Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 12 Nov 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. IAMSPARTACUS: PUBLIC RUSH TO AIRPORT JOKER'S CAUSE A judge's decision to reject an appeal by Paul Chambers, the man who used Twitter to fire off a joke bomb threat when an airport closed because of snow, has brought a virtual uprising in his defence. Thousands have copied and retweeted the posting that got him into trouble: "Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!" As a result, #IAmSpartacus was the most popular subject on Twitter today. Warning to all tweeters: don't go over the top A380 SCARE: ROLLS-ROYCE ADMITS TO DEFECTIVE DISC A statement from Rolls-Royce today finally cleared up the mystery of the Airbus A380 midair engine explosion. It was caused by an oil fire which led a turbine disc to fail, the company announced. In a bid to save its stumbling share price, RR stressed that the problem was specific to the Trent 900 engine. G20 summit agrees currency truceWorld leaders at the G20 summit in South Korea have agreed to tackle an incipient currency war. The US believes Beijing is keeping its currency, the yuan, artificially weak, which effectively gives Chinese exporters an advantage in the global economy. The G20 leaders said they would avoid "competitive devaluation" of their currencies in future and will institute guidelines to tackle trade imbalances. Video: US-China currency war explained in animation Are we in the middle of a global currency war? STARS TURN OUT FOR HARRY POTTER PREMIERE Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (above) led the starry turnout in Leicester Square last night for the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Early reviews are mixed. Baz Bamigboye in the Mail writes that "the stories still have the power to enchant you, and bring you to the edge of your seat'. Xan Brooks in the Guardian says: "It's hard to mourn the demise of a franchise that was never more than half-alive to begin with. In pictures: Harry Potter premiere DOWNING ST CONDEMNS PRO-DEMO LECTURERSLecturers at Goldsmiths College London who congratulated protesters for occupying the Tory party's Millbank HQ on Wednesday have been been condemned by Downing Street. The teachers said: "The real violence in this situation relates not to a smashed window but to the destructive impact of the cuts." Downing Street responded: "Praising violence over peaceful protest is frankly irresponsible." Student demo in pictures CAMERON AIMS TO BOOST WORLD CUP BIDDavid Cameron will visit Zurich in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Fifa that they should choose England to host the 2018 football World Cup, on the eve of the December 2 announcement. Currently England is thought to be lagging behind a joint bid by Spain and Portugal and a strong case put forward by Russia. AUNG SAN SUU KYI 'COULD BE RELEASED'There is rising speculation in Rangoon that the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi might finally be released from house arrest. Her latest period of detention - a sentence imposed after an American man swam across Lake Inya and entered her home - expires on Saturday. It is thought the military regime, having secured a massive majority for the pro-junta USDP in parliament following Sunday's election, has no excuse to impose a further sentence. TWINS DIE AT STAFFORD HOSPITALWith a public inquiry already called into the "appalling" record of care at Stafford Hospital, it emerged yesterday that two newborn twins died on November 1 as a result of a staff blunder, thought to involve a drugs overdose. The hospital has ordered a full external investigation and a member of staff has been suspended. The twins' parents are receiving help from a bereavement counsellor. DINO DE LAURENTIIS DIES AT 91One of Hollywood's legendary film producers, Dino De Laurentiis, has died at his home in Beverly Hills aged 91. He moved to Hollywood from his native Italy after producing La Strada and Nights of Cabiria for Federico Fellini. He went on to produce more than 500 movies, including Barbarella, Serpico, Death Wish, Conan the Barbarian and Blue Velvet. WOMAN DIES AS BRITAIN IS BATTERED BY GALES Gale-force winds were expected to ease off in the course of today following a night of heavy wind and rain in many parts if Britain. In Stanley, West Yorkshire, a woman from Pontefract died after being impaled on a branch when a tree fell on her car. In Northern Ireland, 6,000 people endured power cuts.
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