Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 12 Apr 2012

1. MET ATTACKED FOR NEIL WALLIS ROLE

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has said senior figures in the Metropolitan police showed "poor judgment" by appointing former News of the World exec Neil Wallis as an adviser. Wallis's appointment came at a time when the police were being criticised for their handling of the NotW phone hacking investigation.

Read more

2. CHARITIES ROW: PM SET TO RETREAT

A U-turn over Chancellor Osborne's plans to cap tax relief on charitable donations is expected after David Cameron said last night that he will listen "very sympathetically" to angry charities. He said that while the use of donations to avoid tax must be curbed, the "right balance" could be struck.

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

How long can the PM continue to be charitable to Osborne?

3. FLORIDA VIGILANTE ON MURDER CHARGE

George Zimmerman, 28, the Florida neighbourhood watch volunteer, was last night charged with second-degree murder over the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The killing triggered a national outcry. Zimmerman turned himself in and is in custody without bail.

4. RIOTS ARSONIST GETS 11½ YEARS

Gordon Thompson, 34, of Croydon, was jailed yesterday for 11½ years for starting a fire which destroyed the House of Reeves furniture shop in south London in last summer's riots, the longest sentence yet imposed. He had looted two other stores before setting fire to a sofa at Reeves.

5. PHONE HACKING: US LAWSUITS THREATENED

Mark Lewis, the lawyer who revived the hacking scandal by suing Rupert Murdoch's News International over Milly Dowler, will arrive in New York this week to launch legal action in US courts over three cases, one involving Princess Diana. The action could cost Murdoch his US broadcasting license.

Too close for comfort: lawyer takes Murdoch fight to New York

6. TITLE OF ROWLING’S NEW BOOK REVEALED

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has announced that the title of her first adult novel will be The Casual Vacancy. The book, which will be published on 27 September, is about the death of a man in an idyllic English village called Pagford. Rowling's publisher, Little, Brown, said the novel was "blackly comic".

Why J K Rowling's new novel is called 'The Casual Vacancy'

7. HEATHROW OLYMPIC 'GRIDLOCK' FEARED

Passengers arriving at Heathrow during the Olympics face long delays on the runway or in the air because border and immigration controls will be unable to cope, the Commons Culture Committee warned yesterday. Up to 138,000 are expected daily between 26 July and 13 August, 45% above normal traffic.

8. WILLIAM BOYD TAKES ON JAMES BOND

Novelist William Boyd is taking on the mission to write a new James Bond book, the Ian Fleming estate announced last night, and he promises to return to "classic Bond" with a story set in the late 1960s. The novel will come out in 2013, the 60th anniversary of 007's debut in Casino Royale.

Read more

9. SETBACK FOR MAN UTD AFTER WIGAN DEFEAT

A surprise 1-0 defeat at Wigan has stalled Manchester United's title hopes, leaving them only five points clear of Manchester City who beat West Brom 4-0. Arsenal improved their chances of a third-place finish with a 3-0 defeat of Wolves, putting the Gunners five points clear of Tottenham and Newcastle.

Title chase hots up as mighty Man United fall to lowly Wigan

10. HOT TICKET: EUGENE O'NEILL REVISITED

A West End revival of Eugene O'Neill's 1956 family drama A Long Day's Journey into Night has opened at London's Apollo Theatre. David Suchet stars as the father of the troubled Tyrone family, coming to terms with its disappointments and addiction problems. "Remarkable", says The Times.

Brilliantly acted revival gives O'Neill's masterpiece new life