Daily Briefing

Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 26 Jan 2013

The Week’s super-quick catch-up on the main news talking points, available from 8am daily

1. OSBORNE TOLD BRITAIN RISKS 'LOST DECADE'
Britain is in danger of "a lost decade" if chancellor George Osborne sticks to his current economic policies, warns the chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Jim O’Neill told The Times he fears the government is too focused on protecting Britain's credit rating. “Is it that important?” he asked. “The US doesn’t have a triple-A rating. Japan doesn’t."
2. 'BABY TORTURE' AT INFAMOUS HOSPITAL
A scandal-hit hospital is under renewed fire after it emerged that nurses taped a dummy to the mouth of a prematurely born baby to stop it crying. The family of four-month old Mason Fellows have accused Stafford Hospital of "torture". Up to 1,200 patients are believed to have died due to poor care at the notorious hospital.
3. LANCE ARMSTRONG 'LIED TO OPRAH'
Lance Armstrong repeatedly lied during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, claims the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Travis Tygart says the disgraced cyclist misled Winfrey on a string of issues, including the claim that he made a 'clean' comeback in 2009, and the level of EPO he used in the 1990s.
4. CHILD LABOUR IN APPLE SUPPLY CHAIN
An internal audit by Apple has uncovered cases of child labour in its supply chain. The software giant found 106 children were employed at 11 factories making Apple products during 2012. The discovery follows a series of suicides by workers at Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that assembles Apple products, and deadly explosions at other plants.
5. ANDERSON DONATES BRAIN TO SCIENCE
Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson asked for his brain to be donated to scientists researching dementia and insisted he did not want to be buried "as he saw it as a waste of space," says his son. The television director, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011, told his son: “The quicker they find a cure the better, so they are welcome to my brain.”
6. CRIME DISCLOSURE RULES SET FOR REFORM
Adults should not be forced to disclose minor criminal offences they committed while they were young, the Master of the Rolls is expected to rule next week. Lord Dyson is set to rule that being forced make such disclosures when applying for jobs breaches article eight of the Human Rights Act — the right to family and private life.
7. STEPHEN KING SLAMS GUN 'LUNATICS'
Stephen King has entered the gun control debate, publishing an essay which argues that "autos and semi-autos are weapons of mass destruction". The best-selling horror author, who owns three handguns, added that automatic weapons are used by "lunatics want to make war on the unarmed and unprepared".
8. LIB DEM MP UNDER FIRE FOR 'JEWS' COMMENT
A Liberal Democrat MP has been accused of "abusing the memory" of victims of the Nazi Holocaust when, ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, he accused "the Jews" of committing "atrocities" against the Palestinians. David Ward, MP for Bradford East, was told his comments were "sickening and unacceptable" by the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
9. ARMY DEPLOYED AT SUEZ PROTESTS
The Egyptian army has been deployed in Suez after deadly clashes between police and protestors. At least seven people have died during demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Writing on Twitter, President Mohammed Morsi appealed to Egyptians to "express opinions freely and peacefully".
10. DRINK DEATHS RISE AMONG CAREER WOMEN
Alcohol-related deaths among career women are rising, according to the Office for National Statistics. Such deaths among women in high-ranking jobs rose by 23% between 2001 and 2011, compared with an equivalent increase of just 15% among men. The UK Alcohol Health Alliance said these figures are "just the tip of the iceberg".