Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 21 Mar 2015

1. MILIBAND ‘HYPOCRISY’ OVER HEDGE DONOR

Ed Miliband is being accused of hypocrisy after one of Labour’s biggest private donors was revealed to be a hedge fund boss. Martin Taylor, who has held at least one private meeting with Miliband, has given the party almost £600,000 in three years. Previously, the Labour leader has described the Tories for being “the party of Mayfair hedge funds”.

2. ISIS: YEMEN ATTACK ‘TIP OF ICEBERG’

Islamic State say its fighters were responsible for suicide bombings on two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which killed at least 142 people. The attacks are the first claimed by IS since it set up a branch in Yemen in November, but the terror group says they are “just the tip of the iceberg”. Attackers detonated explosive belts inside and outside the buildings.

3. PRINCE ON ‘ECONOMIC SHORTCOMINGS’

The economic system has “enormous shortcomings” and climate change “threatens to engulf us all”, says Prince Charles. Speaking at the end of his four-day tour of the US, he said: “Our ability to adapt to the effects of climate change, and then perhaps even to reduce those effects, depends upon us adapting our pursuit of ‘unlimited’ economic growth to that of ‘sustainable’ economic growth.”

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

4. SALMOND’S ‘LITERARY MASTURBATION’

Paddy Ashdown has described former SNP leader Alex Salmond’s book as “the longest exercise in literary masturbation since politics began”. When Salmond was informed of Ashdown’s description of his book - The Dream Shall Never Die, 100 Days that Changed Scotland Forever - he described the former Liberal Democrat leader as “desperate”.

5. MACHETE ATTACK AT US AIRPORT

A man has been shot by police following a machete attack at a US airport. Three people were reportedly injured after shots were fired at a security checkpoint at New Orleans international airport. According to Fox News, a man armed with a machete and insect spray attacked two Transportation Security Agency workers before he was shot multiple times.

6. LIB DEM PEER STRASBURGER RESIGNS

Lib Dem peer Lord Strasburger has resigned from his party's group in the House of Lords following allegations expected to be aired in a Channel 4 documentary. Next week, Dispatches will allege “a £10,000 donation was paid by the stepfather of an undercover businessman which would be against the rules on donations”, says the Daily Telegraph.

7. US MAGS CLAIM KATE HAS GIVEN BIRTH

Kate Middleton has given birth to a baby girl – that’s the (incorrect) claim of two leading US magazines. Life&Style and OK! USA both claimed the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth, with the former publication insisting “it’s a girl for Kate”. However, a royal correspondent says: “Take it from me, she’s definitely still pregnant”.

8. FOUR SUN JOURNALISTS CLEARED

Four Sun journalists have been cleared of wrongdoing over paying public officials for stories. Former chief reporter John Kay and ex-royal editor Duncan Larcombe insisted that their contact with two military sources was in the public interest. Former deputy editors Fergus Shanahan and Geoff Webster were cleared of charges they signed off payments.

9. CHERYL: ‘I PAY F****** LOTS OF TAX’

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini insists she is still a Labour supporter despite reportedly complaining that Ed Miliband’s mansion tax would “f**k her over”. The X Factor judge told the Daily Telegraph there are “big downsides that come with having money” and that she pays a “f****** lot of tax”. She says she could form her own political party – “stranger things have happened”.

10. FALCAO ‘IN TEARS’ OVER UTD FORM

Radamel Falcao has been left in tears by his disappointing form at Manchester United, claims his mentor. Speaking of the star signing, who has scored only four goals in 21 appearances, Silvano Espindola says: "We speak many times and we cry together. It is not an easy situation because every player wants to play and every goalscorer wants to score goals."