Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 12 Aug 2015

1. UK unemployment rises to 1.85 million

UK unemployment rose 25,000 to 1.85 million in the second quarter from April and June according to government figures. The jobless total also rose in the three months to May - the first time in two years that there have been two consecutive rises. Figures from the ONS also revealed that growth in earnings is slowing.

2. Russia and the West 'prepare for war'

The European Leadership Network think tank has warned that Russia and Nato are "actively preparing" for war, with the greatest military build-up in Europe since the Cold War. Russia mobilised 80,000 troops in March, with Nato or the US the only possible adversaries. Nato has been training troops to deal with situations like the one that saw Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014.

Russia and the West 'actively preparing for war'

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3. Edward Heath was 'no paedophile' says brothel-keeper

A former brothel-keeper has told The Sun that she supplied young men to former PM Ted Heath, but insisted he was not a paedophile. Myra Ling-Ling Forde also denies threatening to expose Heath - it had been claimed that a police investigation was stopped because of her. She said Heath was “a very secretive and shy gay man”.

4. One month of rain to fall in 24 hours

Severe weather warnings have been issued for Wales and all of England except the north-east on Thursday, and the whole country on Friday, with a month’s-worth of rain expected to fall in 24 hours. A low moving in from Spain is forecast to bring 30 to 50mm of rain, thunderstorms and even hail. Saturday should be dry and sunny.

5. Hillary to hand over email server to FBI

Wannabe president Hillary Clinton has agreed to hand over the email server she used as secretary of state to the FBI so they can investigate whether classified information was improperly sent and stored. There has been a long-running row over her use of a private email system, with critics saying it was designed to shield her from oversight.

What is Hillary Clinton doing now?

6. North Korean official 'executed' over tree row

One of North Korea's vice-premiers is reported to have been executed on the orders of Kim Jung-un after complaining about his policy of reforestation. Choe Yong-gon was appointed as one of seven vice-premiers in June last year but has not been seen in public since December. Kim is said to have killed around 70 officials since he came to power in 2011.

7. Night Tube to be delayed, but strikes go ahead

The launch of the 24-hour Tube service in London is to be delayed amid a row with unions over working conditions. The all-night service was due to begin next month, but the date has been put back after unions, unhappy over job cuts and working hours, called two more strikes. It is hoped the delay will allow both sides to come to an agreement.

Tube commuters face more delays as engineers begin industrial action

8. Assange stand-off: Swedes deal with Ecuador

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may be closer to leaving the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge, where he has now spent more than three years dodging extradition to Sweden to answer sex crime charges. Sweden has agreed to open direct talks with Ecuador to negotiate Assange being interviewed by prosecutors in the embassy.

Julian Assange sex claims set to expire: what happens next?

9. Britain has highest food wastage in the EU

Britain has the highest level of food wastage in the European Union, with each household binning 13lb of food per week, the equivalent of a tin of beans every day. The average household squanders £480 each year, says a new report. Across the EU 22 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year and 80 per cent is avoidable.

Food waste: Britons are worst offenders in Europe

10. Briefing: from Google to Alphabet

Analysts are digesting Google's decision to undertake a radical restructuring, in which it will create a new parent company known as Alphabet. The Wall Street Journal says investors have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the range of investments being made that could dilute the core businesses – and more specifically with the lack of transparency about how they affect the broader financial position. This is the key reason Google shares "had lagged behind other technology companies for most of the year".

Google topples Apple as world's most valuable company