Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 24 Jan 2012

1. TORIES FIVE POINTS AHEAD IN LATEST POLL

David Cameron's Conservatives are five points clear of Labour in a new Guardian/ICM opinion poll, leading 40% to 35%. With the Lib Dems trailing on 16%, it suggests that if an election were held now, the Tories could win an outright majority with no need to continue the coalition. The result piles pressure on Labour's Ed Miliband.

2. HUGO AND THE ARTIST LEAD OSCAR NOMS

The Martin Scorsese film Hugo has been handed 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Silent film The Artist has ten nominations, including Best Actor and Best Film. The winners will be announced at the 84th Academy Awards on 26 February.

Oscars snub: why were Drive and Bridesmaids left out?

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3. LORDS BLOCK WELFARE CAP – FOR NOW

The coalition's attempt to put a £26,000-a-year cap on certain welfare payments was derailed last night when Lib Dem rebels and bishops in the House of Lords voted to exclude child benefit from the reform. Ministers claimed the peers were ignoring public opinion which favours the cap and vowed to reverse the setback.

PM 'aims to create 60 new Tory peers' to stop more defeats

4. MITT ROMNEY FIGHTS BACK AT GINGRICH

Two days after being beaten by Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, Republican hopeful Mitt Romney used last night's TV debate in Florida to call him an "influence pedlar" who had been forced to "resign in disgrace" as House speaker. Romney has also revealed his tax returns – showing he got away with a rate of 13.9 per cent on $21.7m income in 2010.

How did Mitt Romney manage to pay just 13.9 per cent tax?

5. McDONALDS McFAIL: TWEETERS DIG IN

A McDonalds Twitter promotion has backfired after users hijacked the #McDstories hashtag to share horror stories about eating at the chain. One user claimed she had been hospitalised with food poisoning. Another had found a finger nail. "Within an hour, we saw that it wasn't going as planned," said a McSpokesman.

6. MURDER SUSPECT ANSLOW ON THE RUN

Police hunting the "extremely dangerous" murder suspect John Anslow have arrested a man suspected of involvement in springing Anslow from a prison van taking him to Stafford Crown Court yesterday. Anslow, still on the run, escaped after three masked men ambushed the van, smashing its windows with sledgehammers.

Manhunt: why did John Anslow not have a police escort?

7. UK COULD SEND GULF REINFORCEMENTS

UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has said military reinforcements could be sent to the Gulf if a stand-off with Iran escalates. Iran threatened yesterday to close the Strait of Hormuz after EU foreign ministers banned any further oil contracts being struck with the Iranians and froze the Iranian central bank's assets in Europe.

8. BORIS PRAISED BY SKI CRASH FATHER

Boris Johnson has been praised by the father of a child he crashed into recently on the ski slopes of the Italian Alps. The London mayor "didn't stop saying sorry" said Francesco Zucchi. Meanwhile, a second opinion poll in a week has put Labour's Ken Livingstone two points ahead of Johnson in the 3 May mayoral race.

Boris: loved by Italian skiers - not so much by Londoners

9. GADDAFI FORCES RE-TAKE BANI WALID

Three months after the "liberation" of Libya, militia members still loyal to the late Col Gaddafi have re-taken the desert town of Bani Walid, 100 miles south of Tripoli, raising the former dictator's green flag. The BBC reports that the ruling National Transitional Council has threatened to send warplanes.

10. REDKNAPP 'HID £200K FROM TAXMAN'

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp set up a secret bank account in Monaco to hide £200,000 in transfer 'bungs' from the taxman when he was at Portsmouth FC, Southwark Crown Court heard yesterday. The account was opened in the name Rosie47 after one of his pet bulldogs. Redknapp denies tax evasion.

Redknapp 'named Monaco bank account after pet dog'