Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 8 Sep 2016

1. PM 'won't turn back clock' on grammar schools

Theresa May has told Conservative backbenchers she will not "turn the clock back" to grammar schools – but has lent support to some expansion of the selective secondary schools. Her comments come after a photographer at Downing Street caught a briefing paper being carried into Number 10 which outlined plans for new grammar schools.

Pros and cons of creating new grammar schools

2. Paralympics open with President booed

The Paralympic Games began in Rio last night with a spectacular opening ceremony. A dramatic wheelchair stunt was the highlight. Brazil's president, Michel Temer, who took over when Dilma Rousseff was impeached on what she says are trumped-up charges, was booed by the crowd as he declared the sporting contest open.

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Rio 2016 Paralympics: Opening ceremony lifts the gloom

3. Trump praises Putin in TV forum

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took questions from a TV audience yesterday in a warm up for three scheduled debates they will have with each other. Analysis said neither US presidential candidate did well. Clinton spent much of the time fending off questions about her email scandal while Trump struggled to explain his plans for IS.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

4. UK to send more troops to South Sudan

The UK is to commit more troops to the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan, raising the eventual total from 300 to 400. There are around 12,000 peacekeepers in the troubled country, where three years of conflict have left thousands dead and displaced 1.7 million. The UK does not often contribute troops to UN forces.

5. Air China criticised for racist advice

Air China is under fire for a racist article in its in-flight magazine which warned Chinese visitors to London to be careful when visiting areas of London "mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people". It also advised women not to go out alone. One Asian London MP has asked the Chinese ambassador to apologise.

Outcry over Air China's 'racist' guide to London

6. 500 key sites at risk from flooding

More than 500 key infrastructure sites across England are at risk from flooding, according to a government review, which sets aside £12.5m to be spent on temporary defences. The study was commissioned after the wettest December for a century and widespread flooding affecting 16,000 homes. Sites at risk include phone networks and water treatment works.

7. Apple drops headphone socket from iPhone

The new iPhone 7 will not have a traditional minijack headphone socket and will use a lightning port connector instead, in a break from tradition. The 3.5mm headphone jack is based on a Victorian design and is present in most audio devices. Other changes include a home button that can detect how firmly it has been pressed.

iPhone 7 review: Why the new iPhone is not worth buying

8. Swimmer Lochte handed ban for 'robbery'

US swimmer Ryan Lochte, an Olympic gold medallist, has been banned for ten months for fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio, allegedly to cover up the fact that he had vandalised a service station toilet after a party. One report says Lochte will now miss next year's world swimming championships.

Ryan Lochte 'gets ten-month ban for false robbery claim'

9. London luxury flats win Carbuncle Cup

The Carbuncle Cup, an annual award for bad architecture handed out by Building Design magazine, goes this year to a new block of luxury flats in London's Docklands region, Lincoln Plaza. Critics have called the buildings "jarring, unsettling and shambolic". A church extension in Poole and a Sheffield University block were shortlisted.

10. Briefing: What are David and Samantha Cameron doing now?

What are the former prime minister and his family up to now that they have left No 10 Downing Street? In July, David and Samantha Cameron moved into a luxury townhouse in west London with their three children. Friends told The Times that the PM's resignation does not mean he will be stepping back from politics altogether and that he will continue to fight on in the backbenches.

What is David Cameron doing now?