Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 5 Nov 2013

1. INDIA LAUNCHES FIRST MARS PROBE

India this morning launched its first robotic spacecraft designed to enter orbit around Mars and carry out experiments. The journey should take 300 days, with the craft reaching Mars orbit in September 2014. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will try to detect methane sources on the planet which could indicate a biosphere.

India's Mars Orbiter sends first photos: what will Mangalyaan find?

2. IMMIGRANTS MAKE NET CONTRIBUTION

A study by University College London has found that immigrants who have arrived in the UK since 2000 have made a net contribution, paying more in taxes than they take in benefits. They were 45% less likely than UK natives to receive benefits between 2000-2011 and were three per cent less likely to live in social housing.

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European migrants added £25b to UK economy, study says

3. WATER FIRMS WARNED ON PRICE RISES

The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, has written to UK water companies, telling them to “look closely” at any price rises they may want to make and asking them to introduce special tariffs for struggling customers. Regulator Ofwat earlier asked water companies to consider not applying price rises in full.

4. NAZI ART HOARDER HAS DISAPPEARED

Corneilius Gurlitt, the 80-year-old man who hoarded thousands of paintings looted by the Nazis in his Munich flat, has disappeared, German authorities have said. The whereabouts of the pensioner, whose father was a prominent art dealer who acquired 'degenerate' art works for the Nazi regime, are "not known".

Cornelius Gurlitt: Nazi art hoarder's whereabouts unknown

5. O'NEILL AND KEANE TO MANAGE IRELAND

Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane are to take over the Republic of Ireland's football team. The Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that it is in talks with the two men and the appointment could be made this week. Both men have Premier League experience and were schooled by Brian Clough. Keane is expected to act as assistant to O'Neill.

Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane: 'God help Ireland's players'

6. M&S CLOTHING SALES DOWN AGAIN

Sales of clothing at Marks & Spencer have fallen for the ninth successive quarter but the retailer insisted it saw signs of improvement in its womenswear collection. Like-for-like clothing and homeware sales fell 1.5% during the first six months of the financial year - but the decline slowed to 1.3% over the latest quarter.

What's wrong with Marks & Spencer? Primark, darling

7. POLICE MAKE PARTIAL 'PLEBGATE' APOLOGY

A police officer has apologised to MPs for an "inadvertent error" in evidence to them about the "plebgate" affair. Dept Sgt Stuart Hinton, of Warwickshire Police, said he had made an "honest" mistake in a previous hearing held by the Home Affairs Committee last month. However, Sgt Chris Jones, of West Midlands Police, said he did not believe had misled MPs over his disciplinary record.

Plebgate Q&A: Police apology over 'inadvertent error'

8. ‘PLATYPUS-ZILLA’ FOSSIL UNCOVERED

Scientists at the University of New South Wales have found the family tree of the platypus is more complicated than thought, finding an extinct ancestor which would have been more than a metre long. Reconstructed from a single fossilised molar tooth, the giant ancestor of the modern animal has been dubbed ‘platypus-zilla’.

'Platypus-zilla': giant animal could crush turtles with teeth

9. ED MILBAND ATTACKS ‘WONGA ECONOMY’

Ed Miliband has accused payday lenders of creating a “quiet crisis” in which thousands of families are saddled with unpayable debt. Speaking at Battersea Power Station, the Labour leader said the “Wonga economy is one of the worst symbols of this cost of living crisis”. His attack came as representatives from Wonga, QuickQuid and Mr Lender faced a grilling from MPs.

Ed Miliband: Wonga economy creating 'quiet crisis' for many

10. HOT TICKET: MUSICAL SCOTTSBORO BOYS

The UK premiere of Kander and Ebb's provocative musical The Scottsboro Boys has opened at the Young Vic. It uses minstrel-style satire to tell the true story of nine black American teenagers falsely accused of rape in racist 1930s Alabama. "Brilliant," says The Observer. Until 21 December.

'Brilliant' race-relations musical The Scottsboro Boys – reviews