Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 27 Oct 2016

1. World wildlife populations fall 58% since 1970

Wildlife populations around the world have fallen 58% since 1970, a new report by the Zoological Society of London and the WWF says. Human activities including habitat destruction, wildlife trading, pollution and climate change have all contributed to the decline, which is most marked among animals living in lakes, rivers and wetlands.

Animal populations plunge by 58% since 1970

2. Central Italy hit by two earthquakes

Two serious earthquakes hit central Italy within two hours of each other yesterday, damaging buildings and injuring dozens of people, some seriously. Both were centred on Visso, in Macerata province, where a tremor in August killed around 300 people. Emergency teams worked through the night.

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

Italy: 'Many dead' as avalanche strikes Abruzzo hotel

3. Internet attack 'was largest in history'

A cyber-attack which brought down large numbers of US websites last week was the largest of its kind in history, experts say. The Dedicated Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which was carried out via the web-enabled appliances, temporarily shut down the likes of Twitter, The Guardian, Netflix, CNN and Reddit.

4. Rape supsects will not be told accuser's name

Rape suspects in England and Wales are to lose the right to know the name of their accuser in cases of serious sexual crimes carried out by strangers. Campaigners say victims are often put in unnecessary danger by police officers disclosing their names. The proposals could be challenged on the basis they remove a key legal right.

5. Trump's Walk of Fame star vandalised

Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been destroyed by a man with a sledgehammer, who was filmed smashing the US presidential candidate's plaque. The man said he planned to auction the star and give the proceeds to the nine women who allege Trump harassed or assaulted them.

Donald Trump sued by two states over business links

6. Galaxy Note 7 fiasco hits Samsung profits

Samsung's profits have fallen almost a third in the wake of the recall and cancellation of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device, which proved to be dangerously flammable. Operating profit between July and September was down 30% on the same period last year, at £3.8bn.

7. Great British Bake Off winner revealed

Candice Brown was named the winner of the the Great British Bake Off last night, the final series before the show leaves the BBC for Channel 4. The 31-year-old PE teacher impressed judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with her “determination and passion” for baking.

8. Post-Brexit growth figures better than expected

Britain's economy has performed significantly better than expected in the three months following June's Brexit vote. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show the economy expanded at a rate of 0.5% in the third quarter of the year, down on 0.7% in the second quarter, but well ahead of analysts' expectations of just 0.3%.

Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'

9. Children left homeless at Jungle camp

Scores of children have been left to fend for themselves after French authorities shut down the Jungle refugee camp in Calais, it has been claimed. France says nearly 5,600 refugees have been moved to this week and around 1,500 unaccompanied minors are being housed in an on-site container camp. However, several hundred people are still thought to be on the site.

Refugee crisis: Calais Jungle children 'have nowhere to sleep'

10. Briefing: Will Mark Carney stay or go?

"Is there a conspiracy to unsettle Mark Carney?" asks The Guardian's Nils Pratley. Last week the Bank of England governor made "sharp remarks about how he wasn't going to 'take instruction' from politicians". This, says Pratley, seemed to be in response to "Theresa May's grumble at the Tory party conference about the 'bad side-effects' of ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easing".

Mark Carney 'could be persuaded' to stay if Brexit talks stall