Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 13 Jul 2013

1. CAMERON GURU 'HELPED TOBACCO GIANT'

A lobbying consultancy owned by David Cameron's election strategist helped the world's largest cigarette company avoid a ban on plain packaging for tobacco products, reports The Times. Hours after ministers effectively shelved plans to introduce plain packaging it emerged that Lynton Crosby's company has been advising tobacco giant Philip Morris.

2. LIVERPOOL PATHWAY 'TO BE AXED'

The controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, established to “manage” the death of terminally ill NHS patients will itself be “phased out” following an official review, ministers will announce next week. Officials say the review team encountered several examples of poor implementation and worrying standards in care at the LCP, which was developed in the 1990s.

3. 'CRIPPLING' HEATWAVE TO CONTINUE

Britain is set to enjoy its hottest temperatures for seven years today as forecasters predict the heatwave could carry on into next month. Jonathan Powell of Vantage Weather Services tells the Daily Express that Britain is experiencing a “historic” heatwave which could next week bring “crippling heat” to the country. The Met Office is warning of “dangerous” conditions.

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4. MOSQUE BLAST 'AN ACT OF TERRORISM'

Police are treating an explosion outside a mosque in Tipton in the West Midlands as “an act of terrorism”. The blast, which left nails and debris strewn outside the mosque, occurred on a disused railway line around 1pm yesterday. Adrian Bailey MP said the attack could have been a revenge attack for the murder of soldier Lee Rigby, whose funeral was held yesterday.

5. SILVER £5 COIN TO CELEBRATE ROYAL BABY

The Royal Mint is planning to issue a silver £5 'St George and Dragon' coin to mark the impending birth of the royal baby, as bookmakers take a flurry of bets on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge naming the baby George. The body has already revealed plans to hand out a "lucky" silver penny to the parents of every baby born on the same day as the new Prince or Princess.

6. IMMIGRATION BACKLOG '5,000 STRONG'

The backlog of unresolved immigration cases has grown to more than 500,000 and could take 37 years to clear, claims a committee of MPs. Keith Vaz MP, the chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, said the figure is “staggering”, adding: “This could fill Wembley Stadium to capacity six times over.” The Home Office disputes the figure, saying it is over-counted by 40,000.

7. SIX DEAD IN PARIS TRAIN CRASH

At least six people were killed and 30 injured in a train crash near Paris yesterday afternoon. A rescue operation is continuing at the site of the crash in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris. The intercity train had just left the French capital and was heading towards Limoges when it derailed, crashing into a station platform.

8. DREAMLINER FIRE HITS BOEING SHARES

A 787 Dreamliner caught fire at Heathrow Airport yesterday causing Boeing's shares to crash and sparking predictions of summer travel chaos. There is concern that the fire, on an Ethiopian Airlines plane, could mean the entire fleet is grounded during the busy summer season. Boeing’s shares initially fell 7.4% – to $98.99 – as news of the fire broke.

9. MARR PLANS SEPTEMBER RETURN

Andrew Marr is planning to return to television full-time from September, just nine months after suffering a serious stoke. The broadcaster will appear on the Andrew Marr Show this Sunday with a pre-recorded interview with former Labour MP David Miliband. “You have to take it bit by bit,” he said. “My walking is a bit wobbly, but so what?”

10. CAVENDISH SWEEPS TO 25TH STAGE WIN

Mark Cavendish won stage 13 of the Tour de France yesterday as Bauke Mollema and Alberto Contador closed the gap on race leader Chris Froome by 69 seconds. It was Cavendish's second stage win of this year's race and his 25th in total. "It wasn't easy but my team-mates rode out of their skin and it was incredible to be able to win it,” he said.