipients. The girl had suffered profound brain damage before birth.

5. CORONATION STREET ACTOR KIRKBRIDE DIES

Anne Kirkbride, who played Dierdre Barlow in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street, has died at the age of 60. Kirkbride, born in Oldham, appeared in the show for 42 years. She had been on a leave of absence from the series when she died peacefully in a Manchester hospital after a short illness.

Five things you didn't know about Corrie star Anne Kirkbride

6. EX-MI6 CHIEF CALLS FOR SURVEILLANCE DEAL

The former head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, has called for a new surveillance "compact" between internet companies and the security services. He warned that unless the two worked together then terror attacks would become a part of daily life. He admitted that an attack in Britain was inevitable, despite the efforts of the security services.

7. WEATHERMAN TALBOT GOES ON TRIAL

Former TV weatherman Fred Talbot has been described in court as a "chancer" who sexually abused five young boys while working as a teacher between the 1960s and 1980s. Prosecutor Neil Usher told the jury that Talbot used his "extrovert personality" to gain the boys trust and "gambled" that his alleged victims would find it impossible to speak out.

8. RAMSEY LOSES PUB RENT BATTLE

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey has lost a High Court battle with his estranged father-in-law over rent payments on a pub in London. Ramsay claimed Christopher Hutcheson forged his signature on the lease of a pub without his knowledge – but the court ruled that Ramsey was aware that an 'autopen', often used to sign books, had been used to sign the documents.

Gordon Ramsay: 'auto-pen' signature costs chef dear

9. CRASHED AIRASIA JET CLIMBED TOO FAST

AirAsia Flight QZ8501, which crashed on 28 December, climbed too fast before stalling. Indonesia's transport minister said the plane had ascended at 6,000ft a minute, even faster than a fighter jet. A commercial aircraft usually climbs no faster than 2,000ft per minute. The Airbus A320-200 is thought to have been trying to avoid an approaching storm.

10. BRIEFING: DO BANKERS DESERVE THEIR BONUSES?

Bankers' bonuses are on the political agenda once again, with Oxfam issuing a new warning about economic inequality as the world's business elite prepare to meet in Davos later this week. Can the dizzying sums be justified by the results they produce, or do they encourage a culture of risk-taking in the financial sector that could hurt us all?

Bankers' bonuses: can they be justified?