Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 25 Aug 2016

1. Italian earthquake death toll rises above 240

More than 240 people are now known to have died in the earthquake which hit central Italy in the early hours of yesterday morning, with many more still feared trapped. Thousands of rescuers are still searching for survivors in the rubble of the towns Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto. A strong aftershock rocked already damaged buildings during the night.

Italy: 'Many dead' as avalanche strikes Abruzzo hotel

2. GCSE grades at lowest level since 2008

This year's GCSE results are out with only 66.9% of entries achieving grades A* to C, down from 69% last year and the lowest figure since 2008. The percentage of Top A* grades have slipped from 6.6% to 6.5%. The decline in A8 to C gradnes is the biggest since GCSEs were introduced in the late 1980s, but could be down to more pupils in England being forced to resit English and maths.

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3. Man charged with backpacker murder

A French man has been charged with stabbing to death a British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung in Australia on Tuesday night. Smail Ayad, 29, is alleged to have murdered Ayliffe-Chung, 20, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire. She was just a few days into what was supposed to be a three-month trip around Australia.

Second British backpacker dies after Queensland stabbing

4. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe leaves Broadmoor

Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, has been transferred to prison after more than 30 years at Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of 13 murders and seven attempted murders and given 20 life sentences. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and moved to Broadmoor in 1984.

5. Five dead in sea off East Sussex beach

Five men who drowned at Camber Sands beach in East Sussex on Wednesday had driven from south-east London for a day out. The RNLI said the men had been surprised by the incomiong tide and were caught in deep water between sandbars. Three of the men were pulled from the water on Wednesday afternoon, while two more bodies were found later.

Camber Sands: Safety fears after death of five friends

6. Farage addresses Trump rally

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage addressed a rally for US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Jackson, Mississippi, yesterday, discussing the Brexit campaign and criticising President Barack Obama for urging the UK to remain in the EU. He added that if he were American, he would not vote for Hillary Clinton.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

7. Children's A&E services suspended at hospital

Children's A&E services at a hospital in Stafford have been suspended after senior staff said it was "not clinically safe". The closure was down to lack of staff with the right specialist training at the County Hospital, which was the subject of a public inquiry in 2011. In March this year the hospital faced fines of up to £9m for failing to meet government targets.

8. Prince's Paisley Park home to open to public

Prince's Minneapolis home, Paisley Park, is to be opened to the public from October this year, with tours managed by the company which looks after Elvis Presley's former home, Graceland. The late singer's sister, Tyka Nelson, said: "Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on."

9. New planet 'could be colonised'

Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet - a planet which orbits a star which is not our own Sun - that could be colonised by humans when our Sun dies. Proxima b, which orbits the closest star to our solar system, Proxima Centauri, is 1.3 times the size of Earth and is thought to have surface water and mild temperatures.

Proxima b: Is Earth 2.0 right on our doorstep?

10. Briefing: Double-strength MDMA causing 'more mental health issues'

Stronger forms of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, are

responsible for a rise in the number of people seeking medical

treatment for mental health issues related to drug use, experts say.

Long-term use of the stimulant, which is popular in the rave and

festival scene, can lead to paranoia, impaired memory, anxiety and

depression. "The danger is much greater now than it was in the late

1990s," drugs expert Professor Philip Murphy told the BBC.

Double-strength MDMA causing 'more mental health issues'