Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 10 Feb 2015

1. ASSAD: I’M INFORMED ON I.S AIR STRIKES

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, still in power after years of civil war, has said he is kept informed about air strikes on Islamic State fighters in his country by third parties to the US-led coalition. Speaking to the BBC, Assad denied that his troops drop barrel bombs on civilians - though the attacks are well-documented.

Bashar al-Assad 'informed' on US-led airstrikes against IS

2. POLICE TO REVIEW ASSANGE EMBASSY GUARD

The police guard outside the Ecuadorean embassy, home of Julian Assange for the past two-and-a-half years, is under review after it emerged that the cost of the operation had exceeded £10m since the Wikileaks founder sought refuge there in June 2012. Assange faces arrest if he leaves the embassy as he is avoiding extradition to Sweden to face sex charges.

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3. MALAYSIA’S ANWAR ‘GUILTY OF SODOMY’

Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the Malaysian opposition, has had a conviction for sodomy upheld. He was appealing against a five-year sentence for having sex with an aide in 2008. Speaking before the verdict, the 67-year-old insisted the sentence was politically motivated. Human Rights Watch agrees.

Anwar Ibrahim given five-year prison sentence for sodomy

4. NHS TRIAL FOR LUNG CANCER BREATHALYSER

A machine which can detect signs of lung cancer in a patient’s breath is to go on trial at two NHS hospitals this summer. Engineer Bill Boyle invented the device to detect explosives in airports but adapted it when his late wife was diagnosed with colon cancer. The technology can be applied to detect other diseases.

5. US HOSTAGE KAYLA MUELLER KILLED IN SYRIA

US aid worker Kayla Mueller, held captive by Islamic State in Syria since 2013, has been killed, her family have confirmed. IS claimed on Friday that the 26-year-old died in a Jordanian air strike. Her family said they were "heartbroken" and released a letter she had sent them during her captivity. President Obama vowed to bring the terrorists to justice.

6. DSK: 12 SEX PARTIES IN THREE YEARS

Former IMF chief and French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn, on trial for pimping, has admitted attending sex parties but said he had only been to 12 in three years because he had "other things to do". He insisted he had no idea the women at the orgies were prostitutes, but one witness said there was "no doubt" the girls were being paid.

DSK and the chambermaid: two very different journeys

7. PRISON ‘INCREASES SEXUAL AGGRESSION’

Imprisoning young people increases their sexual aggression, raising the risk they will later commit sexual offences, according to a study set up by the Howard League for Penal Reform. The Commission on Sex in Prison, made up of academics and professionals, says its findings are “a matter of deep concern”.

Jailing children 'may turn them into sexual offenders' says study

8. ‘DON’T EAT FAT’ WARNING WAS ‘WRONG’

New research suggests the dietary advice issued to millions in the UK and US for the last 30 years, to avoid eating saturated fat, was misguided. Experts say there was no trial evidence to support it - and it distracted attention from other risks, especially the carbohydrates which lie behind the obesity epidemic.

9. CALL FOR EARLY EU REFERENDUM

John Longworth, head of the British Chambers of Commerce, has called on David Cameron to bring forward his promised EU referendum to 2016 if he remains Prime Minister after the election to end uncertainty over Britain's future. But Cameron, addressing the BCC's annual conference, said the plea showed that businesses supported the idea of a vote.

10. BRIEFING: PENSIONER BONDS

The chancellor, George Osborne, announced yesterday that the government’s flagship pensioner bond scheme would be extended until after the general election. So how do they work? Two bonds are available, a one-year bond that pays 2.8 per cent, and a three-year bond paying 4 per cent. Both are far better than anything currently available on the open market.

Three alternatives to pensioner bonds for your savings