1. OSBORNE COMMITS TO SURPLUS RULES
Chancellor George Osborne is to commit to a rule which will oblige future governments to spend no more than they raise in revenue, first proposed in January. In his annual Mansion House speech later today, Osborne will say that the rule will apply in “normal times”, meaning any time at which the economy is in growth.
George Osborne's budget surplus rules: how they will work
2. GUIDE DOG LEAPS IN FRONT OF BUS TO SAVE OWNER
A guide dog threw himself in front of a school bus in a bid to protect his blind owner. Witnesses said labrador Figo jumped at the bus before it hit his owner 62-year-old Audrey Stone, in Brewster, New York, and refused to leave her side as she was treated by paramedics. Both Stone and Figo, who injured his leg, are expected to recover.
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3. FIFA POSTPONES 2026 WORLD CUP VOTE
Fifa has postponed the bidding process for the right to host the 2026 World Cup after allegations of corruption in the vote for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, and a US corruption probe. Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said it would be "a nonsense" to begin the process in the current climate. The US were frontrunners to win the vote.
Michel Platini will resign at Uefa's next congress
4. 'GIRL TROUBLE' SCIENTIST WAS BEING 'HONEST'
Nobel prizewinning scientist Sir Tim Hunt has apologised for causing offence after telling journalists that the "trouble with girls" in science was that they "fall in love" with men, and vice versa, and "cry" when criticised. He said his comments were "light-hearted" but also "honest" because "emotional entanglements [are]... very disruptive".
Tim Hunt forced to apologise for 'breathtakingly sexist' comments
5. EASY LISTENING KING JAMES LAST DIES AT 86
Bandleader James Last has died at the age of 86. He passed away "peacefully and in the presence of his family" said his manager. In a career that ran from 1959 to 2011 years the German-born musician released more than 200 "easy listening" albums and became the second-most successful artist in terms of album sales after Elvis Presley, with sales in excess of 100 million.
6. MAN JAILED FOR FORCED MARRIAGE
A 34-year-old man from Cardiff man has been jailed for 16 years after becoming the first person to be prosecuted under forced marriage laws, introduced a year ago. The man admitted making a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress. He also admitted four counts of rape, one count of bigamy and one count of voyeurism.
7. BABY BORN FROM CHILDHOOD OVARY
For the first time, a baby has been born after being conceived using transplanted ovarian tissue which had been taken from her mother at the age of just 13. The Belgian woman, born in Congo, had tissue from her ovaries removed by doctors when she contracted cancer as a child. The woman is now 27 years old.
8. GERMANWINGS CRASH REMAINS FLOWN HOME
The remains of 44 of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash have been flown home to Germany, three months after the flight’s co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, apparently commited suicide and murder by flying the plane into a mountainside. Families will be allowed to visit the coffins inside a hanger at the airport.
Woman convicted of fraud after posing as Germanwings crash relative
9. CHIMPANZEES SEEN TO DRINK ALCOHOL
Chimpanzees in Bossou, in the south-east of Guinea have been filmed habitually and regularly drinking fermented sap the same strength as a pint of Bass mild. The primates were observed to start “drinking” at 7am. They were not thought to drink to excess during the 17-year-long period for which they studied.
Boozy chimps caught chugging alcohol in the wild
10. BRIEFING: THE BILDERBERG CONFERENCE
The annual Bilderberg conference begins today in Telfs-Buchen, a luxury ski resort in Austria, with leaders of industry, finance and the media meeting politicians to discuss global policy matters. The conference – closed to reporters, guarded by undercover agents and bound by strict secrecy rules – has long been a favourite of conspiracy theorists.
Bilderberg conference: Who is going and what will they discuss?
