Daily Briefing

Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 24 Aug 2012

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

1. GUNMAN KILLED IN NEW YORK SHOOTOUT
Up to nine people are reported to have been shot near the Empire State Building during this morning’s rush hour. First reports suggest the gunman, who was said to be firing indiscriminately, has been shot dead by New York police. It is not clear whether there are other fatalities.
Prince Harry
2. SUN PUBLISHES NAKED HARRY PHOTOS
The Press Complaints Commission said today it had received 150 complaints after The Sun became the first British newspaper to publish the photos of a naked Prince Harry taken in Las Vegas. The paper defied warnings that it would be deemed an invasion of privacy, saying "the real issue is freedom of the press".
PCC gets 150 complaints as Sun prints Prince Harry pics
Breivik trial
3. BREIVIK 'SANE' AND JAILED FOR 21 YEARS
A Norwegian court has declared that gunman Anders Breivik is sane and sentenced him to 21 years in prison. Breivik killed 77 people and injured 240 in a shooting rampage last year. He admitted carrying out the attack but refused to plead guilty. He was convicted of terrorism and premeditated murder. Prosecutors had argued that he was insane.
Mass killer Breivik jailed: why ‘sane’ verdict was so critical
Lance Armstrong
4. ARMSTRONG ENDS DOPE CHARGE FIGHT
Cycling champion Lance Armstrong, 40, announced early today that he will no longer fight drug charges from the US anti-doping agency, although he continues to claim his innocence. He faces a lifetime ban from cycling and the possible loss of his seven Tour de France titles. The USADA claims he used banned substances as far back as 1996.
Little sympathy for 'cheat' Armstrong as he gives up fight
UK News
5. ELISABETH MURDOCH: NO AMBITIONS
Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corp owner Rupert, today denied press reports that she used the MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday to launch a "candidacy campaign" to lead her father's firm, saying she had no such ambitions. In her lecture, she seemed to distance herself from brother James, praising the BBC.
Elisabeth Murdoch distances herself from brother James
UK News
6. GDP FIGURES REVISED, OUTLOOK STILL GLOOMY
Britain's double-dip recession is not as bad as was first feared after GDP figures for the second quarter were revised upwards. Last month the ONS claimed the economy shrank 0.7% between April and June this year, it has now revised that figure to 0.5%. Economists said the outlook was still gloomy despite the change.
GDP figures revised: recession not as bad as was first thought
7. NO 'SELF-HARMING', PARALYMPIANS WARNED
The 300 members of the British Paralympics team have been warned about the practice of "boosting" through self-harming as a way to create an adrenalin rush and enhance their performance. Methods include breaking toes, strangulating their own testicles and using electric shocks to stimulate muscles. Athletes caught would be banned.
Education
8. GCSE RESULTS: GOVE DENIES INTERFERENCE
Education Secretary Michael Gove last night denied political interference in this year's GCSE results, as A*-C grades fell for the first time in the exam's history. Head teachers are angry at the drop from 69.85% to 69.4% of pupils achieving at least a C-grade. Gove said exam boards had made their own decisions.
Schools face closure as strict GCSE targets are introduced
euro crisis
9. NO LEEWAY ON CUTS, GREECE IS TOLD
German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande told Athens yesterday that it should expect "no leeway" on its bailout agreement unless it sticks to tough reform targets. Before meeting Greek PM Antonis Samaras to discuss his plea for more time to implement spending cuts, Merkel said: "It's important that we all stand by our commitments."
No room at the taverna for Greece's eager tax inspectors
Film
10. HOT TICKET: BRADBY'S SHADOW DANCER
Shadow Dancer, a gripping psychological thriller set in Northern Ireland towards the end of the Troubles, opens at UK cinemas today. Adapted from his own novel by ITV political editor Tom Bradby, it stars Clive Owen as an MI5 agent who persuades a Belfast woman (Andrea Riseborough) to turn informant. "Intelligent and emotionally charged," says Empire.
Shadow Dancer: emotionally charged, intelligent thriller