The News Matrix: Friday 19 October 2012

BBC drops underage model documentary

A documentary, Girl Model: Storyville, exposing the sexual exploitation of underage models in Japan, was withdrawn from the BBC2 schedule amid heightened sensitivities over the Jimmy Savile affair. A Panorama investigation into the Savile scandal is due to be aired on Monday.Depression sufferers 'feel ostracised'

Place of birth: between stations

A woman has given birth on an underground train in Pennsylvania, according to local media. Transit police officer Loyd Rodgers and his partner said the woman approached them at Olney station. Nestled in her clothing was her baby boy, umbilical cord still attached.

PM is set to answer Brooks questions

David Cameron is today expected to explain why he withheld private emails between himself and Rebekah Brooks from the Leveson Inquiry. Labour MP Chris Bryant tabled five questions demanding the PM publish the correspondence.

Leaders struggle to cede fiscal powers

European Union leaders are tussling over how much power they want to cede to central authorities during a summit meeting in Brussels focused on how to ensure their debt crisis never repeats itself. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing a proposal that the European Union's monetary affairs commissioner should become an enforcer of the bloc's budget rules. MORE

Bomb suspect victim of 'racist conspiracy'

The father of a Bangladeshi man accused of attempting to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank says his son is the victim of a "racist conspiracy". Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. MORE

Gaga offered role in Zoolander 2

Singer Lady Gaga has reportedly been offered £3m to star in the sequel to Zoolander. Ben Stiller will return in the lead role and is said to think Gaga "has the talent and attitude" needed to play the love interest in the film.

Fewer students earn five good GCSEs

The number of students earning five good GCSE passes including maths and English has fallen for the first time in a decade. Some 2,400 fewer candidates achieved the key A*-C grades. Teachers' leaders said the drop was the most significant in the exam's history. MORE

Three-year-old dies of injuries from fire

A three-year-old girl whose mother and four siblings were killed in a house fire has died in hospital. Maheen Shakoor was left fighting for her life after the blaze at the family's Essex home on Monday. Her father Abdul suffered minor injuries as he tried to save his family. MORE

Google profits drop halts shares trading

Trading in Google shares was suspended in New York last night when the group inadvertently released a drop in profits, causing a slide in its valuation. A halt was put on the stock when it fell by 10 per cent after third-quarter figures showed a 20 per cent fall in profits. MORE

Lebanese may sue over 'Homeland'

A recent episode of the US drama Homeland was apparently one negative portrayal of Beirut too many. The government is threatening to sue after an episode showed CIA agent Carrie dodging bullets and fleeing turban-wearing bad guys on rooftops across the city. MORE

Dead parent's DNA sought to ID drug lord

Top anti-drug prosecutors have said authorities are seeking permits to exhume the remains of the parents of deceased drug lord Heriberto Lazcano. They hope to obtain DNA samples to try to confirm whether a body stolen from a funeral home by armed gangs this month was his.

Murdoch apologises for Twitter error

Rupert Murdoch has apologised to Hugh Grant after claiming on Twitter that the actor had abandoned his "love child". Murdoch later wrote: "Regret tweet on the matter. Apologies to both parents." Grant was thought to be considering legal action against Murdoch.

Newsweek to cease printed editions

After almost 80 years, Newsweek magazine is to be scrapped. Tina Brown, editor of the current affairs weekly, announced yesterday that the title will be "digital only" from January. MORE

Rwanda gets seat on Security Council

Rwanda was elected to the UN Security Council yesterday despite accusations that its troops supported a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo accused of human rights abuses and attacking UN peacekeepers. It joins the UN body tasked with solving the crisis in Eastern Congo.

Shalit tells of his time in captivity

The former hostage Gilad Shalit has spoken to Israeli TV for the first time since his release from captivity a year ago, describing how he and his Palestinian captors shared brief moments of companionship through their passion for sport.

This Morning duped by 'sperm donors'

ITV bosses have admitted This Morning's producers were duped by a fake company offering sperm donations from big-name celebrities. A spokeswoman for ITV said the Fame Daddy company "clearly went to great lengths to pull the wool over the eyes of the programme and our audience".

Xbox generation to fight cyber battle

Intelligence agencies are to recruit apprentice cyber spies to harness the talents of the "Xbox generation". Up to 100 18-year-olds will have a chance to train for a career countering the threat of cyber warfare and internet criminals. The scheme is aimed predominantly at GCHQ.

More powerful Taser now being trialled

UK police are testing an even more powerful Taser weapon with a pre-loaded second strike. The X2 is significantly more advanced than the current X26 model. It comes after blind Colin Farmer was Tasered when an officer mistook his white stick for a samurai sword.