Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 1 Mar 2010

published 1 March 2010

Slept through the Today programme? Never read the Sunday papers? Missed Wayne Rooney winning the Carling Cup for United? The First Post's Monday morning service, posted at 8.0 am, is designed to help... CHILE EARTHQUAKE KILLS 700A magnitude 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile on Saturday morning killed at least 708 people. The rescue effort is centred on the city of Concepcion, 70 miles from the epicentre of the quake, which was also hit by a deadly tsunami: police have used tear gas against looters and the army has been sent to help enforce a curfew. After initially refusing any aid, Chilean authorities have relented and said they need field hospitals and water purification plants. Australia, Hawaii and Japan were put on high tsunami alert, but only minor damage was reported. In pictures… DOG OWNERS FACE 'COMPETENCE TESTS'The Government plans to force every dog owner to take a test to prove they can control their animal and to buy insurance to cover them in case their dog attacks a third party. The measures, to be proposed in a public consultation expected soon, have been deemed unworkable by the RSPCA. "The danger is that sensible owners will be out of pocket while irresponsible dog owners will ignore any new rules unless the policing of them is rigorous," a spokesman told the Daily Mail. CAMERON SHAKEN BY NEW POLLConservative leader David Cameron has told his party it is their "patriotic duty" to win the general election because the country is in a "complete and utter mess". Cameron addressed the Tories' spring conference without notes in an effort to inject new life into his election campaign, which was knocked sideways by a YouGov poll in the Sunday Times yesterday that put the Tory lead at just two points over Labour. More… UNFAITHFUL MEN ARE 'LESS INTELLIGENT'Cheryl Cole, Toni Terry and Eli Nordegren can take comfort from a theory put forward by Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at LSE, who says men who cheat on their partner have lower IQs. He explains that through their evolutionary history, men have always been "mildly polygamous". However, today's expectation of a sexually exclusive relationship is "evolutionarily novel" - a development that less intelligent men find difficult to adapt to. STORMS AND FLOODS HIT EUROPEFrench prime minister Francois Fillon has declared a national disaster after a storm dubbed 'Xynthia' lashed the country. Flooding and fallen trees claimed the lives of at least 50 people in France, Portugal, Spain and Germany as torrential rain combined with 87mph winds. Britain escaped the worst of the storm, but flood warnings remain in the East Anglia region, Thames valley, north-east England and southern England. In pictures… PAKISTANI TALIBAN 'NO LONGER EXISTS'Pakistan says it has dismantled Taliban control centres and captured its leaders, after an operation that started in October. While the Pakistani army has pushed deeper into the tribal region of Waziristan, key Taliban commanders have been killed by US drones or arrested by Pakistani security forces. Major-General Tariq Khan told the Times: "The kind of hits the leadership has taken, the casualties they have taken, the TTP [Pakistani Taliban] is no longer significant." MANCHESTER UNITED WIN CARLING CUPWayne Rooney, left out of the Man Utd side because of flu, came off the bench to score the winner against Aston Villa in the final of the Carling Cup yesterday. Villa had earlier gone ahead from a penalty five minutes into the game, but Michael Owen equalised 10 minutes later. Rooney's headed goal after 74 minutes – his 20th in as many matches - was enough for Man Utd to retain the league trophy. More… CHERYL COLE WANTS DIVORCE – NOWCheryl Cole has quashed speculation that she is considering taking back her cheating husband Ashley by drawing up a list of Britain's top divorce lawyers. The Sunday Mirror says her number one choice is Fiona Shackleton, who represented Paul McCartney and Madonna. Meanwhile, the paper claims, a text sent by Ashley Cole to his friends at 3am saying "Thank you for everything" sparked such concern that one of them immediately visited Cole's Surrey mansion to check up on him. NUCLEAR BUNKER FOR SALEAn underground bunker in the Peak District built in 1959 as a monitoring post and command centre to detect nuclear attacks and fall-out is up for sale on eBay. The Royal Observation Corps nuclear bunker, which consists of one 15x7ft room set 15 feet underground, has already reached a price of £17,000 with a week to go until the auction finishes. Bidders are assured the bunker is "set in a stunning location with glorious views" but "development opportunities are somewhat restricted". 25,000 COUNCIL JOBS TO GO At least 25,000 council jobs are under threat over the next three to five years, the BBC claims. The corporation surveyed 49 councils with a combined workforce of 256,000 and found 10 per cent cuts were likely. A shortfall in income is to blame, with councils expecting less money from central government; low interest rates hitting local authorities' savings; and falling land and property prices.