The News Matrix: Friday 23 May 2014

GP demands end to 10-minute slots

A leading GP has warned that there is “chronic underfunding and unsustainable pressures” on the UK’s general practice. In a speech to the British Medical Association’s annual local medical committee’s conference in York, Dr Chaand Nagpaul called for an end to 10-minute appointments, saying workloads were “unmanageable, exhausting and unsustainable”.

Families of missing sailors hope for best

Relatives of the four British sailors missing in the mid-Atlantic are holding on to hope their loved ones will be found alive. It is hoped that they were able to get into a life raft before their yacht sank around 1,000 miles off the coast of the North‑eastern US last Friday. MORE

Military seizes control of country

After declaring the army had not staged a coup, Thailand’s army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, seized control of the government in a coup, two days after he declared martial law. He said the army had to restore order and push through reforms. MORE

Holiday crackdown lifts attendance

School attendance is at an eight-year high after a crackdown on families taking their children on holiday in term time, according to figures from the Department of Education. Around 65,000 more children were in classes for every day of the autumn term last year.

Husband charged with rape and kidnap

A California woman who disappeared as a teenager a decade ago was reunited with her family after she told police her mother’s ex-boyfriend drugged, kidnapped and forced her to marry him. Isidro Garcia, 41, has been charged with kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. MORE

Man killed in clash over dead miners

A bystander has died after he was shot in the head during clashes in Istanbul between Turkish police and people protesting over the deaths of 301 miners last week. Ugur Kurt, 30, was hit as left-wing demonstrators threw petrol bombs and stones at police, who fired shots into the air.

Moyes questioned over alleged assault

The former Manchester United manager David Moyes is facing an allegation of assault after a reported scuffle, triggered by comments about his managerial record, outside a bar in Clitheroe. MORE

Caribbean suffers outbreak of virus

Thousands of people in the Caribbean have been affected by a new virus. Victims of “chikungunya” suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and intense joint pain. The first case was in St Martin in December and has spread to other islands via infected mosquitoes.

Delays down to ‘the wrong type of cat’

A woman who smuggled a 50kg lion cub on to a train, claiming it was a domestic cat, was last night being questioned by Russian police. The cub was exposed after it began behaving aggressively on the train to Yekaterinburg, 850 miles east of Moscow. The cub was isolated by police for the rest of the journey.

Macca cancels more concerts in Asia

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has cancelled a run of five concerts in Japan and South Korea due to a viral infection, with doctors ordering him to rest, a spokesman for the British musician said on yesterday. The US leg of his “Out There” tour was expected to go ahead as scheduled, starting in Lubbock, Texas, in June.

Godard’s 3D ‘adieu’ to Cannes

Octogenarian French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard sent a film full of 3D images that looked like moving paintings to say what may have been “adieu” to the Cannes film festival on Wednesday, while staying away himself. Adieu au Langage features a man and a married woman having an affair, a stray dog and gangsters.

Group freed after ‘vulgar video’ arrest

A group of Iranians who were arrested for filming a video tribute to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy” have been released on bail, reports from Tehran suggest. Fashion photographer Reihane Taravati and her colleagues were arrested on Tuesday. Police said their “vulgar clip” had “hurt public chastity”.

Shard is struck by lightning

The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building, was hit by a bolt of lightning during a brief storm yesterday in central London. The occupants of the building were unaffected, but the cable car service across the Thames at Greenwich was briefly suspended and trees were reported to be blocking some railway lines.