Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 21 Jan 2013

1. CAMERON WARNS OF NEW TERROR WAR

David Cameron has warned that the West in the midst of a "generational struggle" against Islamist terrorism in north Africa and that Britain would have to be "patient and resolute" to gain the upper hand. The PM made the comments in the opening address of his statement to the Commons today on the Algerian hostage crisis in which three Britons are confirmed dead and three more are believed to have died.

The threat from Africa: Gaddafi warned it would happen

2. SNOWBOUND BRITAIN: WEEK OF CHAOS AHEAD

Britain faces a week of chaos with school closures, traffic problems, airport disruption and train cancellations as snow and icy conditions continue to spread across the county. Up to 10 inches is snow is expected, the worst in Scotland and the North East, and temperatures will fall to -7C. As many as 5,000 schools are closed.

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

Acts of kindness in the snow: Britons rally to icy cause

3. OBAMA SWORN IN FOR SECOND TERM

Barack Obama was officially sworn in for his second term as president yesterday in a private ceremony attended by his wife and daughters at the White House. The official public extravaganza, complete with music by Beyonce, takes place on the Washington Mall today. He had to be sworn in on Sunday to meet the constitutional deadline of January 20.

Gun control, immigration top Obama's second term agenda

4. HEYWOOD ATTACKED OVER 'PLEBGATE'

David Cameron and his most senior civil servant, Sir Jeremy Heywood, have been criticised by an all-party committee of MPs over their handling of the investigation into claims of verbal abuse against the police by the former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell. The committee said Heywood should have challenged the claim in a leaked police log that Mitchell called officers 'plebs'.

Plebgate puzzle: why is PM protecting Jeremy Heywood?

5. MALI: FRENCH AIM IS 'TOTAL RE-CONQUEST'

France's military aim in Mali is its "total re-conquest", French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said yesterday. "We will not leave any pockets" of resistance, he said. France has sent more than 2,000 troops to help Mali government forces fight Islamist militants who now control the northern half of the country.

6. MURRAY MAKES HARD WORK OF WIN

Andy Murray is through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after beating Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. But the Scot seemed agitated during the 95-minute match and made 26 unforced errors. The British number one had been expected to breeze past Simon, who had failed to recover sufficiently from his previous five-set match against Gael Monfils.

'Listless' Andy Murray in need of a spark at Australian Open

7. DIRECTOR MICHAEL WINNER DIES AT 77

The film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner has died aged 77. Winner, who made more than 30 films including the Death Wish series, had been seriously ill for some time. His death was announced today by his wife, Geraldine, who said "a light has gone out of my life".

8. APPLE EXPECTED TO SHOW FALL IN PROFITS

Apple is expected to show its first decline in profits for nine years when it posts its latest quarterly results on Wednesday. Weaker than expected sales of the iPhone 5 are reported to be behind the slide, with Apple shares dipping to $500 on Wall Street from $705.07 in September. But Apple still sold a record of nearly 50m phones in that period.

Has Apple lost momentum? Analysts predict fall in profits

9. CANADIANS AMONG GAS PLANT TERRORISTS

Two of the jihadi militants who attacked the BP gas plant in Algeria were Canadian citizens, a security source has told Reuters. The source said Canadian documents were found on the men's bodies at the end of the siege in which at least 80 people are now known to have died, including foreigner contractors, Algerian workers and hostage takers.

Algeria hostage drama: 'two of the militants were Canadian'

10. HOT TICKET: DEVIL MAY CRY REBOOT

A reboot of the popular 'Devil May Cry' demon-slaying video game series has been released in the UK. 'DmC' allows players to take on the role of

Dante, who wakes up in a parallel universe where he must use supernatural powers to fight demons. "Phenomenal action," says the Daily Mail.

Devil May Cry reboot DmC is 'digital action at its finest'