Daily Briefing

Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 9 Jan 2012

The Week’s super-quick catch-up on the main news talking points, available from 8am daily

Scots independence
1. PM ALLOWS SCOTS INDEPENDENCE VOTE
David Cameron has laid down the gauntlet to Scottish nationalists, telling First Minister Alex Salmond that he can hold a legally binding referendum on independence, providing he does so within 18 months. The PM denied "dictating" terms, even though Salmond had hoped to delay the vote until 2014.
Pros and cons of Scottish independence
2. HACKERS STEAL UK DEFENCE PASSWORDS
Hacking group Anonymous got access to the emails and passwords of more than 200 British military officials just before Christmas, it has emerged. Washington-based analysts say the politically-motivated group got the data by hacking Stratfor, a security consultancy firm based in Texas.
3. AMERICAN GIVEN DEATH SENTENCE IN IRAN
A former US Marine has been sentenced to death in Iran for "co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism". Amir Mirzai Hekmati was born in the US to an Iranian family. He was shown making a confession on Iranian TV last month. His family deny he is a spy and say he went to Iran to visit relatives.
Leveson Inquiry
4. MACKENZIE ATTACKS THE GUARDIAN
Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie told the Leveson inquiry that his old paper was now "more cautious" than it had been under his editorship. But he said that people judged papers by their reputations. "If you publish it in the Sun you get six months' jail and if you publish it in the Guardian you get a Pulitzer prize," he said.
Guardian gets Pulitzers, Sun gets jail, claims MacKenzie
FA Cup
5. BECKHAMS WATCH MAN UTD WIN
David Beckham and his sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz were among fans who saw his old team beat Manchester City 3-2 in an FA Cup local derby yesterday. There was controversy after the match when City boss Roberto Mancini accused Wayne Rooney of telling the ref to send off Vincent Kompany.
Red card for Kompany opens way to Man Utd 3-2 victory
Stephen Hawking
6. HAWKING MISSES BIRTHDAY LECTURE
Stephen Hawking asked an audience to "look up at the stars and not down at your feet" yesterday as he revealed he did not learn to read until he was eight and was never top of the class at school. Hawking sent a recorded speech to a symposium marking his 70th birthday as he was too ill to attend.
In pictures: Stephen Hawking at 70
7. KATE AND WILLS AT WAR HORSE PREMIERE
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took to the red carpet last night as they attended the UK premiere of Steven Spielberg's new film, War Horse, an adaptation of the children's war story by British author Michael Morpurgo. Also invited were 600 ex-servicemen and their family members.
In pictures: Steven Spielberg's UK War Horse premiere
UK austerity
8. RECORD SALES FOR ROLLS ROYCE
Rolls Royce sold a record number of cars in 2011 as global demand for luxury cars increased. Demand for the cars doubled in Russia and Germany, but China and the US remain the marque's biggest markets. The increase in sales has been put down to the popularity of Rolls Royce's "less ostentatious" model, the £165,000 Ghost.
Rolls Royce sales soar as rich buy 'less ostentatious' Ghost
9. WORRALL THOMPSON ARRESTED SHOPLIFTING
TV chef Anthony Worrall Thompson was arrested last week and charged for five separate shoplifting offences. Released with just an official caution, the 60-year-old will not have a criminal record. Security staff at his local Tesco set up cameras to film him taking "relatively low value" cheese and wine. He has since apologised.
10. HOT TICKET – DONMAR DOES SARTRE
Donmar Theatre's Trafalgar season - a chance to see plays put on by the company's assistant directors – concludes with Huis Clos (known in English as No Exit). Paul Hart directs Sartre’s existentialist classic set in a locked room - a meditation on life, death, hell and how we create our own reality. Until 28 January.