Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 6 Feb 2015

1. HOLLANDE, MERKEL AND PUTIN IN TALKS

French president Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel are to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow today to try to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis. Russia denies both that it has armed anti-government rebels in Ukraine and that its regular troops are now fighting alongside them.

Ukraine crisis: peace talks begin in Moscow to prevent 'total war'

2. JORDAN: IRAQ STRIKES ‘JUST THE BEGINNING’

Jordan has vowed to go after IS (Islamic State, the Sunni group fighting in Syria and Iraq) with “everything that we have” after stepping up air strikes in retaliation for the murder of a pilot burned to death by the group. Foreign minister Nasser Judeh said planes had targeted Iraq, rather than just Syria, for the first time.

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Jordan bombs Islamic State in revenge for pilot's murder

3. GCHQ CENSURED OVER NSA SURVEILLANCE

UK surveillance agency GCHQ illegally spied on British citizens up until December last year, a secretive UK court has found. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal censured the agency for not revealing enought about the way it shared intelligence with the US National Security Agency (NSA). It was the IPT's first ruling against an intelligence agency in its 15-year history.

GCHQ unlawfully spied on UK citizens through NSA

4. AUSTRALIA PM FACES LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

Tony Abbott, Australia’s right-wing prime minister, has sworn to stand with his deputy - a potential rival - against a leadership challenge brought by backbench MPs. Abbott has been widely ridiculed in recent weeks for giving a knighthood to Prince Philip and blamed for defeat in elections in Queensland.

Australian PM Tony Abbott: out of the job by next week?

5. BRITISH JIHADIST JAILED FOR 12 YEARS

A British jihadist who travelled to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State militants and posed with severed heads has been jailed for 12 years. Imran Khawaja, 27, faked his own death in order to return to the UK but was arrested last June at Dover. He admitted preparing for acts of terrorism, attending a camp, receiving training and possessing firearms.

6. POPE FRANCIS: IT’S OK TO SMACK CHILDREN

The Pope has said it's OK to smack children, as long as their “dignity” is maintained. He cited the attitude of one father who told him he smacked his children but “never in the face”, describing it as “beautiful”. The Catholic Church’s position on corporal punishment was questioned by the UN last year.

7. FARAGE TRAPPED INSIDE UKIP OFFICES

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been forced to abandon an appearance in Rotherham after protesters barricaded him inside his party offices. Farage had been due to cut the ribbon at the local Ukip candidate's elction office but protesters gathered outside and his team said he was not coming out on police advice. Labour MP, Sarah Champion, called Farage a "voyeuristic tourist".

8. CHIMPS LEARN ‘SCOTS ACCENT’ GRUNTS

A group of nine chimpanzees who were moved from Holland to Edinburgh zoo changed the ‘word’ they use for apples to fit the local ‘accent’, researchers say. In 2010, the nine arrived using a high-pitched "referential call" for the fruit. Within three years they had all switched to using the local low-pitched grunt.

9. POUNDLAND BUYS 99P STORES - FOR £55M

Poundland is in talks to buy rival budget retailer 99p Stores for £55m. The deal would add 251 outlets to Poundland's 600-strong estate, as well as a warehouse and distribution centre. The deal is likely to come under scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority, but would accelerate Poundland's expansion in the South.

Poundland agrees to buy 99p Stores for 5,500,000,000p

10. BRIEFING: WHAT IS FGM?

Britain's first ever trial for female genital mutilation has resulted in fierce criticism of the Crown Prosecution Service for showing a "lack of judgment". A jury at Southwark Crown Court took less than 30 minutes to acquit Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena, from London's Whittington Hospital. But what is FGM? Female genital mutilation is the practice of removing all or part of the external female genitalia or causing other injuries to female genital organs, such as burning, scraping, piercing or cutting. It is not performed for medical reasons and is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Women with vaginal piercings 'victims of female genital mutilation'