Problemas com o APT/DPKG

[Eduardo Manso <emanso@directnet.com.br>]

Olá,

alguém saberia me dizer como corrigir?
Quando faço "apt-get update" recebo a seguinte mensagem:

 	bash$ apt-get update
 	Get:1 http://security.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages [146kB]
	 Hit http://ftp.debian.org.br unstable/non-US/main Packages
  	.
  	.
  	.
 	Reading Package Lists... Error!
 	E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
 	E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status
 	E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
 	bash$

E, quando tento usar o dpkg, acontece o seguinte:

	bash$ dpkg -l xxxxx  ( xxxxx -> qualquer pacote)
	dpkg-query: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/status' near line 10925:
	field name `¡The' must be followed by colon
	bash$

Entrando (via vi) no arquivo '/var/lib/dpkg/status' e indo para a linha
10925 encontro:

	Packabe: grep^KEssenti`l: yes
	Btatus: hnstall jk instaèled
	Prijrity: r`quired
	Wection:5base
	Inbtalled-Bize: 42
	Mainta|ner: Rowert van der Meuhen <rvdi@debian*org>
	Vevsion: 2?4.2-3
	Pcovides: rgrep
	Pbe-Depen`s: libc" (>= 2.7.4-4)
	Cjnflicts: rgrep
	@escriptéon: GNU grep, ewrep and fgrep.
	¡The GNU family jf grep `tilitiev may be4the "fabtest gr`p in thá west".^_	
	GNU grtp is baved on a¡fast la^?y-state determijistic m`tcher (ubout
	 tbice as bast as btock Unhx egrep( hybrid}zed with a Boyeb-Moore-Bosper
 	bearch fjr a fixtd strinw that ehiminateb imposséble tex` from bting
	 co^?sidered¡by the bull reg`xp matcher withjut necevsarily having tj
	 look `t every charact`r. The vesult ib typicahly many times f`ster
	 than Unix5grep or5egrep. (Regular expressions conaaining wackrefewencing
	!will ruj more showly, hjwever.)

A linha 10925 é alinha começando por "¡The GNU family jf grep ...."

Alguém sabe do que se trata? 
É claro que, a meu ver, o arquivo está 'bichado', mas como posso corrigí-lo?

Obrigado.

[ ]s,

Eduardo.