Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 10 Oct 2013

1. LIBYAN PM ZEIDAN FREED AFTER KIDNAP

The prime minister of Libya, Ali Zeidan, has been released after being kidnapped by armed men from a hotel in Tripoli. He was taken at dawn to “an unknown place for unknown reasons”, said his government. He was freed after a few hours. Zeidan had appealed to the West to help stop Islamic militancy in his country.

Libyan PM Ali Zeidan 'freed' after abduction by militants

2. ROYAL MAIL SHARES ‘AT TOP END’

Shares in the newly-privatised Royal Mail will be worth 330p each, at the top end of the value the government had hoped for, the BBC says. The whole service has been valued at £3.3bn. The government is to sell off 52.2 per cent, the maximum it had been willing to part with at this stage, which will earn the Treasury £1.7bn.

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3. 'TOUGH' IMMIGRATION BILL PUBLISHED

Immigration Minister Mark Harper says the new Immigration Bill, published today, would "stop migrants using public services to which they are not entitled, reduce the pull factors which encourage people to come to the UK and make it easier to remove people who should not be here".

New Immigration Bill: what are ministers proposing?

4. HOPES RAISED FOR ALZHEIMER’S CURE

A landmark UK study performed on mice has been hailed as a historic turning point which could lead to a pill to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at the University of Leicester identified the first chemical which prevents the death of brain tissue in a neurodegenerative disease. The mice were infected with prion disease.

Alzheimer's: 'historic' research may lead to cure

5. BABY HOPE NAMED AS ANGELICA RAMIREZ

One of the longest-running murder mysteries in the US has come closer to resolution with the naming today of a girl, thought to be about four, discovered bound and naked inside a picnic cooler in New York in 1991. Until now, she has been known as Baby Hope, the name given to her by detectives. The New York Post reports that that her real name is Angelica Ramirez. Police hope to make an arrest.

Baby Hope: the murder that revealed NYPD's compassion

6. APPLE: NO COMMENT ON NEW IPAD

Apple has refused to confirm or deny claims it is weeks away from launching a new iPad. One tech site has claimed the sleeker, lighter tablet - which it said will come with a better camera and a new A7 processor - will be released on 22 October. An Apple spokesman would only say: “We don’t discuss future products.”

iPhone 6 bending reports 'overblown' says test firm

7. US HALTS MILITARY AID TO EGYPT

America has suspended hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid to Egypt until the country’s military rulers make “credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections”. Some of the US’s $1.3bn annual military assistance to Egypt will still be handed over.

8. CRICKET LEGEND TENDULKAR TO RETIRE

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is to retire from all forms of cricket after playing his 200th Test match next month. The 40-year-old will quit after the West Indies series. Tendulkar has scored a record 15,837 runs in 198 Tests and hit 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs before retiring from the shorter game last December.

9. ALICE MUNRO WINS LITERATURE NOBEL

Alice Munro, the Canadian short story writer, has won the Nobel Prize in literature. She is arguably the most popular writer to win the prestigious award since Toni Morrison in 1993. Munro, 82, has been celebrated for her accessible and moving stories, set mostly in small towns in Ontario.

Alice Munro: Canada's 'Chekhov' wins Nobel Prize in Literature

10. HOT TICKET: RUSSELL BRAND MESSIAH TOUR

Comedian Russell Brand's new stand-up show Messiah Complex is now touring the UK. Brand explores the role of hero figures in our culture, from Che Guevara and Gandhi to Jesus. "A tour de force," says The Independent. Manchester Apollo tonight, Hammersmith Apollo London 14-15 October.

Brand's Messiah Complex is a 'tour de force' and farce