Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 25 Oct 2013

1. US ‘TAPPED PHONES OF 35 WORLD LEADERS’

The Guardian claims leaked documents show the US tapped the phones of 35 world leaders. Last night, France and Germany demanded in-depth talks with the US on spying by the end of the year. Angela Merkel said she was looking for a “joint understanding” and a “framework” for the future rather than an apology.

NSA tapped calls of 35 foreign leaders, reveals secret memo

2. POLICE FIND 3D PRINTING ‘GUN FACTORY’

Police in Manchester have seized a 3D printer and other components which they believe criminals were trying to use to manufacture guns, in the first case of its kind. As well as the printer, police found a magazine for bullets and a trigger. The cost of 3D printers has fallen recently and they can now be had for around £1,000.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

3D printed guns Q&A: Should we be alarmed by plastic weapons?

3. UK GROWTH AT 0.8%: FASTEST IN 3 YEARS

Britain's economy grew by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, according to figures released today by the Office of National Statistics. It marks the fastest growth in three years. Chancellor George Osborne tweeted: "This shows that Britain's hard work is paying off and the country is on the path to prosperity".

4. GRANGEMOUTH TO REOPEN

Ineos, the owner of the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, has reversed a decision to close the petrochemical plant after striking a deal with Unite. The union has now accepted that staff pay and pension entitlement will be reduced in order to secure the future of both the refinery and the chemical works.

5. DNA CONFIRMS MARIA'S MOTHER IS ROMA

DNA tests have confirmed that the mother of a blonde girl removed from a Roma couple in Greece is a 35-year-old Roma woman from Bulgaria. Sasha Ruseva has said she gave birth to a baby girl four years ago in Greece while working as an olive picker, and gave the child away because she was too poor to care for her.

DNA confirms Maria's mother is Bulgarian Roma woman

6. CHINA: COURT REJECTS BO XILAI APPEAL

Former regional governor and businessman Bo Xilai has had his appeal rejected and his life sentence upheld by a court in eastern China. His high-profile conviction for bribery, corruption and abuse of power has gripped the country after his career was derailed by his wife’s conviction for the murder of a British businessman.

7. LABOUR DEFEATS SNP AT BY-ELECTION

Labour candidate Cara Hilton has won a Scottish by-election in Dunfermline, taking the seat from the SNP with a comfortable 3,000-vote majority. The incumbent MSP, Bill Walker, was thrown out of his party and jailed for abusing his wife. Hilton said her win sent a message to the SNP to drop its focus on independence.

Labour says Dunfermline win highlights SNP 'obsessions'

8. CHARLES: I FEAR BEING ‘PRISONER’ AS KING

Time magazine says Prince Charles fears he will not achieve everything he would like to before what an aide described as “the prison shades” close around him and he is forced to take on the “joyless” duties of kingship. The magazine was granted a rare interview with the prince himself as well as access to various courtiers.

Charles worries that monarchy will be form of 'imprisonment'

9. STUDENT MUSLIM KILLER GETS LIFE

Pavlo Lapshyn, the Ukrainian student who confessed to killing a Muslim pensioner and planting bombs outside several mosques in the Midlands, has been sentenced to life in jail. The 25-year-old, who killed 82-year-old Mohammed Saleem five days after arriving in the UK, will serve a minimum of 40 years.

Pavlo Lapshyn: life in jail for murder and terror offences

10. HOT TICKET: THE SELFISH GIANT

Gritty British drama The Selfish Giant opens in UK cinemas today. Inspired by an Oscar Wilde story, Clio Barnard’s film follows two truanting teenage boys (played by untrained actors) as they are drawn into the world of scrap metal dealing. “Hauntingly perfect,” says the Daily Telegraph.

Clio Barnard's 'brilliant' fable The Selfish Giant - reviews