Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 9 Dec 2010

published 9 December 2010

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.0 am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. MPS increase tuition fees as students protest The coalition government's majority was slashed by three-quarters as MPs voted to increase the cap on tuition fees to £9,000 a year. Outside the House of Commons, thousands of student protestors occupied Parliament Square, pressing against police lines. Mounted police charged students, who they said were throwing missiles. In pictures: Students storm Parliament Square SHRIEN DEWANI CHARMED US, SAYS DEAD WOMAN'S SISTER Shrien Dewani, wanted for questioning in South Africa over the death of his wife Anni Dewani, remains in custody following yesterday's appearance in court in London. He was initially granted bail pending an extradition hearing, but it was blocked after an appeal from South Africa. Anni's sister, Ami Denborg, told the Times that her family were charmed by Shrien but refused to say whether they believed he conspired to have her killed. South Africa's chief of police had no doubts and described Shrien as a "monkey" who "came all the way from London to have his wife murdered". Cape Town hits out at prejudiced UK press LOCKERBIE BOMBER MEGRAHI 'CLOSE TO DEATH'Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people died, is reported to have slipped into a coma and to be close to death in Tripoli. It is more than 16 months since he was controversially released from Greenock jail with terminal prostate cancer, having been given only three months to live. However, East Renfrewshire Council, the local authority charged with monitoring him, said the report was "unfounded". Abdelbaset al-Megrahi: still attracting controversy on his deathbed HELEN MIRREN KNOCKS HOLLYWOOD 'PENIS WORSHIP'Hollywood is guilty of worshipping "at the altar of the 18 to 25-year-old male and his penis" said Helen Mirren at a breakfast ceremony where she accepted the Sherry Lansing leadership award. Despite the efforts of many brilliant women in LA, the film industry was still riven with sexism. "I resent in my life the survival of some very mediocre male actors and the professional demise of some very brilliant female ones," she said. Helen Mirren laments 'penis worship' BLAIR RECALLED BY CHILCOT PANEL Former prime minister Tony Blair is to be summoned back by the Chilcot inquiry to explain inconsistencies between the evidence he gave earlier this year and that given by government officials. In particular, why did he privately assure President George Bush he would support a US-led invasion of Iraq when, apparently, he had been advised only the day before by attorney general Lord Goldsmith that the invasion was illegal? I AM NOT A LESBIAN, SAYS TEARFUL OPRAH When the tables were turned on Oprah Winfrey - the talk show queen becoming the interviewee for a change - she broke down in tears when asked about her best friend, Gayle King. "I am not lesbian. I am not even kind of lesbian," she told veteran interviewer Barbara Walters. Oprah described King as "The mother I never had. She is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend everyone deserves." But she is not, she insists, her lover. WIKILEAKS-SUPPORTING 'HACKTIVISTS' FIGHT BACK Supporters of WikiLeaks have exacted revenge on Mastercard and Visa for their recent decisions to freeze payments to the whistleblowing site. A concerted online attack by 'hacktivists' has succeeded in disrupting both credit card companies' networks. Writing for The First Post today, Alexander Cockburn says corporations "are falling over themselves" to connive with the authorities. The Empire strikes back against WikiLeaks Hacktivisits promise 'war for data' ARSENAL GET TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 16 Arsenal beat Partizan Belgrade 3-1 last night to go through to the final 16 of the Champions League, though it was not as easy as the scoreline suggests. The crucial game was stuck on 1-1 before goals by Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott sealed the victory. Because the Gunners finishes second in their group, they could face Real Madrid or Barcelona when the draw is made next Friday. Arsenal scrape into last 16 of Champions League BAE to shed 1,300 jobsBAE Systems has announced that it is to shed around 1,300 jobs after the Government scrapped the Nimrod and Harrier aircraft as part of its defence review. The losses will affect six BAE sites and two RAF bases. The unions condemned the move and Unite national officer Bernie Hamilton described the job losses as the Government's "Christmas present" to skilled workers. Business digest: 1,300 jobs go at BAE PAUL GASCOIGNE SPARED JAIL FOR DRINK DRIVING Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has avoided jail after being caught drink driving, although he was given an eight-week sentence, suspended for a year, when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Thursday. The 43-year-old midfielder, whose battle with alcohol has been well documented, was four times the legal limit when he was pulled over in October. Gascoigne faces another drink drive charge, which he denies, next week.