Bread prices set to rise by 10p a loaf
Bread prices are likely to rise by as much as 10p for a standard, white-sliced loaf because of a world shortage of wheat. This is expected to take the average price of a standard, white 800g loaf from £1.19 to £1.29, if supermarkets pass on the extra costs.

The average price has already risen 10p since last September, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit in British Baker. The cost of biscuits and cake is also expected to increase. Rank Hovis, the miller, blamed extreme weather and spiralling demand for corn over wheat, driven by rapid growth in the US bioethanol market.

Drug rapist faces life
A wealthy businessman who drugged young men to rape them could be facing a life sentence. Robert Osbourne, aged 42, of Rugeley, Staffordshire, was found guilty on each of four charges by Stafford Crown Court of administering a noxious substance and raping a stupefied male. He was remanded in custody but was told by Judge Paul Glenn: “The sentence will be long, maybe life.”

PIN slip led to theft
A supermarket till operator who overheard a customer say “Battle of Hastings” as she tapped in her PIN used the clue to plunder her bank account. Jason Ames, 23, who worked at Tesco in Aberdare, South Wales, kept the customer’s debit card and then tapped 1066 into the store’s cash machine to withdraw £170. He pleaded guilty to theft and was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence.

Son on murder charge
A former teacher appeared in court accused of killing his mother at the home they shared in Bedford. Matthew Clarke, 27, appeared before the town’s magistrates accused of murdering Marvaleen Lee, 50, a lower school manager. Police found her body on Tuesday after neighbours reported her missing. Mr Clarke was remanded into custody until August 3 for a hearing at Luton Crown Court.

Nights out online
Many broadband users spend more time on virtual networking than they do on socialising, a study said. The average Briton spends 15.8 hours per week online, a survey of 10,500 adults found. Half of all broadband users log on to social networking sites, according to uSwitch.com. They spend three hours per week on virtual networking. This exceeds the average 22 days per year that is spent on socialising.

Drinking and diving
A German tourist was rescued after driving into a canal that he had mistaken for a road in the dark. Jozef Cene was meeting fellow crop circle enthusiasts at an inn in Honeystreet, Wiltshire, which faces the Kennet and Avon canal. Mr Cene got into his car, looked left and right and then indicated – before driving into the water. Locals dived in as Mr Cene, 38, became trapped in his sinking Fiat Punto.

Victory for Gurkhas in pensions fight

Veterans of the Brigade of Gurkhas are to receive a “significant” increase in their pensions. The rise, backdated to January 2006, will mean that those who were ranked at corporal or below will get a 19 per cent increase. The new scheme, which will cost an extra £6 million a year, comes after a long-running campaign by veterans of the elite Nepalese unit. Derek Twigg, the Junior Defence Minister, told MPs: “This increase sustains Gurkha service pensions at a fair and appropriate level and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to the retired Gurkha community in Nepal.”

Computer champion

Scientists have developed a computer program that is unbeatable at draughts. Chinook, developed by Canadian researchers, can sift through the game’s 500 billion positions to pick the most advantageous move every time. The best that a human player – or another computer – can hope for is a draw. Computers regularly defeat chess grandmasters but, unlike Chinook, none is unbeatable.

Diversity for schools

From September all schools in England will have a duty to promote community cohesion, defined as “a common vision and sense of belonging by all communities”. Schools will foster understanding of homosexuality and cultural diversity. All-white schools will be twinned with predominantly black or Asian schools, and schools will hold cross-community parents’ evenings with different faiths.

Circumcision arrest

A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of arranging the female circumcision of two teenagers. The woman was arrested in East London and released on police bail to return to a North London police station on September 6. The arrest comes a week after the Metropolitan Police offered a £20,000 reward for information that would help bring to justice those responsible for the ritual.

Award for Paisley

The Rev Ian Paisley, 81, has been named Opposition Politician of the Year, at The House Magazine Parliamentary Awards at a ceremony in Whitehall. Acknowledging the irony that he should receive an opposition trophy after becoming First Minister of Northern Ireland, he said that his most memorable speech was last month when he paid tribute to Tony Blair’s stewardship of the peace process.

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