1. TOP CONSERVATIVE IN LOBBYING ROW
Tory MP Tim Yeo has been filmed bragging that he can use his leadership of a Commons committee to push his private business interests. He told undercover reporters for the Sunday Times, who were posing as businessmen offering to hire him, that he is close to “really all the key players in the UK in government” and can introduce them to “almost everyone you needed to get hold of in this country”.
2. GOVT TO RESPOND TO DATA ROW
Ministers will respond tomorrow to claims that UK intelligence agencies have accessed a vast reservoir of private data relating to people living in Britain. Meanwhile, the snoopers’ charter could be rushed into law via the backdoor using a 2006 European directive. The government is examining a Brussels edict which could solve the deadlock over the Communications Data Bill.
3. NELSON MANDELA REMAINS IN HOSPITAL
Nelson Mandela is spending a second night in hospital where he is being treated for a lung infection. Doctors say the former South African president's condition continues to be serious but stable. This is the third time this year the 94-year-old has been admitted to hospital. His wife, Graca Machel, cancelled an appearance in London to remain at his bedside.
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4. MINISTER ATTACKS 'MAD' EURO COMMISSION
Justice secretary Chris Grayling has launched an outspoken attack on the “mad” policy agenda of the European Commission, accusing it of putting jobs and growth at risk. He tells the Sunday Telegraph that plans to reform data protection laws are evidence that Brussels’ officials were “not living in the real world”.
5. PRINCE HARRY DEFENDS GAY SOLDIER
A gay British soldier says Prince Harry rescued him from a homophobic attack by troops from a rival regiment. When Trooper James Wharton told Harry that six soldiers had threatened to “batter” him, the Prince said: “Right I’m going to sort this s*** out once and for all.” After confronting the soldiers, Harry returned and told Wharton the situation was “sorted”.
6. COWELL ATTACKED BY EGG THROWER
Simon Cowell was attacked by an egg thrower during last night's final of Britain's Got Talent. Violinist Natalie Holt, an embittered reject from last year's series, ran from her place in the orchestra to the front of the stage and threw five eggs at the judge. Cowell declined to press charges. Hungarian shadow dancers Attraction won the ITV show.
7. 'CANCER RISK' BEYOND TWO PINTS A YEAR
Drinking more than two pints of beer a year heightens your risk of cancer, claims the Sunday Express. The Alcohol Public Health Research Alliance said tests showed that one drink every six months is the safe exposure level to carcinogens. Some 4,500 Britons a year die of alcohol-caused cancers, says the Alliance.
8. PM WANTS 'ACTION' ON CHILD PORN
The prime minister has called for "more action" from web companies to rid the internet of child sex abuse. David Cameron said that child pornography "twists minds and is... a danger to children". In two recent murder trials the killers were revealed to have viewed abusive images of children. "The time for excuses and blame is over - we must all work together,” said Cameron.
9. BOY KILLED BY FALLING SHOP MIRROR
A four-year-old boy has died four days after suffering serious head injuries when a mirror fell on him in a clothes shop. The boy was injured in the Hugo Boss store at the Bicester Village shopping centre on Tuesday evening and taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
10. OXFORD UNI DONS TO BE FROZEN
Three Oxford University dons will be deep frozen when they die — in the hope that they can be brought back to life in the future. Two will have their heads frozen, while the third will have his entire body preserved. “My hope is that in perhaps 100-200 years from now, society will have developed the technologies to revive me and cure me of whatever killed me,” said one.
