Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 11 Dec 2012

The 2011 census shows that the number of people living in England and Wales has risen by 7% to 56.1m since 2001. The number of residents born outside the country has risen almost 3m to 7.5m, just over 13%, and 'white British' people have become a minority in London for the first time. The Christian population also fell 13% to 59%.

The coalition has been accused of running a "sham" consultation on same sex marriage by discounting the views of half a million people who oppose the idea. MPs at today's debate will be told that more than half of 228,000 respondents in a "listening exercise" approved legalising gay marriage, but opponents including 100 Tory MPs claimed petitions with 500,000 against the move were ignored.

Stephen Hawking, the bestselling theoretical physicist, has won a £1.8m prize funded by the Russian internet magnate Yury Milner. The Special Fundamental Physics Prize marks a "lifetime of achievements". Hawking, 70, told The Guardian that he would spend the money on helping an autistic grandchild, and buying a holiday home.

Italy's borrowing costs rose and share prices fell after Mario Monti announced he was stepping down as prime minister following the withdrawal of support by former PM Silvio Berlusconi. European leaders and a senior Catholic have urged Monti to stand for election in February, when Berlusconi has vowed to attempt a comeback.

The British film censor has decided to get tough with so-called 'torture porn' movies such as 'The Human Centipede II', because the public is worried about the effect they're having on "vulnerable viewers". The Guardian reports the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is to "tighten its policy" on films that delight in "sexual or sadistic violence" by issuing new guidelines in six weeks' time.