Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 24 Apr 2014

1. POLICE PLEA TO STOP UK SYRIA FIGHTERS

Police chiefs want to start a “national conversation” with British Muslim women, asking them to persuade their husbands and children not to travel to Syria to take part in fighting there. Around 400 Britons are known to have done just that, with several confirmed dead. Police say they want to “prevent tragedies”.

Police urge Muslim women to stop men going to Syria

2. LABOUR TO SEVER LINKS WITH CO-OP BANK

Labour is to end a 100-year relationship with the troubled Co-operative Bank, moving a £1.2m loan and its current account to the trade-union owned Unity Trust Bank. It is understood the Co-op, now 70% owned by US investors, wants to become apolitical, while the party says the move is for commercial reasons.

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Labour Party to sever links with Co-op Bank after 100 years

3. OLD AGE CARE NEED TO OUTSTRIP SUPPLY

A report by the IPPR (Institute of Public Policy Research) warns that the number of old people in the UK needing care will exceed the number of family members able to provide it by the year 2017. By the year 2030, there will be two million people over 65 with no child living nearby to provide care if they needed it.

4. TENSIONS RISE ON UKRAINE BORDER

Russia has begun military exercises near the border with Ukraine as Kiev acts against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the move was in response to tension in Ukraine and Nato exercises in Poland. Earlier Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine's actions could "have consequences".

Ukraine rekindles Nato aspirations, angering Russia

5. CORNISH TO GET EU MINORITY STATUS

Danny Alexander will use a visit to Bodmin today to announce that Cornish people are to receive official status as a minority people in the UK, under EU rules, setting them on a par with Scots, Welsh and Irish groups. The status will not initially bring any additional funding or powers to Cornwall or to its council.

What 'national minority' status will mean for Cornwall

6. JETS SCRAMBLED TO MEET RUSSIAN PLANES

Fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Leuchars in Scotland to investigate two Russian military aircraft spotted approaching the UK on Wednesday. The RAF said similar incidents had taken place eight times last year and stressed that the Russian craft remained in international airspace throughout.

RAF fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian warplanes

7. TORIES WOULD SCRAP WIND FARM SUBSIDIES

The Conservatives have said they would not subsidise new onshore wind farms if they won the 2015 general election. Energy minister Michael Fallon said any project not already granted planning permission would not be subsidised as the UK is already on track to meet its 2020 EU targets for clean energy generation.

8. F1 BOSS ECCLESTONE ON TRIAL FOR BRIBERY

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has gone on trial in Germany charged with bribery. The businessman is accused of paying $44m to a now-jailed banker to undervalue a German bank's stake in the sport before it was sold to CVC Capital Partners in 2006. Ecclestone says he made the payments because he was being blackmailed.

Bernie Ecclestone bribery case: what is F1 boss charged with?

9. JAMAICA INN 'MUMBLING' COMPLAINTS RISE

The BBC has received more than 2,000 complaints about sound problems on its much-hyped costume drama Jamaica Inn, with viewers accusing the actors of mumbling their lines. Just over four million people watched the final episode on Wednesday, two million fewer than tuned in for the opening instalment on Monday.

10. HOT TICKET: BIG DATA DRAMA PRIVACY

A new drama about digital surveillance, Privacy, has opened at the Donmar Warehouse, London. James Graham's play draws on verbatim interviews with politicians and journalists to explore how governments and corporations collect and use our personal data. "Endlessly fascinating," says The Guardian. Until 31 May.

Privacy – reviews of Donmar's 'topical' big data drama