Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 7 Nov 2015

1. ‘Violent’ explosion heard on jet recorder

The sound of an explosion can be heard on the flight recorder of the Russian-operated plane that came down over the Sinai peninsula, according to reports in France. French officials say the sound suggests a “violent, sudden” explosion. The news heightens speculation that the crash, which killed all 224 people on board, was caused by a bomb.

2. Labour suspends Jeremy Corbyn’s policy chief

Labour has suspended Jeremy Corbyn’s policy chief amid accusations that he campaigned for a rival, anarchist party at the general election. MPs had applied pressure on the party’s general secretary to take action over Andrew Fisher’s membership of the party, after it was claimed that he urged voters to back a Class War candidate in one seat.

3. Obama gives up on two-state solution

President Barack Obama has accepted that he will not secure a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. “The president has reached the conclusion that, barring a major shift, the parties are not going to be in the position to negotiate a final status agreement,” Rob Malley, Obama’s senior Middle East adviser, said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Will Lord Lucan be formally declared dead?

Lord Lucan could be officially declared “presumed dead” after a deadline passed for objections to allowing his son to inherit his title. George Bingham placed a low-profile notice in a local newspaper last month, announcing he was seeking a death certificate for Lord Lucan. However, the bid may be stalled by the son of the nanny Lord Lucan is believed to have murdered.

5. Did UAE blackmail PM over Muslim Brotherhood?

The United Arab Emirates threatened to block highly lucrative arms deals with the UK if David Cameron did not act against the Muslim Brotherhood, says The Guardian. The UAE government also threatened to stop inward investment and cut intelligence cooperation if Cameron did not act, according to leaked documents.

6. Britain braces for Storm Abigail pummelling

Is Britain facing a battering from Storm Abigail this weekend? According to reports, gale-force winds topping 70mph are expected to sweep in from the Atlantic on Sunday and continue into Monday. In the west, waves of up to five metres high are predicted along with costal flooding. However, some reports claim there will be less dramatic scenes than predicted.

7. Cameron to make broadband a legal right

Every home and business in the UK will have access to a fast broadband connection within five years, says David Cameron. The PM plans to give the public a legal right to an "affordable" connection – this would make it a basic service like water or electricity. "We're getting Britain - all of Britain - online, and on the way to becoming the most prosperous economy in the whole of Europe,” he said.

8. Did stray firework cause London blaze?

A stray firework may have caused a huge fire in north London. The Daily Mail reports that 120 firefighters rushed to battle the fire at a clothing storehouse in Tottenham. The blaze began just before 10pm and then escalated. As the warehouse is believed to have been empty at the time, speculation is focusing on the theory that a firework started the fire.

9. IKEA ‘running out of beds’ due to migrant crisis

Ikea is running out of beds in Sweden and Germany because the migrant crisis has created a huge demand, reports the Daily Telegraph. The homeware retail giant has been supplying local authorities handling the refugee crisis as hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers have arrived in Europe this year. “We expect that it will be difficult to keep up and maintain sufficient supply,” said a spokesman.

10. Mourinho serves ban as Chelsea travel to Stoke

In the pick of today’s football ties Manchester United travel to West Brom, while third-placed Leicester City are at Watford. Elsewhere, troubled Chelsea will be at Stoke City in the tea-time kick-off. Blues boss Jose Mourinho will serve the one-match stadium ban that he picked up over an abusive rant at referee Jonathan Moss during his side’s defeat by West Ham.