Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 18 Oct 2014

1. MILIBAND PROMISES SEVEN-DAY CANCER TEST

Ed Miliband is promising a seven-day test for cancer. The Labour leader tells The Times he has a ten-year ambition for Britain to have the best survival rates in Europe. He says the cost of his pledge will be met by a £150m-a-year tax on tobacco companies, with most of the revenue spent on additional testing equipment.

2. UK ISIL ‘PLANNED TO KILL POLICE’

British terrorists plotted to kill police officers or soldiers, possibly in a drive-by shooting on the streets of London, claims Scotland Yard. Four men said to have sworn allegiance to ISIL obtained a handgun and undertook a “hostile reconnaissance” of a police station and a Territorial Army barracks in the capital, said a Met spokesman.

Counter-terror chief reveals scale of extremist threat to UK

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3. KERRY: EBOLA COULD BE ‘NEXT HIV’

US secretary of state John Kerry says a failure to respond to Ebola could turn the virus into “a scourge like HIV or polio”. As the World Health Organisation admits mishandling the early stages of the outbreak, Kerry criticised the international community for providing only a third of the UN target of $1bn. He called on world leaders to provide cash, helicopters and treatment centres.

Ebola: US suit stockpile causes shortage in Africa

4. GREEN BELT ‘UNDER THREAT FROM LABOUR’

Labour will allow building on parts of the protected Green Belt if the land has little “environmental or amenity value”, reveals the Daily Telegraph. Small print of a report, which is expected to form the basis of the party’s housing policy, discloses that Green Belt land in cities like Oxford, Cambridge, York and Bristol is at risk.

5. MUM TOOK BABY ON ARMED BANK RAID

A mother of four who took her baby daughter on an armed bank raid has been jailed, reports The Mirror. A court heard that getaway driver Tanya Miller, 30, had her eight-month-old child with her during a dramatic heist. It is believed the little girl was sat in her baby car seat as Miller, who was jailed for six years, sped off seconds after the robbery.

6. BONO WEARS SHADES DUE TO GLAUCOMA

Bono says he wears dark glasses all the time because he suffers from glaucoma. It had been widely assumed that the U2 frontman always wore sunglasses to try and look cool. However, he told the BBC’s Graham Norton Show: "This is a good place to explain to people that I've had glaucoma for the last 20 years. I have good treatments and I am going to be fine."

7. HAS NIGERIA REACHED BOKO DEAL?

Nigerian says it has agreed a ceasefire with the Islamist group Boko Haram and is negotiating for the release of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped earlier this year. Although the news has prompted excitement, with the Bring Back Our Girls campaign tweeting about its “huge expectations”, some have reacted with caution, pointing to similar, fruitless claims in the past.

8. DOGBOS COME INTO FORCE ON MONDAY

Unruly dogs could be placed under ‘dogbos’ that come into force next week. The owners of dogs that aggressively chase cats, run wild in parks or “alarm” postmen could face criminal prosecution, fines of up to £20,000 or the prospect of theirs pets being seized. They could also be forced to neuter their pet and attend training classes.

9. SUGAR FEAR PROMPTS PUFFS REBRAND

Breakfast cereal Sugar Puffs is to be rebranded as Honey Monster Puffs because of parents’ concern over sugar content. The product will also adopt a new recipe which includes less sugar and 20% more honey. The World Health Organisation recently advised adults to halve their average intake to six teaspoons a day to avoid obesity, heart disease and other serious illnesses.

Sugary drinks linked to ageing cells in new study

10. DAVID MOYES WANTS TO BOUNCE BACK

Manchester City hope to make up ground on Chelsea when they host Tottenham in the midday kick-off today. The Blues travel to Crystal Palace hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table. Meanwhile, David Moyes has told the BBC he wants to bounce back into management after his disastrous spell at Old Trafford. "I am ready to return,” he said. “I’m really ambitious.”

Man City can't afford jetlag as Chelsea storm the Palace