Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 15 Jul 2012
- 1. PRIME MINISTER ADMITS COALITION RIFT
- 2. MAY 'WAS WARNED ABOUT G4S LAST YEAR'
- 3. WPC FLETCHER'S KILLER 'NAMED'
- 4. TREASURY READY TO PUSH OSBORNE OUT
- 5. FERDINAND REKINDLES RACE TENSIONS
- 6. UN REPORT QUELLS MASSACRE TALK
- 7. CAMERON BACKS CALLS FOR ENGLAND ANTHEM
- 8. ONE IN 10 INMATES ARE FORMER SOLDIERS
- 9. WOMEN'S IQS 'HIGHER THAN MEN'S'
- 10. WIGGINS MAKES HISTORY AT TOUR
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1. PRIME MINISTER ADMITS COALITION RIFT
David Cameron has admitted that the coalition government is divided on several issues. Writing in The Sunday Times, he said it would be "insulting the public’s intelligence to pretend that there aren’t profound areas of disagreement". Meanwhile, Liam Fox has called on Cameron to take a more "driven" approach to dealing with Liberal Democrat dissent.
2. MAY 'WAS WARNED ABOUT G4S LAST YEAR'
Theresa May was warned 10 months ago that there were question marks over the ability of security firm G4S to provide security for the Olympic Games, reports The Independent On Sunday. Concerns were raised in a confidential report, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, which was presented to May in September 2011.
3. WPC FLETCHER'S KILLER 'NAMED'
A senior adviser to the Libyan government says the killer of WPC Yvonne Fletcher was a pro-Gaddafi student called Salah Eddin Khalifa, reports The Sunday Telegraph. Khalifa is believed to be alive and living in a north African city. The adviser, Ashur Shamis, said it is "mind-boggling" that the British authorities have done so little to resolve the case.
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4. TREASURY READY TO PUSH OSBORNE OUT
Senior treasury officials are ready to exert pressure for George Osborne to be replaced as Chancellor as the UK is given a 50% chance of losing its prized AAA credit rating during the next 12 months, reports The Mail On Sunday. Under those circumstances, the 'Whitehall Machine' would press for Osborne to swap jobs with Foreign Secretary William Hague.
5. FERDINAND REKINDLES RACE TENSIONS
Rio Ferdinand has sparked fresh controversy after seemingly endorsing the description of Ashley Cole as a "choc ice" on Twitter. A friend of Ferdinand's used the derogatory term - deployed to describe black people who are 'white on the inside' - to describe Cole, who gave evidence in defence of John Terry. Ferdinand replied: “I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahahahha!”
6. UN REPORT QUELLS MASSACRE TALK
The United Nations says that the Syrian government mostly focused on the homes of rebels and activists during its attack on the village of Tremseh. Although the report contradicted reports of a civilian massacre, it confirmed that heavy weaponry was used. A former Assad loyalist has told The Sunday Telegraph how he killed and raped for £300 a month.
7. CAMERON BACKS CALLS FOR ENGLAND ANTHEM
David Cameron has supported the campaign for English sporting teams to have their own national anthem and declared that his choice for the song would be Jerusalem. He added that he believes the song has universal relevance, despite perceptions that its reference to "dark, satanic mills" gives it a left-wing theme.
8. ONE IN 10 INMATES ARE FORMER SOLDIERS
Around 10% of prisoners are former soldiers according to new research which contradicts the official government figure. Criminal justice campaign group No Offence says the government estimate - that 3.4% of inmates are former servicemen - is wrong. The group also predicts that the percentage will soar after recent cuts to the army.
9. WOMEN'S IQS 'HIGHER THAN MEN'S'
Women's IQ scores have overtaken men's for the first time, according to new research by an expert in the field. The study, by James Flynn, found that the IQ scores of both men and women have risen over the last 100 years, but that women's have risen faster. In the past, women's IQ scores have been as much as five percent behind those of men.
10. WIGGINS MAKES HISTORY AT TOUR
Bradley Wiggins makes history today by becoming the first British cyclist to wear the Tour de France's yellow jersey for a seventh time. Wiggins will break Chris Boardman's record after maintaining his overall lead at Le Cap d'Agde on Bastille Day. He is now aiming to become the first Briton to win the prestigious race.
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