The News Matrix: Saturday 25 April 2015

Villagers buy beauty spot for £250,000

People in a small village in Shropshire have banded together to raise £250,000 to buy a hill in Pontesford and stop it being closed to the public. The hill sits at one end of the Stiperstones ridge, in a place designated as an Area of Outstanding Beauty. Over 1,000 donations helped the villagers buy the hill from its private owner on its 940-year-lease.

Blacklisted Russian bikers barred

Poland will not allow members of a Russian motorcycle club linked to President Vladimir Putin to cross its border, the foreign ministry said. Some 50 members of the Night Wolves, a group blacklisted by the US for taking part in Russia’s annexation of Crimea, are taking part in a bike ride from Moscow to Berlin, commemorating the end of the Second World War.

Man, 70, one of three jailed for drugs plot

A 70-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in an elaborate plot to smuggle £200m of cocaine across the Atlantic. John Powell was one of three British men convicted for the plot, after a yacht laden with nearly a ton of the drug was intercepted in September. Benjamin Mellor, 35, and Thomas Britteon, 28, were both sentenced to eight years in jail for their parts in the scheme.

‘G. I. Janes’ set to match the men

Eight women have survived a gruelling assessment at the elite US Army Ranger School, raising the prospect that female soldiers – real-life versions of G. I. Jane – could graduate from the course for the first time. About 40 per cent of students make it through the ordeal which includes everything from chin-ups and push-ups to a 12-mile road march and climbing along a rope suspended over water.

HSBC says it may move out of Britain

HSBC, Britain’s biggest bank, has said it may move its headquarters overseas, with Hong Kong seen as the front-runner. The bank blamed “regulatory and structural reform” to banking in the UK. The unexpected announcement of a full-blown review into where the bank should base its operations, just two week before the general election, was seized on by politicians.

UN intervenes on Katie Hopkins

The UN’s human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has attacked The Sun for publishing a column by Katie Hopkins in which she branded immigrants “cockroaches”, reminding people that the term was used in Nazi Germany and before the Rwandan genocide. He has urged the UK Government, media and regulators to respect laws curbing incitement to hatred.

Arsonists strike 800 times in a month

Officials in Wales have appealed for communities to pull together and report suspicious activity after the number of deliberate grass fires came close to trebling compared to a year ago. Figures show the fires soared to more than 800 in the past month alone, up from just 296 for the same time last year, while children as young as 11 have been arrested in connection with the crimes.

Calls to end attacks on immigrants

More than 100 humanitarian groups have urged the African Union’s human rights body to ensure that South Africa takes “concrete steps” to prevent further attacks on immigrants. Seven people have died this month in the violence. The groups asked the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to appeal to the government to protect foreign residents.

Second arrest for murder of preacher

A second man has been charged by counter-terrorism police in the murder investigation into the death of Syrian-born Muslim preacher Abdul Hadi Arwani in London earlier this month. Wembley man Khalid Rashad has been charged with possession of an explosive substance and the ammunition for a firearm.

Hostage crisis team plan considered

The White House is considering assembling a cross-agency team to handle situations involving American hostages held abroad. The idea is being floated in the midst of a review of the policy towards hostages, which was criticised by the family of Warren Weinstein, the American hostage killed in a US strike while being held by al-Qaeda on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Poor food hygiene a national problem

Many people are being put at far greater risk of food poisoning because of poor hygiene in kitchens up and down the country. According to the most comprehensive study into British kitchens ever carried out, household chefs often use filthy tea towels, handle raw meat and forget to wash their hands before and during food preparation.

Civil service ‘exodus’ over poor conditions

A Chinese official denied claims of an “exodus” of bureaucrats from the civil service following reports of widespread unhappiness over poor working conditions and an anti-corruption drive. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security spokesman Li Zhong said some resignations were to be expected. Reports show Chinese are turning away from civil service jobs because of heavy workloads and low pay.

Restaurant owner on allergy death charge

A restaurant owner from York has appeared in court accused of the manslaughter of a customer who had a peanut allergy and died of anaphylactic shock. Paul Wilson, 38, died after eating food from Mohammed Khalique Zaman’s Indian Garden restaurant in Easingwold in January. Mr Zaman, who has been further charged with perverting the court of justice, did not enter a plea.

Actors walk out of ‘offensive’ movie

Around a dozen actors, including one working as Native American cultural adviser on Adam Sandler’s latest film, The Ridiculous Six, have quit the movie’s New Mexico set after deciding the script “repeatedly insulted native women and elders and grossly misrepresented Apache culture”.

Saving those in peril at sea... in a kayak

A 51-year-old Scottish man is hoping to paddle to all of Scotland’s lifeboat stations in a kayak to raise money for charity. Nick Ray will set off on the 2,015-mile trip on 1 May and expects to be at sea for up to four months. He will visit 47 lifeboat stations and hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the RNLI.

Hague rules out James Bond role

William Hague has laughed off David Cameron’s suggestion he could be the next James Bond. The Prime Minister said his Cabinet colleague could probably “crack a man’s skull between his knee caps”. But Mr Hague told Radio 4’s The World At One he was not up to the job.

Rickman marries partner of 50 years

Alan Rickman and his partner, Rima Horton, have married after half a century together. The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in New York, which the actor and director described as “great”, before they headed over Brooklyn Bridge to have lunch. Mr Rickman’s latest film is A Little Chaos.