Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 30 Dec 2015

1. Storm Frank sweeps across the UK

Storm Frank hit Ireland in the early hours and is now battering the north of England and southern and central Scotland. Four severe flood warnings, meaning risk to life, and 46 flood warnings have been issued for England and Wales - and more than 50 for Scotland. Homes have been evacuated in north Yorkshire after a bridge collapsed.

2. Migrant crisis: sea arrivals in 2015 top one million

The UN says that more than one million migrants arrived in Europe by sea in 2015, with 80% landing in Greece, mostly on the island of Lesbos. About 844,000 came to Greece via Turkey and about 150,000 crossed from Libya to Italy. Around 49% of arrivals came from Syria. In 2014, the number of sea arrivals was just 216,000.

3. 'At least 26' killed by suicide bomber in Pakistan

A suicide bomber is believed to have killed at least 26 people, and injured 45 others, in an attack on a government office in Mardan, north-west Pakistan. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility. The attack is one of the worst since 150 pupils and teachers were massacred in Peshawar in December 2014.

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4. Letwin apologises for riots advice to Thatcher

Oliver Letwin, Tory policy chief, has apologised for comments he made in a document advising Margaret Thatcher after the 1985 inner-city riots, made public under the 30-year rule. The briefing advised rejecting calls for assistance for black youths because the money would end up in the "disco and drug trade".

5. Husband charged with care home shooting

An 86-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his 81-year-old wife, Rita King, after a shooting at a care home in Walton-on-the-Naze on Monday morning. Ronald King has been remanded in custody. The Daily Mail says the gun was an army service revolver and claims King cried out: "She's had enough."

6. Husband and wife convicted of 'silent bomber' plot

A married couple from Reading have been convicted of plotting a terrorist attack on London ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 7 July bombings. Mohammed Rehman and Sana Ahmed Khan were convicted of preparing terrorist acts at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced later today. They had stockpiled explosive chemicals.

7. Trump: I will spend $2m a week on campaign

US presidential wannabe Donald Trump has said he will start spending $2m (£1.3m) a week on campaign advertising, targeting Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina before elections to choose the Republican candidate in February. Trump has previously said he has spent very little so far. He claims the money will be his own.

8. Thatcher tried to stop Aids warnings on 'bad taste' grounds

Newly public documents from the National Archives reveal that Margaret Thatcher tried to block public health warnings about Aids in the 1980s. The then-prime minister objected to explicit references to sexual practices including anal sex on the grounds of "bad taste" but lost most of the battles she took on, the papers reveal.

9. Priest suspended for saying mass on 'hoverboard'

A Catholic priest in the Philippines has been suspended by his diocese for riding a 'hoverboard' scooter up the nave while saying mass on Christmas Eve. A video of the event has appeared on social media but the priest has not been identified. The church condemned it as an attempt to "capriciously … get the attention of some people".

10. Briefing: ten social media disasters of 2015

Harnessed in the right way, social media can draw global attention on an unprecedented scale to raise awareness of issues, spread a message or even turn an unknown into an international celebrity in a matter of hours. But with great power comes great responsibility, and thoughtless use of social media can backfire with devastating force. One careless status update or poorly worded hashtag can lead to ridicule, condemnation, and fame for all the wrong reasons.

Ten social media disasters of 2015