Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 29 Aug 2015

1. 2015 ‘will be hottest year on record’

Experts say that 2015 will be the hottest year on record “by a mile”. The increase in worldwide average temperatures is dramatically undermining the idea that global warming has stopped, says The Independent. The three warmest years since records began in 1880 – 2015, 2014 and 2010 – happened in the past five years, and nine out of the 10 warmest years have occurred in the 21st century.

2. Rail firm: ‘no obligation’ to help on cheap fares

Rail passengers must find the cheapest fares themselves because companies are under "no obligation" to help, according to one of Britain's largest rail firms. In an email exchange seen by the Daily Telegraph, First Great Western said its policy for station staff was to assume people had researched the best deals "by the time the passenger is requesting their tickets at the booking office".

3. Women in 20s ‘earn more than men’

Women in their 20s earn more than men of same age, says a new study. The Press Association found that between the ages of 22 and 29, a woman typically earns £1,111 more per annum than her male counterparts. However, women’s earning power is overtaken by men later in life. A man turning 30 in 2006 would have brought in on average £8,775 more than a woman of the same age.

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4. Slain reporter’s father may buy a gun

The father of Alison Parker, the journalist murdered on live television this week, has announced that now he is campaigning for gun control he will have to buy a firearm to defend himself. “When you’re in the media, as you know, and when you are taking on an issue like this, there are a lot of people who take exception to what you are saying, so I will probably have to do that,” said Andy Parker.

5. Does social media make parents more aggressive?

Social media has made parents more aggressive to teachers, according to a survey. Three quarters of teachers polled thought parents’ behaviour had grown worse in the past five years. “Now a couple of parents start up a Facebook page and the anxiety can spread,” said a teacher. “Something that’s in print is much harder to deal with than something people are just talking to each other about.”

6. Former DPP: change law on assisted suicide

The law should be changed so that people can be helped to take their own lives, says a former director of public prosecutions. Sir Keir Starmer, who was responsible for drawing up guidelines that spelt out how people who acted with compassion might avoid prosecution for assisting a suicide, says people should be able to choose to die without having to “traipse off to Switzerland”.

7. Study tells how to cure a hangover

Eating food or drinking water will not prevent you from having a hangover, found scientists. Instead, the best way to avoid a hangover is to simply drink less alcohol. Hundreds of Dutch students volunteered for a trial and lead scientist Dr Joris Verster concluded: "From what we know from the surveys so far, the only practical way to avoid a hangover is to drink less alcohol."

8. Rebekah Brooks ‘to return to News Corp’

Rebekah Brooks is to return to News Corp as head of its UK division, a year after being cleared of charges arising from the phone-hacking scandal, claims the Financial Times. According to sources, the controversial Brooks’ return to the job she quit four years ago at the height of the epic scandal could be announced within weeks.

9. Former MP Teresa Gorman dies at 83

Teresa Gorman, a prominent Tory rebel over the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s, has died aged 83. Gorman, who was a former MP for Billericay in Essex, trained as a teacher before being elected in 1987. She was a high-profile figure in the revolt over Europe that nearly brought down John Major's government. In recent years she had gravitated towards Ukip.

10. Wenger: Uefa ‘handicapped’ the Gunners

Arsene Wenger says Uefa has “handicapped” Arsenal. Ahead of today’s visit to Newcastle, the Gunners boss said the European governing body has backed down over Financial Fair Play rules. "Maybe it will change here one day,” he said. “I've said to you all the time it is not a shortage of money. At the moment it is a handicap to us because we have the resources, just a shortage of players."