1. HUGE FOOD PRICES ON THEIR WAY
Huge increases in food prices will hit British shoppers this year says the managing director of Waitrose. Mark Price says the recent increase in the cost of bread and vegetables is "just the tip of the iceberg" and that "everything will be hit" by the next rise. With crops damaged by last year's wet weather, there is set to be a crisis in food "for the foreseeable future", says Price.
2. GAY BISHOP RULING WIDELY ATTACKED
The Church of England's decision to allow gay men to become bishops has sparked criticism from all sides. Evangelist groups called the move "divisive", while gay groups questioned the enforceability of the condition that such bishops promise to be celibate. A member of the Synod and the Archbishops' Council used the news to highlight the lack of female bishops.
3. CHAVEZ CAN STILL SERVE SAYS VP
Hugo Chávez, currently fighting for his life after emergency surgery, can begin his new term in office even though he is unable to attend the swearing-in ceremony, says the Venezuelan vice president Nicolas Maduro. Chávez has not been seen in public since the surgery three weeks ago. A Spanish newspaper claims he is in a coma, while social network users have speculated he has died.
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4. GRAYLING WANTS TO STOP EARLY RELEASES
Justice secretary Chris Grayling wants to scrap the arrangement that sees the majority of prisoners released after serving just half their sentences. He tells the Daily Telegraph that he wants to launch a “rehabilitation revolution” which would see fewer released prisoners return to jail, freeing up space to hold hardened criminals for longer.
5. ARMSTRONG 'MAY ADMIT DOPING'
Lance Armstrong is considering admitting that he used performance enhancing drugs, reports the New York Times. The disgraced cyclist has told associates and anti-doping officials he may own-up in the hope of having his ban from sport lifted, according to the report which cites "several [unnamed] people with direct knowledge of the situation".
6. GAMBLING MACHINES NET £5BN IN POOR AREAS
More than £5bn was spent on gambling machines in poor areas of England last year, reports The Guardian. The total, covering northern cities and London boroughs with high unemployment, is four times higher than that for wealthier areas of the country. The high-stake high-speed machines have been dubbed the "crack cocaine of gambling".
7. INDOOR BBQ POISONS FAMILY
Six family members were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after a London grandmother lit a barbecue indoors to dry wet clothes. Two adults and four children were taken to hospital after collapsing as the fumes spread. A Fire Brigade spokesman said: "I have never heard of anybody using a barbecue to dry clothes let alone using one indoors."
8. FERGIE SLAMS SPURS 'MANIPULATION'
Sir Alex Ferguson has accused Tottenham Hotspur of "blatant manipulation" after they signed former United left-back Zeki Fryers. The defender left Old Trafford in August, joining Standard Liege for a small compensation fee after Tottenham had rejected the £6m asking price. Spurs signed Fryers for a reported £3m yesterday.
9. 'DRUNK' MAN DUCT-TAPED TO SEAT
A passenger was duct-taped to his seat on a New York bound flight after reportedly embarking on a drunken mid-air rampage. According to one passenger, the man had spat at fellow passengers, tried to choke a woman, and screamed that the plane was going to crash. On arrival in New York the man was taken to hospital in Queens.
10. TERRY BACKTRACKS ON LAMPARD
John Terry has been forced to retract an online posting in which he mourned the expected sale of team-mate Frank Lampard. The Chelsea captain wrote on Instagram: “Devastated is an understatement. We should retire the No 8 shirt in honour of Lamps.” However, he later deleted the post and insisted he had no inside knowledge of Lampard's future.