Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 28 Nov 2015

1. Royal family ‘to give evidence to sex abuse inquiry’

Will members of the Royal family be asked to provide evidence to the government’s child sex abuse inquiry? The royals’ role in allegedly interfering in the criminal prosecution of a paedophile could come under scrutiny by the multi-million pound inquiry led by Justice Lowell Goddard, it has emerged. Their part in the case of disgraced priest Peter Ball is under the spotlight.

2. Labour rebels seek advice on ousting Corbyn

A secret bid to oust Jeremy Corbyn is underway, says The Times this morning. Senior Labour figures and MPs have gathered legal advice on how to unseat the leader as they aim to build a plot against him. Rebels have been told by lawyers that in the event of a leadership challenge Corbyn could be removed and denied a place on the ballot paper by MPs.

3. Father calls for resignations over Tory bulling

Tory chairmen should quit over the bullying scandal, says the man whose activist son accused aide Mark Clarke of bullying before he apparently killed himself. Ray Johnson – the father of 21-year-old blogger Elliott, who accused youth organiser Mark Clarke of bullying him before he was found dead in September – said his son would still be alive if Grant Shapps and Lord Feldman had acted responsibly.

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4. Three killed in Colorado clinic shooting

Three people were killed as a man armed with a rifle stormed a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and opened fire. An hours-long standoff with police then ensued before he surrendered to police. Two civilians and one police officer died in the shooting. Another nine people were injured – five police officers and four civilians.

5. How Black Friday became Slack Friday

This year’s Black Friday event has been renamed ‘Slack Friday’ in some newspapers this morning after disappointing sales in stores. Consumers shunned high street stores, preferring to shop online, with discounts of up to 60% resulting in internet takings passing the £1bn-a-day mark for the first time.

The websites of major retailers stalled or crashed under the pressure.

6. Turkey tells Russia not to ‘play with fire’

Turkey has told Vladimir Putin to stop “playing with fire” in the Syrian war, reports The Times. President Erdogan’s warning came after reports that Turkish businessmen in Russia had been detained. As tensions rise, in Moscow, activists paraded a life-sized inflatable doll of Erdogan in a coffin, while in Crimea, an effigy of the Turkish leader was burnt in the main square of Simferopol.

7. Adele’s album breaks yet more records

Adele's album 25 sold more than 800,000 copies in its first week of release - the highest ever weekly figure in the UK chart. Her new album sold more copies than the next 86 albums in the chart combined. Some 252,423 of the album's 800,307 sales were digital with the rest on CD. Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot said: "The statistics surrounding the album are staggering."

8. Labour's McDonnell calls for Syria free vote

MPs should be able to follow their "own judgement" on air strikes over Syria, the shadow chancellor has said. John McDonnell argued: "There are some issues like going to war that should be above party politics." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is opposed to air strikes in Syria, a position which puts him at odds with much of his shadow cabinet.

9. ‘Childish’ Piers Morgan berated for Madonna tweets

Piers Morgan has been branded a “childish bully” over his tweets about Madonna’s face. The ever-controversial journalist shared a picture of Madonna with a caption asking: “What the hell’s happened to her face?” Mocking the singer’s appearance after finding a picture of her wearing grills, he compared her to the James Bond movie villain Jaws.

10. Can Manchester United unseat Leicester?

Second-placed Manchester United travel to surprise league leaders Leicester today. Leicester's free-scoring striker Jamie Vardy will be available to play despite nursing a hip problem. Elsewhere, Manchester City host Southampton, while bottom-placed Aston Villa are at home to Watford. Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce says he will "try his best" to keep the club in the Premier League.

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