Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 17 Feb 2011

published 17 February 2011

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.00 am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. CAMERON 'TO ABANDON FORESTS SELL-OFF'Following a public outcry, David Cameron is due to scrap the government's controversial plans to sell off 637,000 acres of state-owned forest in England, according to leaks from Downing Street. Critics argued the proposal would deny the public access, threaten biodiversity and result in forests being used for unsuitable purposes. The Mole: Spelman scapegoated for forest sell-off U-turn STEVE JOBS 'MAY HAVE ONLY SIX WEEKS TO LIVE'The US tabloid the National Enquirer has published photographs of Apple CEO Steve Jobs looking frail and weak, and claimed he is stricken with pancreatic cancer and may have only six weeks to live. Jobs announced last month that he was taking a leave from Apple to focus on his health, but Apple has claimed he still "calls the shots" from home. New photos show Steve Jobs looking weak and frail CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ARSENAL BEAT BARCELONA 2-1 Late goals from Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin gave Arsenal a famous victory over Barcelona in London last night. To progress further in the Champions League, Arsenal now need to avoid defeat in the return leg on March 8. "We played against the best team in the world and we beat them," manager Arsene Wenger said. "This result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief." Van Persie and Arshavin give Arsenal 2-1 victory Jack Wilshere’s rise leaves Cesc Fabregas in limbo '11 dead' after bahrain crackdownProtests have been banned and the army has set up checkpoints on key streets in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Police stormed an anti-government protest camp in Pearl Square before dawn today, injuring 231 and killing three people - although doctors are saying authorities have hidden another eight bodies. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed "deep concern" over the crackdown. In pictures: Pearl Square crackdown First Post Briefing: What chance another leader falling? Video: Protesters die as Bahrain police storm Pearl Square OBAMA CALLS CBS REPORTER AFTER CAIRO ASSAULT President Barack Obama telephoned CBS News reporter Lara Logan on Wednesday to express his concern for her condition after she was beaten and sexually assaulted by a group of men in Cairo's Tahrir Square following President Mubarak's deciusion to stand down last week. The White House has called on Egypt to bring her attackers to justice. CBS reporter Lara Logan sexually assaulted in Cairo BRITISH TOURISTS FEARED DEAD IN VIETNAMBritish tourists are feared to be among those who died early today when a tour boat with 21 foreign tourists aboard sank in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay. Local fisherman rescued some of the passengers, but as many as 12 bodies, covered in mud, have been pulled from the water. The British embassy has sent officials to the scene. BP OFFICIALS RISK JAIL, LAWYER CLAIMSThe US Justice Department is likely to bring criminal charges against BP and other oil company personnel as a result of last year¹s Deepwater Horizon explosion, according to David Uhlmann, a US law professor. Jail sentences and "the largest criminal fine ever paid in the US" are likely, he says. Alexander Cockburn on David Uhlmann's warning IRANIAN SHIPS cancel trip through suez canalTwo Iranian warships headed for the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal have turned back, according to an Egyptian official. Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman had warned that his country's forces might intercept the frigate and its support vessel which were thought to be bound for Syria. It is believed to be the first time Iranian military vessels have attempted to use the strategic waterway since the 1979 revolution. BRITAIN 16th in world drinking leagueThe average Briton drinks the equivalent of almost 500 pints of beer, or 13-and-a-half litres of pure alcohol, a year according to figures published by the World Health Organisation. The UK comes 16th in the WHO's league table of alcohol consumption. Moldova is top. The report says 43 per cent of the alcohol consumed in Britain is beer, 30 per cent is wine and 21 per cent is spirits. It claims one in 15 men in the country is an alcoholic. SOLAR ERUPTIONS HEAD FOR EARTHThe Northern Lights may be visible in mainland Britain on Thursday and Friday night thanks to a series of huge eruptions on the face of the sun. The coronal mass ejections have sent a cloud of magnetic particles and radiation towards earth. When the 'solar tsunami' hits it could affect satellites, power grids and communications networks. Aurora could be visible in UK after huge solar flares