Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 25 Jul 2015

1. Lenders prepare to scrap best mortgage deals

Banks and building societies are to begin withdrawing their best mortgage deals next week, reports the Daily Telegraph. As home owners rush to beat the expected rise in interest rates this winter, two of Britain's biggest lenders, Barclays and Santander, are planning increases for Monday and Tuesday that will add hundreds of pounds to the cost of new loans.

2. Was Frederick Forsyth an MI6 spy?

Is Frederick Forsyth about to reveal that he was an MI6 spy? The novelist is expected to confirm he was a secret agent in his upcoming autobiography, which will recount his adventures beyond the Iron Curtain and across war-torn African nations. Before writing his bestselling espionage novels, the 76-year-old worked as a journalist for the BBC and Reuters.

3. Turkey joins war against ISIS

Turkey has joined the war against ISIS. President Erdogan has declared war on the terror group, bombing extremist positions over the border in northern Syria. In a significant policy shift, Turkey warned that more airstrikes would follow, saying that: “Developments in northern Syria make it necessary for Turkey to take different steps”.

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4. Taxman closing in on Ebay and Paypal users

Users of Ebay and Paypal face a “huge” tax crackdown, says the Daily Telegraph. HMRC will be handed new powers to grab details of millions of online transactions from the two online companies to target those failing to pay tax on their dealings. The taxman believes that those who fail to declare their income via the sites cost billions of pounds a year.

5. Yvette Cooper says Labour ‘startlingly retro’

The Labour Party is conducting a “startlingly retro” leadership campaign and risks a return to the politics of the 1950s, says deputy leader Yvette Cooper. She tells The Guardian the party is treating women as incapable of the top jobs and instead electing two men to represent the party as leader and deputy leader. The contender said she wants Labour to be a party that “champions equality”.

6. British police face fuzz clampdown

Bearded British police officers face new uniform rules that will require them to wear a beard net or shave off their facial hair. Gloucestershire Constabulary says the new code will address health and safety issues, and ensure that bearded officers look smarter while on patrol. “Is the net closing in on the fuzz?” wonders The Times.

7. BBC: charity’s abuse warning was ignored

Concern that a girl was being repeatedly abused by a gang of men in Buckinghamshire was raised by a charity several years before the offenders were arrested, reports the BBC. Barnardo's said it had worked with the ring's two victims in 2008 and referred the case of one to the local authority and other relevant agencies, but “insufficient” action was taken.

8. Mo Farah wins race and warm reception

Mo Farah received a rapturous reception as he won 3000m at the Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium last night. The double Olympic champion raced to the fastest time in the world this year, winning in seven minutes 34.66 seconds. Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt won the 100m, finishing in 9.87 seconds on a wet evening in London.

9. Are babies safe from British seagulls?

Seagulls will target babies in their prams, claims the Daily Star. Amid an increase in reports of British people being injured by the “winged monsters”, the paper says the Gull Awareness Group is calling on the government to take the issue seriously. “To a seagull, what’s the difference between a dog playing on the lawn and a baby playing on the lawn?” asked a spokesman.

10. Is Louis van Gaal in for Ronaldo?

Is Cristiano Ronaldo on his way back to Manchester United? According to the Manchester Evening News, the Old Trafford giants are attempting to secure the transfer of the summer by recapturing their former Portuguese star. Louis van Gaal is said to be working on a new club-record deal to bring the forward back to the north-west, six years after he left for Real Madrid.