Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 17 Mar 2012

1. WILLIAMS WARNS OF CHURCH SPLIT

The Church of England could fall apart over the rows about gay marriage and female bishops, warned the Archbishop of Canterbury after announcing his resignation yesterday. Dr Rowan Williams said that there are conflicts that “won’t go away, however long you struggle with them”.

2. OSBORNE TO SCRAP NATIONAL PAY RATES

Chancellor George Osborne is expected to scrap public sector national pay rates in next week's Budget. Regional factors, such as the cost of living, will be taken into account in the future. This will affect the income of millions of teachers, nurses, civil servants and other public sector workers.

3. KONY NARRATOR ARREST SHAME

The co-founder of Invisible Children, who narrated the viral Kony 2012 video, has been taken to hospital in San Diego, California, after his arrest for allegedly masturbating in public. Jason Russell has also been accused of drunkenly stripping off his clothes and vandalising cars.

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4. AFGHAN MASSACRE SUSPECT NAMED

The US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians had been injured while serving in Iraq and witnessed his friend's being leg blown off the day before the killings, says his lawyer. The suspect, named as Staff Sgt Robert Bales, has arrived at the maximum security prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

5. THATCHER'S SECRET MURDOCH MEETING

Margaret Thatcher and Rupert Murdoch held a secret meeting weeks before his 1981 purchase of the Times newspapers, show newly released files. The files, released by the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, also expose deep divisions erupted in the Tory party in the same year.

6. CLOONEY ARRESTED AT DEMO

Hollywood actor George Clooney has been released on bail following his arrest for civil disobedience during a protest outside Sudan's embassy in Washington DC yesterday. Clooney was arrested alongside his father as they demonstrated against human rights abuses in Sudan.

7. OSAMA ORDERED OBAMA DEATH

Osama bin Laden ordered Al-Qaeda cells to shoot down a plane carrying Barack Obama, according to a document recovered from the compound where he was shot dead. Bin Laden believed the US would be thrown into "crisis" by such a move as vice president Joe Biden was "unprepared" to take over.

8. NEW BID TO RE-OPEN LAWRENCE INQUIRY

Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, has made a fresh call for the inquiry into her son's death to be reopened after news that a police report raising questions about the integrity of a commander involved in the investigation was not given to the original public inquiry.

9. STEAMY PHOTO SENT TO ASSAD

A photo of a scantily-clad woman in a provocative pose was sent to Bashar al-Assad's email account last December, leaked emails show. The identity of the woman is unknown. On the day he received the image Assad's troops opened fire on funerals in Syria, killing at least 12 people.

10. TERRY LIP-READ BID FAILS

Footballer John Terry has made an unsuccessful bid to have lip-reading evidence ruled inadmissible at his forthcoming trial for alleged racist abuse of Anton Ferdinand. His counsel asked for evidence of experts - who have watched a video of the incident - to be banned. District Judge Howard Riddle declined their bid.