Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 8 Mar 2015

1. LABOUR WOULD PUT DEBATES INTO LAW

A future Labour government would change the law to ensure TV debates became a permanent feature of general election campaigns. Ed Miliband told the Observer it was time "these debates belong to the people not the prime minister of the day". The announcement comes amid on-going controversy about who will appear in what debates during this year's election campaign.

2. ARREST AFTER MAN ON PARLIAMENT ROOF

A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a trespass incident at the Houses of Parliament. Police were made aware of a man on the roof of the building at 9.15pm last night. Officers say it is too early to know why he was on the roof. A man was detained at 05:00 on Sunday and has been taken to a central London police station.

3. BOKO HARAM ALLEGIANCE TO ISIS

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Islamic State in an audio statement, reports Sky News. "We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al Husseini al Qurashi and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity,” the Nigerian militant group announced in a statement.

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4. CARRIE FISHER FEARS ‘STAR WARS CURSE’

Actress Carrie Fisher has blamed the “curse of Star Wars” for Harrison Ford’s dramatic plane crash. Fisher, who plays Princess Leia in the films says she had a car crash in Los Angeles last Sunday. “Things happen in threes,” she said. ‘I’m about to call [Luke Skywalker actor] Mark Hamill to make sure he’s OK. I have a horrid feeling there’s a curse going on here.”

5. BLAIR OFFERED £30M DEAL TO UAE

Tony Blair suggested a £30m contract to advise the United Arab Emirates while working as the Middle East peace envoy, according to The Sunday Times. In a 25-page document seen by the paper he states: “There is virtually nowhere in the world right now where we could not work or provide the necessary contacts either politically or commercially, should we want to.”

6. OSBORNE PREPARES £27M TAX GIVEAWAY

George Osborne plans to use his budget to offer an income tax giveaway for 27m voters and a “Google tax” crackdown against multinational firms that avoid tax in the UK. The coalition government is putting the finishing touches to a deal that would raise the level at which people start paying income tax “towards £11,000” a year from April.

7. SEARCH HEAD ‘EXPECTS’ TO FIND MH370

The man in charge of the search for missing flight MH370 say he is "expecting but not guaranteeing" that the aircraft will be found. On the first anniversary of the plane’s disappearance, Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the organisation coordinating the search in the Southern Ocean, told Sky News that while he was once "cautiously optimistic" he is now "less cautious and more optimistic".

8. WOMAN RAPED NEAR LEEDS BUS STOP

A woman waiting for a bus was raped and left for dead in a brutal attack described by detectives as attempted murder. The 18-year-old was attacked in the Malvern Road area of Leeds shortly before 11pm on Friday night. She suffered head injuries and a broken hip after she was dragged into a nearby garden and raped.

9. 55-YEAR-OLD CADAVERS FOUND

The mummified bodies two of climbers who disappeared on Mexico's highest peak 55 years ago have been discovered. A team of Mexican climbers stumbled onto the mummified cadavers earlier this week. Pieces of clothing found on both bodies could help identify them, said Juan Navarro, mayor of the town of Chalchicomula de Sesma, near the mountain in central Puebla state.

10. VILLA THROUGH TO FA CUP SEMI-FINAL

Aston Villa are the first club through to the FA Cup semi-finals after they beat Midlands rivals West Brom yesterday. Baggies boss Tony Pulis described fans who ran onto the pitch at Villa Park as "mindless idiots.” Bradford and Reading drew 0-0 in the day’s other sixth round tie. Today, Liverpool host Blackburn in the cup. Arsenal travel to Manchester United tomorrow evening.