Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 28 Feb 2015

1. PUTIN CRITIC SHOT DEAD IN MOSCOW

A Russian opposition politician who was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin has been shot dead near the Kremlin in Moscow. Boris Nemtsov, 55, died after being shot four times from a passing car in the early hours of Saturday morning. Colleagues say he was working on a report which included firm evidence that Russia was directly involved in the separatist movement which erupted in Ukraine last year.

2. EMWAZI ‘HAS ANGER THERAPY AT SCHOOL’

Mohammed Emwazi, the man named as the ISIS terrorist ‘Jihadi John’, received anger management therapy in his first year of secondary school, says a former teacher. Emwazi, who attended Quintin Kynaston school in Queens Park, London, a decade ago, had been a "lovely, lovely boy" who had a "real willingness to try and succeed", said the teacher.

3. STAR TREK LEGEND DIES AT 83

Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr Spock in Star Trek, has died at the age of 83. The actor - who earned iconic fame as the ever-logical, half-Vulcan first officer of the Starship Enterprise - died of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on Friday morning, says his family. His character’s catchphrase was: “Live long and prosper.”

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4. FARAGE SLAMS ‘NASTY’ HEALTH RUMOURS

Nigel Farage says his political opponents are trying to undermine his leadership by spreading “nasty” rumours about his health. The UKIP leader, who has survived cancer in the past, told the party’s spring conference: “I hate to disappoint my opponents but can I make it clear that rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

5. ENERGY WEBSITES ‘DUPING’ CUSTOMERS

Energy price comparison websites are "duping" customers into switching to deals that are not the cheapest on the market, says a group of MPs. The website companies should pay compensation to users they have misled, added the Energy and Climate Change Committee. Chairman Tim Yeo said the websites are behaving “like backstreet market traders”.

6. SIR CLIFF’S LAWYERS SLAM MPS

Lawyers for Sir Cliff Richard have criticised MPs for publishing a letter about the investigations into sex abuse allegations against the singer. The letter from South Yorkshire Police said the inquiry into Sir Cliff had "increased significantly in size". In a note sent to Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, Sir Cliff's representatives said the disclosure was "unnecessary".

7. FIRST-TIME BUYERS OFFERED DISCOUNT

First-time buyers under the age of 40 can now register to buy new homes at a discount of up to 20% off the normal price, as part of a new government scheme. The ‘starter homes’ initiative encourages home ownership and construction on previously used "brownfield" land. However, Labour said the offer would ring hollow for those priced out of the market.

8. GEORGE GALLOWAY 'DEMANDS £6K PER LIBEL’

George Galloway is demanding more than £6,000 from anyone who he believes has libelled him on Twitter. The MP has instructed lawyers to send legal letters to as many as a dozen Twitter users after they wrote or re-tweeted posts alleging that he was antisemitic. The Respect leader has demanded that each pays him “significant” damages as well as legal costs of £5,000, says The Times.

9. STUDY: SWEARING SOARS IN BRITAIN

The average Brit swears at least four times a day, according to research in The Times which found that obscene words have become more common over a generation. Society is increasingly tolerant of swearwords and at least one in every 1,700 words in spoken and written British English is an expletive, according to philosophers and linguists.

10. VAN GAAL: WE LACK TOP STRIKER

Manchester United are not challenging for the title because they lack a 20-goal-a-season striker, says manager Louis van Gaal. The Old Trafford side, who entertain Sunderland today, are 13 points behind leaders Chelsea and five adrift of City, who have both scored 56 goals overall, compared to United's 44. United’s top goalscorer is Robin van Persie, with 10 strikes so far.