Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 29 Mar 2011

published 29 March 2011

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.0am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. LEADERS MEET AS FIGHTING CONTINUES IN LIBYAIn Libya troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's have reportedly driven rebels out of the town of Sirte and it has emerged that Iman al-Obeidi, the woman who claimed she had been raped by four members of Gaddafi's security forces, will face criminal charges for defamation. In London Hillary Clinton told a meeting that allied strikes on Libya would continue until Gaddafi met UN demands, while David Cameron called for a "new beginning" for Libya. Libya endgame plays out in Sirte and London JAPANESE RADIATION FOUND IN BRITAINRadiation, thought to be from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, has been detected in Glasgow and Oxfordshire. The Health Protection Agency said it had found "the minutest traces" of iodene-131 but it posed no risk to health. However, the government's former chief scientific advisor Professor Sir David King has said Britain must still be prepared to embrace a nuclear future. LONDON RIOTS COULD SEE FREEDOMS CURBEDThe riots following Saturday's TUC-led march in London, and the threat of disturbances at the royal wedding, could lead to restrictions on the freedom to demonstrate. Home Secretary Theresa May yesterday offered more powers to the police, which could include a ban on face masks and balaclavas, and orders against known troublemakers from attending gatherings. Why Labour wants a clampdown on anarchy BA CABIN CREWS THREATEN EASTER CHAOS British Airways is braced for strikes from its cabin crews as passenger traffic peaks for the Easter and royal wedding rush at the end of April. Members of Unite, which represents 10,000 cabin staff, voted 72 per cent in favour of continuing the long-running strikes. They must begin within 28 days of the vote. PRINCE HARRY HEADS FOR NORTH POLEPrince Harry has flown to the Arctic to join a team of four disabled soldiers from the Afghan war who plan to walk 200 miles to the North Pole. The prince, patron of the charity Walking With The Wounded, will be with the men for the first five days of the four-week trek, which he called "this extraordinary expedition". SYRIAN CABINET RESIGNSThe Syrian cabinet has stood down, state television has announced. It says that President Bashar al-Assad accepted the resignation on Tuesday after mass protests across the country. President Assad is expected to address the nation soon to announce he will lift emergency laws. Outgoing Prime Minister Muhammad Naji Otari is expected to remain in power until a new government is appointed. AMAZON LAUNCHES CLOUD PLAYERAmazon has stolen a march on its rivals Apple and Google by launching its new Cloud Player service, which allows users to store their music library on Amazon's servers and access and play their songs on any PC, Apple or Android smartphone with an internet connection. The service has been described as a "digital music locker" that can be accessed from anywhere. CAPELLO NEEDS 'ONLY 100 WORDS' TO TALK TO PLAYERSEngland manager Fabio Capello has declared that he needs only 100 words of English to run the national squad. In grouchy mood despite the win over Wales, he dismissed suggestions that he should articulate his views more carefully. He did find the words to defend his handling of the captaincy transfer and scolding of Andy Carroll for drinking. Fabio Capello: a man of few (English) words ARK ROYAL GOES UNDER THE HAMMERThe aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy's flag ship decommissioned in the spending cuts, has gone up for sale on the Ministry of Defence's auction website. Bids are anticipated from scrap dealers, nightclub impresarios and heliport operators. Ark Royal is the fifth capital ship to bear the name since the first fought the Spanish Armada. RURAL LIFE SHOULD REMAIN 'WHITE', STUDY SHOWSA study carried out by academics at Leicester University has found that country people believe that their towns and villages are the "last bastions" of English traditions, which they equate "exclusively and unthinkingly" with white Englishness. The survey, reported by the Daily Mail, follows the row over Midsomer Murders producer Brian True-May's statement that the TV show should remain "white".