Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 18 Jul 2012

Syrian defence minister Daoud Rajiha and President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat have been killed, and other senior figures injured, in a bomb attack in Damascus. The Free Syria Army has claimed responsibility. The attack comes after days of fighting as rebel forces declare that the final battle for the capital is underway.

Hans Kristian Rausing, the 49-year-old scion of the Tetra Pak family said to be worth more than £4bn, appears in court today charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife Eva's body. The body was found after Rausing was stopped by police on July 9 on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Unemployment has fallen once again and is now at its lowest level since last summer. In the three months to May the number of people looking for work fell 65,000 to 2.58 million, and the Office of National Statistics said a jobs boom in London, where 61,000 more people were in work, could be down to the Olympics.

A major global study suggests that lack of exercise is killing as many people as smoking. Published in the Lancet, the report suggests that almost a third of the world's adult population are not active enough, leading to 5.3m deaths each year from heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer.

Despite campaigning across the US from figures including Star Trek's George Takei, who played Mr Sulu, the Boy Scouts of America have decided to uphold a ban on "open or avowed" gay people from being part of the organisation. Chief exec Bob Mazzuca said the policy would be supported by US families.