Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 25 Aug 2014

1. LORD ATTENBOROUGH DIES AT 90

Richard Attenborough, actor and Oscar-winning director, died yesterday at the age of 90 in the nursing home where he had lived for some years with his wife Sheila. Tributes to the “titan of British cinema” have been led by Bafta, Steven Spielberg, Lord Puttnam, David Cameron, Mia Farrow and others.

2. LONDON: DOCTORS TREAT EBOLA VICTIM

A British volunteer nurse who contracted the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone has begun undergoing treatment in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital. William Pooley was flown back to the UK in a specially-equipped military aircraft on Sunday and taken under police escort to the north London hospital.

3. JAMES FOLEY FAMILY RELEASE FINAL ‘LETTER’

The family of murdered US journalist James Foley, who was taken hostage in Syria and beheaded by an Islamist fighter with a British accent, have released the text of a final ‘letter’ he wrote for them. Foley wrote 42 letters but all were confiscated - so he asked a fellow hostage to commit the last to memory.

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Islamic State: RAF jets carry out first air strikes in Iraq

4. SCOTS INDEPENDENCE: SECOND TV DEBATE

Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond and former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling will go head-to-head on live TV tonight for the second of their debates on Scottish independence. Darling was widely held to be the surprise victor of their first encounter. The debate will be on BBC 2 at 8.30pm.

Scottish independence: UK party leaders pledge new powers

5. KIDNAPPERS RELEASE US JOURNALIST IN SYRIA

An American journalist, Peter Theo Curtis, has been released by kidnappers in Syria after two years in captivity, following diplomatic intervention by Qatar. The 45-year-old was transferred to a UN peace-keeping force in the Golan Heights. His family say they were assured that no ransom had been paid.

6. CLEAN-UP AFTER CALIFORNIA QUAKE

A huge clean-up operation has been launched to deal with burst gas pipes, burst water mains and cracked roads caused by a powerful earthquake in northern California which injured 130 people. One child is still fighting for his life in hospital after the 6.0-magnitude tremor hit the scenic Napa Valley.

7. BEACH TRIP IS ‘A PIPE DREAM’ FOR POOREST

Barnardo’s has calculated that one in five families in England would not be able to afford a trip to the seaside today, on bank holiday Monday. Looking at the cost of train tickets, fish and chips and sun cream, the charity estimates that a day trip could cost as much as £172.20 and blames welfare cuts for poverty.

8. DIRE FORECAST FOR CARNIVAL DAY TWO

A forecast of heavy rain is not expected to deter thousands of revellers from visiting west London today for the finale of the Notting Hill Carnival, which began yesterday. The Met police will deploy 7,000 officers to keep order at the event. There were 95 arrests by 9pm yesterday, traditionally children’s day.

9. POLICE HELICOPTER SPOTS MARRIAGE OFFER

A Met police helicopter searching for a stolen car captured images of what appears to be a marriage proposal taking place on Saturday evening in a park in Dollis Hill, north-west London. A figure is seen on bended knee in front of another, with ‘Will you marry me?’ spelled out in candles on the grass.

10. HOT TICKET: SEE ROCK CITY MUSICAL

The premiere UK run of American musical See Rock City and Other Destinations has opened at the Union Theatre, London. In tourist destinations across America, from Roswell to Niagara Falls, various characters seek to find or avoid their destinies. Until 30 August. "Charming," says the Evening Standard.

See Rock City and Other Destinations - reviews