Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 6 May 2014

1. US OUTRAGE OVER NIGERIA GIRLS KIDNAP

The US has said the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls by Islamist group Boko Haram is an “outrage” and has offered to support the Nigerian government in finding them. In a video, the terror group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, dubs the girls “slaves” and says he will sell them “in the market, by Allah”.

Suicide bomber kills 47 at school assembly in Nigeria

2. CARE FOR ASTHMA PATIENTS IS ‘HORRIFYING’

The UK has one of the worst asthma death rates in Europe, with complacency among medical staff about the condition. A new report says most deaths - 65 per cent - could be prevented if better care was provided. Charity Asthma UK said the findings, by the Royal College of Physicians, were “horrifying”.

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Asthma death study exposes errors on a 'horrifying scale'

3. JOBSEEKERS ‘MUST TAKE ZERO-HOURS JOBS’

The government says out of work people will lose their benefits if they turn down jobs which do not guarantee a minimum number of hours. Until now, people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance could turn down such contracts without facing penalties - but under the new universal credit system, they must take them.

4. OSCARS PARTY QUITS HOTEL OVER SHARIA

The organisers of the annual Oscars Night Before party have moved it from the Beverly Hills Hotel because it is owned by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and Brunei is pushing ahead with a tough Sharia punishments, including stoning, amputations and flogging for abortions and gay sex.

5. BANNED DRIVERS WHO KILL TO GET 10 YEARS

From 2015, tougher sentences will be given to disqualified drivers who then go on to cause accidents, the government says. Banned drivers who cause deaths will face a sentence of up to 10 years, instead of two, and a new offence of causing serious injury while disqualified will merit up to four years inside.

6. BARCLAYS: QUARTER PROFITS DOWN 5%

Barclays Bank has revealed a five per cent slump in its adjusted pre-tax quarterly profits, triggered by a 28 per cent fall in revenue at its investment banking business. However, the bank pointed out comparisons with last year were unflattering as it had enjoyed an exceptionally strong first quarter in 2013.

7. CIVILIAN DIVER DIES AT KOREAN FERRY SITE

A civilian diver died in hospital after losing consciousness recovering bodies from the wreck of the Sewol, the South Korean ferry which sank last month with 476 on board. The 53-year-old, whose surname was Lee, was said to be a veteran diver. Nets have been placed on the hull to stop bodies drifting away.

8. STOLEN PHONE SENDS ‘SELFIE’ TO OWNER

Police are keen to talk to a man pictured in a photo taken automatically by a stolen mobile phone - and emailed to its rightful owner, a student in Colchester. The photo is thought to have been taken after the wrong code was entered several times - and the man pictured was probably unaware it had been taken.

9. LAKE DISTRICT EARL TO SELL MOUNTAIN

The Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther, is trying to sell a Lake District mountain, Blencathra, for £1.75m to cover a tax bill. The aristocrat says the only alternative to selling the 2,850ft hill, also known as Saddleback, would be breaking up the Lonsdale Estate. He faces a £9m tax bill from his father’s inheritance.

Lake District mountain for sale as Earl tries to pay off debts

10. HOT TICKET: GLOBE’S TITUS ANDRONICUS

A revival of Shakespeare’s tragedy Titus Andronicus has opened at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. Shakespeare’s bloodiest and most violent play tells the story of a Roman general who becomes trapped in a brutal and devastating cycle of revenge. “Bloody good,” says The Times. Until 13 July.

Titus Andronicus – reviews of 'bloody good' Shakespeare