Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 26 Mar 2014

1. MH370: SEARCH ON AS WEATHER IMPROVES

Australian PM Tony Abbott has vowed to “throw everything we have” into the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Twelve aircraft are taking part in the hunt as weather in the southern Indian Ocean improves. Abbott offered a welcome to families of the missing, if they wanted to come to Australia.

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

2. GWYNETH PALTROW AND CHRIS MARTIN SPLIT

‘Golden couple’ Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow are to separate after more than ten years of marriage, a statement on Paltrow’s website says. The actress says she and her Coldplay singer husband are embarking on a “conscious uncoupling” but will “always be a family” for their children, Apple and Moses.

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Internet reacts to Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's split

3. SCHUMACHER: HOPE IS FADING SAYS MEDIC

The chances of F1 legend Michael Schumacher making a full recovery after the skiing accident that left him in a coma in December are growing "less and less" says the former F1 medical chief. He also appeared to criticise the care given to Schumacher in the aftermath of the accident, saying there had been "serious lapses".

Schumacher: hope fades as F1 medic highlights 'errors'

4. AGENT GUARDING OBAMA FOUND DRUNK

Three secret service agents guarding US president Barack Obama on a trip to the Netherlands have been sent home for “disciplinary reasons” after one was found drunk and passed out in the hallway of an Amsterdam hotel. A spokesman for the service said the president’s security had not been compromised.

5. TEACHERS STRIKE ACROSS ENGLAND TODAY

More than 1,000 schools across England and Wales will today be affected by a one-day teachers’ strike, the first fully-fledged strike in almost three years. The walkout, by members of the NUT and not by members of NASUWT, is over pensions, the introduction of performance-related pay and workloads.

6. EU PREPARES 'ROBUST' RUSSIA SANCTIONS

The EU has drawn up a "strong, robust and powerful" package of trade, financial and economic sanctions that will be imposed on Russia if it intervenes in eastern Ukraine, David Cameron has told MPs. He was reporting back after crisi talks with other EU leaders and the US president, Barack Obama, in The Hague.

7. WASHINGTON MUD SLIDE DEATH TOLL RISES

With 176 people still unaccounted for, US authorities say they have found a further eight bodies in the huge mudslide which took place 55 miles north of Seattle last weekend. Only 24 people have been confirmed dead so far. The rescue operation is still focussed on the hope of finding survivors.

8. DANISH ZOO KILLS FOUR HEALHTY LIONS

The Danish zoo which attracted international opprobrium when it killed a healthy giraffe last month has put down a family of healthy lions - parents and two cubs - to make room for a new young male arrival. The zoo said it was unable to re-home the four animals. The adult cats were near the ends of their natural lives.

Danish zoo that culled giraffe Marius kills four healthy lions

9. LAPTOP MAN WINS £8,000 DAMAGES

An Aberdeen man has won his 16-year legal battle over payments for a laptop computer. Richard Durkin set up a credit agreement with HFC bank when he bought a computer worth £1,499 from PC World. But after he took the machine back he was told he still had to make payments to the bank. Durkin was awarded £8,000 in damages but says the row has ruined him financially.

10. HOT TICKET: OTHER DESERT CITIES IN UK

The first UK production of Broadway hit Other Desert Cities has opened at the Old Vic, London. A Republican showbiz couple are shocked by their daughter's plan to publish a tell-all family memoir. Stars Sinead Cusack and Martha Plimpton. "Laugh-out-loud funny," says the Daily Telegraph. Until 24 May.

Other Desert Cities – reviews of UK premiere of hit US play