Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 6 Feb 2013

The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years it has been revealed. The facility, which was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was used in September 2011 to kill the US-born cleric and alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki.

An inquiry into the scandal at two Mid-Staffordshire hospitals, where 1,200 patients died between 2005 and 2009 through neglect, has called for a "statutory duty of candour" to be imposed on all NHS medical staff in future. Mid-Staffordshire nurses claimed that they had been "forced" not to raise concerns to inspectors.

Lewis Hamilton's career as a Mercedes driver has got off to a terrible start when he crashed out of testing in Jerez, Spain today. The 2008 Formula 1 world champion, who left McLaren at the end of last season, lost control of his car after the brakes failed and ploughed into a tyre wall. Yesterday, the car caught fire due to an electrical problem.

Disney, the new owner of the Star Wars franchise, has revealed it is planning a series of movies starring individual characters from the films. The Jedi Master Yoda is rumoured to be the first Star Wars character to get a standalone movie, but the internet is abuzz with other suggestions. Disney chief Bob Iger confirmed the films would be released from 2015 onwards.

Every dog owner in England will be obliged by law to have their animal fitted with a microchip by April 2016 under a new plan to cut the cost of dealing with strays. More than 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost each year, costing taxpayers and animal welfare charities an estimated £57m. Failure to comply will bring fines of up to £500.