David Beckham's chances of making it to his fourth World Cup finals in South Africa this summer have been squashed after he tore his Achilles tendon during AC Milan's victory over Chievo this weekend.

He flew to Finland for an operation by a specialist which has been successful, but the surgeon said there was no chance he would recover in time for the World Cup. While the injury is obviously a personal tragedy for the midfielder, it is by no means a disaster for the team. Some say it could be a blessing in disguise for England and open the door for younger talent.

It speaks volumes about how any team of colleagues doesn't have to suffer when they lose a star.

Hairdryers, bars of soap, lipstick and pitta bread are out – but hair straighteners, liquid soap, lip gloss, garlic bread and Blu-ray disc players are in.

The latest shakeup of the shopping basket used to measure inflation in Britain gives some fascinating insights into our shopping habits.

The Office for National Statistics updates the basket once a year to make sure it tracks the right items to work out the cost of living. Statisticians have found that people are spending a lot more on garlic bread than pitta bread these days, and lip gloss has ousted lipstick in the basket "reflecting a trend towards gloss".

Pink Floyd's court victory over EMI last week over online sales of individual songs was celebrated as a victory for artistic integrity.

But it was a further blow to the debt-laden British record company. EMI's fate will be decided in the next few months and it may well end up falling into foreign hands.

It's a sad tale given EMI's illustrious history. The smallest of the world's four major record companies, it signed all the big names in British rock history - from the Beatles to David Bowie, Queen, the Sex Pistols and Pink Floyd.

Where are the world's most beautiful banknotes to be found? Surely our dowdy pound notes or the equally boring US dollar bills won't make the top ten, let alone the top twenty. Even the euro notes, a brand new currency, hardly set the world on fire, despite coming with many different designs that vary from country to country.

No, to find more colourful banknotes you have to look further afield, to African and Asian countries and obscure island states. Here is Walletpop's selection of the best.

And some of them go for far more than their face value on Ebay. Armenia issued its first-ever 100,000 Dram (£170) note last year, the largest denomination in the Eurasian country (pictured). It depicts King Abgar V of Edessa and is being sold on Ebay for $365.99 (£239).

Poor Lady Gaga. The girl can't even afford to buy clothes that cover her knickers. Perhaps that's why she has sent ticket prices for her new tour into the stratosphere.

And Lady Gaga's ticket-buying fans aren't happy. Actually, they're furious.

The scantily clad singer's next set of UK shows will cost up to three times as much as the current series, even though they are part of the same tour and could be almost identical performances.

Seats for the current set of dates on the Monster Ball tour cost £27.50-£35. But Lady Gaga's new shows in May and June, which go on sale this week, will cost £50-£75.

Some fans have said it is unfair and that Trading Standards should look into it.

A TV advert for Cadbury's Flake has been banned because it is just too sexy for our screens.

Executives from the chocolate company apparently thought it was so racy it would either corrupt our nation's morals, or portray Flake eaters as some kind of free-love hedonists with lives of wild abandon.

The commercial featured a gorgeous, pouting young model seduced by a Devil-like character, with the suggestion that a Flake was as tempting as Lucifer himself.

The company blew no less than £1 million on the ad. It had been planned for a prime-time slot but will never now be seen. According to the company, research showed it polarised opinion in focus groups.

It happened at the same time that the American company Kraft bought Cadbury.

A spokesman for Cadbury said: "Having researched it, we felt it wasn't working for our core target audience. You try things, but don't always pull it off and that's what happened here."

Kathyn Bigelow's Hurt Locker took away six Oscars at last night's award ceremony. It's an impressive haul for a film about an unpopular war, which hardy anyone bothered to see.

It has been hailed as a David and Goliath victory, after the massive Avatar went home with a few technical Oscars and its tail between its legs. And it has been called a historic day for women, as Kathryn becomes the first ever female winner of the Best Director Oscar.

This is a brilliant achievement, and an impressive win on all fronts.

But really, the first female winner?

Are all other women directors just second-rate? Are women too busy rummaging in their handbags and worrying about the size of their behind to remember where they put the camera?

Or is there something more going on here?

Not the kind of money news you were expecting? It's certainly not the kind of money news I thought I'd be writing about, but it's true, honest!

Urban music performer Tinchy Stryder has been at a school talking to children about investing wisely. The star has been encouraging kids in London to get into the saving habit as part of a new scheme contributed to by the government to start teaching personal finance in schools.

Believe it or not, the 22 year-old partly funded his first album from selling clothes, so is no stranger to the importance of saving.

Everyone loves a good freebie. It's amazing how much free stuff you can find online if you take a good look - there are websites that essentially allow you to furnish your home for free, spice up your wardrobe, watch the latest films at the cinema or pick up some extra cash.

James Daley, editor-in-chief of Which? Money Quarterly, says: "If you know where to look, there's plenty of freebies to be found online. The variety of offers is vast, and if your finances are stretched, then now's the time to get searching."

The money experts at consumer organisation Which? found the following top 10 freebies.

If you're properly British, then tipping will be a major cause of angst. Who do you tip? How much do you tip them? Should you tip when the service has been poor? Will the staff even get the tip?

Apparently 90% of us will leave a tip every time we eat in a restaurant or cafe, but four in five of us will immediately scuttle off, afraid to ask questions about what will happen to that money.

Today sees the launch of a campaign known as 'Who Gets The Tip,' which is designed to offer a bit of relief in the great tipping dilemma.

But is it really going to help?