Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 26 Aug 2015

1. Foiled France train attack ‘well prepared’

A French prosecutor has said the foiled attack on the Amsterdam to Paris train was premeditated and well prepared. Moroccan Aybou El-Khazzani, 25, has been formally charged with a “targeted” jihadist attack. The prosecutor said he was carrying 270 bullets for his assault rifle and a bottle of petrol. He is said to deny a terrorist motive.

2. Global markets volatile after China intervention

Global stock markets remained volatile today following the news that China has cut interest rates in an attempt to stabilise the country’s economy. Most Asia-Pacific stocks suffered modest losses but Japan’s Nikkei bounced back a little. The Dow Jones suffered a late slump on Tuesday and early gains on Wednesday in Europe were quickly wiped out.

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

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3. Chilcot to ‘spread blame beyond Blair team’

The Guardian says sources close to Sir John Chilcot’s six-year inquiry into the Iraq war claim his report will “spread the blame” wider than Tony Blair and his advisors. The paper says it targets Jack Straw, then foreign secretary, Sir Richard Dearlove, then head of MI6 - and even Clare Short, who eventually quit the cabinet over the war.

Chilcot: Tony Blair 'not straight' with nation over Iraq

4. Bodies of 50 migrants found on boat

The bodies of around 50 people have been found in the hold of a boat carrying migrants off the coast of Libya. The Italian coastguard said the bodies were found during a rescue operation that saved a further 430 people. Libyan traffikers are said to be taking advantage of calm seas to send more boats across the Mediterranean to Europe.

5. Corbyn sparks row over women-only carriages

Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn has sparked a row after saying he would consider the idea of women-only rail carriages in an attempt to stem a rise in assaults on public transport. His Labour rivals Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall dismissed the idea and Women's Minister Nicky Morgan said the idea made her "very uncomfortable".

Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking

6. Woman downs bottle of cognac at airport security

A Chinese woman, identified only as Zhao, is reported to have downed an entire bottle of cognac at the security gate of Beijing Capital international airport when staff told her she could not bring liquids on her flight. She was then barred from the flight because she was too drunk. The Remy Martin cognac had cost £120.

7. Former MP accuses police of 'gay witch hunt'

A former Tory MP, questioned over historic child sex abuse and murder claims, has accused police of carrying out a "homosexual witch hunt". Harvey Proctor said the allegations were "preposterous" and told reporters: "I'm a homosexual, not a murderer or a paedophile." He said his anonymous accuser should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

Harvey Proctor accuses police of 'homosexual witch hunt'

8. Number of foreigners in Britain reaches 8m

The number of foreign-born people living in the UK is now thought to exceed eight million. Researchers at Oxford University made the claim on the eve of population figures that are expected to show levels of net migration have increased again, despite the Tories' repeated pledge to cut it to the tens of thousands.

MPs and businesses cross swords over record net migration

9. Briefing: why small investors may miss out on Lloyds shares

A discounted retail share offer for Lloyds Banking Group could be brought forward – or even scrapped entirely – after George Osborne said he wanted the Government to have completed its exit from the bank by the end of the year. The comments came after it was announced that investment banks handling the sale of the public stake offloaded another one per cent of the shares, reducing the Government's holding to below 13 per cent. The £550m sale "notched up a small profit" for the Treasury, says The Times.

Lloyds' boom-era bosses sue bank for bonuses

10. TV journalists shot dead while on air

Two TV journalists in the US have been shot dead during a live broadcast. Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were filming an interview for the station WDBJ7 in Virginia when they were killed. Shots and screams could be heard before the feed was cut. A former station employee was later detained after shooting himself.

Virginia shooting: gunman was 'human powder keg' of anger