Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 16 May 2013

1. GOOGLE AND AMAZON FACE FRESH TAX PROBE

Search giant Google is to be recalled to the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over tax avoidance. Google’s VP Matt Brittin had told the PAC all UK sales were handled in Ireland - but the firm recently advertised sales jobs in London. And the news that it paid only £2.4m tax on sales of £4.3bn in 2012 may see Amazon recalled as well.

Amazon tax avoidance: retailer pays £3m tax on £4bn UK sales

2. HIGH SPEED RAIL BENEFITS 'UNCLEAR'

The National Audit Office has published a report into the proposed HS2 high-speed rail link, from London to Birmingham. It says the economic benefits of the plan are “unclear”, it has “reservations” about how the project would deliver growth and fears there will be a £3.3bn funding gap. Labour called the report a “wake-up call”.

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Economic benefits of HS2 are 'unclear' says Audit Office

3. ALT J WIN ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Rock band Alt J won the prestigious Album of the Year award at the 58th Ivor Novello Awards in London this afternoon. Other winners at the ceremony honouring British songwriters and composers, included Emeli Sande, The Maccabees and Dario Marianelli, whose work on the film Anna Karenina won Best Original Film Score.

4. BAILED-OUT BANK RBS TO CUT 1,400 JOBS

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is to axe 1,400 back office jobs over the next two years. Staff at the Edinburgh headquarters are expected to bear the brunt of the cuts. Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed in New York yesterday that the government was considering selling off the taxpayers’ 81% stake in the bailed-out bank at a loss.

5. OBAMA FIRES TAX BOSS WHO TARGETED RIGHT

Barack Obama has acted decisively to end the scandal over a branch of the US Inland Revenue Service (IRS) in Cincinatti, Ohio, where officials picked on groups with the words Tea Party or Patriots in their titles and subjected their requests for tax-exempt status to extra scrutiny, by firing the national head of the IRS, Steven Miller.

Tea Party tax outrage: latest 'scandal' to beset Obama

6. EU BILL: 114 TORY MPS VOTE AGAINST PM

Tory Eurosceptics are rejoicing today after 114 Conservative MPs voted to regret the absence from the Queen’s speech of any mention of an in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. The bill was defeated by a majority of 277 to 130. John Barron, chief of the Tory dissidents, said: “We’re going to keep at this.”

Ken Clarke's position in doubt as war looms over EU referendum

7. IPL STARS ARRESTED ON SPOT-FIXING CLAIMS

Three Indian Premier League cricket stars, including international Test bowler S Sreesanth, have been arrested over spot-fixing claims as part of an investigation by Delhi police. All three play for the Rajasthan Royals and the allegations relate to three games separate matches this month. The players have been suspended by the Indian cricket authorities.

Cricket star Sreesanth arrested in IPL spot fix scandal - video

8. DJ NICK GRIMSHAW LOSES 1M LISTENERS

Celebrity DJ Nick Grimshaw has lost almost 1m listeners since taking over BBC Radio 1’s flagship breakfast show from Chris Moyles last September. Grimshaw, 28, has seen his audience drop by 950,000 listeners in six months to 5.8 million, the lowest figure since Sara Cox hosted the show in 2003. Chris Evans’s audience on Radio 2 has surged.

Grim figures: has Radio 1's hunt for a young audience failed?

9. BECKHAM TO RETIRE FROM FOOTBALL

Former England captain David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season. Beckham’s current club Paris Saint-Germain are said to have offered him a new one-year deal but the 38-year-old has turned it down. Beckham has won 115 caps for England during his career and has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy and PSG.

David Beckham hangs up his football boots at 38

10. HOT TICKET: 500 YEARS OF BRIT ART

A rehang of Tate Britain's art collection, dubbed 'Walk Through British Art', has opened. The chronological hang in the refurbished Tate galleries spans 500 years of art and highlights major British artists including J.M.W. Turner, William Blake and Henry Moore. "Revelatory," says The Guardian.

Tate's Walk Through British Art is 'gloriously reactionary'