Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 24 Jan 2015

1. LEADERS IN SAUDI TRIBUTE TRIP

World leaders are to congregate in Saudi Arabia to pay their respect to King Abdullah, who died yesterday. David Cameron and French president Francois Hollande will be in Riyadh, as will US vice-president Joe Biden. The tributes paid to the deceased Saudi have prompted controversy due to the state’s human rights record. The Independent front page says: “Britain mourns a tyrant”.

King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's 'cautious reformer', dies at 90

2. GREENS WOULD EVICT THE QUEEN

The Green Party would throw the Queen out of Buckingham Palace if they won power, reports The Times. “I can’t see that the Queen is ever going to be really poor but I’m sure we can find a council house for her, we’re going to build lots more,” party leader Natalie Bennett told the newspaper. The Greens would also tighten inheritance tax and offer a weekly “citizen’s wage”.

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3. LITVINENKO DEATH ‘STATE MURDER’

An American espionage agency has uncovered proof that Russia was involved in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, says the Daily Telegraph. The National Security Agency has intercepted electronic communications between key individuals in London and Moscow involved in the murder. A source says the “material” proves it was a “state execution”.

4. HMRC ‘CRACKING’ UNDER PRESSURE

The taxman is facing a last-minute flood of filings as the deadline for self-assessment tax returns looms. The Financial Times says HRMC is ill-equipped to deal with the last minute surge of filings and phone calls. A survey found that cracks are starting to show after the department cut nearly two-fifths of its workforce in the last 10 years.

5. UK’S MOST BURGLED TOWN NAMED

Dagenham has been named as Britain’s most burgled town. According to data from the insurance industry, homes in the town – nicknamed ‘Corned Beef City’ and home to the UK’s largest collection of council houses – were most likely to be burgled last year, with 5.5% of households broken into. Insurers pay out £8.1m per day in domestic property claims.

6. BLAIR’S SECRET GADAFFI COLLUSION

Tony Blair colluded secretly with the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, reports The Guardian. Blair wrote to the Libyan leader to thank him for the “excellent cooperation” between the two countries’ counter-terrorism agencies after Britain and Libya teamed up to arrange for dissidents to be kidnapped and flown to Tripoli.

7. BRITISH ARMY TOP BRASS TO BE CUT

Senior positions in the British army are likely to be cut as part of an overhaul, says the BBC. Head of the army, Gen Sir Nick Carter, has ordered a thorough review of top roles as the latest chapter of a reorganisation process called Army 2020. The Times says that many of Britain’s 500 colonels and 200 brigadiers and generals will be chopped.

8. POLL: PM IS ‘RUNNING SCARED’

British voters believe David Cameron is “running scared” of television debates, says a poll in The Guardian. The research from ICM found that although voters agree with the PM that the Green Party should be included in the pre-election debates, they believe his motives for arguing for the Greens’ inclusion is fear, rather than inclusiveness.

9. EURO PLUNGES TO RECORD LOWS

The euro has plunged following Mario Draghi’s announcement of quantitative easing, with the pound reaching a seven-year high against the single-currency of €1.34. Against the US dollar the euro hit an 11-year low of $1.111 before recovering some ground. Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney says the ECB's action is a "welcome step" and "absolutely necessary”.

10. FA CUP: UNITED HELD BY CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge United have pulled off an FA Cup shock by holding Manchester United to a draw. The League Two side, who are 76 places below United, have earned a replay at Old Trafford. "Every aspect of the match is against us - the pitch, the referee. Everything that you can think about this is against you," complained United manager Louis Van Gaal.