Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 15 Jun 2013

1. ROUHANI TAKES EARLY LEAD IN IRAN

Early results from Iran's presidential election put reformist-backed candidate Hassan Rouhani, sometimes described as a “moderate”, in the lead. He had 51% of the five million ballots counted as of 7am UK time - well ahead of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on 17%. Turnout was high among the 50m Iranians eligible to vote on Friday for a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

2. TONY BLAIR DENIES WENDI DENG AFFAIR

Tony Blair has denied internet rumours linking him with the divorce of Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng. After speculation mounted yesterday, a Blair spokesman told the Hollywood Reporter: “If you are asking if they are having an affair, the answer is no.” The BBC's Robert Peston had tweeted that undisclosed reasons for the Murdoch divorce are “jaw-dropping”.

3. US TROOPS MASS ON SYRIAN BORDER

Three hundred US troops have been deployed to the border between Jordan and Syria to pave the way for the West to arm rebels, reports The Times. A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, designed to protect Jordanian territory from attack by Assad missiles, has also been moved into the area. The Pentagon is drawing up a list of weapons that could aid the rebels.

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4. COALITION 'WASTED £120BN LAST YEAR'

Nearly £120bn of taxpayers’ money was wasted by the government last year, according to the Taxpayers' Alliance. Most of the waste, claims the report, comes from over-generous pay and pension deals for public sector workers. The wasted money is equivalent to £4,500 per household. But trade unions dismissed the report as “laughable economic illiteracy of the highest order”.

5. ADELE AND ATKINSON IN HONOURS LIST

Singer Adele, actors Tony Robinson and Rowan Atkinson, and broadcaster Clare Balding are among the recipients in the Queen's Birthday Honours. A total of 1,180 people are named in the list, nearly half of them women. Some 72% of the recipients are people actively engaged in charitable or voluntary work within their local communities.

6. PRINCE CHARLES BUYS £38M MK DEPOT

Prince Charles has spent £38m on an industrial depot in Milton Keynes despite his opposition to “monstrous carbuncle” buildings, reports The Independent. The purchase of the vast supermarket warehouse was part of a £102m series of confidential property deals. The Duchy of Cornwall is one of Britain’s largest private estates and owns more than 50,000 hectares of land.

7. AFGHANISTAN 'IS OUR VIETNAM' SAYS HAMMOND

The Afghanistan war has become Britain's Vietnam and left the public “wary” of further major military engagements abroad, defence secretary Philip Hammond has told the Daily Telegraph. “You might call it the Vietnam phenomenon – when an engagement turns out to be longer and more costly than originally envisaged, there is often a public reaction to that,” he said.

8. CAMERON: I WORK IN MY PYJAMAS

David Cameron has admitted he sometimes works in his pyjamas. He told the BBC he rises “pretty early in the morning” and starts work in his night clothes. The PM has been accused of taking too much time off work, after sources said he enjoys “chillaxing”. A Downing Street source also said last year that Cameron spends a "scary, crazy amount of time playing Fruit Ninja on his iPad".

9. 'BURN MOSQUES' WOMAN SENTENCED

A 24-year-old woman has received a suspended prison sentence after making inflammatory remarks on Facebook following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby. Michaela Turner's postings included: "Feeling like burning down some mosques in Portsmouth, anyone want to join me?" She was sentenced to an eight-week jail term, suspended for six months.

10. JACKO GHOST: 'DEATH AN ACCIDENT'

Michael Jackson's ghost says the singer's death was an accident, a court heard yesterday. According to Randy Phillips, CEO of concert company AEG, the ex-wife of Lionel Richie has been in touch with Jackson “either through a medium or directly”. Phillips added: “She said Michael told her...that he had accidentally killed himself.”