Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 21 Oct 2016

1. Conservatives keep Cameron's Witney seat

The Conservatives held on to the Oxfordshire seat of Witney in yesterday's by-election, although Robert Courts's majority was greatly reduced at 5,702, around 20,000 votes fewer than previous MP David Cameron. The Lib Dems took second place. Meanwhile, Labour's Tracy Brabin held Batley and Spen, the constituence where Jo Cox was MP before she was killed in June.

Tory majority slashed on David Cameron's old seat

2. Aberfan anniversary marked with silence

A minute's silence has been held across Wales to mark the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, when 114 children and 28 adults died after a heap of mining waste collapsed on to a school and houses in the village. First Minister Carwyn Jones called the tragedy "one of the darkest days in modern Welsh history".

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Aberfan disaster: what happened in Wales 53 years ago

3. Move UK border from Calais to Kent, says Juppe

Alain Juppe, the frontrunner to be the next president of France, has called for the abandonment of the Le Touquet agreement that allows the UK to carry out customs checks on French soil. The politician said the border should be moved from Calais to the Kent coast and the French should stop managing migrants for the UK.

Theresa May rejects calls to increase Indian visa quota

4. Crackdown on 'gig economy' firms

Ministers have ordered HMRC to crack down on firms that use large numbers of self-employed or agency workers. Some companies are said to evade giving staff employment protections and other rights this way, contributing to the "gig economy". The likes of Sports Direct, Hermes and Uber have been criticised by MPs for the practice.

5. Trump and Clinton spar at charity dinner

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump traded jocular insults at the annual Alfred E Smith charity dinner in New York last night. However, the normally good-natured gala turned sour when Trump was booed for his attacks on his presidential rival, including a claim that she hated Catholics - the evening was hosted by the Archbishop of New York.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

6. May: UK will not be sidelined in EU decisions

Theresa May objected to attempts to sideline the UK within the EU "almost as soon as her debut EU summit began", says Sky News. The Prime Minister said she would not "rubber-stamp" decisions made in by other member states in the country's absence, a reference to a summit held in Bratislava in September, the first without the UK.

7. Russian warships in the English Channel

A flotilla of Russian warships has been passing through the English Channel, while being "man-marked" by the British Navy. The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and other vessels are believed to be heading to the eastern Mediterranean to join the conflict in Syria, but the deployment is also seen as a show of strength aimed at the West.

8. Facebook apologises for cancer video removal

Facebook has apologised for labelling a video about breast cancer "offensive" and removing it. The film, by Swedish charity Cancerfonden, featured cartoon women showing ways to check for lumps. Their breasts were represented by pink circles. The social network site said it was "very sorry" for taking the footage down.

9. 'Fake Sheikh' Mahmood jailed for 15 months

Undercover News of the World journalist Mazher Mahmood, known as the "Fake Sheikh", has been jailed for 15 months after being convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice in a case involving singer Tulisa Contostavlos. Mahmood, who also worked for the The Sun and Sunday Times, tampered with evidence in the case after a newspaper sting.

10. Briefing: Should we cheer the FTSE's rise?

Earlier this month the FTSE 100 reached a record high of 7,104. This

could be seen as a great sign of the strength of the UK economy, but

many experts are warning investors to steer well clear. Optimists

argue that the index's new heights are a bullish sign for the UK

economy - but a large reason for its rise is the weakness of the

pound.

Should we cheer the FTSE 100 above 7,000?