Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 30 Jan 2015

1. I.S KILLS AT LEAST 30 IN EGYPT'S SINAI

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has cut short a visit to an African Union summit in Ethiopia after the deaths of at least 30 soldiers and police officers in the Sinai Peninsula. Islamist militants affiliated to Islamic State (IS) attacked targets in El-Arish with car bombs and rockets, while other attacks took place in Rafah, near Gaza, and Sheik Zuwayid.

Sinai attacks: Islamist militants kill 26 in Egyptian peninsula

2. BURGLARS JAILED FOR SAVAGE BEATING

Four burglars who savagely beat a university lecturer after forcing their way into his London home have been jailed for a total of 64 years. Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 24, were sentenced to 19 years and Oskar Pawlowicz, 30, and Dawid Tychon, 29, 13 years. Paul Kohler needed facial reconstruction and was left "unrecognisable" by the attack.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

3. ICE WARNINGS AFTER ‘THUNDERSNOW’

The Met Office has warned of danger on UK roads as fallen snow freezes into ice after ‘thundersnow’ storms left as much as nine inches in some areas yesterday. More snow and sleet are forecast for today, as far south as London. The deepest snow yesterday was in Sheffield. Some 300 UK schools closed.

4. ‘GUNMAN’ DEMANDS AIRTIME ON DUTCH TV

Dutch police have arrested a 19-year-old man who walked into state TV studios with a fake pistol and demanded time on air. He is reported to have said he was from a “hackers collective” and to have insisted bombs would go off around the Netherlands if he was not obeyed. He was arrested without a struggle.

5. BORIS: PORN-USING JIHADIS LACK ESTEEM

London mayor Boris Johnson has said that Islamist terrorists are young “losers” who lack self-esteem and are rejected by women. Speaking to The Sun, Johnson asserted: “If you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally w***ers. Severe onanists.”

Boris Johnson: British jihadists are porn-obsessed 'w*****s'

6. CHURCHILL'S FUNERAL COMMEMORATED

Events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the funeral of wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill have been taking place around the country. Prime Minister David Cameron laid a wreath and a service was due to take place in Westminster Abbey. The boat that carried his coffin along the Thames in 1965 made a repeat journey.

Winston Churchill quotes: memorable words of a master orator

7. YOUNG PEOPLE HIT HARDEST BY WAGE FALL

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says young people have been hit the hardest by a fall in real wages following the 2007 financial crisis. The IFS says all groups are worse off, with real wages lower now than in 2001. Women have been relatively cushioned as they are likely to be in public sector roles.

8. SA APARTHEID KILLER TO BE RELEASED

South African death-squad commander Eugene de Kock is to be released from jail on parole after 20 years behind bars. Nicknamed 'Prime Evil', De Kock ran an infamous apartheid era police unit that killed and maimed opponents in the 1980s and 1990s. He was sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years in prison in 1996. His release is aimed at "nation building".

Eugene de Kock: why is 'Prime Evil' being released from jail?

9. MURRAY DEFENDS SWEARING FIANCEE

Andy Murray has defended his fiancee, Kim Sears, after she was filmed apparently swearing at his opponent in the semi-finals of the Australian Open tennis championship. Murray, who went on to beat Czech player Tomas Berdych, said the media and created extra tension and added: “In the heat of the moment you can say stuff you regret.”

Did Kim Sears swear at Andy Murray's rival Berdych?

10. BRIEFING: MH370 CONSPIRACY THEORIES

As Malaysia officially declares the disappearance of flight MH370 an accident, it is unlikely that rumours, speculation and questions about the airliner's fate will be laid to rest. The absence of any wreckage, along with conflicting and confusing early reports from Malaysia Airlines has led to a broad array of conspiracy theories – ranging from the intriguing to the outlandish.

What happened to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370