Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 21 Sep 2010

published 21 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... COMMONWealth games village 'unfit for humans'The head of the Commonwealth Games Federation has demanded that India take immediate action to remedy conditions in the athletes' village in Delhi, which has been described as "unfit for human habitation" by the Scottish team. With just 18 of 34 residential towers in the village ready and a footbridge at the main stadium collapsing today (above), there is now a serious possibility that the games, due to be held in a fortnight's time, will be cancelled. CLEGG TELLS PARTY ‘WE MUST HOLD OUR NERVE’Nick Clegg yesterday gave the first conference speech by a Liberal leader in power since World War Two, telling his party: “Hold our nerve and we have changed Britain for good.” In a partly successful attempt to soothe a jittery conference, he avoided controversial subjects including Trident and tuition fees, instead justifying the coalition’s spending cuts. The Mole: Clegg faces an angry mob in Liverpool NORTH KOREA ‘TO CHOOSE NEW LEADER’Kim Jong-il watchers believe North Korea’s dear leader may be nearing the end of his reign after it was announced a mysteriously delayed party leadership conference would go ahead on September 28. It is speculated that the re-scheduling of the rare meeting may have been due to further illness on Kim’s part or an internal power struggle. Kim Jong-il’s mystery visit to China prompts intrigue NINE NATO TROOPS DIE IN AFGHANISTAN CRASHNato has announced that nine troops died when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan early this morning. Their nationality has not been confirmed, though military sources told the Daily Telegraph they were not British. The deaths, not caused by enemy action, make 2010 the deadliest year in the Afghan conflict so far. Father tried to warn US military of rogue soldiers MCQUEEN HOMAGE AT LONDON FASHION WEEKDesigners, models and other influential fashion figures paid homage to the late Alexander McQueen in a ceremony at St Paul’s cathedral yesterday during London Fashion Week. Stella McCartney, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, actress Sarah Jessica Parker and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour all wore McQueen as they paid tribute to him. London fashion week in pictures In Pictures: McQueen remembered RUMSFELD TO TELL WHAT HE KNOWSFormer US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld will release his memoir in January next year, his publisher says. Known and Unknown: A Memoir is expected to cover his involvement in the Iraq war, including his infamous 1983 handshake with Saddam Hussein. Aides say the book will be supported by a website of previously unseen documents. Rumsfeld to tell all about Iraq in January memoir PARIS ESCAPES JAIL ON COKE RAPHeiress Paris Hilton was given a one-year suspended sentence at a Las Vegas court yesterday after admitting she had been the owner of a gram of cocaine found in her handbag by police last month. Hilton had at first tried to claim the bag belonged to a friend, but yesterday her lawyer told the court that she had been lying. Paris Hilton claims she was ‘set up’ over drugs WENGER FACES TOUCHLINE BANThe FA has given Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger until Thursday to decide whether to accept a misconduct charge from Saturday, when, in his fury at Sunderland’s last-second equaliser, he allegedly laid a hand on fourth official Martin Atkinson. If he accepts, there’ll be a one-match touchline ban and an £8,000 fine. If he challenges the ruling, he faces a two-match ban and a fine of £12,000. Premier League review: Arsenal claim injustice after late Bent goal PLANTS RECOVER AT CHERNOBYLRussian scientists have analysed the mechanisms by which plants have adapted to the lethal levels of radiation at the contaminated site of the 1986 Chernobyl reactor explosion. The new research, in which flax was grown in the contamination zone, shows plants are much better able to deal with radiation than thought. Russian wildfires may reawaken Chernobyl cloud CHAMPION GURNER COLLAPSESA 62-year-old grandmother collapsed and was taken to hospital moments after being declared the winner of the Women’s World Gurning Championship in Egremont, Cumberland. Anne Woods recovered and has now been sent home. Organisers speculated the strain of her four-minute facial contortion could have been too much.