Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 24 Oct 2015

1. Mexico still under threat from hurricane

Mexico remains under threat from floods and landslides due to Hurricane Patricia, warns president Enrique Pena Nieto. The US National Hurricane Centre said the hurricane hit as a Category Five storm - the highest classification. The storm arrived in western Mexico, bringing destructive winds and rain. However, heavy damage appeared to have been avoided.

2. Was Geoffrey Boycott framed for abuse?

The Telegraph says it has unearthed new evidence that Geoffrey Boycott was wrongfully convicted of domestic abuse. The former England cricketer was found guilty in a French court of hitting his then girlfriend Margaret Moore in 1998 but Moore allegedly admitted to a friend that she had slipped on a marble floor and hit her head, causing the injury she later claimed was caused by Boycott.

3. Ukraine bans flights from Russia

Direct flights between Ukraine and Russia will stop on Sunday, under new sanctions from Kiev. Initially, Moscow described Kiev's ban on Russian airlines as "madness", but it later announced that it would mirror the move. Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected by the respective bans, with the loss in ticket sales to both countries estimated to run to around $110m (£73m) a year.

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4. Gay premier League stars ‘ready to come out’

Two Premier League footballers – one of them an England star – are ready to come out as gay, says The Mirror. The two men, who would become the first players to publicly announce they are gay while in the top flight of the English game, are being supported by their clubs and the Football Association. They are thought to be planning to go public before the start of next season.

5. TalkTalk crisis deepens as millions hit

The TalkTalk hacking crisis is deepening as the telecoms giant faces mounting criticism after it belatedly admitted it was the victim of a “significant and sustained” cyber-attack that has led to the theft of the credit card and bank details of up to 4m customers. The company says it has received a ransom demand from someone who claimed to have carried out the corporate hack.

6. Is cheese as addictive as crack?

Are you hooked on pizza? According to a study published by the US Library of Medicine this is because cheese is as addictive as drugs. Researchers at the University of Michigan asked 500 students to complete a questionnaire to identify food cravings, with cheese topping the list. Dr Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says cheese is “dairy crack”.

7. Winter and snow arrives in the UK

The first snowfall of winter will hit Britain today as part of a cold snap during which temperatures will sink to -4C. The Met Office has predicted snow on ground at over 600 metres (656ft). Wet on the heels of the wintry conditions will be Atlantic storms bringing torrential rain and gales of up to 60mph to parts of the country. British Summer Time ends tonight.

8. Farmers forced to erect EU billboards

Farmers are fuming after being informed they will be forced to erect billboards publicising the fact that they have received EU grants, or face having the money claimed back from them. Thousands of landowners have been told that under new regulations they must put up permanent billboards which can be seen by the public, or face financial penalties.

9. Corrie star dies at the age of 82

The actor Peter Baldwin, best known for his 21-year role as Derek Wilton in Coronation Street, has died at the age of 82. A spokesman for the soap said: “It is with great sadness we've learned respected former Coronation Street actor Peter Baldwin has died.” The television star is said to have died as his home in north London after a short illness.

10. Rugby World Cup reaches semi-final weekend

It is semi-final weekend in the Rugby World Cup, starting with New Zealand v South Africa this afternoon at Twickenham. Former All Black Zinzan Brooke says that playing against - and beating - rivals South Africa is almost as good as winning the World Cup. A tight game is predicted by many pundits. Tomorrow, Argentina play Australia.

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