Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 9 Oct 2015

1. Libya: UN proposes national unity government

After months of diplomatic and political wrangling, the UN envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, has proposed the country’s rival parliaments come together to form a government of national unity - only to have the idea decried by both sides. MPs from both parliaments, one backed by Islamists, said the announcement was premature.

2. Scottish nurse back in isolation as virus recurs

The Ebola virus has been detected again in Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who contracted it in Sierra Leone in December last year but was said to have recovered fully by late January. It is said to be “left over” from her original infection, not a new infection, and is not contagious. The Scot is back in an isolation unit in London.

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey in hospital for third time

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3. US claims four Russian missiles landed in Iran

Russia has denied claims made by US officials that four of the 30 cruise missiles it fired at anti-Syrian government targets on Wednesday fell far short and landed in rural areas of Iran. Iranian media at first reported that an object had landed in the village of Ghozghapan but later dismissed the claims as psychological warfare.

US and Russia spar over vetoed Syria sanctions

4. At least five dead in Gaza protest violence

At least five Palestinians have been shot dead and dozens injured in clashes with the Israeli forces in Gaza. There have also been disturbances and reports of other deaths in other Palestinian territories. A 15-year-old boy is said to be among the dead in Gaza. Tensions in the region have been high since a crack down at the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

Ban Ki-moon holds talks in Jerusalem amid ongoing violence

5. Second cross-party EU exit group launched

Another cross-party group lobbying the public for an ‘out’ vote in the upcoming referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU has been launched. Vote Leave has the financial backing of Labour’s biggest private funder, John Mills, Tory donor Peter Cruddas and former Ukip treasurer and spread-betting millionaire Stuart Wheeler.

Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'

6. Tom Watson has 'regrets' over Leon Brittan claims

Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, has said he had a "duty" to report allegations of sexual abuse against former home secretary Leon Brittan, who died earlier this year without knowing that there was no case for him to answer. Watson said he regretted the distress caused to Brittan's family and said he should not have used the phrase "close to evil" when talking about him.

7. Tunisian group wins Nobel Peace Prize

A mediation group that helped guide Tunisia to democracy has won the Nobel Peace Prize, beating German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Pope Francis to the award. The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was founded in 2013 and "established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war", said the judges.

Nobel Peace Prize goes to Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet

8. Republican Carson: Jews needed guns to stop holocaust

Ben Carson, the wannabe Republican presidential candidate currently polling second to Donald Trump, has waded deeper into the controversy over gun control in the US, with remarks about the Second World War. The brain surgeon suggested that civilian Jewish people could have stopped - or “diminished” - Hitler’s holocaust if they had been armed.

9. £930m NHS deficit is worst for 'a generation'

NHS trusts in England have revealed a £930m overspend in the first three months of the financial year. Eight out of ten trusts are in the red and the overall deficit is already larger than for the whole of last year, when the total overspend was £822m. Health regulators says the service is in its worst financial position for "a generation".

Why junior doctors are going on strike again

10. Briefing: Inside Chequers, the PM's country residence

Since 1921, Britain's prime ministers have been using Chequers as their official country residence while in office. Situated in more than 1,000 acres of Buckinghamshire countryside, just outside Aylesbury, it is used both for relaxation and as a place to entertain high-profile visitors. During their stay at the ten-bedroom house, the prime minister and guests are looked after by a staff drawn from serving members of the armed forces. At the last count, there were 12 full-time employees, including a chef.

Inside Chequers, where Boris Johnson is recuperating

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