The News Matrix: Saturday 29 November 2014

 

Saturday 29 November 2014 01:00 GMT
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More than 100 killed in mosque attack

At least 126 people died after a mosque was bombed in Nigeria yesterday, in an attack that appeared to be the work of Boko Haram. The attackers set off three bombs and opened fire on the mosque in north Nigeria’s biggest city, Kano.

Golf-ball sized hail batters Brisbane

Brisbane, Australia’s third biggest city, was battered by hail stones the size of golf balls and winds of 85mph in its worst storm for 29 years late on Thursday. There was widespread flooding, 100,000 homes were left without electricity, and commuters were stranded on trains.

Soldier with far-right link made nail bomb

A soldier with far-right political views has been jailed for two years after police found a viable nail bomb he made in his bedroom when they raided Ryan McGee’s home in Eccles, Greater Manchester. The Old Bailey heard he was obsessed with the English Defence League but was not a member.

Prominent Lebanese poet Akl dies at 102

Said Akl, one of Lebanon’s most prominent 20th-century poets, died yesterday. Born in the eastern town of Zahle in 1912, Akl published his first play in his early 20s and went on to write epics, poetry and lyrics. The singer Fayrouz once called him “the voice of the glory of Lebanon”.

PC faces jail for plot to blackmail Gerrard

A Merseyside policewoman is facing jail after seizing CCTV footage of a street bust-up to “blackmail” the Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard. Helen Jones got hold of the footage by “flashing her warrant card” to the manager of a bank whose cameras caught the fracas on film.

Discharging delays block hospital beds

Increasing delays in discharging patients from hospital is causing record levels of “bed-blocking” in England, official data shows. NHS England said yesterday that in October 96,564 “bed days” were wasted on patients who should have been discharged.

Victims urged to drink 4 litres daily

The World Health Organisation is to launch a campaign to encourage Ebola victims to drink more than four litres of fluids containing salt a day, as a method to combat the epidemic. Oral re-hydration can keep patients alive while the body fights the infection.

Mother left children and flew to Australia

A woman with six children flew to Australia for six weeks to visit a man she met online. She told her eldest son, 14, she was going to the supermarket. The woman was given a six-month suspended sentence, after admitting wilful abandonment, at Birmingham Crown Court.

Footballers attend teenager’s funeral

Leeds United footballers were among hundreds to attend the last of five funerals after a recent car crash in which five teenagers died. Yesterday’s service for Blake Cairns, 16, was held at Lakeside Community Church, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. His elder brother Alex is a Leeds goalkeeper.

Fracking ‘poses thalidomide-like risk’

Fracking poses a health risk similar to thalidomide and asbestos, an official report warns. The report by Sir Mark Walport, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, says: “History presents plenty of examples of innovation trajectories that later proved to be problematic.”

Somali abuse gang jailed for 40 years

Seven Somali men who were part of a gang involved in the abuse, rape and forced prostitution of young girls in Bristol have been jailed for a total of 40 years. Victims, aged between 13 and 17, were sexually abused and passed around the men’s friends, Bristol Crown Court was told.

Gunman dead after Austin shootings

A gunman attempted to set the Mexican consulate ablaze and fired more than 100 rounds at buildings in Austin, Texas, early yesterday before he died. Investigators were trying to determine the man’s motives after he began shooting at the consulate, police headquarters, the courthouse and other locations.

Victims’ remains flown to Holland

Six coffins carrying the remains of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 have been flown from Ukraine to the Netherlands for identification. In a solemn ceremony yesterday, the coffins were unloaded by military pallbearers from a Dutch transport plane.

Boris: Drones may solve congestion

Boris Johnson says delivery drones may be the solution to London’s congestion problems, caused in part by a rising number of parcel vans. He challenged the capital’s financial technology sector to solve the problem, at an event in Singapore, during a Far East visit.

Nobel winner to sell medal for research

A former Nobel Prize winner is set to sell his medal at auction, it was revealed yesterday. James Watson, who in 1962 received the Nobel Prize in medicine for his discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule, is selling his winner’s medal to donate the money to scientific research.

Mickey Rourke a winner in the ring

The Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke won his first boxing match after returning from a 20-year break. The Wrestler star took on professional boxer Elliot Seymour, 33 years his junior, in Moscow. The 62-year-old gave up a career as an amateur boxer after finding fame in the movies.

‘Made in space’: 3D printer’s first proof

The first 3D printer in space has popped out its first creation – a sample replacement part for itself. The printer was delivered to the International Space Station two months ago, and Nasa said it has churned out a replica of the face plate for its print head casing.

Magicians conjure up cash for Houdini

Magicians are raising money to restore Harry Houdini’s New York grave site. It will cost $1,200 annually to maintain the grounds, plus thousands more to restore the granite and a glass-mosaic emblem of the Society of American Magicians. Houdini was its 11th president.

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