Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 23 Feb 2017

1. Flights grounded as Storm Doris hits Britain

Winds of up to 80mph, heavy rain and deep snow are expected in parts of the UK today as Storm Doris comes in from the Atlantic. Flights from Ireland have already been cancelled and trains may run slowly. The Met Office says winds are likely to damage buildings, while 6 inches of snow is expected in parts of Scotland and north-east England.

2. Iraq forces storm Mosul airport with US support

The Iraqi army is continuing its attempt to take the west of Mosul back from Islamic State (IS) and has stormed the city's main airport and a nearby military base, state TV says. The forces are receiving backing from US jets, drones and gunships. The operation to liberate the area, IS's last remaining stronghold in the country, began on Sunday.

3. 'Outrage' as children go hungry in holidays

A government food poverty adviser says it is a "moral outrage" that the government has done nothing to help increasing numbers of children who go hungry during the school holidays. Lindsay Graham was speaking to Sky News as a cross-party group of MPs ordered an inquiry into the rising demand for "lunch clubs" during school holidays.

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4. Thousands of doctors 'will leave after Brexit'

New research by the British Medical Association suggests some 12,000 doctors may leave the UK after Brexit. The survey found two in five medics who trained elsewhere in Europe but work here will leave because they will feel less welcome after the UK leaves the EU. This would be a "disaster" and threaten care, says the BMA.

5. Trump revokes rules on transgender toilets

US President Donald Trump has written to US schools revoking guidance from the Obama administration, which said they might lose funding if they did not allow transgender pupils to use the toilet of the gender they identify with. Obama's guidance has been suspended since last August in any case, after a judge in Texas blocked it.

6. Doris and Tories threaten Labour at by-elections

Local campaign leaders for the Labour Party are fearful they will not hang on to the two seats vacated by Labour MPs in today's by-elections in Copeland and Stoke. The arrival of Storm Doris in Cumbria is expected to lower turn-out, benefiting the Tories, while in Stoke the campaign by Conservative candidate Jack Brereton is "resurgent".

7. Bake Off's Nadiya to host own cookery show

The 2015 winner of TV talent show Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain, is to host her own cookery show on BBC Two. In Nadiya's British Food Adventure, the 32-year-old will take a road trip around the country from the Scottish Highlands to Devon, seeking out great examples of British food. She will also demonstrate recipes herself.

8. Rooney's agent in China to discuss move

Wayne Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, is in China to discuss a possible move from Manchester United for his 31-year-old client. The BBC says a deal being reached before China's transfer window closes on 28 February is "highly unlikely" but adds that the fact Stretford is in China is a "clear indication" Jose Mourinho would let Rooney go.

9. Imam from Christmas advert finds fame

An imam from Leicester who featured in a popular Christmas advert for Amazon says it has turned him into a celebrity. Zubeir Hassam appeared with Christian priest Gary Bradley in the advert in which they buy kneepads for each other to wear while praying. Now Hassam says he is stopped in the street by people who ask for selfies.

10. Briefing: 'Fake news is a weapon'

As the world comes to terms with Donald Trump's presidency, his tenuous grasp on reality means fake news is still, well, news, writes William Watkin of Brunel University. The problem is that as the term "fake news" is endlessly repeated, its use and meaning changes and institutions such as parliament and Facebook can't keep up.

'Fake news is a weapon that's been turned on the media'

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