Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 28 Jan 2015

1. JAPAN CONDEMNS I.S MURDER THREAT

Japan’s PM, Shinzo Abe, has condemned a new video released by Sunni fighters Islamic State (IS) in which they threaten to kill Japanese hostage Kenji Goto and a Jordanian pilot within 24 hours as “despicable”. Public opinion is divided in Japan on whether a ransom should be paid to secure the journalist's freedom.

Japan condemns 'despicable' Islamic State hostage threat

2. APPLE: BIGGEST PROFIT IN HISTORY

Apple’s profits for the three months up to 27 December are the biggest ever made by any company in one quarter, says analyst Standard and Poor’s. The tech giant made $18bn net profit, $2.1bn more than the previous record, set by ExxonMobil in 2012. Soaring sales of iPhones are behind the spike, while iPad sales fell.

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3. LABOUR ACCUSES CAMERON OVER NHS

The NHS dominated Prime Minister's Questions today with Labour accusing David Cameron of "running from his record" and claims that the government is trying to make it harder for hospitals to declare a crisis to avoid media attention. There have also been claims that 3,000 doctors were hired from overseas last year because of staff shortages.

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4. GARY GLITTER SOBS IN COURT OVER CHILD PORN

Disgraced pop star Gary Glitter wept in court today as he explained why he was caught with child pornography. The 70-year-old, whose real name in Paul Gadd, is on trial accused of abusing three girls between 1975 and 1980. He said he had the images, discovered on his computer in 1999, because he had been in "a bad place" in his life. "I am so sorry," he told the court.

5. SNOW WARNINGS FOR SCOTLAND AND NORTH

The Met Office has issued warnings of snow showers today and tomorrow in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. Five inches are expected on higher ground and one to three lower down. The heaviest showers are expected overnight, which may cause commuters trouble on Thursday morning.

6. LITVINENKO: HAZARD AT POST-MORTEM

A pathologist has told the public inquiry into the 2006 death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned by radioactive polonium, has been told that his post-mortem was probably "the most dangerous ever undertaken in the Western world". Yesterday Vladimir Putin was accused of authorising his poisoning and described as a "common criminal".

7. TESCO ANNOUNCES 43 STORE CLOSURES

Tesco has announced which stores it is closing this year as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The closures will affect at least 2,000 staff across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Seven Tesco Supertores, 18 Tesco Express, 12 Tesco Metro, six Tesco Homeplus are to shut. The closures will take place between 15 March and 4 April.

8. NEW PM SAYS GREECE WILL NOT DEFAULT

New Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras says the country will not default on its debts. He addressed his first cabinet meeting since his party Syriza, emerged from Sunday's election just two seats short of an overall majority. Tsipras said he would negotiate with creditors over the Greek bailout. However the Greek stockmarket fell 7.5% on Wednesday morning.

9. ALL-FEMALE CAST OF GHOSTBUSTERS NAMED

Director Paul Feig has revealed the four leads in his upcoming remake of 1980s classic film comedy Ghostbusters. The original film starred four men; Feig’s version features Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, who appeared together in Bridesmaids, with Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.

Ghostbusters: Kristen Wiig to lead all-female movie reboot

10. BRIEFING: NEW DOC TAKES ON SCIENTOLOGY

Going Clear, a documentary from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, aims to shed new light on the controversial Scientology movement, which critics describe as a cult. The film, which features testimony from former and current Scientologists, has been dismissed by the group as the work of "perjurers and liars".

Going Clear: Sky to air controversial Scientology documentary