Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 3 Nov 2015

1. Cameron 'scraps plans for Syria air strikes'

The prime minister is reported by the Times and The Guardian to have dropped the idea of carrying out air strikes on Islamic State (IS) in Syria, which would have come as an extension to the bombing campaign on the terror group in Iraq. The Foreign Affairs Committee warned Cameron that he would not get support in a vote on the plans.

US and Russia spar over vetoed Syria sanctions

2. Egypt's president decries IS air crash 'propaganda'

Egyptian president Abdul Fatah al-Sisi has insisted that claims that Islamic State militants shot down the Russian passenger jet which crashed in the Sinai desert on Saturday with the loss of 224 lives are "propaganda" intended to damage Egypt's image. Russian experts say it is too soon to say what brought the Airbus 321 down.

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Sinai plane crash: Egypt says 'no proof of terrorism'

3. Actor and writer Colin Welland dies

Actor and writer Colin Welland, who won an Oscar for the Chariots of Fire screenplay in 1982, has died at the age of 81. His acting career began in the 1960s and in 1971 he won a TV Bafta as a playwright and a film award for his role as English teacher Mr Farthing in Kes. He also appeared in Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs and co-wrote the 1979 film Yanks.

4. Oscar Pistorius: state seeks murder conviction

South Africa's supreme court is hearing arguments today from prosecutors who say that Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius should have been convicted of murder, instead of merely manslaughter, for shooting dead his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius spent a year in jail and is now under house arrest.

Oscar Pistorius out of legal options as request to appeal rejected

5. Volkswagen emissions cheating 'more widespread'

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says a wider range of cars made by VW, some under other marques, included software designed to cheat emissions tests than previously thought. The EPA says around 10,000 more vehicles are affected, all with 3.0 litre V6 engines. These include Porsche, Audi and VW branded cars.

6. George Michael prison officer jailed for selling stories

A former prison officer who sold stories about singer George Michael to The Sun newspaper has been jailed for 12 months. Amanda Watts admitted taking payments of £2,150 while she worked at HMP Highpoint South. Michael spent part of an eight-week jail sentence there in 2010 after crashing his Range Rover while under the influence of cannabis.

7. V&A turns down offer of Thatcher clothes

The Victoria and Albert museum in London (V&A) says it has "politely declined" the offer of some of Margaret Thatcher's clothes and other possessions for its collection. Instead, the dresses, jewellery and handbags will be sold at auction by Christie's. The V&A said the clothes were not of high enough "aesthetic or technical quality".

8. Osborne outlines Britain's EU demands in Germany

Chancellor George Osborne, who has been in Germany laying out Britain's economic demands ahead of a referendum on EU membership, believes the country and end up with the "best of both worlds". Osborne is expected to demand that the UK's participation in the banking union be voluntary and that British taxpayers be exempt from bailing out eurozone countries.

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

9. German Football Association raided over tax evasion claims

The headquarters of the German Football Association have been raided over claims of tax evasion relating to the 2006 World Cup bid. It has been claimed that the bid organisers transferred almost £5m to Fifa amid claims it was used to secure votes for Germany to host the tournament. The homes of three senior officials past and present were also searched.

10. Briefing: Aung San Suu Kyi eyes power

After a lifetime spent campaigning for democracy in Burma, including 15 years while under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi is finally on the brink of seeing her work come to fruition. The party she founded in the 1980s, the National League for Democracy, looks set to win next Sunday's general election, the country's first free and fair vote since 1960.

Aung San Suu Kyi: ‘Asia’s Mandela’ falls from grace