Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 15 Jun 2011

published 15 June 2011

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.0am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. COORDINATED public sector strikes plannedThe PCS union will join two teachers' unions in a strike over pension reform, pay freezes and job cuts. The coordinated strike, on June 30, will involve up to 750,000 public sector workers and civil servants. The government says talks about pension reforms are ongoing and strikes would be a "big mistake". UK BANKS MUST 'RING-FENCE' TO PROTECT CUSTOMERS Chancellor George Osborne will announce in his Mansion House speech tonight that banks must 'ring-fence' their High Street operations from speculative trading in order to safeguard customers' savings and loans. The move was recommended by an independent commission but resisted by the banks. PAKISTAN ARRESTS CIA INFORMANTS ON BIN LADENPakistan's ISI intelligence agency has arrested at least five informants who fed information to the CIA in the lead-up to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the New York Times reports. Washington observers say it illustrates the "disconnect" between the US and Pakistan at a time when they are supposed to be allies in the fight against al-Qaeda. Osama: Pakistan arrests the CIA's informers GADDAFI'S SON could get OLYMPIC TICKETSMuhammad Gaddafi, eldest son of the Libyan leader, is in line to receive 'hundreds' of tickets to the 2012 Olympics as head of the Libyan Olympic Committee. However, the IOC says that it has not yet handed them over because of the political situation in Libya. Gaddafi son gets ‘hundreds’ of 2012 Olympic tickets SPIDER-MAN FINALLY OPENS - AND IS PANNEDThe Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, written by Bono and The Edge of U2, opened last night after months of false starts – to universally poor reviews. The New York Daily News said: "The problem with expensive leftovers is that they are bound to go bad." Bono's 'folly' savaged as Spider-Man finally opens PM CALLS NHS CLIMBDOWN 'SIGN OF STRENGTH'David Cameron insisted last night that retreating in the face of controversy over the NHS reforms was a "sign of strength". The coalition had "listened and learned" and agreed to rewrite plans to put GPs in charge of buying NHS care for patients and to slow down the pace of reforms. Richard Ehrman: Why Cameron has little to fear from the Tory right BUNNY DUMPS PLAYBOY HEFNER AT ALTAR Hugh Hefner, the 85-year-old Playboy founder, has been dumped by his live-in bunny Crystal Harris, 25, who was to have married him on Saturday. The gossip site TMZ says they argued after Harris made two demands: more money than her "coupla hundred dollar" weekly allowance - and a career in music. UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN, BENEFIT CLAIMS UPUnemployment fell by 88,000 to 2.43m in the three months to April, and the unemployment rate is now down to 7.7 per cent. However, the number of people claiming benefits jumped 19,600 in May to 1.49m. It was the third month in a row that the figure has increased. SEX OFFENDERS' REGISTER CURBED BY HUMAN RIGHTS ACTThe Home Office must draw up new rules for the national register of sex offenders after the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that automatically keeping an offender on the list for life breached the Human Rights Act. David Cameron called the ruling "offensive". MURRAY SEEDED FOUR FOR WIMBLEDONAndy Murray has been seeded four for Wimbledon this year, with Rafa Nadal installed as favourite. Novak Djokovic is the second seed and Roger Federer third. It is the first time since 2003 that Federer, the six time Wimbledon champion, has not been the top seed. Caroline Wozniacki is the women's top seed. Who’s Murray? Kids pick Henman and Becker