Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 30 May 2014

      
   
       CLEGG TOLD TO SACK VINCE CABLE      Nick Clegg is coming under pressure to sack Vince Cable, says the Daily Telegraph. Cable should be stripped of his role as business secretary over his connection to a plot to undermine the party leader, say Lib Dem colleagues. Although Clegg said he “absolutely” would not sack Cable over the plot, his refusal is being seen as weakness by some colleagues.      
 
     
   
       CHILCOT CENSORS BLAIR LETTERS      The inquiry into the Iraq war has been condemned for its decision to censor more than 150 crucial messages between Tony Blair and George W Bush. Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary, has vetoed the release of letters and phone calls of the two leaders in the run-up to the 2003 conflict. Families of British soldiers killed in the conflict say they feel betrayed.      
 
     
   
       HOOKERS AND DRUGS TO BOOST UK ECONOMY      Prostitutes and drug dealers are to boost Britain’s economic recovery. The two industries will be included in the national accounts for the first time, reports the Financial Times. The move will help add 5% to the UK’s gross domestic product. The Office for National Statistics said prostitution could add £5.3bn to GDP and illegal drugs could add £4.4bn.       THE BUSINESS: Drugs and prostitutes to the rescue       
 
     
   
       BARTON: UKIP ‘BEST OF FOUR UGLY GIRLS’      Footballer Joey Barton sparked controversy last night when he compared voting for Ukip to choosing the best of four ugly girls. The QPR midfielder’s comment on Question Time was denounced by Ukip MEP Louise Bours, a fellow panellist. She said: “What an offensive thing to say. The ignorance that you spout illustrates that footballers’ brains are in their feet.”      
 
     
   
       NHS CHIEF: WE NEED MORE SMALL HOSPITALS      The new chief of the NHS has called for an increase in small community hospitals, particularly in the care of elderly patients. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Simon Stevens signalled a significant change in policy by calling for the shift away from larger, centralised hospitals. He said the health service is at a “defining moment”.        New NHS chief calls for small hospitals and better local care       
 
     
   
       ANGER OVER INDIA TEEN GANG RAPE      Police inaction over the case of two teenage girls who were gang raped and hanged from a tree is causing anger in India. The father of one of the teenagers says policemen “refused to look for my girl” when they discovered he was from a lower caste. The girls, aged 14 and 16, were attacked in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.      
 
     
   
       HILLSBOROUGH’S NEAR-MISS IN 1981      Dozens of football fans were injured in a crush at Hillsborough eight years before 96 fans were killed on the same terrace, an inquest was told yesterday. At the 1981 FA Cup semi-final, between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, 38 fans were hurt in a crush. Two people suffered broken arms and another broke a leg.      
 
     
   
       MERIAM GIVES BIRTH IN PRISON CHAINS      Sudan has been accused of sliding back to the “dark ages” after it emerged that a woman sentenced to hang for marrying a Christian gave birth while chained to the floor of a cell. Officers refused to release Meriam Ibrahim from her chains when she went into labour on Wednesday. Her child, named Maya, will remain with her until her death sentence is carried out in two years’ time.      
 
     
   
       TOMLINSON: BOY (BAND) OF THE ROVERS      Is One Direction star Louis Tomlinson bidding to become chairman of his favourite football club? The Sun says that the heartthrob has set up a trust to buy the club with a current shareholder. It is hoped that the bid would give the club a boost financially and through additional publicity, after it was relegated to League One last year.      
 
     
   
       HOT TICKET: POLANSKI FILM VENUS IN FUR      Roman Polanski's new French-language drama Venus in Fur opens in UK cinemas today. Emmanuelle Seigner (Polanski's wife) and Mathieu Amalric star in the story of an actress who turns the tables on her director while auditioning for a role in a play about masochism. "Playful and literate," says Variety.       Venus in Fur – reviews of Polanski's 'playful' new film