Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 30 Aug 2010

published 30 August 2010

Too busy watching the rain come down to keep abreast of the weekend news? The First Post's catch-up service, posted at 8.0 am every Monday, is designed to help. And there's good news for regular readers - the service goes daily later this week. Watch this space... MILIBAND RACE HOTS UpWith the vote for the new Labour party leader less than a month away, the race between the Miliband brothers is hotting up - with both Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson intervening on behalf of elder brother David. Mandelson told the Times a vote for Ed Miliband, who is urging a return to pre-Blairite Labour policies, would lead Labour into an "electoral cul-de-sac". Blair himself is expected to use an Andrew Marr interview on BBC2 this Wednesday to make it clear that a vote for Ed will be destructive. Even if he doesn't explicitly endorse David, the message will be clear. EMMYS FOR CLOONEY AND MAD MEN The big winners at the prime-time Emmys announced in Los Angeles last night were Mad Men and Modern Family. The high school musical show Glee, which had garnered the most nominations, managed only two wins. Hugh Laurie, Britain's best hope for an award, came away empty-handed. George Clooney was given the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for organising the Haitian earthquake telethon. More... PAKISTANIS QUIZZED OVER MATCH-FIXING CLAIMS The Pakistani cricket team were booed out of Lords by their own supporters yesterday after losing the final Test to England on the day the News of the World exposed an apparent match-fixing scandal. Four members of the team have been interviewed by detectives and three of them - bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif and captain Salman Butt - have had their mobile phones taken away for examination. Mazhar Majeed, the alleged match fixer who took £150,000 off undercover reporters posing as gamblers, has been bailed by police, suspected of conspiring to defraud bookmakers. IRANIAN PAPER CALLS CARLA BRUNI A PROSTITUTE The influential Iranian newspaper Kayhan has branded France's First Lady Carla Bruni a 'prostitute' for writing an open letter of support to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery. Iranian state TV also weighed in, claiming Bruni had probably intervened in the Ashtiani case to "cover up her own extramarital relations". This is a reference to internet rumours circulating back in March that Bruni and President Sarkozy were conducting separate affairs - a charge they have consistently denied. AIRLINES NEED 'CRYING ZONES' Three in five air passengers would like to see family-only sections on planes where babies can cry to their heart's content, according to a poll by travel research site Skyscanner. However, those were the non-parents talking. Of the parents polled, 45 per cent were against families-only sections because they preferred not to sit next to "other people's horrors". ARSENAL'S WILSHERE ARRESTED AFTER 'FRACAS' The Arsenal footballer Jack Wilshere was arrested in the small hours of Sunday morning when a woman was left with a broken arm after a fracas on Kensington High Street in west London. A spokesman for the player confirmed Wilshere's arrest but insisted he had played the role of 'peacemaker' in the brawl. The 18-year-old midfield star was released on bail. BID TO RESCUE CHILEAN MINERS IN HALF THE TIME As fears grow in Chile about the physical and mental wellbeing of the 33 trapped miners, two holes are to be drilled, starting today. One will go directly down 700 metres to the refuge where the men are waiting. Another will attempt to intercept an existing mining tunnel at a depth of about 350m. If this one works, the men would have to make their way through several miles of underground tunnels to meet the rescue drill. But they could be out in two months instead of four. MI6 MAN'S MURDER 'PROFESSIONAL' Police have denied earlier reports that bondage equipment and SIM cards containing gay escorts' phone numbers were found in the London flat of murdered MI6 officer Gareth Williams. They say the killing was a "neat job" that points to a professional hitman. Williams's family believe the 31-year-old codebreaker is the victim of a smear campaign designed to deflect attention from his work for the secret intelligence agency. DOCTORS BRAWL IN DELIVERY ROOM A Sicilian mother and newborn baby were in critical condition yesterday after the child's delivery was delayed while two doctors fought over whether or not she should have a Caesarean. While Laura Salpietro, 30, lay waiting for their decision, and her husband, Matteo, pleaded with them to stop arguing, the two doctors at the Messina Polyclinic in Sicily began throwing punches. Both men have been suspended. Because of the delay, Laura suffered severe blood loss and had to have a hysterectomy and her baby suffered two cardiac arrests. Both remain in intensive care. HAMILTON WINS BELGIAN GRAND PRIX Lewis Hamilton has retaken the lead in the Formula One world championship after winning the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. He drove a virtually faultless race for McLaren Mercedes to beat Red Bull's Mark Webber - who had a horrible start from pole position - into second place. Renault's Robert Kubica third, and Ferrari's Felipe Massa fourth. Both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso crashed out.