Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 8 Nov 2011

1. FEARS OF SLUMP AS EU TALKS BREAK DOWN

An EU finance ministers meeting due to be held this morning in Brussels has been called off as Germany and other members wrangle over the details of the "grand bargain" that had been expected to save the euro. News of the breakdown spooked markets which fell in Europe and New York and raised fears of a slump.

2. BERLUSCONI 'AGREES TO STEP DOWN'

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is to step down at Christmas, triggering a general election in early 2012, according to reports in La Repubblica and La Stampa. It is thought Berlusconi made the secret deal with his coalition partners the Northern League in return for their support for pension reforms.

3. PRISONERS RIOT IN TURKISH EARTHQUAKE PANIC

Hundreds of prisoners in the earthquake-hit Turkish town of Van set fire to their jail and fought guards yesterday after a 5.8 Richter scale aftershock sparked a panic and the guards refused to free them. Shots were heard as the army secured the jail. The official death toll from Sunday's earthquake rose to 459 yesterday as rescue efforts continued.

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4. 'SACK THE SLACKERS', REPORT DEMANDS

Britain must overhaul laws regulating "unfair dismissal" to allow the sacking of slackers in both private and public sectors, a report commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron from venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft has demanded. Employment laws have a "terrible impact" on competitiveness and efficiency.

5. VINCE CABLE FAILED TO PAY HIS TAX BILL

Business Secretary Vince Cable paid a £500 penalty to HM Revenue and Customs early this year for failing to pay up to £25,000 he owed in VAT after earning £192,000 on top of his Lib Dem MP's salary from media appearances and book deals, the Sun reports this morning. The error was an "oversight" spotted by his accountants.

6. GADDAFI'S PLEA TO BERLUSCONI

Ten weeks before his death, Col Gaddafi wrote a letter to his old friend Silvio Berlusconi asking him to stop the Nato-led intervention of Libya. The plea is revealed in a letter - yet to be authenticated - published by Paris Match magazine. "I have been surprised by the attitude of a friend with whom I have sealed a treaty of friendship," Gaddafi wrote.

Help! What Gaddafi wrote to his friend Berlusconi

7. POLICE FIND 'HUB' AT HEART OF HACKING SCANDAL

Detectives with Operation Weeting investigating the News of the World phone hacking scandal have identified a mobile phone used to hack more than 1,150 messages and kept secretly by editors on the news desk, the Independent reports this morning. The phone was used between 2004 and 2006 and was allegedly named 'The Hub'.

8. DREAMLINER MAKES ITS COMMERCIAL DEBUT

After a string of production setbacks, Boeing's Dreamliner passenger jet has taken off on its maiden commercial voyage, three years later than planned. The All Nippon Airlines flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong is a special charter. ANA, which has ordered dozens of the fuel-efficient planes, will start normal services next month.

Boeing's long-awaited Dreamliner takes off

9. NHS BREAST SCREENING TO BE REVIEWED

The evidence for whether or not the NHS Breast Screening Programme is justified is to be reviewed by the national cancer director for England, Professor Mike Richards. Evidence has challenged the belief that screening reduces mortality rates by 35% and "does more good than harm".

10. GOLD MINE TO GO AHEAD AT LOCH LOMOND

Permission was granted yesterday for a gold mine to go ahead in Loch Lomond National Park, one of Britain's best known beauty spots. The National Park Authority said the promise of 50 jobs and economic growth outweighed environmental concerns. Scotgold Resources, the miners, expect to extract £50m worth of gold and silver.