Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 15 Mar 2011

published 15 March 2011

Our popular news catch-up service is posted Monday to Friday at 8.00 am. You can rely on it to keep you up to date through the working day with the main news talking points. JAPAN: DANGEROUS RADIATION LEVELS FOUNDRadiation levels at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant have become so high that all non-essential staff have been ordered to leave the facility. Fears of a meltdown heightened today after fire broke out in a spent fuel pond and a third explosion in a reactor building. The third blast has damaged the protective chamber around the radioactive core of the No 2 reactor. Fukushima: has meltdown already happened? What they’re saying about future of nuclear power GERMANY SHUTS DOWN seven nuclear plantsGermany is temporarily closing down seven nuclear reactors as part of a thorough review of safety at its 17 atomic power plants following the disaster at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima facility. The New York Times also reports that Switzerland has announced it will suspend the building and replacement of its own nuclear power stations. LIBYAN REBELS SEEK GADDAFI'S ASSASSINATIONLibya's revolutionary leadership is hoping that a no-fly zone is just the beginning of western intentions. It is also asking for military strikes against Gaddafi's forces, to protect rebel-held cities, and even the assassination of the man himself. The appeal has been made by a delegation meeting French president Nicolas Sarkozy and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Paris. Bahrain declares state of emergencyPro-democracy protesters in Bahrain have got exactly the opposite of what they were asking for after the king announced a three-month state of emergency. The announcement came a day after 1,000 troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia were deployed in Bahrain. Two people were killed today as protesters barricaded the capital Manama's financial district. The protesters are Shia Muslims, who make up the majority of the Bahraini population. They are demanding equality with the Sunni ruling class. Saudis invade Bahrain: why is Cameron not bothered? CALIFORNIAN POLITICIANS WANT GUNSThe shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona has led politicians in California to demand special dispensation to carry concealed guns to their offices in order to protect themselves. Members of the state assembly in Sacramento have introduced a bill that puts politicians in the same class of 'workers vulnerable to violence' as jewellery shop owners. MILIBAND CALLS FOR BANKER TAXEd Miliband, the Labour leader, has called for higher taxes on bankers and lower taxes on motorists. He proposed a £2 billion tax on bankers' bonuses to help fund 25,000 new homes at a cost of £1.2 billion, generating 20,000 jobs in the construction industry. He also urged Chancellor George Osborne to return VAT on fuel to its previous 17.5 per cent level to ease the burden on motorists. MIDDLETON FAMILY FIRM CRITICISEDKate Middleton's family firm, a website selling party-related products, has been accused of cashing in on the forthcoming wedding. It has launched a Britannia scratch card quiz-game, full of royal references. The firm, Party Pieces, run by Prince William’s future mother- and father-in-law, has already been criticised for selling street party paraphernalia to coincide with the wedding. CLEGG FRUSTRATES EUROSCEPTICSNick Clegg has vetoed the option of pulling out of the European convention on human rights. A new commission will discuss reform of the court's procedures, and the possibility of a British bill of rights acting as a supplement, but not as a replacement for the European convention. The decision will infuriate Tory right-wingers angered at European interference in issues such as UK prisoners' votes. ALL-WHITE MIDSOMER MURDERS PRODUCER AXEDThe creator of the long-running ITV drama Midsomer Murders has been suspended after a careless analysis of the show's popularity. Brian True-May told the Radio Times that part of the detective series' appeal to its six million viewers was the absence of ethnic minorities. "We're the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way," he said. Mobile apps added to inflation 'basket' Mobile phone apps, smartphones, dating website fees and dried fruit have been added to the 'typical' shopping basket that the Office for National Statistics uses to calculate the rate of inflation via the Retail Prices Index. The new items suggest a more tech-savvy, healthier nation, with four packs of lager and cigarette vending machines being dropped.