Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 29 Jan 2014

1. CLEGG: UK WILL TAKE SYRIAN REFUGEES

Nick Clegg has said the Coalition will allow some of the most vulnerable refugees from the Syrian conflict to be temporarily resettled in Britain. No specific number has been set - but it is expected to be in the hundreds. The UK will still not join the UN-led scheme under which Germany has committed to taking 10,000.

Hundreds of vulnerable Syrians to be given refuge in UK

2. CPS UNDER FIRE OVER SKIP 'THEFT'

Tweeters have reacted with fury after the Crown Prosecution Service decided to prosecute three men for stealing food from a skip behind an Iceland supermarket. The CPS claims there is "significant public interest" in charging the men, who took some tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and Mr Kipling cakes - with a total value of £33.

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

CPS under fire for charging men who took food from skip

3. SHOCK WINNER FOR COSTA BOOK PRIZE

The Costa Book Award has been given to a mental health nurse for his first novel, despite competition from literary heavyweights. Thirty-three-year-old Nathan Filer used his specialist knowledge to write The Shock of the Fall, which chronicles two brothers as they descend into schizophrenia after a tragic accident.

4. OBAMA PLEDGES TO TACKLE INEQUALITY

Barack Obama has used his annual State of the Union address to promise to bypass Congress, near-paralysed by party politics, in order to tackle economic inequality. Announcing a rise in the minimum wage for some federal employees and pledging to veto sanctions in Iran, he said he would “take steps without legislation”.

Obama's State of Union address reveals 'scaled-down ambition'

5. SNOWDEN NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by two Norwegian politicians. In a move that is certain to anger the White House, the American was nominated for "contributing to transparency and global stability by exposing a US surveillance program."

Edward Snowden joins Twitter with jokes aplenty

6. BOE'S CARNEY ENTERS SCOTS DEBATE

The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has "waded into the treacherous waters" of the Scottish independence debate by giving a speech in Edinburgh about the currency union. Carney told his audience an independent Scotland might have to cede some sovereignty if it wanted to maintain a union after breaking away from the UK.

Scottish independence: Is IndyRef2 'dead' after election losses?

7. UKRAINE 'ON BRINK OF CIVIL WAR'

Leonid Kravchuk, the former president of the Ukraine, has said the country is "on the brink of civil war". He made the comments before a parliamentary debate on whether to grant amnesty to detained anti-government protesters who are demanding the resignation of the current president, Vikor Yanukovic.

8. SAINSBURY'S CEO TO STEP DOWN

The supermarket chain Sainsbury's has announced that its CEO Justin King will step down after the company's annual general meeting in July this year. King, who has been in charge of Sainsbury's since 2004, will be succeeded by Mike Coupe, who is currently the group’s commercial director.

Sainsbury's CEO Justin King 'wise' to quit says BBC's Peston

9. MADELEINE: POLICE FLY TO PORTUGAL

A Scotland Yard team is in Portugal, days after asking police there for help tracking down three burglars who were in the Praia da Luz resort on the night three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007. One of the detectives is Andy Redwood, the officer in charge of the British investigation into her disappearance.

What happened to Madeleine McCann? A timeline of the case

10. HOT TICKET: MARTIN CREED AT HAYWARD

A major exhibition of Martin Creed's art takes over the entire Hayward Gallery, London, from today. What's the Point of It? presents installations, paintings, video and sculpture from the artist who orchestrated the ringing bells at the 2012 Olympics. "Stylishly provocative," says the Daily Telegraph. Until 27 April.

Martin Creed: What's the Point of it? – reviews