10 things you need to know this Monday

Slept through the Today programme? Never read the Sunday papers? Missed Andrew Marr? Not sure whether to expect a white Christmas? The First Post's Monday morning service, posted at 8.0 am, is designed to help...

CHANNEL TUNNEL SERVICES CLOSEDEurostar passenger trains remain suspended today after the cold weather caused chaos over the weekend, and the shuttle car service was also closed this morning. More than 2,000 people were trapped in the Channel Tunnel for up to 16 hours on Friday night after condensation caused a series of electrical failures in five trains. There were complaints that supermodel Claudia Schiffer, travelling from Paris to London, received preferential treatment: witnesses said she was allowed to get off when the train arrived at Folkestone whilke others were not. "A car came right by the train to pick her up from the entrance to the tunnel," said a French passenger. "Nothing for the other 2,000 people, though."

A WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR SOMEBritain and northern France are emerging from a long weekend of travel chaos because of severe wintery conditions and forecasters believe there could be a white Christmas for some, with lighter snow falls expected at the end of the week after a period of rain and slush. But nothing compares with the blizzards that hit the eastern United States over the weekend. One of the worst winter storms on record dumped 2ft of snow on Washington DC, where government agencies will remain closed today as the big clear-up continues. Pictures...ACTRESS BRITTANY MURPHY DIESThe Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy, who appeared in the films Clueless, Sin City and 8 Mile, had died suddenly at the age of 32. The cause of death is likely to remain a mystery until an autopsy is carried out either today or tomorrow. She apparently told her family she was feeling extremely ill after taking medication for flu-like symptoms. Article and pictures...

OBAMA HAILS HEALTHCARE VICTORYAfter the disappointment of Copenhagen, President Obama celebrated what he called "a big victory for the American people" in the small hours of this morning when US Senators voted 60 to 40 along party lines to end debate on a compromise healthcare bill. As a result, new legislation is on course to give cover to 31 million uninsured Americans - the most radical change in US healthcare in decades. Obama said the Senate had shown it could "stand up to the special interests".

STOLEN AUSCHWITZ SIGN FOUNDThe infamous "Arbeit macht frei" sign - "Work sets you free" - stolen from above the entrance to the Auschwitz concentration camp in southern Poland has been found by police, cut into three pieces, in northern Poland. Five men have been arrested. Polish and Israeli politicians were furious at the theft. Pawel Sawicki of the Auschwitz museum said the recovery of the sign was an "enormous relief". He believed it could be reinstalled before the upcoming 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp by Soviet troops on January 27, 1945.POLL GIVES TORIES 17-POINT LEADA new opinion poll by Ipsos MORI for the Observer suggests the recent rise in Labour's fortunes has been stopped in its tracks. It puts the Conservatives on 43 per cent - up on the 40 per cent average of recent surveys - and Labour on 26 per cent, way down on the 31 per cent figure in two recent polls. If the general election were tomorrow - rather than March or May - this would translate into a Tory majority of at least 100 seats.HOLLINS WINS STRICTLY CROWNOnce again, the British public have voted against the expert advice on a TV talent show. Chris Hollins, a former footballer turned BBC sports reporter, won the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing final despite being criticised for his limited ability and "constipated" look. He beat the better dancer, actor Ricky Whittle, who had been the hot favourite to win. Meanwhile Joe McElderry, the winner of ITV's talent show The X Factor, has failed to get the Christmas Number One single with The Climb following a spectacular online campaign against him by supporters of the LA rock band, Rage Against the Machine. More... WOMEN WORSE AT PARKING - A FACT German scientists have proved that men are better at parking cars than women. A study at Ruhr University, involving 65 volunteers and an Audi A6, discovered that it took women on average 20 seconds longer than men to park in the same space in a university car park. Dr Claudia Wolf, co-author of the study, said she conducted the experiment because she was fed up with chauvinistic jokes about women drivers. Explaining the disappointing result, she said: "It is just about parking - not the triumph of men over women".

LOCKERBIE BOMBER HAS £1.8M IN SWISS ACCOUNT The Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, had $1.8m stashed in a Swiss bank at the time of his court appearance in 2000. According to the Sunday Times, the existence of the funds casts doubts on the Libyan government's claim that Megrahi was a low-ranking airline worker. The money was not brought up at his trial because it was not learned about until it was too late to be admissible as evidence. The Scottish government knew about the funds when it made its controversial decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August.

WINTER SOLSTICE Today is the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight. It is also Royal Mail's last day for posting Christmas cards by first-class mail. ·