Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 14 Feb 2013

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in South Africa. Police said they were “very surprised” by earlier reports that he had mistaken her for an intruder. They said they had been called to the house before to deal with "allegations of a domestic nature".

Labour leader Ed Miliband will promise today at a speech in Bedford - where Harold Macmillan declared nearly 60 years ago that "You've never had it so good" - to make the 2015 general election a "living standards elections". He says the coalition's squeeze on middle-income Britain has deepened the recession and created the "chilling prospect" of a further fall in living standards.

Manchester United have the advantage after the first leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid with Danny Welbeck scoring an away goal in the 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu stadium. "It is definitely within our grasp," said manager Alex Ferguson, who had to admit that Cristiano Ronaldo's equalising header for Real was "unbelievable".

The London council of Waltham Forest yesterday introduced on-the-spot fines of £80 for spitting in the street. Councillors believe they have got around legal snags by classifying spit as 'waste' and prosecuting under environmental law. "It's not just spitting, its urinating too," said Councillor Clyde Loakes.

Prince Charles is editing a special edition of the BBC's Countryfile programme as part of a 25th anniversary celebration of the show. He has been filmed at his organic farm in Gloucestershire and at a hill farm in the north of England, and will use the show, which he often watches with the Duchess, to highlight difficulties faced by traditional farmers.