The News Matrix: Saturday 04 February 2012

Hackers listen in on FBI and the Yard

The FBI and Scotland Yard suffered an embarrassing security breach yesterday when hackers from Anonymous broke into one of their conference calls and published a 17-minute discussion about operations targeting the group and splinter organisations. MORE

Stepping Hill nurse loses sacking appeal

A nurse arrested then freed over the poisoning deaths of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital has lost her appeal for her job back. Rebecca Leighton, 28, of Stockport, Cheshire, spent six weeks in jail before being released and cleared last September. She was later sacked by the hospital for theft.

Cancer cases to rise 30 per cent by 2030

Britain 's ageing population, rising obesity levels and high alcohol consumption could mean new cases of cancer increase 30 per cent by 2030, experts have warned. The UK ranks 16th out of the 27 EU nations for the predicted rise, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. MORE

'Grant has not left Bridget Jones film'

Hugh Grant hasn't abandoned the third Bridget Jones's Diary movie, producers claim. It was rumoured the actor was unhappy with the script, which is currently undergoing rewrites. Working Title Films said shooting had been pushed back to accommodate the cast's schedules.

We do get paid too much, says RBS boss

The chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland has said bankers' pay is too high and needs to be "corrected". Sir Philip Hampton, who waived a £1m bonus last week, said his company's board "underestimated" the public outcry their additional pay packages would provoke. MORE

Islamists kill seven soldiers in attack

Islamist militants have attacked a Pakistani army checkpoint near the Afghan border, killing seven soldiers and kidnapping four others, according to a government official. He said 40 militants armed with rockets, grenades and automatic weapons attacked the army post in Kurram.

Composer seeks low, low-voiced singer

The composer who took military wives to the Christmas number one is hunting for a singer who can create the deepest note ever performed. But a soprano from the Royal Northern College of Music warned: "If you do not naturally have these low notes you cannot manufacture them." MORE

Rioting spreads over football bloodbath

The fury unleashed by the deaths of 74 people at a football match in Port Said spread across Egypt yesterday, with four people killed in rioting in Cairo and Suez. In the capital, one civilian was shot dead in front of the Interior Ministry, which many blame for the bloodbath on Wednesday. MORE

Cyclist dies after collision with coach

Barely a day had elapsed since the Government's warning about a rise in cyclist deaths when a man in his 60s was killed after being hit by a coach in Bishopsgate, East London. Figures released last month showed a 60 per cent increase in the number of cyclists killed over the past three years.

Opera celebration for Hitler dropped

Berlin's biggest opera house, the Deutsche Oper, has dropped plans to stage a re-launched version of Adolf Hitler's favourite Wagner opera on the Nazi leader's birthday after receiving complaints from staff. The event is part of celebrations to mark the opera's 100th anniversary. MORE

'Factory of death' chief will die in jail

Comrade Duch, the head of a notorious Khmer Rouge prison in Cambodia, was ordered to spend the rest of his life in jail after a tribunal ruled that he had overseen a "factory of death". The 35-year sentence he received two years ago did not match his crimes, the judge said. MORE

Man kills himself in hairdresser's salon

A man in Northern Ireland shot himself dead at a hairdresser's salon yesterday in Dungannon, Tyrone. Police are investigating but do not believe a crime was committed, while a Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We did not take anybody away from the scene."

Lorry needed to cart paedo's porn stash

A paedophile whose stash of "extreme" pornography was so large that a seven-tonne lorry was needed to cart it from his London flat has been jailed for a year. Joseph Faul, 48, was caught when a parcel hub intercepted indecent images of children. The UK Border Agency said it was the "biggest seizure" of its kind.

£1.9m golden nuggets stolen from courthouse

Thieves stole gold nuggets worth £1.9m from a display case inside a Californian courthouse this week. The alarm at the courthouse in Siskiyou County – the site of a gold rush in 1951 known as the second Mother Lode – reportedly failed to activate. The gold had been donated by miners. Local residents said they felt they had lost an important piece of their cultural heritage.

Failed arsonist becomes star of safety campaign

A man who tried to torch a pub only to set himself on fire has been jailed for 30 months. The Cheshire Fire Service is now using footage of 33-year-old Michael Morgan trying to burn down The Club in Congleton as part of its arson reduction campaign.

Proposal from 'Dr Who' by Tardis is accepted

Romantic Matt Smith has proposed to his girlfriend in front of the Tardis, dressed in full Doctor Who outfit. This was not Matt Smith the actor but a 22-year-old from Essex whose proposal was accepted by his fiancée Stacie-Anne Dilkes at the Doctor Who Experience in London.