Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 17 Aug 2013

1. TENSION GROWS AT CAIRO MOSQUE

Egyptian security forces have entered a mosque in Cairo where hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters spent the night barricaded. The stand-off followed a day of clashes on Friday in which more than 80 people died. The Brotherhood called for protests in the wake of Wednesday's operation to clear its two sit-in camps in Cairo.

2. PUBLIC PAYS CIVIL SERVANT TAX BILLS

Senior civil servants are having part of their tax bills paid using public money, reports the Daily Telegraph. Whitehall departments are picking up the tax bills for perks such as official cars, first-class rail travel and rent-free accommodation, leaving civil servants tens of thousands of pounds better off each year.

3. CIA OFFICIALLY ADMITS AREA 51 EXISTS

The existence of Area 51 has been officially acknowledged by the CIA in newly-released documents. The area in central Nevada has become the focus of conspiracy theories about crashed UFOs, alien bodies and futuristic air force projects. However, the documents say it was simply used as as a testing range for the government's U-2 spy plane during the Cold War.

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4. MURDOCH FIRM FACES CORPORATE PROBE

Rupert Murdoch's News UK company could face corporate charges in Britain. The media company, which was already being investigated by America’s Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, is being investigated at a corporate level over complicity with alleged phone-hacking and bribery of police and public officials by its journalists.

5. MILIBAND 'MUST WIN' UNION BATTLE

Ed Miliband must “turn up the volume” and prove that he, not the trade unions, runs the Labour Party, says Jack Straw. The former foreign secretary says the Labour leader must wrestle control of the party away from union bosses. “That is now on Ed Miliband’s agenda," said Straw. "He knows he is playing for high stakes, and he’s got to win.”

6. SWISS SEX BOXES OPENED IN ZURICH

Switzerland has opened a series of drive-in 'sex boxes' to make prostitution safer. Punters in Zurich will follow a clearly marked route along which prostitutes will be stationed. Once they have agreed a fee with a woman, they will drive into one of the wooden sheds, which are decorated with posters advocating the use of condoms and warning of the risk of Aids.

7. ARCHBISHOP BREAKS CHURCH'S RSPCA LINK

The Archbishop of Canterbury has abandoned decades of Church leadership of the RSPCA by rejecting a traditional post at the top of the animal charity. Justin Welby's decision to turn down the role of vice-patron is a fresh blow to the charity which has been accused of becoming too aggressive and politicised.

8. MO FARAH SECURES 'DOUBLE-DOUBLE'

Mo Farah completed a 'double-double' at the World Championships in Moscow yesterday, winning the 5,000m six days after his 10,000m triumph. He became only the second man in history to complete an Olympic and world 'double-double' in the distance events. "It was definitely the sweetest, by far," said Farah of his victory.

9. BRAZILIAN WIFE 'SAWS HUSBAND'S PENIS OFF'

An angry wife has reportedly sawn off her husband's penis after catching him in bed with another man. The husband and his penis were rushed to hospital but his member could not be saved. The woman is believed to have waited several days before taking revenge on her husband, who did not know she had found him in bed with a man at their home in Santos.

10. PREMIER LEAGUE CAMPAIGN BEGINS

The Premier League season begins this afternoon with David Moyes taking charge of his first league tie at Swansea in the 5.30 kick-off. Before then, Arsenal will have faced Aston Villa at the Emirates with pressure growing on manager Arsene Wenger over a lack of transfer activity this summer. Liverpool get the campaign underway with a lunchtime clash with Stoke City.