Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 6 Apr 2014

1. MINISTER TURNS ON MARIA MILLER

Nearly 80% of voters want Maria Miller sacked from the Cabinet over her housing expenses claims, says a poll in the Mail On Sunday. The Sunday Telegraph quotes an unnamed senior minister saying Miller’s behavior is “incompatible with what she should be doing as a Cabinet minister", while senior members of the 1922 Committee reportedly expect her to be sacked.

Minister calls for Maria Miller to quit

2. ARE ‘PINGS’ FROM FLIGHT MH370?

The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane took a new twist yesterday as a Chinese ship reported hearing possible signals from a "black box" flight recorder. A series of “pings” from the depths of the Indian Ocean could be the first solid lead in the hunt for Flight MH370, nearly a month after its disappearance.

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

3. TONY BLAIR ‘KNEW ABOUT CIA KIDNAPS’

Tony Blair was “fully briefed” on the CIA’s secret kidnap programme, says the Sunday Telegraph. A security source claims the former prime minister was kept informed “every step of the way” on CIA activities and was shown documents claiming “enhanced interrogation” techniques including stress positions and waterboarding were legal.

4. CALL TO END ‘BUY ONE GET ONE FREE’

Supermarkets are being urged to end the ‘buy one, get one free’ offer to reduce the “morally repugnant” amount of food being thrown away by shoppers. Over 15m tonnes of food is wasted in the UK each year, says a report from the House of Lords European Union Committee. More surplus food should be passed to charities and food banks, argues the committee.

Supermarkets slammed over food waste

5. HALF-MARATHON CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF WATER

There were farcical scenes on the streets of Sheffield today after organisers tried to cancel the city's half-marathon due to a lack of water for runners. Most of the 6,000 competitors decided to run the race anyway - and the police, initially setting up road-blocks to enforce the cancellation, eventually let the runners through.

Runners go rogue as water shortage stops Sheffield half-marathon

6. DIESEL ‘DEADLIER THAN PETROL’

Diesel is more deadly than petrol, according to new evidence from government scientists. In a report commissioned by the environment ministry, it was found that diesel engines are responsible for most of the pollution that is causing 29,000 premature deaths a year in Britain, leaving the country open to legal action by the European Commission.

7. FIRST AFGHAN POLL HAILED ‘A SUCCESS’

Yesterday’s historic election in Afghanistan has been hailed a success by world leaders. In the country's first transfer of power via the ballot box, more than seven million of the eligible 12 million voted in the poll to chose the next president. Eight candidates stood to succeed Hamid Karzai, with the result expected in days.

8. ARMY TO LIFT FEMALE COMBAT BAN?

The British army may lift the ban on women serving in combat units, says the Sunday Times. In a move to boost recruitment and make the army appear “more normal” to society, the army may allow women to fight alongside men in the infantry. A similar move was made by the US last year. Women already serve in combat roles in several countries including Israel and Canada.

9. 25-1 PINEAU WINS GRAND NATIONAL

Pineau De Re won the 167th Grand National at Aintree at odds of 25-1. The 11-year-old horse, ridden by Leighton Aspell and trained by Dr Richard Newland, beat Balthazar King by five lengths. For the second year running, all horses and jockeys returned safely from the race. The jockeys refused to attend a stewards’ inquiry into a false start.

10. CAN LIVERPOOL MAINTAIN TITLE CHARGE?

Chelsea and Manchester City made up ground on title rivals Liverpool yesterday. The Stamford Bridge outfit returned to the top of the table with a 3-0 victory over Stoke City. Manchester City beat Southampton 4-1 to move within a point of Liverpool, who face West Ham today. Fourth-placed Arsenal face fifth-placed Everton at lunchtime.