Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 8 Jul 2013

1. CAIRO DAWN RAID TOLL HITS 51

At least 51 people are confirmed to have been shot dead this morning when Egyptian soldiers fired at protesters outside the Cairo barracks where the ousted President Morsi is thought to be held. Egypt's interim leader Adly Mansour urged calm and said he had ordered an investigation into the deaths.

Cairo: Army accused of dawn massacre of protesters

2. ANDY MURRAY: PM'S INVITE TO NO. 10

Andy Murray, the first British men's champion at Wimbledon since 1936, has been invited to a reception at No. 10 Downing Street, David Cameron has tweeted. Earlier, the PM responded to questions about whether Murray would be knighted following his victory by saying he could not think of anyone who was "more deserving" of the honour.

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

Arise Sir Andy? PM says Scot deserves it - but does he?

3. BASIC SKILLS SCHOOL CURRICULUM LAUNCHED

A controversial new national curriculum that puts the emphasis on building a strong knowledge base has been unveiled. The Government says the slimmed-down document will set out only the "essential knowledge that all children should acquire", leaving teachers free to tailor the rest of their lessons.

4. UK WILL STAY SUNNY THROUGHOUT WEEK

The fine sunshine experienced across Britain over the weekend is expected to last throughout the week. Although some North Sea coastal areas will experience sea fog, and the Scottish hills will see some showers, the area of high pressure that has brought blue skies and warm sunshine to most of the country will continue to do so.

5. SF CRASH JET FLYING 'TOO SLOWLY'

The pilot of jet that crashed at San Francisco airport on the weekend was flying too slowly to land safely and tried to abort the landing 1.5 seconds before the plane hit the ground, a black box recording has revealed. It has also emerged that the pilot of the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 was still training on the new long-haul aircraft.

Black box reveals crash jet flying too slow for SF landing

6. 'HI GIRLS!' BLAIR TOLD GADDAFI 'SEX SLAVES'

Tony Blair, on a visit to Colonel Gaddafi in 2004, came out of the Libyan leader's tent and said "Hi, girls!" to a group of teenagers, unaware that they had been chosen as sex slaves and would later be raped, a new book claims. One of the girls, aged 15, told the French author of 'Gaddafi's Harem' she was hand-picked by Gaddafi on a visit to her school.

'Hi girls': Tony Blair's greeting to Gaddafi harem

7. NUDE DRUG BARON NABBED IN PANIC ROOM

Mark 'Fatboy' Lilley, a drugs baron who became one of Britain's most wanted fugitives when he skipped bail in 2000, has been caught hiding at a villa in Spain. He was naked when armed police smashed down the front door of the house in Malaga and found him hiding in a panic room, built behind the wardrobe in his bedroom.

Fugitive 'Fatboy' Lilley caught naked in Malaga panic room

8. ROYAL BABY FOR ZARA PHILLIPS

The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips and her rugby player husband, Mike Tindall, are expecting their first child. Phillips, daughter of the Princess Royal and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, is due to give birth in the new year. The royal baby news comes as Kate Middleton prepares to give birth to her first child this week.

9. ON THE UP? BUSINESS CONFIDENCE GROWS

Business confidence in Britain has grown for the fifth consecutive month and is at its highest point since May 2012, according to the Optimism Index from accountants BDO. However, the firm warned that the OI figure of 94.3, while encouraging, remains just below the level which would indicate the economy is set to grow.

All this economic good news: maybe it's the Carney effect?

10. HOT TICKET: PRIVATE LIVES REVIVED

A revival of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives' has transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. A divorced couple rekindle their volatile romance while honeymooning with their new spouses at the same hotel. Stars Anna Chancellor and Toby Stephens. "Comic bliss," says the Daily Telegraph. Until 21 September.

West End revival of Coward's Private Lives is 'comic bliss'