Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 31 Aug 2015

1. Holidaymakers delayed by channel ferry ‘strike’

Protests by former ferry company staff at the port of Calais have now ended, but services are still delayed as a result. Many British holidaymakers trying to return to the UK after the bank holiday were stranded for several hours. The workers were angry after company MyFerryLink was dissolved with up to 600 job losses.

2. Naval base gets £500m and thousands of jobs

George Osborne has announced £500m of investment at the Faslane naval base in Scotland from 2017 onwards, which he says will secure 6,700 jobs and create thousands more. The SNP was quick to call the “so-called investment” wrong because it will be supporting the continued presence of Trident nuclear submarines at Faslane.

3. Shoreham air show crash: victims named

Another two victims of the Shoreham air show crash in West Susse have been named. Dylan Archer, 42, and Richard Smith, 26, were friends who were about to set off on a cycle trip together when the 1960 Hawker Hunter jet failed to complete a loop-the-loop and crashed onto the A27 with a huge fireball. A total of 11 people died.

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4. IS blows up another ancient Palmyra temple

Islamic State has severely damaged another 2,000-year-old temple at the hugely important archaeological site of Palmyra in Syria. The extent of the damage to the temple of Bel is not yet clear but residents described a large explosion. The Sunni fundamentalist fighters destroyed the equally ancient temple of Baalshamin earlier.

5. China punishes 197 over stock market ‘rumours’

China’s state news agency says 197 peope have been “punished” by the authorities for spreading “rumours” about the country’s stock market crash and fatal explosions in Tianjin. A journalist and stock market officials were among the arrests, says Xinhua, but no further details were given. Broadcasters have avoided mentioning the financial crisis.

6. Nightmare on Elm Street director Craven dies

Horror film director Wes Craven has died at the age of 76 at home in Los Angeles. He had been diagnosed with cancer in his brain. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Craven was best known for A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream series. He also made a sentimental drama Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep, which was well received.

7. Obama renames America’s highest mountain

Barack Obama has announced that Mount McKinley in Alaska will now be officially known as Denali, the name originally given to it by native Americans, after decades of campaigning by the Koyukon Athabaskan people and their supporters. Obama is to become the first US president to visit the Alaskan Arctic on a three-day trip this week.

8. Kanye West: I’ll run for president - but I am high

Rapper Kanye West yesterday used his acceptance speech for the top honour at the MTV music awards to announce he will run for president in 2020 - after admitting he had “rolled up a little something to take the edge off” before coming on stage. Host Miley Cyrus was called a “bitch” by rapper Nicki Minaj during the awards show.

9. Brazil: absentee WhatsApp mayor on the run

The mayor of a Brazilian town who fulfilled her role from a luxurious life 170 miles away in the state capital via WhatsApp messages to her cabinet has gone on the run after being accused of stealing funds from the school system. Lidiane Leite, 25, was elected after her boyfriend was barred from standing, then made him her chief adviser.

10. Briefing: why now is the time to shop around for energy deals

Fixed-term energy deals have become an increasingly attractive option as prices soar, and many more of us now sign up to long-term pricing. Nine fixed-rate deals from British Gas, EDF Energy, nPower, Sainsbury's Energy, First Utility and Flow Energy all end this month, with many customers that just allow themselves to be switched back to their supplier's standard offer facing higher costs. For many, then, now is the time to look for a new deal.

Energy bills: how to save money on gas and electricity