Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 8 Nov 2015

1. Is David Cameron’s EU warning a bluff?

David Cameron will tell European leaders he will "think again" about the UK remaining in the EU if his demands for reform are "met with a deaf ear". The prime minister is due to deliver his warning on Tuesday to coincide with a letter to the European Council president setting out the changes he wants for the UK. However, eurosceptics say Cameron is bluffing.

2. Top football stars face £100m losses

Leading footballers are facing combined losses of £100m, with some confronting potential ruin, after they invested in film schemes and property ventures recommended by two financial advisers. The stars include Rio Ferdinand and Andy Cole, and the Match of the Day pundits Danny Murphy, Martin Keown and Robbie Savage.

3. Vegetable oils ‘cause cancer’ say experts

Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic cancer-causing chemicals, according to leading scientists. The Sunday Telegraph says experts are now recommending food be fried in alternatives such as olive oil, coconut oil, butter - or even the oft-maligned lard. The news turns on its head the received wisdom that vegetables oils are healthier than animal based fats.

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. James Hewitt ‘selling Di and Wills letters’

James Hewitt has been caught secretly selling letters written by Princess Diana and Prince William, claims the Mail On Sunday. Diana’s former lover has been offering the private letters to the “highest bidder” in the US, says the report. The paper claims “disgraced former Army officer Hewitt” went to “elaborate lengths” to conceal the fact that he was offering the eight letters and 26 cards.

5. Calls for fundamental airport security overhaul

A thorough overhaul of global aviation security is required in the wake of the Russian plane crash, according to senior industry experts. Leading aviation figures said a new global framework is needed to prevent airport security weaknesses being exploited by terrorists. They said urgent changes were needed to upgrade security checks made on airport staff before they reached ‘airside’.

6. The Queen to lead Remembrance service

The Queen will lead tributes at the traditional Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph in Westminster today. The service will honour those killed in the two world wars and later conflicts. There will be a two-minute silence at 11am. Colonel Leonard Berney, who liberated the Belsen-Bergen Nazi concentration in Germany, has told Sky News of the “piles of corpses” he found.

7. The X Factor: is it a ‘no’ from ITV?

Is the X Factor on its way out? The future of Simon Cowell’s reality show is in doubt after ITV poached rival talent show The Voice from the BBC. The fifth series of The Voice, which starts early next year, will be the last on BBC1. The news comes as viewing figures for the X Factor reach all-time lows amid complaints from viewers about the series.

8. Commons set for transgender loos and breastfeeding

The House of Commons could have toilets for transgender people while female MPs would be allowed to breastfeed during debates under radical changes being proposed by John Bercow, the speaker of the Commons. An internal paper setting out an agenda for a “gender-sensitive parliament”, seen by The Sunday Times, says that the artwork in the Commons should feature more women.

9. What is the best excuse for taking a sickie?

Vomiting is considered the most acceptable reason to take the day off work, according to a new study. The new study of 2,500 employers and employees across the UK found that diarrhoea came a close second. However, feeling stressed or depressed was found to earn far less sympathy, both from workers and from bosses.

10. Mourinho absent as Chelsea lose - again

Chelsea lost 1-0 at Stoke City yesterday - a third straight Premier League defeat. They are 16th in the Premier League table. The result, which leaves them closer to the relegation zone, heaps yet more pressure on Jose Mourinho, who missed the game as he served a one-match stadium ban. Arsenal host Tottenham today in the north London derby.