Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 11 Mar 2014

1. MISSING MALAYSIA JET 'CHANGED COURSE'

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 "changed course" before it disappeared on Saturday with 239 people on board. Malaysia's air force says military radar readings show that the plane turned west away from its route. Officials say two passengers travelling on stolen passports had no link to terrorism. The search area for the plane continues to widen.

MH370: mysterious 89kg load ‘added to cargo flight list after take-off’

2. KERRY REFUSES PUTIN UKRAINE MEETING

US secretary of state John Kerry has turned down a meeting with Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine, saying Russian intervention in Crimea made discussions difficult. Nato has said it will deploy reconnaissance planes to Poland and Romania. Ukrainian politicians today traded insults, accusing each other of acting like a "gang".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

3. BOE RESTRUCTURE AFTER FOREX CLAIMS

The Bank of England is to restructure in the wake of claims that some of the bank's senior staff knew about alleged foreign exchange rate fixing by City traders. Governor Mark Carney told the Treasury Committee that he would create a new deputy governor position who would investigate the market intelligence issues.

4. RMT LEADER BOB CROW DEAD AT 52

Bob Crow, the leader of the RMT union has died at the age of 52. The union confirmed in a statement that the former London Transport worker died in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Crow had led the RMT since 2002, when he was elected general secretary after the death of his predecessor Jimmy Knapp. He was well known for his battles with London Tube bosses.

Bob Crow dead at 52, confirms RMT union

5. SUTHERLANDS QUITS AS CO-OP CHIEF

Chief executive of the Co-op, Euan Sutherland, has stood down describing the mutual group as "ungovernable". He said it had been "impossible to implement" changes that would give the Co-op a "sustainable future". An emergency board meeting failed to persuade Sutherland to say. Richard Pennycook, chief financial officer, will take over on an interim basis.

Euan Sutherland resigns from 'ungovernable' Co-op Group

6. COLORADO: STATE COLLECTS $2M DOPE TAX

In its first month as the first US state to have legalised the sale of marijuana for recreational use, Colorado has collected $2m in tax from businesses selling the drug. In total, 59 firms filed tax returns on sales estimated to amount to $14m. The money has been earmarked for drug abuse treatment and public health.

7. ATLANTIC-CROSSING SHARK ‘IS PREGNANT’

A satellite-tagged great white shark who is the first to be seen to cross from one side of the Atlantic to the other may be pregnant, according to the team tracking her. Tagged off the coast of Florida last year, ‘Lydia’ crossed the mid-Atlantic ridge at the weekend and has now turned in the direction of the United Kingdom.

Why we should love Lydia the 'UK-bound' great white shark

8. REFERENDUM FOR NZ ON FLAG CHANGE

New Zealand is to hold a national referendum on changing its flag within three years, PM John Key has announced. Key believes the UK's flag, the Union Jack or Union Flag, should be removed from the corner of the NZ standard, saying it represents a “colonial and post-colonial era whose time has passed”.

New Zealand may ditch Union Flag in 'silver fern' referendum

9. CHERYL COLE MAKES RETURN TO X FACTOR

Singer Cheryl Cole has confirmed she is returning to the X Factor TV talent show as a judge after three years absence, for a reported £1.5m, by posting a picture of herself pretending to strangle Simon Cowell on Instagram. Cowell confirmed the move, saying that the Girls Aloud star was “a brilliant judge of talent”.

X-Factor: can Cheryl Cole save Simon Cowell's talent show?

10. HOT TICKET: VISITORS AT THE ARCOLA

Visitors, the debut from new playwright Barney Norris, has opened at the Arcola theatre, London. An elderly farming couple in Wiltshire are forced to take stock of their lives when a cheerful but rootless young carer moves in. "Astonishingly accomplished," says the Evening Standard. Until 29 March.

Visitors – reviews of debut from 'outstanding' new theatre voice