Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 12 Dec 2011

1. CAMERON DEFENDS VETO

David Cameron has told the Commons that he negotiated in "good faith" before deciding to veto an EU treaty designed to protect the euro because it was not in the UK's national interest. Yesterday, his Lib Dem deputy Nick Clegg said the veto was "bad for Britain" and could leave it "isolated and marginalised".

How Brussels went wrong for Sarkozy and Merkel too

2. NAZI STAG NIGHT MP APOLOGISES AGAIN

Aidan Burley, the Tory MP who attended a stag night in the French Alps at which the groom-to-be dressed in a black SS uniform and gave a Nazi salute, has issued a second apology in what the Daily Mail calls a “desperate bid” to save his career. “Deeply regret inappropriate behaviour,” Burley tweeted on Sunday.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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

Tory MP Aidan Burley in 'Nazi stag night' at French ski resort

3. UN HAILS DURBAN BREAKTHROUGH

UN climate chief Christina Figueres has hailed the global talks on climate change held in Durban, South Africa, which reached a historic agreement in the early hours of Sunday. The world is now on track for a comprehensive treaty requiring both developed and developing nations to cut carbon emissions.

Durban: at last, US, India and China agree to act on climate

4. AMY WINEHOUSE TOPS CHARTS

A posthumous album from singer Amy Winehouse, who died as a result of drinking too much alcohol on July 23, has topped the UK album chart. Lioness: Hidden Treasures has been compiled from previously unreleased covers and original songs by her usual collaborators Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson.

5. MEDVEDEV ORDERS VOTE INQUIRY

Russia's president Dmitri Medvedev has rejected opposition demands for new parliamentary elections but announced an inquiry into allegations of vote-rigging on a massive scale. Yesterday, at least 50,000 protesters took to the Moscow streets in the biggest anti-government rallies for 20 years.

Russian election protesters give Vladimir Putin a scare

6. GUARDIAN WRITES TO LEVESON

The Guardian has written to the Leveson inquiry into phone hacking to clarify its evidence after it emerged that reporter Nick Davies was not aware that new evidence from the police suggests it was they who accidentally deleted voicemails from murder victim Milly Dowler's phone, not reporters.

Dowler 'false hope' messages were not erased by NotW

7. AMIR KHAN WANTS REMATCH

UK boxer Amir Khan, whose attempt to crack the US went spectacularly wrong at the weekend when a controversial defeat at the hands of Lamont Peterson stripped him of both his world title belts, says he wants a rematch. Peterson won on points thanks to controversial refereeing decisions by American judges.

Amir Khan to get rematch after refereeing travesty

8. RBS FAILED BY BAD MANAGEMENT

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has found that Royal Bank of Scotland nearly collapsed in 2008 because of poor management decisions, inadequate regulation and a flawed supervisory system. A new report on RBS even admits that the FSA itself provided "insufficient challenge" to the bank.

9. LITTLE MIX WIN X FACTOR

Girl group Little Mix yesterday won the ITV talent show The X Factor, beating scouse hairdresser Marcus Collins into second place. Little Mix were the bookies' favourites when they performed a version of Silent Night and became the first group ever to win the show. Other victors have all been solo acts.

10. HOT TICKET: DICKENS AND LONDON

A major exhibition exploring the world of Charles Dickens has opened at the Museum of London. Dickens and London marks the bicentenary of the author’s birth with an exhibition of images and objects, including his writing chair and rarely seen hand-written manuscripts of Bleak House and David Copperfield. Until June 2012.