1. ACCESS TO BENEFITS REDUCED FOR MIGRANTS
David Cameron has announced plans to offer fewer benefits to EU migrants, saying he was “deeply concerned” about levels of arrivals from Bulgaria and Romania. Eligibility rules for out-of-work benefits will be tightened and access to housing benefit will be reduced. He said he wanted to end “benefit tourism”.
PM on 'collision course' with EU over migrant benefits
2. WORLD CUP STADIUM COLLAPSE KILLS 3
A crane at a stadium in Sao Paulo due to host the opening ceremony of Brazil's World Cup 2014 has collapsed after hitting the roof and killing at least three people. The accident at Corinithians Arena has been blamed on unstable soil after a rain storm, according to reports in Brazilian media.
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3. BITCOIN VALUE SURGES PAST $1,000 MARK
The value of the virtual currency Bitcoin has passed the $1,000 per coin mark for the first time. Experts said rising demand from China and a US Senate hearing devoted to the cryptocurrency have fuelled an 81 per cent rise in its value in recent days.
Bitcoin booming again on 'safe haven' demand
4. KENYA: ANTI-TERROR POLICE ARREST BRITONS
Two British citizens, said by a source to be carrying hand grenades, have been arrested by anti-terror police in Kenya. The arrests were made in Diani, a beach resort near Mombassa. The foreign office said it stood “ready to offer consular assistance”. The arrests come two months after the Westgate mall siege.
5. ROYAL MAIL PROFITS DOUBLE TO £283M
Royal Mail, newly and controversially privatised, has reported its operating profits almost doubled for the first half of its financial year. The company made £283m in the six months to 29 September, attributing its better performance to rising parcel revenue and continued cost cutting. It was helped by a one-off VAT credit of £35m.
Royal Mail shares rebound after strong Christmas
6. US BOMBERS DEFY CHINESE AIR ZONE
Two US bombers have flown over disputed islands in defiance of a controversial Chinese ban. The B-52s spent “less than an hour” flying over the Senkaku islands, owned by Japan but claimed by China, with “no problems”. America said China’s recent declaration of a no-fly zone was “unecesarily inflammatory”.
US bombers make 'direct challenge' to Chinese air zone
7. PLANE SCARE FOR MAN UTD PLAYERS
Manchester United players were left rattled after the plane they were travelling in was forced to abort its landing at Cologne airport because of another aircraft on the runway. The chartered Monarch flight was on its final descent and had an altitude of around 400m when it was forced to pull up to avoid the other plane on the runway.
'Frightening' air scare for Man Utd as plane aborts landing
8. BERLUSCONI FACES EXPULSION VOTE
Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi today faces a vote on whether he should be expelled from the country’s parliament for his conviction for tax fraud. A large majority of senators are expected to vote him out. Berlusconi has asked senators to delay the vote because he claims new evidence proves his innocence.
9. PRINCE WILLIAM LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER
Prince William surprised guests at a Buckingham Palace charity concert when he joined Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift on stage to sing the former’s 1980s hit Livin’ on a Prayer. Guests had paid up to £60,000 to benefit the Duke’s favoured charity, Centrepoint, which works to help homeless young people in the UK.
10. HOT TICKET: TURNER'S SEASCAPES ON SHOW
A new exhibition of JMW Turner's seascapes has opened at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Turner and the Sea explores the master painter's lifelong obsession with the sea through key paintings and drawings spanning some 50 years of his career. "Astonishing," says the Daily Mail. Until 21 April 2014.
Maritime Museum's 'sublime' Turner and the Sea - reviews
