Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 11 Aug 2013

1. TAXPAYER-FUNDED AID SEIZED BY AL-QAEDA

Almost half a million pounds of aid and equipment, funded by the British taxpayer, has fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda, the government has admitted. The Department for International Development says £480,000 worth of “humanitarian materials and supplies” was written off following repeated “confiscations” by the terror group's Somali franchise.

2. HUNT: NHS MUST REFORM OR DIE

The NHS will only be sustainable for the next decade if doctors accept sweeping reforms, including proper weekend hospital cover, the health secretary has told the Sunday Times. Jeremy Hunt plans to restore the traditional role of the family doctor, tackle “scandalous” NHS inefficiency, and create a seven-day NHS, whereby patients get the same quality of treatment at weekends.

3. SHAH: 'ABUSED GIRLS CAN BE TO BLAME'

Former newspaper owner Eddy Shah says that some underage girls can be to blame for the sexual abuse they have experienced. Shah, who was recently cleared of raping a schoolgirl after telling a jury there had been no contact between them, told the BBC: "If we're talking about girls who just go out and have a good time, then they are to blame."

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4. SAATCHI 'THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF'

Charles Saatchi threatened to kill himself in a bid to win back Nigella Lawson after the first stages of their divorce, claims the Mail on Sunday. The multi-millionaire art collector warned he would take his own life in a series of phone calls and text messages. Saatchi also accused Nigella of potentially criminal behaviour, claims the report.

5. 'DISGRACED' HUHNE LANDS TOP ENERGY JOB

Chris Huhne has been branded a “disgrace” after it emerged he landed a senior job with an energy company within three months of leaving prison. The former energy secretary has a two-day-a-week role as European chairman of US-based Zilkha Biomass Energy. The appointment has opened a new row over the revolving door between Whitehall and business.

6. ASK.FM: HANNAH 'SENT MESSAGES HERSELF'

Schoolgirl Hannah Smith, who hanged herself after receiving hate messages on Ask.fm, posted many of the comments herself, claim executives at the website. “With the Hannah case, the company have looked at every identity — the IP addresses are trackable,” a source tells the Sunday Times. “She posted the anonymous things herself. The police has all that data.”

7. UNIS 'FAVOUR MIDDLE-CLASS APPLICANTS'

Universities are encouraged to favour “good middle-class” applicants over poorer students who are more likely to drop out, claims the head of the Office for Fair Access. Professor Les Ebdon warns colleges are “missing a lot of excellence” as a result. Teenagers who are eligible for free school meals are half as likely to progress to higher education than their more affluent peers.

8. SCIENTISTS CREATE 'DEATH TEST'

Scientists have invented a “death test” that can tell people how long they have left to live, the first test of its kind in the world. A pain-free laser pulse measures how a person’s body will decline with age by analysing cells. As well as calculating the length of time before death, the laser can also test for diseases including cancer and dementia.

9. UK HOLDS FIRST GINGER PRIDE MARCH

Redheads gathered in Edinburgh yesterday for the UK's first ever ginger pride march. The parade, led by Canadian comic Shawn Hitchens, called for an end to “gingerism” - prejudice and discrimination against people with red hair. Marchers carried placards bearing slogans such as “All Hail! The red, orange and pale!” and “It gets redder”.

10. FARAH TAKES 10,000M WORLD TITLE

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah has become the first British man to win a 10,000m world title. Farah saw off 2011 champion Ibrahim Jeilan in a grandstand finish in Moscow, crossing the line in 27 minutes and 21.71 seconds. Usain Bolt cruised through the 100m heats, running to victory in the final heat in 10.07.