Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 13 Jan 2013

An RAF transport plane flew from RAF Brize Norton to Paris today to help the French take armoured vehicles and other equipment to Mali following President Hollande’s decision to support the Mali government against al-Qaeda-backed rebels. Downing Street insists that no British troops will be deployed.

David Cameron's former policy chief says the prime minister often first hears of new government polices as they are announced on radio. Steve Hilton told a US seminar: "You think, well, hang on a second — it’s not just that we didn’t know it was happening, but we don’t even agree with it!" He added: “The bureaucracy masters the politicians".

Botanist and former television star David Bellamy says his media career collapsed because he expressed scepticism over climate change. Bellamy, who declared in 2004 that global warming is "poppycock", tells the Independent On Sunday: "All of the work dried up after that... I was shunned. They didn't want to hear the other side."

Cyclist Lance Armstrong rejected a deal which would have seen him retain five of his seven Tour de France victories in return for an admission of doping, reports the Sunday Times. The offer, made last summer by the US Anti-Doping Agency, would also have included a promise of a more lenient ban. Armstrong will break his silence in an interview with Oprah Winfrey this week.

Further rioting in Belfast has left 29 police officers injured. A flag protest broke into unrest on Saturday afternoon, when loyalists clashed with nationalists. Bricks, stones and other missiles were thrown at police who responded with six baton rounds and water cannons. The protests are over the decision to fly the union flag at Belfast City Hall only on designated days.