Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 8 Oct 2015

1. Nato concern over Russian military 'escalation'

Nato defence ministers have reiterated their commitment to defend allies, including Turkey, after the "escalation of Russian military activities" in Syria. The pledge came at a meeting in Brussels after Russian violations of Turkish airspace, cruise missile attacks in Syria and claims that Russia was targeting moderate rebels as well as Islamic State.

US and Russia spar over vetoed Syria sanctions

2. PC Dave Phillips murder suspect appears in court

An 18-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with the murder of PC Dave Phillips, who was killed by a stolen pick-up truck in Wallasey, Merseyside on Monday. Clayton Williams is also charged with burglary and theft. A second man, Phillip Stuart, 30, has been charged with burglary and taking a motor vehicle.

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Teenager who killed PC David Phillips guilty of manslaughter

3. Fifa suspends Blatter, Platini and Valcke for 90 days

Fifa has provisionally suspended its president, Sepp Blatter; his right-hand man, Jerome Valcke; and the man expected to take over as president, Michel Platini, for 90 days over corruption allegations. Another former Fifa vice-president Chung Mong-joon has been banned for six years. Cameroonian Issa Hayatou has been put in temporary charge.

Michel Platini will resign at Uefa's next congress

4. Selena Gomez had chemotherapy for lupus

Pop star Selena Gomez has revealed that she underwent chemotherapy after being diagnosed with autoimmune disease lupus. The 23-year-old was forced to put her career on hold in 2013 to fight the illness. She has now hit out at "vile" speculation that she was in rehab because of substance abuse and the breakdown of her relationship with Justin Bieber.

5. Murdoch sorry for Obama ‘black president’ tweet

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has apologised after causing controversy on Twitter by implying that Barack Obama is not “a real black president”. Murdoch tweeted in support of African-American Republican wannabe president Ben Carson, asking: “What about a real black president who can properly address the racial divide?”

Rupert Murdoch implies Obama isn't a 'real black president'

6. Corbyn pulls out of Privy Council meeting

Jeremy Corbyn will join the Privy Council despite pulling out of a meeting at Buckingham Palace today because of "prior commitments", says the Labour Party. Last month the republican politician refused to say whether he would kneel to the Queen as part of the traditional swearing-in ceremony. David Cameron did not join for three months after becoming Tory leader.

Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking

7. Great British Bake Off champion crowned

If you don’t want to know who won the final of The Great British Bake Off on BBC 2 last night, look away now: 30-year-old Nadiya Hussain from Leeds wowed the judges with her “big fat British wedding cake” while rival Ian Cumming forgot to add sugar to his spiced buns and Tamal Ray’s creme patissiere wouldn’t set.

8. Klopp agrees to become Liverpool manager

German football manager Jurgen Klopp has agreed to take over at Liverpool after Brendan Rodgers was sacked at the weekend. The charismatic former Borussia Dortmund manager has agreed a three-year deal at Anfield. He was due to arrive on Merseyside on Thursday to sign the contracts. Liverpool have won only four of their 11 games this season.

Klopp-fever: Liverpool boss dazzles media at Anfield

9. VW boss offer apology as prosecutors raid German HQ

The chief executive of Volkswagen in the US has offered a "sincere apology" for the emissions scandal during testimony to Congress. Michael Horn said the revelations were "deeply troubling". In Germany, prosecutors have searched Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg as part of their investigation into the company's efforts to cheat emissions tests.

10. Briefing: the Nobel Peace Prize contenders

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize this Friday. The winner is often difficult to predict and the committee has thrown up a number of surprises in the past, but the top contenders are believed to include Angela Merkel, John Kerry, Pope Francis and the team of a Russian investigative newspaper.

Nobel Peace Prize goes to Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet