Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 26 Nov 2016

1. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies at the age of 90

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90 after a long battle with illness. His brother and current Cuban President, Raul Castro, announced the death of the revolutionary leader on state television. He said: "Dear people of Cuba, with deep sadness I inform our people, the friends of our America and the world, that today... the commander in chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, has died."

2. NHS plans to use private firms over busy winter

The NHS will use private firms to beat the winter crisis, according to leaked memos reported in the Daily Telegraph. Hospitals have been ordered to hand over swathes of operations to the private sector to ease a looming winter crisis, with officials have instructing hospitals to discharge thousands of patients in a bid to ease record levels of crowding.

3. US election recount begins in Wisconsin

The election commission in Wisconsin has received a request from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein for a recount of the votes in the state narrowly won by Donald Trump. Stein says she will also file vote recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Stein believes that foreign hackers could have skewed the result by filing bogus absentee ballots.

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4. Britons 'will be allowed to buy EU citizenship'

British citizens who want to live and work in Europe after Brexit would pay for individual EU citizenship under plans backed by the chief negotiator in the European Parliament. An advocate of a "United States of Europe", former Belgian prime minister and lead negotiator Guy Verhofstadt has vowed to fight for the "rights of the 48 per cent" of British voters who voted for Remain.

5. Record takings as Black Friday moves online

High streets remained calm on Black Friday as shoppers opted to hunt for bargains on mobile phones and computers. Despite the quiet stores, retailers rang up another record Black Friday, with an estimated £1.27bn spent - up 16% on last year. It should prove the busiest day in a week of promotions expected to deliver online retail sales of £6.77bn in the seven days to Monday 28 November.

6. West End power cut sees theatre shows cancelled

A power cut in central London plunged a large part of Soho into darkness last night. Theatre shows were cancelled and shops shut their doors as Black Friday took on a new resonance in the West End district. UK Power Networks said 2,300 properties had been affected by the blackout which began at 17:16 GMT. The network operator said power had been restored shortly after 21:00.

7. British far-right group wants to capture immigrants

A new British far-right group is drumming up funds via Facebook and equipping extremist vigilantes to capture immigrants in eastern Europe. The mysterious organisation, which calls itself the Knights Templar International, has been promoted by prominent far-right figures including Nick Griffin, the former leader of the British National Party and Paul Golding, head of Britain First. It is seeking funds for bulletproof vests, drones and night-vision goggles.

8. Crewe Alexandra 'ignored warnings over abusive coach'

Crewe Alexandra, the football club most heavily implicated in the Barry Bennell case, were warned he had sexually abused one of his junior footballers but allowed him to stay at the club for a number of years, reports The Guardian. Four police forces say they are now investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse within the game.

9. British photographer dies days after rape allegations

David Hamilton, the British photographer accused of raping four teenage girls in France, has been found dead at his home outside Paris. French media said that he had committed suicide, but this has not been confirmed by police. A source said that medicines had been discovered next to the body of Hamilton, 83, who was known for his erotic soft-focus portraits of adolescents.

10. Prince William 'unhappy about Harry's Meghan statement'

Prince William was dismayed by his younger brother’s decision to issue an unprecedented public statement about his new girlfriend, Meghan Markle, claims the Daily Mail. A source says William believes Harry "made a mistake" by "offering up too much information" and putting himself "in a difficult position in the future". The two brothers live yards from each other at Kensington Palace.