Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 7 Oct 2011

Mervyn King, Bank of England

'WORST CRISIS EVER' WARNS BANK CHIEF Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, last night warned that the Eurozone debt crisis and its impact on the markets was "the most serious financial crisis we've seen, at least since the 1930s, if not ever." The Bank was having to "act calmly and do the right thing." He was speaking after the announcement of a further £75bn in quantitative easing. APPLE STORES MOBBED AFTER JOBS' DEATHApple stores in London and around the world were mobbed yesterday as thousands of "think differently" fans of Apple mourned the death of Steve Jobs from cancer at 56. Media companies offered "special editions" of the iPad, while the clothing company St. Croix reported that sales of Jobs's trademark black turtleneck shirt doubled overnight. Apple without Steve Jobs: the risk of being ordinary BIN LADEN DOCTOR FACES TREASON CHARGEDr Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor accused of helping the CIA track down Osama din Laden to his Abbottabad hideout, should be tried for high treason, a Pakistan judicial committee declared yesterday. The CIA allegedly found bin Laden after Afridi set up a vaccination programme to collect DNA samples. Conviction would mean the death penalty. AMANDA KNOX FAMILY DENIES MEDIA DEAL Amanda Knox is in hiding at secret location outside her home town of Seattle, her father Curt Knox said yesterday, and will make no appearance for weeks. There were "no plans or deals" with the media, and Knox should "not be seen as a hot property for an interview". But she had returned with a "suitcase full" of prison journals. SWEDISH POET WINS NOBEL LIT PRIZEA Swedish poet, Tomas Transtroemer, 80, was yesterday awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature, worth 10 million kronor – nearly £950,000 - as the organisation maintained its reputation for surprise. A trained psychologist, Transtroemer is the first Swede to win since 1974. Publishers Weekly described his poems as "mystical, versatile and sad". LIAM FOX ORDERS WERRITY INQUIRY Defence Secretary Liam Fox last night ordered an investigation into whether he broke the ministerial code over his working relationship with Adam Werritty, his former flatmate and best man. Fox has been accused of risking national security by giving MoD access to Werritty, who is reported to have been with Fox on an official trip to Sri Lanka. The Mole: Liam Fox, Adam Werrity & the Atlantic Bridge mystery PALTROW SINGS 'FUCK YOU' FOR DUKE Actress and singer Gwyneth Paltrow "put a real twinkle" in the Duke of Edinburgh's eye when she sang the Cee Lo Green song Fuck You to him and other guests at a party celebrating the re-opening of the Arts Club in Mayfair, it was reported last night. "Don't tell the Queen," Paltrow advised. The Duke is patron of the 148-year-old establishment. GADDAFI: VOICE FROM THE WILDERNESSColonel Gaddafi, believed to be hiding somewhere in the desert, made an unexpected return to the national conflict yesterday with a voice-only broadcast through Syrian television. As the battle for his hometown of Sirte continued, he called on Libyans to "flood the streets" in their millions, and "raise green flags to the skies". DANGEROUS DRIVERS TO FACE FIVE YEARS IN JAILDangerous drivers will be jailed for up to five years under a new offence of "causing serious injury by dangerous driving" to be included in the Government's Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said yesterday. He said he had "listened to the victims of dangerous drivers", and that five people die on the roads each day. 'PUB GRUB' GETS TWO MICHELIN STARS The Hand and Flowers in Marlow was yesterday awarded a second star by the Michelin Guide for its food, the first British 'gastropub' to earn the accolade of a second star. Dishes such as quail tart and lamb sweetbreads served by husband and wife Tom and Beth Kerridge had "risen to new heights". Twelve other pubs were awarded stars.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us