Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 31 Dec 2012

1. BAN KI-MOON: INDIA MUST SHIELD WOMEN

UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has urged the Indian government to protect women following the death of a 23-year-old student who was gang raped in Delhi. “Every girl and woman has the right to be respected, valued and protected,” Ban said last night. His intervention takes the “fallout” from the incident to a “new level”, says The Guardian.

Protests grow over death of gang-raped Indian student

2. EX SPORTS MINISTER JOINS AWARDS ROW

Former sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has waded into the controversy about the dearth of top awards given to Paralympians in the New Year honours list. Sutcliffe said it was a “big mistake” not to give the highest honour to stars of the London Games such as six times gold medalist David Weir who received a CBE.

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David Weir should have been knighted - ex-sports minister

3. CATHOLIC MOVE TO BLOCK GAY UNIONS

The head of the Catholic Church in the UK has urged parishioners to write to their MP “as soon as possible” asking them to oppose the government’s push to legalise gay marriage. Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminister, said opposition to the proposed bill on same-sex marriage should be expressed “clearly, calmly and forcefully”.

4. RACE HATE TRIGGERS NEW SUBWAY DEATH

A woman who pushed an Indian-born man in front of a New York subway train late last week says she did it because she thought he was Muslim or Hindu. New Yorker Erika Menendez, 31, who was arrested on Saturday and charged with second-degree murder, said she had hated “Hindus and Muslims” ever since “they put down the Twin Towers”.

5. DID BRAKES CAUSE RUSSIAN JET CRASH?

Five of the eight crew members aboard a Tupolev-204 aircraft that slid off a runway near Moscow, smashed into a road and broke into three pieces, are dead. A fifth crew member died of their injuries yesterday as air crash investigators said preliminary checks suggested faulty brakes were probably to blame for Saturday’s disaster.

6. EU HATCHES PLAN TO LOWER UK STATUS

The UK’s hostility to Europe could see it end up as a “second-class” member of the European Union if proposals being drafted by a group of senior politicians in Brussels are adopted. Under the proposals, the UK would become an “associate member” of the EU, stripped of its commissioner, MEPs and the right of veto in the European Council.

7. BUERK HITS OUT AT PAY-OFF TO ‘FAILURES’

The generous pay-offs given to senior BBC executives have been attacked by one of the corporation’s most senior broadcasters. Michael Buerk slammed his bosses for flinging “fortunes at failures” and said the generous severances handed to executives such as George Entwistle were offensive at a time when “most of us are being squeezed”.

8. CLINTON IN HOSPITAL WITH BLOOD CLOT

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is in a New York hospital being treated for a blood clot related to the concussion she suffered earlier this month. The 65-year-old hit her head three weeks ago when she fell over at home. Clinton is expected to stay in hospital for 48 hours while doctors monitor her condition and treat her with anti-coagulants.

9. DER SPIEGEL ‘KILLS’ GEORGE BUSH

Rumours of the death of former US president George H.W Bush were greatly exaggerated by a German news magazine yesterday. Der Spiegel mistakenly ran an online obituary of Bush Senior, who is sick, but far from dead. The obit wouldn’t have made him feel much better, describing him as a “colourless politician”.

10. LAMPARD DOUBLE BOOSTS CHELSEA

Two goals by veteran midfielder Frank Lampard helped Chelsea to a 2-1 defeat of Everton yesterday and pushed them into third place above Tottenham. The win means the Blues are now 11 points behind Manchester United though they do have a game in hand on the Premier League leaders.

Chelsea go third after Frank Lampard double nails Everton