Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 3 Jan 2016

1. Govt cuts 'double number of homes under flood risk'

David Cameron has pledged £40m to fix flood defences but it may not be enough to save him from a tidal wave of criticism. The Observer says government cuts could leave almost twice as many households at “significant risk” of flooding within 20 years. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is under fresh attack after it emerged that its PR chief has quit with a six-figure payoff.

2. Was Nigel Farage the victim of assassination attempt?

Nigel Farage believes he has been the subject of an assassination attempt after his car was sabotaged, leading to a motorway crash. The UKIP leader hurtled off a road after a wheel on his Volvo came loose while he was driving from Brussels back to his home in Kent. Police told him that the nuts on all of the wheels had been deliberately unscrewed, says the Mail on Sunday.

3. Tensions rise as Iran warns Saudis over execution

Iran's supreme leader has warned that Saudi politicians will face "divine vengeance" over the execution of a prominent Shia cleric. Sheikh Nimr was one of 47 people executed for terrorism offences. Protesters in Tehran reacted with fury by setting fire to the Saudi embassy. The US State Department urged leaders throughout the region to redouble efforts to ease tensions.

Subscribe to 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. Government to test times tables shake-up

All pupils in England will be expected to have memorised their times tables before leaving primary school, under new government plans. The proposals will also see new tests of multiplication skills at the age of 11. The checks will be tested on around 3,000 pupils in 80 primary schools this summer, before being rolled out nationwide in 2017.

5. Corbyn 'to replace Hilary Benn with Emily Thornberry'

Jeremy Corbyn will replace foreign secretary Hilary Benn with Emily Thornberry next week, predicts the Sunday Telegraph. The move will come after Benn flagrantly defied him and backed plans to bomb Islamic State targets in Syria. Although Benn is tipped to be offered another job in the shadow cabinet, it is not clear if he would accept an alternative position.

6. Richard Branson: our space travel could save the planet

Richard Branson says he wants to take paying passengers into space - and the tycoon claims the scheme could lead to intercontinental travel which is less environmentally damaging. “We will not allow people to feel guilty travelling with us – we will show them we can pioneer clean energy,” he tells the Independent On Sunday.

7. Prince William fears not seeing children grow up

The Duke of Cambridge says he fears not seeing his children grow up. In a forthcoming documentary, William says fatherhood has made him more emotional. “You get affected by things that happen around the world a lot more, I think, as a father," he says. "Just because you realise how precious life is. It puts it all in perspective — the idea of not being around to see your children grow up.”

8. Simon Danczuk faces the wrath of ex-wife

Beleaguered MP Simon Danczuk’s first wife says he is a “sexual predator” who “drove her into therapy with drug and alcohol-fuelled bullying”, according to the Mail On Sunday. Labour has suspended Danczuk, a campaigner against child sexual abuse, after he offered to “spank” a 17-year-old girl in a exchange of text messages.

9. Israel is 'the only country that Islamic State fears'

Israel is the only country in the world that Islamic State fears, according to a Western journalist who spent 10 days in the so-called Islamic State last year. Jürgen Todenhöfer said: “The only country Isis fears is Israel – they told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them. They think they can defeat US and UK ground troops.”

10. Football: Louis van Gaal's 'job is safe'

Manchester United's 2-1 win over Swansea could be a "fantastic starting point" for 2016, according to boss Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman has been assured that Manchester United have no plans to change managers, reports The Sunday Times. Arsenal are still top after a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United. Manchester City remain in the mix after beating Watford 2-1.