Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 14 Jan 2012

1. EUROZONE CREDIT RATINGS SLASHED

France has been stripped of its AAA credit rating and eight other eurozone countries have had their ratings downgraded by top agency Standard & Poor. Italy, Spain, and Portugal had their standings slashed by two points. The EU's top economic official said he "regrets" S&P's "inconsistent" move.

2. UK WON'T EXTRADITE DUCHESS

The Home Office has refused to extradite Sarah, Duchess of York to Turkey after she was charged with offences relating to a documentary about orphanages. A Home Office spokesman told The Daily Telegraph that its decision was taken because the Duchess's actions do not constitute a crime in Britain.

3. TESCO BOSSES' TIMELY SHARES SALE

Two Tesco executives sold £350,000 of shares just days before the spectacular profit warning that wiped 18% off the company’s value in two days. The supermarket says the sales constituted less than 5% of the duo's holdings and insists that neither men broke any rules.

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4. MADONNA: LADY GAGA IS 'REDUCTIVE'

Madonna has spoken about claims that Lady Gaga copies her, saying "she references me a lot in her work". She added that when she first heard Gaga's Born This Way, "I said: 'That sounds very familiar'". Madonna also described the song - which is often compared to her 1989 hit Express Yourself - as "reductive".

5. OXFORD PROF NOT MURDERED, SAYS WIFE

The wife of the dead Oxford University professor Steve Rawlings says she believes his death was a "tragic accident" and not murder, as his friend and fellow professor Dr Devinder Sivia was released on police bail. Rawlings' wife Linda said the men had been best friends since college.

6. KINNOCK ATTACKS LABOUR 'COWARDS'

Neil Kinnock has blasted "cowards" within the Labour Party who have criticised leader Ed Miliband. "His intellectual strength is one of his greatest accomplishments," said Lord Kinnock. "He is courageous." He added that the press criticises Miliband "because he doesn't fit the mould into which they want to pour him".

7. ANDROID PHONE OWNERSHIP SOARS

More android phones are activated every day than babies are born, says a YouTube boss. Robert Kyncl, the website's head of content, says that in December last year 700,000 Android handsets were activated every day. According to the United Nations, around 300,000 babies are born worldwide daily.

8. LABOUR BACKS PUBLIC SECTOR PAY FREEZE

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls says Labour will support a pay freeze for public sector workers in order to help reduce the deficit. Speaking to The Guardian, he said the freeze is "inevitable", as bringing unemployment down is more important than "higher pay". Union leaders have condemned his statement.

9. MORE UNIS DEMAND A* GRADES

Leading universities are to demand A* grades for a rising number of courses, says The Daily Telegraph. Students will need an A* to get on to 15 courses at Oxford for the first time this year, and 14 at King’s College London. Nottingham, Bath and York are also expected to raise requirements for entry.

10. WENGER MOURNS TV INFLUENCE

Football has "sold its soul" to television companies, says Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger. All five of Arsenal's January fixtures have been moved for television and Wenger said: "I don't believe the Premier League has played, in the last month or the last year, a very fair role in the distribution of the fixtures".