Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 24 Aug 2015

1. Shoreham jet crash: restrictions on air shows

The Civil Aviation Authority has imposed restrictions on vintage jets taking part in air shows after the crash at Shoreham, which killed at least 11 people at the weekend. Planes will be "limited to flypasts" and prevented from taking part in "high-energy acrobatics" over land. The death toll from the crash is expected to rise as wreckage on the A27 is moved.

Pilot errors caused Shoreham air show disaster

2. ‘Black Monday’ - China slump panics markets

Stock markets around the world have fallen today after dramatic slumps in Asia. The falls reflect increased concern that growth is continuing to slow in China, despite government attempts to calm investors. The Shanghai Composite fell 8.4% and the FTSE 100 was down 4.8%. In New York the Dow Jones fell 6% before recovering slightly in early trading.

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

Markets rebound: 'dead-cat bounce' or the real deal?

3. Train attack Briton receives French award

A British man and three Americans have received the Legion d’honneur, France’s highest honour, from president Francois Hollande after their bravery prevented a massacre when a gunman opened fire on a train from Amsterdam to Paris. The Briton, 62-year-old Chris Norman, said he felt he didn’t want to “sit in the corner and be shot”.

French train attack: gunman 'claimed he found AK-47 in park'

4. Met Office loses weather contract with BBC

The Met Office has lost its contract to provide weather forecasts for the BBC after 93 years, with a replacement expected to take over next year. The group said it was disappointed, with former presenter Bill Giles “absolutely shattered” by the news. The BBC said it was legally obliged to secure the best value for money for licence fee payers.

5. Ashley Madison suicides, as company offers reward

Two subscribers to the Ashley Madison dating website, which arranges affairs, are thought to have committed suicide in Canada after hackers published their details online. Avid Life Media, the company behind Ashley Madison, is offering a £240,000 reward to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the hackers.

6. Islamic State destroy 2,000-year-old temple in Palmyra

Islamic State (IS) have blown up a 2,000-year-old Roman structure, the temple of Baalshamin, in Palmyra. The Sunni militant group had been expected to start destroying the culturally-significant antiquities after they took control of the city. It is not clear if the temple was destroyed on Sunday, or if it in fact happened a month ago.

Islamic State retakes Palmyra in Syria

7. Corbyn denies that he would split Labour

Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims from his rivals and senior colleagues that he would split the party, insisting there would be no "appetite for people to walk away" if he was elected leader. He told the Financial Times that he wanted to tackle the "gross inequalities" in pay and set out plans to break up Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking

8. One Direction to split up for at least a year

Boy band One Direction, also known as 1D, are to split up and concentrate on solo projects for at least a year after March 2016. A spokesman said there was “no bad blood” between the men. Former member Zayn Malik left the band in March this year. There will be no tour for the group’s fifth album and their last show will be in October.

One Direction split: how serious is the angst?

9. Briefing: gold under scrutiny as prices climb

Some analysts are claiming that the gold price is at a "turning point" that will see it reverse losses for the year and push higher, after it continued a recent strong rally and reached a six-week high on Friday. Some believe it is now set for a prolonged surge as it retains its attraction as a currency hedge and safe haven, while others argue that recent waning demand and a capital withdrawal by investors leaves it vulnerable to a renewed slide, especially when US interest rates increase and boost yields on alternative assets.

Gold price waits for rates clues from Jackson Hole

10. BT Sport wins rights to show The Ashes

England's cricketers lost the final Test against Australia at The Oval on Sunday but were presented with The Ashes after winning the series 3-2. And today it was announced that their defence of the urn will be shown on BT Sports, which has secured the rights to the series in Australia in 2017-18, striking another blow against rival Sky Sports.

The Ashes 2015: BT Sport wins TV rights as England celebrate