"update-manager" - could not initialise package information

[Gerald Chegwidden]

Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS

I have tried to use update-manager, the following shows the results:-

Could not initialise the package information

An unresolvable problem occurred while initialising the package information.

Please report this bug for the 'update-manager' package and try to include the following error message:

'E:Encountered a section with no Package: header, E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_precise-updates_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.'

Running "ubuntu-bug lubuntu-desktop" command in a terminal.

Result gerald@gerald-System-Product-Name:~$ ubuntu-bug lubuntu-desktop

(apport-gtk:3016): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_main_quit: assertion `main_loops != NULL' failed
gerald@gerald-System-Product-Name:~$

gerald@gerald-System-Product-Name:~$ sudo apt-get install apport
[sudo] password for gerald:
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_precise-updates_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
gerald@gerald-System-Product-Name:~$

Running in terminal “ubuntu-bug the_name_of_the_component”

Result - Could not determine the package or source package name.

gerald@gerald-System-Product-Name:~$ apt-cache policy pkgname
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_precise-updates_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

I trust that the above information will enable the problem to be sorted out.

regards GC

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Reviewing your bug report it seems that you are experiencing bug 346386. This issue happens when you have tried to update your package information when you are a network that didn't return the right files. This issue can be cleaned up by using the following commands in a terminal:

1.) sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/*
2.) sudo apt-get update

Thanks and good luck!

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please reopen the bug task if it was incorrect.]