1. SEPP BLATTER RE-ELECTED AT FIFA
A leading US investigator says he is "fairly confident" there will be more indictments in the FIFA corruption scandal. The news comes after Sepp Blatter was re-elected for another term as president of world football's governing body, despite widespread calls for him to step down in the wake of the scandal that has struck the organisation.
2. REPORT: HMRC ‘WILL WAIVE £100 FINE’
People who missed the deadline for filing their tax returns have been let off the £100 fine, claims the Daily Telegraph. Anyone who provides a "reasonable" excuse for being late has been excused by HMRC, according to a leaked memo. A spokesman said: "We want to focus more and more of our resources on investigating major tax avoidance and evasion.”
3. BENEFIT CAP THREATENS 40,000 KIDS
As many as 40,000 children face being plunged into poverty by government plans to lower the household benefit cap, claims The Guardian. A leaked advice paper for ministers spells out the potential cost of the reduction in the upper limit of what families will now be able to claim annually from £26,000 to £23,000, which was announced in Wednesday’s Queen’s speech.
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4. WILL OBESITY BECOME TOP CANCER CAUSE?
One in five deaths from cancer is caused by obesity, which is on track to overtake smoking as the main cause of the disease, reports The Times. According to leading doctors and other experts, weight-loss programmes and exercise need to become routine parts of cancer treatment. They are urging patients and doctors to act on growing evidence that obesity causes deadly tumours.
5. LABOUR ‘SQUEAMISH’ ON IMMIGRATION
Labour has been "squeamish" about talking about immigration in the past, Yvette Cooper has said. Speaking on the BBC’s Newsnight, the party's leadership contender said immigration needed to be "controlled" and "managed". The winner of the party’s leadership election will be announced on 12 September. Four MPs have confirmed they will take part.
6. ROBBER MANAGES SIMPLE PRISON ESCAPE
A “violent” robber escaped from a high-security prison run by the outsourcing giant Serco by simply walking out with a group of people who were visiting him, reports The Independent. Haroon Ahmed disappeared from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire on Wednesday. He had been in jail since 2008, after being convicted of robbing a garage armed with a knife.
7. DRIVING THEORY TEST CLAMPDOWN
More learner drivers are failing the theory test after a clampdown on cheating, says The Times. Just 51% of tests are passed following measures to prevent people memorising the answers, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said. This compares to a pass rate in 2007-08 of 65.4%. The chief executive said: “We keep the test under constant review to ensure it remains as effective as possible.”
8. CAMERON ENJOYS MERKEL MEETING
David Cameron ended a troublesome two-day tour of European capitals yesterday with a more positive meeting with Angela Merkel. The German chancellor told the PM she was prepared to consider rewriting EU treaties to appease British demands. The meeting followed a “cordial” but frustrating dinner in Paris on Thursday and a public rebuff in Warsaw on Friday.
9. ENERGY-SAVING BULBS ‘RUIN SLEEP’
A sleep expert has warned that energy-saving light bulbs could prevent people from sleeping because they emit more blue light than traditional bulbs. Professor Debra Skene said people should dim lights in the hours before they go to bed so the body can prepare itself for sleep, but added that this is getting harder as so many incandescent tungsten bulbs had been replaced by energy-saving ones.
10. CAN ARSENAL MAKE FA CUP HISTORY?
Arsenal are odds-on favourites to win the FA Cup today. The Gunners, who face Aston Villa at Wembley, would claim the cup for a record 12th time if they prevail today. Boss Arsene Wenger says: "It's not easy to get to the FA Cup final and it's not easy to finish in the top three in England.” His opposite number Tim Sherwood said: "I know what the boys are capable of in one-off games.”
