Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 4 Sep 2013

1. CAMERON RULES OUT UK ACTION IN SYRIA

David Cameron insisted today there will be no second vote on British military intervention in Syria. He told MPs Britain “can’t be part and won’t be part” of any strikes against the Assad regime. In Washington, President Obama has received backing from senior Senators for limited action – but many observers doubt Congress will support intervention in next week’s key vote.

Cameron rocket takes out Jesse Norman as retribution begins

2. PUTIN WARNS US ON SYRIA STRIKE

Vladimir Putin has warned the US that any strike on Syria not sanctioned by the UN Security Council would be considered "an aggression". But the Russian President said Moscow would give its full support to UN-endorsed military action against the Assad regime if it was shown conclusively to have used chemical weapons on 21 August.

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Putin warns US that Syria strike would be 'aggression'

3. ARIEL CASTRO FOUND DEAD IN PRISON CELL

Ariel Castro, the man who kept three young women locked in his home for close to a decade, has died after being found hanging in his prison cell. The 53-year-old, from Cleveland, was sentenced last month to life in prison plus 1,000 years after pleading guilty to 937 counts of kidnap and rape. His victims were 14, 16 and 20 when they were snatched.

Ariel Castro suicide: could his death have been prevented?

4. RACHEL MANNING KILLER GETS LIFE

A man has been jailed for life for killing 19-year-old Rachel Manning more than a decade after her boyfriend was wrongly jailed for the crime. Shahidul Ahmed strangled Manning in Milton Keynes and dumped her body on a golf course in 2000. Two years later, Barri White was convicted of murder, but had his conviction quashed in 2007.

Rachel Manning's real killer finally jailed after 13 years

5. FA BOSS: ENGLAND SHOULD WIN CUP

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke says England should aim to reach the semi-final of Euro 2020 and win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. But Dyke warned that England may not be able to compete seriously on the world stage without radical changes, comparing the team to "a tanker that needs turning."

6. FEMEN ACTIVISTS CONTROLLED BY MAN

Femen, the Ukranian feminist group renowned for staging protests featuring topless young women, is controlled by a man who sometimes yells at them and calls them "bitches", a new documentary claims. Victor Svyatski, the group's "mastermind", hand-picks the prettiest girls for their protests.

Femen mastermind outed as man who calls women 'bitches'

7. US OPEN: MURRAY MAKES QUARTER FINALS

Andy Murray will play Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter finals of the US Open after beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Murray, the defending champion, lost the first set but took the match 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. He last met Wawrinka in Monte Carlo in April, where he was beaten by the number nine seed.

Andy Murray drops set before beating Istomin to join last eight

8. HERCULE POIROT TO MAKE HIS COMEBACK

Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is to make a comeback after the novelist's family gave permission for another crime writer, Sophie Hannah, to write a new Poirot case. Hannah said it was the novels of Christie, who died in 1976, that had made her "fall in love with mystery fiction". The book will be published next September.

Hercule Poirot: Belgian sleuth back from grave in new book

9. GMB CUTS FUNDS TO LABOUR PARTY

The GMB union is to cut drastically the affiliation funds it gives the Labour Party - from £1.2m to £150,000 – as a result of its row with Ed Miliband over funding reforms. Announcing the cut this morning, the GMB expressed "considerable regret" at Miliband's attitude to trades unionists who had helped create the Labour Party.

GMB slashes Labour funding: a 'slap in face' for Ed Miliband

10. HOT TICKET: RICHARD CURTIS ROM-COM

Richard Curtis's latest romantic comedy 'About Time' opens at UK cinemas today. When Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers his ability to time travel he uses his gift to win over Mary (Rachel McAdams), but there are problems his powers can't solve. With Bill Nighy. "Relentlessly upbeat," says The Independent.

Richard Curtis matures with funny, moving About Time