1. Four government departments to cut 30%
George Osborne has secured an agreement from four government departments to cut their spending by 30% over the next four years - treasury, transport, environment and communities. But Theresa May at the home office is said to be resisting policing cuts and Iain Duncan Smith has threatened to resign over cuts to his universal credit.
Autumn Statement 2015: who will win and who will lose?
2. Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi poised for 'landslide'
With counting still underway in Myanmar's first open election in 25 years, the acting chairman of the ruling military-backed USDP has conceded defeat as early results point to a landslide victory for Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD opposition - though there is some disagreement whether he conceded just his own seat or the whole election.
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Aung San Suu Kyi picks aide to become president of Myanmar
3. Temperatures now 1C above pre-industrial levels
This year is on course to be the first in which global temperatures are more than 1C above the pre-industrial average, according to the Met Office. From January to September 2015 temperatures were 1.02C highter than the average between 1850 and 1900. The claim comes weeks before the next round of climate change talks to be held in Paris.
4. Victorian jails to be sold off as flats
As part of the Chancellor's spending review, the ministry of justice hopes to save £80m a year by closing Victorian jails in England and Wales and selling them off for housing. Around 10,000 inmates will then be moved to newly built prisons. Nine new jails are to be constructed, five of them by 2020, at a cost of more than £1bn.
5. Corbyn: army head's Trident comments 'political'
Jeremy Corbyn has accused the head of the UK armed forces of political interference after Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton told the Andrew Marr show Corbyn's opposition to using Trident made him unfit to be prime minister. Corbyn said he is writing to the ministry of defence to voice "serious concern" at this "political" intervention.
Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking
6. EU status quo not good enough says Cameron
David Cameron has said that the status quo in Europe "is not good enough for Britain" and that he has "no emotional attachment" to the institutions of the EU. He told the CBI conference that he was "deadly serious" about securing a "better deal" for Britain in the EU. Downing Street has dismissed reports that the referendum on the issue could be held as early as June.
7. Steel boss Angad Paul dies after fall from penthouse
Angad Paul, the 45-year-old boss of troubled steel company Caparo, and the son of Lord Swraj Paul, has died after falling from his penthouse flat in central London. Metropolitan Police said the death was being treated as "non-suspicious". Caparo went into administration last month. It has announced 450 job cuts, with the future of another 1,200 uncertain.
8. Athletics: Russia 'should be banned from Olympics'
The World Anti-Doping Agency has called for Russia to be suspended from competitions, including next year's Olympics over a widespread state-sponsored doping scandal. The report also says the London 2012 Olympics were "sabotaged" by the presence of some Russian athletes. Meanwhile Interpol is to coordinate an investigation into corruption claims involving senior figures at the IAAF.
London 2012 'corrupted on unprecedented scale' by doping
9. 'Tree of the year' to be cut down for HS2
A tree which will be cut down for the HS2 rail line between London and Birmingham has been voted the best tree in England. The Cubbington village pear tree is more than 250 years old but planners say its hollow trunk means it would be unsafe to leave it. It was voted tree of the year in a poll organised by the Woodland Trust charity.
10. Briefing: Australia's off-shore detention centres
Australia's use of off-shore detention centres for asylum seekers is under scrutiny after violence erupted on Christmas Island following the death of a Kurdish-Iranian inmate. Guards were withdrawn from the centre for "safety reasons" after inmates lit fires in protest against the death of Fazel Chegeni. Meanwhile human rights organisations continue to raise concerns about conditions at the centres.
Manus Island: Australian refugee centre a ‘powder keg’ ready to explode
