1. QZ8501 SEARCH TEAM SPOT ‘PLANE DEBRIS’
Indonesian officials have spotted debris at sea during their hunt for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501. Officials say items resembling a plane door and an emergency slide are among those to have been discovered. At least 10 large objects have been found in the Java Sea, around six miles from where the plane lost contact with air traffic control.
2. BBC PULLS ROYAL SPIN DOCUMENTARY
The BBC has shelved a documentary which shows how the Royal Family tried to win back public support following the death of Princess Diana. Reinventing The Royals, which was due to air this weekend, said the Prince of Wales hired a new press secretary to boost the profile of Camilla Parker Bowles. The documentary was pulled after an intervention from palace lawyers.
3. EBOLA VICTIM ON WAY TO LONDON
The health worker diagnosed with Ebola after returning to Glasgow from Sierra Leone is being transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government is doing "absolutely everything it needs to" to keep the public safe. The patient - understood to have been volunteering for Save The Children - was taken ill on Monday morning.
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4. THATCHER OPPOSED GCSE EXAMS
Margaret Thatcher believed that GCSE exams would “lack the rigour” of the O-levels they were replacing, newly released government papers have revealed. However, the then prime minister went ahead with the reform to “spite the teaching unions” who opposed it. The papers also reveal Oliver Letwin persuaded Thatcher to force through the poll tax despite warnings.
5. TORY MINISTERS DEMAND EU CAMPAIGN
At least nine Tory ministers are demanding that David Cameron gives them permission to campaign for Britain to leave the EU if the party remains in power after the general election. The Eurosceptic ministers want Cameron to follow the example of Harold Wilson, who abandoned collective cabinet responsibility during the last in-out referendum campaign in 1975.
6. BILL COSBY ‘HIRES DIRT-DIGGER’
Bill Cosby has hired private investigators to “dig up dirt” on several women who claim he has had raped them, says the New York Post. After more than two dozen women came forward in recent weeks, Cosby has reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bid to discredit his accusers. Cosby has asked journalists to approach the allegations with a “neutral mind”.
7. HONOURS LIST ‘MUST BE MORE DIVERSE’
The man in charge of the New Year Honours list says more work must be done so it represents the increasingly diverse British society. Sir Bob Kerslake told Sky News opening up the system to more ethnic minorities is "one of the key things that we want to achieve”. He added: “We want the honours system to represent this country.”
8. STRICKEN JET LANDS SAFELY AT GATWICK
A Virgin Atlantic passenger plane landed safely at Gatwick Airport yesterday after discovering a problem with part of its main landing gear. Virgin flight VS43, which had 447 passengers and 15 crew onboard, was travelling from Gatwick to Las Vegas when it was forced to return. Passengers later admitted that they feared they would die.
9. HOUSE PRICES ‘TO SOAR IN 2015’
House prices are expected to soar next year as new rules are introduced allowing people to invest their pension pots in property. Experts are predicting that average home values will rise to almost £190,000 in 2015, adding more than £12,000 to the price of the average home. They believe the rule change could see as much as £5bn injected into the property market by people cashing in their savings.
10. FOOTBALL: LIVERPOOL BEAT SWANSEA
Liverpool are five points off the top four following a convincing victory over Swansea at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers’ men end 2014 with back-to-back wins as their recent upturn in form continued. Meanwhile, West Brom have sacked manager Alan Irvine, and Crystal Palace have been given permission to talk to Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew.
