Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 17 Aug 2011

published 17 August 2011

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.0am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. Cameron defends harsh punishments for riots David Cameron has defended the harsh punishments being dealt out to people found guilty of crimes relating to last week's riots, saying it is "very good" that courts are sending out a "tough message". Yesterday, two men were given four-year jail sentences after pleading guilty to inciting riots via Facebook. Riot jail sentences ‘unfair and disproportionate’ Richard Ehrman: End the chief constables' closed shop Rooney loses sunday times tax complaintA complaint by Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney about a Sunday Times headline that claimed he only paid 2 per cent tax on some earnings has been rejected by the Press Complaints Commission. The watchdog ruled that the headline was clarified by the accompanying article. Yates faces probe over job for NotW man's daughter Former Metropolitan police assistant commissioner John Yates is to be investigated over claims he helped secure a job for the daughter of former News of the World exec Neil Wallis, the Guardian reports. However, he, former commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and former deputy assistant commissioner Andy Hayman have been effectively cleared of wrongdoing over two earlier probes into phone hacking. Hacking scandal: where key players stand now MURDOCH UNDER FIRE OVER 'COVER-UP' LETTERThere are calls for James Murdoch to step down as News International chairman over an apparent cover-up regarding phone hacking at the News of the World. In a damning 2007 letter released by MPs yesterday, royal reporter Clive Goodman claimed that hacking had been "fully supported" by the tabloid's editor Andy Coulson, who went on to work at Number Ten. Goodman letter is just the tip of the iceberg UK Unemployment rises to 7.9 per cent UK unemployment rose by 38,000 in the three months to June, taking the total number of people out of work to 2.49m, according to the Office of National Statistics. The rate of unemployment now stands at 7.9 per cent. Chancellor George Osborne called the figures "disappointing". BRITISH HONEYMOONER DIES IN SHARK ATTACKBriton Ian Redmond, 30, died after losing a leg in a 'rogue' shark attack yesterday while on honeymoon in the Seychelles. He was snorkeling 30 ft off Anse Lazio beach on Paslin island as his wife sunbathed nearby. A French diver died off the same beach on August 2 in the first shark attack off the Seychelles in 50 years. EUROZONE SUMMIT CALLS FOR BALANCED BUDGETSFrench President Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a governing economic council for the 17-nation Eurozone yesterday, with members passing laws to enforce balanced budgets, impose a 'Robin Hood' tax on financial transactions and equalise business taxes. They rejected calls for a 'eurobond'. Markets fell at the "weak" proposals. Merkel and Sarkozy refuse to issue eurobonds Time to recapitalise EU banks on a massive scale BRANGELINA CHARTER VIRGIN TRAIN TO GLASGOWFilm stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie chartered a private Virgin train yesterday to move their six children and entourage of 30 from London to Glasgow, where Pitt will be on location filming a zombie movie, World War Z. A Virgin spokesman declined to give the cost of of hiring "the whole train": it would depend on "requirements". Brad and Angelina charter entire train from London OBAMA FEARS 'LONE WOLF' TERROR ATTACKAs America approaches the 10th anniversary of 9/11, President Obama said yesterday that a 'lone wolf' terror attack like the Anders Breivik massacre in Norway was considered more of a threat today than the sort of coordinated effort that saw the World Trade Center and the Pentagon attacked on September 11, 2001 by al-Qaeda. Michael Bywater: All you need to know about 9/11 – except WHY? KILLER POLAR BEAR 'HAD SEVERE TOOTHACHE'The polar bear which killed British schoolboy Horatio Chapple, 17, and injured four others in the Norwegian Arctic on August 5, may have attacked because he was suffering severe toothache. Vet Bjoernar Ytrehus found nerves exposed under the bear's teeth and said: "This causes serious pain and changes the behaviour of bears."