Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 21 Apr 2015

1. MIGRANT CRISIS: 30,000 COULD DIE

The captain of a boat which sank in the Mediterranean at the weekend, drowning as many as 800 migrants trying to get from north Africa to Europe, has been arrested. Another crew member is also being held. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit this week, amid claims that 30,000 people could drown in the Mediterranean this year.

Islamic State targets vulnerable refugee children for recruitment

2. JOHN MAJOR WARNS OF SNP-LABOUR ‘MAYHEM’

Sir John Major, former Conservative PM, has warned that a coalition between Labour and the SNP would be a "recipe for mayhem". But former Tory Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth has warned his party that focusing on the dangers posed by the SNP was a "dangerous" tactic that "threatens the integrity of our country".

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Tory grandee attacks Cameron for ‘talking up’ the SNP

3. ISLAMIC STATE LEADER 'WOUNDED IN AIR STRIKE'

Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was seriously injured in an air strike last month and is no longer in control of the terror organisation's operations, it has been claimed. The Guardian says that he suffered "life-threatening" injuries in the attack in Iraq but is making a "slow recovery". The US has placed $10m price on his head.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Islamic State leader 'seriously wounded'

4. CHILCOT REPORT: 2015 RELEASE UNLIKELY

The long-awaited report by the Iraq war inquiry headed by Sir John Chilcot is unlikely to be released this year, an un-named source has told the BBC’s Newsnight programme. The inquiry into the 2003 invasion began in 2009 – and there was anger when it emerged it would not be released before the election.

Chilcot: Tony Blair 'not straight' with nation over Iraq

5. WARNING OVER ONLINE 'DIET PILLS'

The mother of a student who died after taking "diet pills" containing an industrial chemical has urged others not to use them. Eloise Aimee Parry, 21, had purchased the pills, containing the chemical DNP, online. She fell ill after taking the tablets, which work by speeding up the metabolism, and died later in hospital.

DNP: the deadly 'diet pill' that 'burns people from the inside'

6. JAPANESE TRAIN SETS WORLD SPEED RECORD

A Japanese mag-lev train – which uses electromagnets to levitate the carriages over the track – has set a new world speed record. Central Japan Railway’s train clocked 603kmph (375mph) on a test run. Japan hopes to sell the technology overseas, starting with a line in the US, between New York and Washington.

7. EGYPT: MORSI SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS

Former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison over the deaths of anti-government protesters while he was in power. He and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders were accused of inciting their supporters to kill protesters in clashes in Cairo in 2012. Morsi was overthrown by the army in 2013.

8. NAZI SS GUARD ADMITS 'MORAL' GUILT

A former Nazi SS guard, on trial as an accessory to the murder of 300,000 Jews, has admitted he is "morally" guilty. Oskar Groening, known as the 'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz', had the job of counting the money taken from new arrivals. The 93-year-old admits witnessing the gas chambers but says he had no direct role in the genocide.

9. GOOGLE’S MONSTER’S-EYE VIEW OF LOCH NESS

Google has revealed a new perspective in its streetview service: users can now explore Loch Ness, above the surface and below. When monster fans use the service, launched to coincide with the anniversary of a famous faked photo of the beast, they’ll see Google’s yellow peg-man icon turn into a small Nessie.

10. BRIEFING: SOLAR POWER TO RIVAL COAL

Renewable energy has long been seen as an expensive alternative to fossil fuels – especially coal, the cheapest and dirtiest among them. Yet new manufacturing techniques could soon mean that electricity generated by solar power is cheaper than that which comes from coal.

Solar power will be 'as cheap as coal' amid new advances