Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 24 Sep 2010

published 24 September 2010

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.0 am, and on weekends at 11.0 am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date with the main news talking points... KEN LIVINGSTONE WINS MAYORAL VOTEKen Livingstone has comfortably won the vote to stand as Labour's candidate for the 2012 election for Mayor of London. The former Mayor, and GLC leader, polled 68.8 per cent of the votes while his rival, Oona King, a former Labour MP who lost her seat to George Galloway, received just 31.4 per cent. UK PROMISED USA TO MAINTAIN DETERRENTDefence secretary Liam Fox made a direct promise to his US counterpart, Robert Gates, at a meeting in Washington this week that the UK would keep its nuclear deterrent after the US expressed alarm at the scale of proposed cuts to spending on defence, says the Times. The pledge was made at a time that deep divisions over Trident are surfacing in the coalition. Strategic defence review looking like a train crash AHMADINEJAD: 9/11 THEORIES PROMPT UN WALK-OUTIran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prompted diplomats from 32 nations to walk out in protest by outlining 9/11 conspiracy theories while he was addressing the 65th UN general assembly. He told the assembled nations that “most Americans” believed the attacks were orchestrated by the US government to “save the Zionist regime”. Ahmadinejad uses Virginia execution to embarrass US BECKHAM’S HOOKER SUIT TOPS £5MDavid Beckham will be claiming £5m in damages from self-confessed prostitute Irma Nici, who told a US magazine she had had sex with him in a New York hotel in 2007. The Bulgarian-born 26-year-old, has gone into hiding to try to avoid being served with a writ by Beckham’s lawyers who will also demand a front page apology from In Touch. David Beckham sues over prostitute's claim QUEEN REQUESTED FUEL POVERTY GRANTThe Queen tried to apply for a poverty grant in 2004 to replace inefficient heating units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle after the Royal utility bill soared to £1m due to the increasing cost of fuel. However, when a Royal aide emailed officials to see if Her Majesty would be eligible, he was told that the grants were aimed at low-income families. KATY PERRY’S CLEAVAGE TOO MUCH FOR ELMOThe makers of children’s TV show Sesame Street have announced they are giving in to public pressure and will not broadcast a song filmed by Katy Perry with red furry puppet Elmo. After the clip (pictured above) was released on YouTube, parents protested that Perry’s cleavage was inappropriate – though the star was wearing a flesh-coloured top. Video: Katy Perry on Sesame Street Brand ‘was defending Katy Perry from up-skirt shot’ TEAM ENGLAND OPTS FOR DELHI HOTELThe first English athletes to arrive in Delhi for the upcoming Commonwealth Games have decided to stay in a hotel rather than brave the much-derided athlete’s village. The 22 hockey and lawn bowls players flew in today. However, Mike Fennell, head of the Commonwealth Games Federation said today “considerable improvements” had been made. Deep in the Delhi doodoo, Dikshit prays for games WOMAN FIGHTS BEAR WITH COURGETTEA US woman fought off a black bear which attacked on the porch of her Montana home by hurling the nearest item to hand at it - a courgette. The woman’s dog was attacked by the bear first. She kicked the animal and it retaliated by swiping at her leg, ripping her jeans. She retreated into her house but the bear followed – until a vegetable to the nose sent it running. SIX ARRESTED OVER KORAN BURNINGSix men have been arrested after a video surfaced in YouTube showing the Koran being burnt in the backyard of a Gateshead pub, apparently on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Now all released, they were detained on suspicion of causing racial hatred. Around 30 men staged a protest outside the police station where they were questioned. Oz lawyer faces sack for Koran v Bible spliff stunt WENGER: RIVALS SHOULDN’T TAKE IT PERSONALLYArsenal manager Arsene Wenger has come out fighting against rival referees including Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce and Stoke’s Tony Pulis. The Frenchman has accused their sides of reckless tackling, causing them to retaliate by suggesting he is just trying to protect his players from the English game. Wenger disagrees and says the bosses shouldn’t take his criticism personally. Wenger rises above Pulis and Allardyce’s barbs