Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 20 Mar 2012

1. TOULOUSE KILLER MIGHT HAVE FILMED ATTACK

French police are undertaking the biggest manhunt in their recent history after prosecutors said the gunman who yesterday shot dead a teacher and three children at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school in Toulouse used the same gun and motorbike as were used to murder three soldiers in the city last week. A witness at the Jewish school said the gunman might have been wearing a camera on his chest.

France on red alert as manhunt continues for Toulouse killer

2. GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES LOAN SCHEME

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has launched the new National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), under which the government will guarantee borrowing by some banks, allowing them to borrow more cheaply. They will then pass this saving on to small to medium sized businesses seeking loans.

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

3. FABRICE MUAMBA AWAKE AND TALKING

Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch as his team played Tottenham on Saturday with a suspected heart attack, is conscious again and able to recognise family members. When he came round and saw his fiancée by his bedside, his first words were to ask for his son: "Where's Josh?"

Fabrice Muamba speaks and shows signs of improvement

4. BBC MAY GET FIRST FEMALE DG

After BBC director-general Mark Thompson confirmed he will step down this year, the corporation looks set for its first female boss. Two of the leading candidates are female and culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has said it would be "wonderful" to have a woman as DG, if she's the best candidate for the job.

5. TRAYVON MARTIN KILLING INVESTIGATED

The US justice department has begun an investigation into the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager shot as he walked home from a sweet shop by a neighbourhood watch volunteer who thought he looked "suspicious" and has not been charged because of self-defence laws.

6. UK MAN SHOCKED BY EXTRADITION REQUEST

British photographer Graham Mitchell, from Kent, says his life has been turned "upside down" because Portuguese police want to extradite him to face a murder charge for a crime he was acquitted of 17 years ago. Mitchell hopes the request is an administrative error – especially as the "victim" is still alive.

Briton sought by Portuguese over attempted murder – again

7. INFLATION FALLS TO 14-MONTH LOW

Inflation has fallen to a 14-month low thanks to a fall in electricity and gas prices and cheaper air fares and digital cameras. The consumer prices index (CPI) fell from 3.6 per cent in January to 3.4 per cent, while the retail prices index (RPI), which includes the cost of mortgage repayments, fell from 3.9 per cent to 3.7 per cent.

Inflation at 14 month low as earnings squeeze continues

8. AMIR: BUTT 'PRESSURED' ME TO NO-BALLS

Pakistan's Mohammad Amir has claimed in a TV interview that he was "pressured" into deliberately bowling the two no-balls that earned him a six-month jail sentence by his captain, Salman Butt – who he said treated him like a "little brother" – and his agent, the bookmaker Mazhar Majeed.

Does Mohammad Amir cricket fix explanation really wash?

9. QUEEN 'REDEDICATES' HERSELF TO NATION

The Queen has celebrated 60 years on the throne with an address to both Houses of Parliament, in which she promised to "rededicate" herself "to the service of our great country and its people". The Queen's Diamond Jubilee address was attended by the Prime Minister David Cameron and Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband as well as previous PMs Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Bercow causes outrage with tribute to 'kaleidoscope Queen'

10. HOT TICKET: JOURNEY WOWS GAMES FANS

Prepare yourself for "the finest on-line experience you’ll have in 2012", says The Guardian: Journey, the third game from indie developers thatgamecompany, creators of flOw and Flower. Your goal is to reach the top of a distant mountain – and there is no violence or combat involved, just exploration.

New game Journey a marvel of hallucinogenic joy