Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 29 Apr 2014

1. STABBING TEACHER WAS DUE TO RETIRE

Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, where teacher Anne Maguire was stabbed to death in front of pupils yesterday, was open as usual today. A 15-year-old boy arrested after the incident remains in custody. Maguire, described as the "mother" of the school, had been due to retire in September after 40 years teaching at the school.

Ann Maguire: stabbed teacher was 'heart of the school'

2. UKRAINE: RUSSIA WARNS OF IRON CURTAIN

Pro-Russian activists have stormed government buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk and hoisted a Russian flag. The latest violence comes after Russia criticised new US and EU sanctions and accused the West of lowering a new Iron Curtain. It also expressed alarm over US and Nato military activity near its borders.

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Ukraine rekindles Nato aspirations, angering Russia

3. COMMONS BACKS HS2 RAIL LINK PLANS

MPs yesterday rejected a proposal to scrap the HS2 rail link from London to the north of England, despite a Tory rebellion. The vote was carried 451 to 50, with 35 Tory rebels refusing to toe the government line and a further 47 absent or abstaining. A think tank questioned the plan's economic value yesterday.

HS2 contracts worth £6.6bn awarded

4. MAX CLIFFORD COULD FACE MORE SEX CLAIMS

Max Clifford, yesterday convicted of a string of sexual assaults on young women and girls, could face fresh allegations after several other women contacted police during his trial to claim that he had targeted them. The 71-year-old publicist is the first person to be convicted under Operation Yewtree and will be sentenced on Friday.

Max Clifford: downfall of Grub Street’s ultimate sleazeball

5. LONDON COMMUTERS BATTLE TUBE STRIKE

Commuters were forced to battle to and from work today after London's transport network was hit by the first full day of a 48-hour Tube strike, organised by the RMT union in protest at plans to close all ticket offices on the Underground at a cost of 960 jobs. Some trains are still running, but services have been less frequent than normal on most lines.

Tube commuters face more delays as engineers begin industrial action

6. HALF DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER LIVE ON

Around half of people diagnosed in England and Wales with cancer now live for at least another decade, double the rate in the early 1970s, according to Cancer Research UK. The charity said it wanted to increase that rate to three quarters within the next 20 years. For some cancers, the survival rates are still very low.

7. MOTHER REMANDED TO SECURE HOSPITAL

Tania Clarence, accused of murdering her three disabled children, has been remanded to a secure hospital. The 42-year-old allegedly smothered her three-year-old sons Ben and Max, and four-year-old daughter Olivia, at her home in south west London. The Old Bailey today heard that their bodies were discovered by the family's nanny and a neighbour.

8. BRITISH ECONOMY GROWS BY 0.8%

The UK economy grew by 0.8% in the first three months of the year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. It was the fifth consecutive quarter of growth, although the economy is still 0.6% smaller than at its peak in 2008. George Osborne said the figures showed that “Britain is coming back”.

9. .LONDON DOMAIN NAME GOES ON SALE

From today, businesses and individuals can register a web domain with the extension “.london”, putting the capital in the same bracket as German and Austrian cities .berlin and .wien. More than 50,000 expressions of interest have been received. Fortnum and Mason, and Metro bank, have already started.

10. HOT TICKET: MARIO GOLF WORLD TOUR

A new video game in the Mario Golf series is released in the UK this week. In Mario Golf: World Tour for Nintendo 3DS, players control popular Mario characters in simulated golf games on realistic courses and Super Mario themed environments. "Addictive fun," says Metro.

Mario Golf World Tour – reviews of 'addictive' game