Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 26 Dec 2012

1. MINISTER SIGNALS HUNT VOTE DELAY

A vote on the repeal of the hunting ban is not imminent, environment secretary Owen Paterson has signalled. "There's only a point having a vote if you're going to win," he told the Daily Telegraph. "At the moment, it would not be my proposal to bring forward a vote we were going to lose." Up to 300 hunts are expected to take place on Boxing Day.

2. GAY MARRIAGE 'ONLY AFFECTS 0.1%'

High court judge Sir Paul Coleridge says the government's gay marriage plan means it is wasting time on the "wrong policy". He tells The Times: “So much energy and time has been put into this debate for 0.1 per cent of the population, when we have a crisis of family breakdown." Sir Paul runs the Marriage Foundation, which urges: “Recycle rubbish, but not your partner”.

3. RARE LANDSLIDE WARNING ISSUED

A landslide and rockfall warning has been issued for the south-west of England by the British Geological Survey. The organisation is concerned that heavy rain has destabilised cliff edges and cliff sides and is advising extra caution during Boxing Day walks and jogs. The Environment Agency has 151 flood warnings and 252 flood alerts in place in England and Wales.

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4. THREE DEAD IN M6 CAR ACCIDENT

Two brothers, aged 10 and 4, died alongside a 32-year-old woman following a Christmas Day car accident on the M6 in Staffordshire. Their car overturned in a single vehicle incident between junctions 14 and 15. Two women, who were also in the car, were taken to hospital where they are said to be in a "stable" condition.

5. DID SPENGLER ALSO KILL SISTER?

The man who lured fire fighters to their deaths in New York state may also have murdered his own sister. Police have found charred human remains in the house of gunman William Spengler, who started the blaze to lure fire crew to a death trap on Christmas Eve. He shared the house with his sister Cheryl. A neighbour said Spengler “couldn’t stand his sister”.

6. GARY LINEKER'S SCHOOLBOY ERROR

Television presenter Gary Lineker made a fundamental mistake while preparing his family's Christmas lunch - he forgot to turn the oven on. The Match of the Day host tweeted: “2 hours in the oven and still the turkey is cold. Helps if you put the oven on, right?" He added that the family would eat the starters, " and then have a rest... for 3 hours.”

7. BRITS' OLYMPIC AFFECTION SOARS

The British public is currently even more positive about the London Olympics than it was at the height of the tournament. In an ICM poll for The Guardian, 78% said the Olympics "did a valuable job in cheering up a country in hard times". When the ICM posed the same statement immediately after the tournament's 'Super Saturday', just 55% agreed with it.

8. BBC PAY-OFFS TO BE PROBED

The National Audit Office is to investigate severance packages given by the BBC after 200 managers received payoffs of more than £100,000 each in the past three years. Last week, MPs compared leaving the BBC to "winning the lottery" after the corporation admitted George Entwistle was given a payoff of £450,000 - double the amount he was entitled to.

9. TAPE MEASURES FOR TRAFFIC WARDENS

Traffic wardens in Wales have been given tape measures so they can fine motorists who park more than 19 inches from the kerb. The move, by Gwynedd Council, will see motorists fined £70 if they fail the test, even on roads where no parking restrictions are in place. The AA said common sense suggests drivers should be warned before being fined.

10. UNITED HOPE TO EXTEND LEAD

Both Manchester sides face north-east opposition during a busy schedule of Boxing Day football. Manchester United can extend their lead at the top by beating Newcastle United at Old Trafford, but Manchester City can remain in touching distance with victory at Sunderland. Arsenal sit the day out after their match against West Ham was postponed due to industrial action on the London Underground.