Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 21 Aug 2015

1. Corbyn: I’d issue apology for Iraq war

Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn has said he will formally apologise for the Iraq war if elected leader. The front-runner said he would apologise for Labour to the British people for “deception” in the run-up to the war and to the Iraqi people for the suffering it caused. Separately, he has called for a “poltical solution” with IS.

Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking

2. Asia markets in ‘panic mode’ over China

Asia-Pacific stock markets were in panic mode this morning, with investors selling heavily after more signs that China’s economy is weakening faster than its government admits. The nation’s factory sector shrank at its fastest pace in more than six years in August. A bumpy landing for China will hit global economic stability.

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3. Greek debt crisis: PM Tsipras steps down

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras has resigned, paving the way for a general election on 20 September, at which he is very likely to be re-elected. Tsipras is said to want the people’s backing for the economic reforms he has signed the country up to. His former finance minister, left-winger Yannis Varoufakis, may form his own political party.

Greece finally reaches deal to release €12bn bailout funds

4. North Korea: troops put on war footing

Kim Jong-un has ordered his frontline troops to be on a war footing, state media says, after the most serious exchange of hostilities between the two nations since 2010. There are no reports of injuries yet but South Korea said it fired “dozens” of shells over the border yesterday after it spotted the trail of a projectile from the North.

North Korea detains another US citizen

5. Dementia levels falling in the UK, say experts

The proportion of elderly people suffering from dementia is falling in the UK, says a report by University of Cambridge scientists, part of a general trend of levelling-off across western Europe. The news goes against previous predictions. It is thought increased health and education are protecting populations from the disease.

Dementia 'not the epidemic it was predicted to be'

6. Glasgow lorry driver told 'pack of lies'

The driver of the bin lorry that killed six people in Glasgow city centre in December has been accused of telling a "pack of lies" about his history of blackouts. Harry Clarke, 58, was unconscious at the wheel of the lorry when it careered out of control. He showed "reckless indifference" by not disclosing earlier fainting episodes, said Dorothy Bain QC.

Glasgow bin lorry crash: driver 'told a pack of lies', court hears

7. Migrants storm Macedonian border

Hundreds of migrants have attempted to force their way into Macedonia from Greece as they try to reach northern Europe. The migrants were beaten back by riot police. Macedonia has declared a state of emergency and secured its borders after reports that 44,000 people, many from the Middle East, travelled through the country in the past two months.

8. Dismaland: Banksy opens dark theme park

Graffiti artist Banksy has brought together 58 artists to exhibit at a disused water park in Weston-Super-Mare. The park re-opened yesterday as ‘Dismaland’, with many of the artworks satirising traditional theme parks. A large piece by Banksy shows a crashed pumpkin coach, with paparazzi snapping an injured Cinderella.

9. Burnham warns of Labour 'infiltrators'

Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has raised fears that several thousand "infiltrators" are planning to vote in the party's leadership election. Michael Dugher, who is running Burnham's campaign, claimed that newly-registered Labour supporters "could include several thousand Tory infiltrators, as well as supporters of other parties."

10. Briefing: transgender murders reach record levels in US

The number of murders in the transgender community has reached a historic high in the United States, with at least 15 trans people murdered this year alone. Activists describe the spate of violence carried out against transgender people – particularly transgender women of colour – as an epidemic. Victims include 20-year old Elisha Walker who was beaten to death last week in North Carolina, 22-year old Shade Shuler who was gunned down in Texas last month and K.C. Haggard, a 66-year-old transgender woman who has her throat slashed by a stranger as she walked home.

Murder of transgender people hits record high in the US