Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 23 Sep 2016

1. Syrian army launches offensive on Aleppo

The Syrian army launched a major offensive on the city of Aleppo, as the UN made a last-ditch attempt to broker ceasefire talks. There have already been at least 24 hours of airstrikes, leaving dozens of civilians dead. Some are asking if the ceasefire was a tactical ploy by Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russia.

2. Yahoo admits 500 million users hacked

Yahoo has admitted hackers stole data from 500 million users in 2014, in what is thought to be the biggest data theft ever made public. Names, emails and unencrypted security questions and answers were taken, says the site, which believes a nation state was responsible. Credit card information was not stolen. The FBI is investigating.

3. Protests continue in North Carolina

A third consecutive night of protests about the shooting of black men by police took place last night in Charlotte, North Carolina. Riot police were deployed to control crowds. Officer Betty Shelby, who shot and killed Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last week, has been charged with manslaughter.

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4. Southerners wait seven years longer to buy first home

First-time buyers in London and the south-east of England will have to wait an average of seven years longer than those in other parts of the UK to buy their first home, claims the Halifax. The mortgage lender says the average age of first-time buyers is now 27 in Carlisle or parts of Wales, but 34 in some parts of the capital and home counties.

5. Period pain 'affects most women workers'

Most women say their work has been affected by period pain, according to a survey of 1,000 women carried out by YouGov for BBC Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett show. While 52% said their ability to work had been affected, only 27% had told their boss the truth. One doctor says employers should offer women "menstrual leave" for those affected.

6. Alpine goat man wins Ig Nobel prize

A British man who lived as an Alpine goat for three days, wearing prostheses on his arms and legs so he could walk on all fours, has won the Ig Nobel prize for biology. The Ig Nobels are awarded for unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. This year's winner for chemistry is German firm Volkswagen, for their emissions test cheating.

7. Historic England to list gay heritage sites

The homes of Oscar Wilde, Benjamin Britten and Anne Lister – whose diaries reveal her to be the first "modern lesbian" – are being relisted by Historic England as part of gay history project Pride of Place. Chief executive Duncan Wilson said LGBTQ+ stories have "too often… been ignored, underestimated or simply unknown".

8. Harry Potter home for sale for £475,000

A suburban home in Berkshire used as a location for the first Harry Potter movie is for sale for £475,000. Twelve Picket Post Close was used as 4 Privet Drive, the boy wizard's childhood home, where he was forced to sleep under the stairs by his uncle. According to The Guardian the effect of the film on the price has certainly been magical.

9. Ed Sheer-Ham sculpture fetches £6,200

A sculpture of a pig which looks like the singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has sold for £6,200 in a charity auction in Ipswich. Ed Sheer-Ham was part of a pig-themed sculpture trail in the town which raised £152,550 for the town's St Elizabeth Hospice. Sheeran, who was raised in Suffolk and owns a farm there, said the pig was "awesome".

10. Briefing: What are mini-bonds and are they safe?

Savers on the hunt for income have received a timely lesson in risk

after two so-called "mini-bonds" launched by Providence Financial have

collapsed with the probably loss of all money invested. It is believed

that 825 people put a total of £8.15m into the bonds – nearly £10,000

each.

What are mini-bonds - and after the Providence Financial collapse, are they safe?