Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 21 Jan 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. Coulson quits as cameron's communications chiefAndy Coulson has resigned as David Cameron's director of communications. Coulson had faced pressure over claims that he may have known about journalists hacking into the voicemail messages of celebrities while he was editor of the News of the World. Channel 4 News political correspondent Cathy Newman reported that the resignation was prompted by the fear that suspended NoW news editor Ian Edmondson was about to "turn Coulson in". The Mole: Good day to bury bad news? Dig a mass grave JOHNSON'S WIFE 'HAD AFFAIR WITH BODYGUARD'Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson's decision to quit frontline politics, announced yesterday, allegedly came after he discovered his wife Laura had had an affair with his police protection officer when he was Labour Home Secretary. Detective constable Paul Rice, who now protects his successor Theresa May, has been referred to Scotland Yard's standards watchdog. The Mole: Ed Balls is now de-facto Labour leader IRAQ WAR: BLAIR IgnORED GOLDSMITH'S ADVICETony Blair disregarded Lord Goldsmith's warning in early 2003 that war against Iraq would be illegal. Blair believed the Attorney-General would change his position once he knew the full history behind UN Security Council resolution 1441, which declared Iraq in "material breach" of its obligations to disarm. The revelation came out at the Chilcot Inquiry this morning, where Blair is facing questioning about discrepancies between the evidence he gave in January 2010 and comments made since by key witnesses, including Goldsmith. Crispin Black: They used to behead men like Tony Blair LARRY PAGE RECLAIMS RUNNING OF GOOGLEGoogle co-founder Larry Page is reclaiming the job of chief executive he relinquished to Eric Schmidt, 18 years his senior. He will take over in April. Schmidt has been running the company for a decade, ever since Page and co-founder Sergey Brin agreed they needed someone with more experience to run the internet search giant. "Larry is ready to lead," says Schmidt, who will stay on as executive chairman. The First Post: Larry Page takes back Google CEO job JO YEATES MURDER: VINCENT TABAK HELDThe man arrested yesterday on suspicion of murdering the Bristol landscape architect Joanna Yeates is Vincent Tabak, who occupied the flat next door to Yeates in Canynge Road, Clifton. Tabak, from Eindhoven in Holland, works in Bath as an office workspace architect. Police have been granted an extension on the time - normally 24 hours - they are able to hold him without charge. The First Post: Police arrest Jo Yeates neighbour CRUEL? I WAS DOING MY JOB, SAYS GERVAIS"If they didn't want me, they shouldn't have hired me," Ricky Gervais told Piers Morgan on CNN last night, following his controversial presentation of the Golden Globes on Sunday. Gervais said his jibes were not cruel - he was just doing his job. Asked whether any topic was off-limits when making fun of Hollywood stars, he responded: "Do you care about what they may be going through in their private lives?" The First Post: I'm not sorry, says Gervais In pictures: Golden Globes DUNDEE ATM 'SPITS OUT' CASHPolice had to be called to deal with the growing crowd when an ATM in Dundee started paying out double the amounts requested. One customer told the BBC: "The machine was spitting out money. There were 50 or 60 people queuing outside the shop and people were running around with smiles on their faces." The ATM is operated by Bank Machine Ltd, who declined to comment. HU'S HUMAN RIGHTS COMMENT NOT HEARD IN CHINA President Hu's acknowledgement that "a lot still needs to be done in China, in terms of human rights", made in Washington, was excised from reports in the Chinese state-run press. Otherwise, the Hu visit was deemed a success for both sides. "The most important thing they did was, for the time being, put a floor under the relationship after a very bad year," said Michael Green, a former National Security Council official. "No one expected a transformational summit, but if you graded it pass-fail, I say they passed." Full report at the Washington Post In pictures: Guess Hu's coming to dinner DUBAI ISLANDS 'SINKING BACK INTO THE SEA'It's the ultimate case of subsidence: the man-made archipelago of islands off the coast of Dubai - named The World, because each island is shaped like a real country - is sinking into the sea, according to evidence given at a property tribunal. The development includes luxury hotels and villas either sold or given to celebrities - including English footballers David Beckham and Michael Owen. The First Post: Sea 'reclaims' Dubai islands LIB DEMS VOW TO KEEP THEIR INDEPENDENCEThe Lib Dems' party executive has agreed to fight the next general election as a totally independent party, with no predisposition to team up again with the Conservatives. The executive also reasserted its centre-left roots in liberalism and social democracy. The decision makes a future coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour a greater likelihood.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up