Daily Briefing

Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 3 Mar 2013

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

1. ASSAD SLAMS 'BULLYING, SHALLOW' UK
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says Britain is "bullying" his country and accuses the government of "shallow and immature rhetoric". In an interview with the Sunday Times, he says David Cameron's policy is "naive, confused, unrealistic". He adds: "To be frank, Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in our region on different issues for decades, some say for centuries."
2. CAMERON: WE WON'T LURCH TO RIGHT
The prime minister says there will be no "lurch to the right" by the Conservatives in the wake of the Eastleigh by-election defeat. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron insists he will "stick to the course" the government was on. He vowed to reject "the cynicism, the political calculation and the easy ways out".
3. INVESTORS TO BID £1.5BN FOR ARSENAL
A Middle Eastern investment group is lining up a £1.5bn bid for Arsenal FC. The consortium is set to offer majority shareholder Stan Kroenke £20,000 per share for his 66.64% stake in the Gunners before making a similar offer to the other major shareholder, Alisher Usmanov. The Gunners face local rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane this afternoon.
4. UK 'TO QUIT' EUROPEAN CONVENTION
Britain is to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, reports the Mail On Sunday. Home secretary Theresa May is said to favour a withdrawal before the next election in 2015. Justice secretary Chris Grayling tells the Sunday Telegraph that people who are "a threat to our national security" have abused the convention.
5. AMAZON REMOVES OFFENSIVE T-SHIRTS
Amazon has removed from sale t-shirts bearing slogans glorifying rape and domestic violence after a public outcry. The t-shirts, sold by American clothing company Solid Gold Bomb, featured phrases such as 'Keep Calm and Rape a Lot' and 'Keep Calm and Hit Her'. Twitter users bombarded Amazon and Solid Gold Bomb with protests on Saturday.
6. PRIEST: CHURCH WANTS TO 'CRUSH' ME
A former priest who has accused Cardinal Keith O'Brien of inappropriate behaviour says he believes the Catholic church wants to "crush" him. The man, who says he faced unwanted attention by O'Brien when he was a 20-year-old seminarian, tells The Observer: "I have felt very alone and there is a tendency to become reclusive when people are trying to hunt you down."
7. EXAM PRESSURE CAN 'DAMAGE' CHILDREN
"Hothouse" parents risk inflicting "long-term damage" on their children by pressurising them to get high exam marks, says the next leader of Britain’s top public schools. Richard Harman, who will take over as leader of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference next year, tells the Sunday Times that driving pupils too hard can lead to "damaging paranoia".
8. MALI: GAS SIEGE TERRORIST 'KILLED'
A former al-Qaeda chief has become the second leading terrorist to be killed in Mali in recent days, say Chadian armed forces. Mokhtar Belmokhtar was believed to have arranged January's attack on an Algerian gas plant where at least 37 hostages were killed. The news comes a day after senior al-Qaeda figure Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was reported to have died in northern Mali.
9. POOH BEAR TOPS KIDS' CHARACTER POLL
Winnie The Pooh has been named the greatest children's book character of all time. The bear topped a survey of parents conducted by Sainsbury's for World Books Day on Thursday. Paddington Bear came second in the poll ahead of The Hungry Caterpillar in third. The Tin Man fared less well, finishing bottom of the pile in 50th place.
10. UNITED GO 15 POINTS CLEAR
A hat-trick from Shinji Kagawa helped Manchester United to a 4-0 victory over Norwich which extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 15 points. The emphatic win also sent a powerful message to Real Madrid, who United face in the Champions League next week. Chelsea beat West Brom 1-0 and Liverpool beat Wigan 4-0.