1. FARAGE MULLS LEGAL BID OVER TV DEBATE
Nigel Farage may go to court to win place in televised leaders' debates after David Cameron reportedly refused to share a platform with the UKIP leader. The PM is said to have argued that Farage should be excluded as he represents a party without any MPs. Tories fear a Farage appearance could give him the sort of boost enjoyed by Nick Clegg after the first leaders' debate in 2010.
2. CALLS FOR LOBBY REGISTER AS MERCER RESIGNS
Liberal Democrats are stepping up calls for a statutory register of lobbyists after Patrick Mercer resigned the Tory whip amid claims he broke lobbying rules. The coalition also faces pressure to deliver a 'right of recall' allowing constituents to expel errant MPs mid-term. David Cameron warned more than three years ago that lobbying was the “next big scandal waiting to happen”.
3. TURKEY BRACED FOR MORE UNREST
Turkey is expecting a second day of unrest after clashes between police and demonstrators left dozens of people injured in Istanbul yesterday. The protests, over plans to redevelop Gezi Park in Taksim Square, began peacefully in Istanbul but descended into violence after police used tear gas and water cannon. Protests spread to other cities, including the capital, Ankara.
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4. DPP TO UNVEIL VICTIM APPEAL REFORM
Crime victims are to be handed the right to appeal against decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service not to pursue suspects. More than 88,000 cases a year are dropped by the CPS and until now the only remedy has been costly judicial review proceedings. Keir Starmer, QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, is expected to announce the review next week.
5. TORNADOES KILL FIVE IN OKLAHOMA
New tornadoes have swept through Oklahoma, killing at least five people and injuring dozens, officials say. They struck near the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where 24 people were killed by a violent tornado nearly two weeks ago.
The latest twister is described by the National Weather Service as a "confirmed and extremely dangerous tornado".
6. MOSCOW URGED NOT TO ARM SYRIA
The US and Germany have called on Russia not to supply Syria's military with an advanced missile system. US secretary of state John Kerry said the delivery of Russian weaponry would have a "profoundly negative impact" and threaten Israel's security. Fearsome fighting continued yesterday around the key town of Qusair, with one activist describing the scene as “like hell”.
7. ANAESTHETIC LINK TO DEMENTIA FOUND
Exposure to general anaesthetic raises risk of dementia by 35% among over 65s, according to new research. The study, by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research and the University of Bordeaux, has major implications because at least three million people are given a general anaesthetic on the NHS each year.
8. FACEBOOK 'PASSING FAD' SAYS EXPERT
Facebook may be “a passing fad” says an analyst as new figures show that the social network’s growth in Britain has begun to level off. The new data from comScore echoes findings from other researchers which suggest that the network is reaching saturation point in Europe and the US. Its share price is now $24 - well below the $38 when it made its stock market debut a year ago.
9. HUGE ASTEROID PASSES EARTH
An asteroid measuring nearly 1.7 miles flew past Earth last night. The giant rock, named Asteroid 1998 QE2, would have wiped out life had it hit but remained at asafe distance of 3.6m miles - roughly 15 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. "Luckily objects of this size or larger only hit us about once every four million years," he said astrophysicist Alan Fitzsimmons.
10. WIGGINS OUT OF TOUR DE FRANCE
Sir Bradley Wiggins has been ruled out of defending his Tour de France title due to illness and injury. The 33-year old, who withdrew from the Giro d'Italia with a chest infection and knee problem, said "I desperately wanted be there, for the team and for all the fans along the way - but it's not going to happen." Chris Froome will lead the Team Sky challenge.
