Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 9 Oct 2013

1. GUARDIAN: OBAMA 'WELCOMED' NSA LEAK

The Guardian has hit back at comments by the head of MI5, Andrew Parker, that the reporting of documents leaked by Edward Snowden has aided terrorists. A spokeswoman for the paper said many people, including the US president, had welcomed the "debate" triggered by Snowden's revelations.

Edward Snowden leaks 'gift' to terrorists says MI5 chief

2. E-BORDERS SCHEME SLAMMED BY REPORT

A report on the Home Office’s ten-year-old ‘e-borders’ scheme, under which passengers give data to airlines so that immigration can be monitored, has been heavily criticised in a new report which warns e-borders alerts are not used routinely to stop ‘high-risk’ individuals entering the UK anywhere except Heathrow.

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E-borders Q&A: why scheme is 'failing to stop terror suspects'

3. OBAMA: REPUBLICANS ARE USING ‘EXTORTION’

Barack Obama says he will only hold budget talks with Republicans if they first drop demands for policy concessions, accusing them of ransoming the US with a government shutdown. He said: “We can't make extortion routine… This is not just for me: it's also for my successors in office, whatever party they're from.”

4. MADELEINE MCCANN: POSSIBLE NEW SUSPECT

British detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeline McCann are to release an image of a man who could be a suspect in the case. Police want to speak to a man who, according to new witnesses, was seen around the McCann’s apartment around the time the three-year-old vanished. Sky News says an e-fit of the man will be made public in the next couple of days.

5. ASA BANS HOME OFFICE ‘GO HOME’ VAN AD

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned the Home Office’s notorious ‘Go home or face arrest’ advert, which was driven around areas of high immigration in London for two weeks in July. The ASA said the advert referred to inaccurate arrest statistics (‘106 arrests last week in your area’) but said it was not offensive.

6. PASSENGER LANDS PLANE AFTER PILOT DIES

The only passenger on a light aircraft was forced to take the controls and land at Humberside airport after the pilot fell ill and died yesterday. Two flying instructors were called to the airport to instruct the passenger, who had no previous flying experience. The plane landed safely on the fourth attempt, after nightfall.

Passenger lands in shower of sparks after pilot collapses

7. UK TIBETAN MONK ‘ASSASSINATED’ IN CHINA

A Tibetan monk with British citizenship, who founded the first Buddhist monastery in the UK in 1967, has been killed in the Chinese city of Chengdu. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, 73, was stabbed along with his nephew. His brother called the death an “assassination”. Chinese authorities blamed a dispute over money.

8. TRAIN TICKET PRICE RISES CAPPED

The government has announced some relief for rail travellers, with changes to the powers rail companies have to raise fares annually meaning that, while the average price rise will remain the same at 4.1%, some season tickets which could have risen by as much as 9.1% will only cost 6.1% more than last year.

Rail fares Q&A: will cap on price rise make a difference?

9. SAMSUNG LAUNCHES CURVED-SCREEN PHONE

Electronics giant Samsung, which already makes televisions with curved screens, has launched a smartphone with a concave screen, called the Galaxy Round. Its design is supposed to help users check information when the home screen is off with greater ease. It will initially only be available in South Korea.

Samsung Galaxy Round: first reaction to curved phone

10. HOT TICKET: VIENNA PORTRAITS AT NATIONAL

A new exhibition of Viennese portraiture opens at the National Gallery today. Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna 1900 features paintings by artists such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele to explain the rise of modern art in Vienna. "Fascinating," says The Times. Until 12 January 2014.

National Gallery's Facing the Modern stars Klimt and Schiele