Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 2 Jul 2013

1. MORSI: I WILL NOT GIVE IN TO ARMY COUP

Egypt remains on a knife edge after the head of Egypt's armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, threatened President Morsi with military intervention "if the demands of the people are not met" and Morsi responded that he would not give in to the threat of a coup. Many protesters have welcomed the army ultimatum.

Is Egypt heading for military coup? Five key questions

2. VICKY PRYCE IN HOUSE OF LORDS

Vicky Pryce, the ex-wife of the former cabinet minister Chris Huhne, has made further tentative steps towards returning to the public eye, appearing as a witness before a House of Lords committee. The former head of the government economic service gave evidence to an inquiry into the eurozone crisis today.

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

Vicky Pryce rebuilds career with House of Lords appearance

3. RAMADAN: C4 TO AIR DAILY CALL TO PRAYER

Channel 4 is to broadcast the morning call to prayer during the 30 days of Ramadan, starting next week. The station says almost 5% of Britons will "actively engage" in the Muslim festival and asks: "Can we say the same of other national events that have received blanket coverage on television such as the Queen's coronation anniversary?"

C4 to broadcast Muslim prayer: provocation or publicity stunt?

4. SNOWDEN: ASYLUM REQUEST WITHDRAWN

American whistleblower Edward Snowden, whose latest leaks have left European leaders piqued by revelations that the US spied on their embassies and EU missions, has withdrawn a request for asylum in Russia, the Kremlin says. Snowden, who has applied for save haven in 20 countries, lashed out at President Obama today for cancelling his passport.

Edward Snowden joins Twitter with jokes aplenty

5. LEBEDEV ESCAPES JAIL IN RUSSIA

Alexander Lebedev, owner of the The Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, has escaped jail in Russia despite being convicted of battery after punching a rival on a TV show in his homeland. The former KGB officer was sentenced to 150 hours of community service but was cleared of the more serious offence of hooliganism motivated by political hatred.

6. NEW INCIDENT IN SHIPLEY MURDER

Police investigating the murder of an 84-year-old woman at her home in Shipley, West Yorkshire and the stabbing of a nine-year-old boy in a nearby skate park are investigating another incident in which an eight-year-old girl was chased near the murder scene. Five men are in police custody in connection with either the murder or the attack on the boy.

7. '007' BROSNAN LOSES DAUGHTER TO CANCER

Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan is in mourning after his "darling daughter" Charlotte died aged 41 from ovarian cancer. Her mother, the Australian actress Cassandra Harris, was only two years older when she died from the same cancer in 1991. Brosnan, who played Bond four times, said his family was devastated.

Pierce Brosnan loses daughter to same cancer that took his wife

8. RUSSIAN ROCKET EXPLODES ON TAKE-OFF

Russian space experts had to be evacuated from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early today when a rocket exploded just seconds after its launch, spilling up to 600 tonnes of poisonous rocket fuel. The Proton-M rocket was carrying three satellites for Russia's Glonass navigation satellite system.

Russian rocket carrying $200m satellites crashes - video

9. FOOTBALLER BACK BEHIND BARS

Former Manchester City player and England under-18 captain Courtney Meppen-Walter is back behind bars today after being released from prison by mistake. He had walked free on Monday after serving just a quarter of a 16-month sentence for causing the deaths of two people by careless driving.

Footballer freed from prison by mistake is back behind bars

10. HOT TICKET: LENNY HENRY IN 'FENCES'

A new production of Pulitzer Prize-winning American drama 'Fences' has transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End. Lenny Henry stars as a failed baseball player turned garbage collector who takes out his resentments on his family. "Henry is magnificent," says The Times. Until 14 September.

Critics wowed by Lenny Henry's 'epic' role in Fences