Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 8 Jan 2012

1. CAMERON TARGETS EXECUTIVE PAY

The Prime Minister says he will back plans for shareholders to have a veto on executives' pay as public anger grows over excessive salaries and bonuses. Mr Cameron told the Sunday Telegraph he will end the "merry go round" of wealthy bosses awarding each other lavish remuneration.

2. 'MISSING' £8M IN BLAIR ACCOUNTS

Accounting experts are asking questions about a 'missing' £8m in the accounts of Tony Blair, which are reported in the Sunday Telegraph. In the two years until March 31 2010, Blair’s management company had a total turnover of more than £20 million and paid tax of around £470,000.

3. BEYONCE 'GIVES BIRTH TO GIRL'

Beyoncé Knowles has given birth to a baby daughter in New York, a report in the Houston Chronicle claims. Knowles and her rapper husband Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter have been secretive about the pregnancy. A report on E! Online claims they are to call their baby girl Ivy Blue Carter.

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4. HAWKING MAY USE BRAIN-WAVES TO TALK

Stephen Hawking may have to resort to brain-wave scanning to communicate after a deterioration in his condition. Hawking can no longer twitch his cheek to operate his computer, so his thoughts might be channelled via headsets that measure electrical activity in the brain.

5. FIRST LADY 'ANGERS WHITE HOUSE AIDES'

An interfering Michelle Obama has infuriated senior White House aides since her husband became President of the United States, according to a new book. Jodi Kantor's book, The Obamas, also claims the First Lady feared "everyone was waiting for a black woman to make a mistake”.

6. LABOUR MP TELLS MILIBAND: 'GET A GRIP'

Embattled Labour leader Ed Miliband is facing renewed discomfort after a Labour MP told him to "get a grip". Graham Stringer - the first Labour MP to publicly call on Gordon Brown to resign when his popularity plummeted - said: "Ed has got to get a grip and turn it around before the May elections."

7. PASSPORTS LENT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Thousands of illegal immigrants are able to enter Britain after renting passports from criminal gangs in Greece, reports the Sunday Times. The gangs source genuine passports and ID documents of people that resemble would-be immigrants and loan them for around £800 a time.

8. PM SORRY FOR TOURETTES QUIP

David Cameron has apologised after telling the Sunday Telegraph that facing shadow chancellor Ed Balls in the Commons is "like having someone with Tourette's sitting opposite you". Campaigners complained about the comment, leading to Downing Street apologising for the "off the cuff" remark.

9. RISE IN ALCOHOLIC PENSIONERS

The number of elderly people battling drink problems is rising, recent figures suggest. The data collected for the BBC by the NHS Information Centre show that over the past 10 years, there has been a 163% increase in alcohol-related admissions to London hospitals for people 65 and over.

10. MANCINI: UNITED STILL THE BEST

Roberto Mancini has said Manchester United are still the best team in England as his Manchester City side prepare to take them on in the FA Cup today. He said it would take more than two years for his team to emulate United, even if they were to win the Premier League this season.