The News Matrix: Saturday 30 June 2012

Part-time students eligible for loans

Part-time students will be eligible for loans to cover the cost of their courses for the first time from September, meaning universities could be flooded with applications from older students. The students will not have to repay their loans until they are earning £21,000 a year. MORE

Cash crisis scales down gay festival

Drastic cutbacks to the first World Pride festival in London have been described as a "huge blow" to the gay community. Organisers said the event would go ahead, but admitted there had been problems financing the event. The parade will now take place without vehicles and floats.

Madoff brother 'to plead guilty'

The brother of Bernard Madoff, the man behind the largest Ponzi scheme ever prosecuted in US history, is poised to plead guilty to criminal charges. Peter Madoff, 66, was taken into custody yesterday, say the FBI, with a court appearance scheduled a few hours later.

Charles' spending rises to £12m

The Prince of Wales and his family spent more than £12m last year, royal accounts have revealed. Among the expenses were property upkeep, staff, travel and clothing. Public funding for Clarence House climbed 11 per cent to £2.19m in 2011-12, owing to more foreign tours.

DSK's wife turns him out of their home

The hitherto loyal wife of disgraced French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn has given her errant husband the boot. Anne Sinclair, left, a former TV presenter, turfed the former head of the International Monetary Fund out of their Paris home a month ago, it has emerged. MORE

Floods inundate villages and kill 27

Raging floodwaters fed by monsoon rains have inundated more than 2,000 villages in northeast India, sweeping away homes and leaving hundreds of thousands of people marooned and at least 27 people dead. Rescuers were dropped by helicopter into affected areas.

Skills shortage fears for 'Tech City'

A new report has warned that "Tech City", centred around Old Street in London, may be about to suffer a skills shortage. The report, by Centre for London, shows the number of digital economy companies in Britain's very own Silicon Valley has doubled to 3,289 since 1997. MORE

Girl dies from cancer after return to UK

A seven-year-old girl who travelled to Mexico for treatment on an aggressive form of cancer has died two days after returning to Scotland. The family of Olivia Downie, who died in the early hours of yesterday morning, said they were "blessed" to have had her in their lives. MORE

Gunmen kidnap four foreign aid workers

Gunmen thought to have links to al-Qa'ida kidnapped four aid workers and killed a driver at the Dadaab refugee camp near the border with Somalia on Friday, in the first kidnapping of foreigners since Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October to try to crush Islamist militants.

Two Eta suspects held in London

Two alleged members of the Basque terrorist organisation Eta have been arrested. Antonio Troitiño Arranz, 55, and Ignacio Leron Sanchez, 39, were arrested in west London, at 4am yesterday in connection with terror offences in Spain.

Slipper harassment case falls apart

Claims that Australia's parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper sexually harassed an aide appear to have fallen apart in spectacular fashion after evidence emerged that his accuser collaborated with opposition politicians and a Murdoch-owned tabloid to fabricate evidence. MORE

Porn survey left respondents exposed

The Government has abandoned an online consultation into pornography controls after respondents' confidential answers and contact details were exposed. The Department for Education has taken down the Parental Internet Controls consultation and launched an investigation into the cause of the security breach. The online questionnaire was posted on Thursday.

Palestinians hail Bethlehem decision

Unesco's World Heritage committee has approved a Palestinian bid to place the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on its list of sites of World Heritage in Danger – a move opposed by the US and Israel and claimed by Palestinians as an affirmation of sovereignty.

Fifth series for Outnumbered

BBC sitcom Outnumbered will return for a Christmas special and a full fifth series, producers have confirmed. The show, starring Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as hapless parents, will be back for a Christmas episode this year and a six-episode run in late 2013.

Grandmother starts a 103-mile swim

Marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey begun a 103-mile swim from Cuba to Florida yesterday. The 49-year-old grandmother, who has dual British and Australian citizenship, will battle physical and mental fatigue and also avoid sharks as she crosses the Florida Straits.

Last Word for trusted music magazine

Music magazine The Word is to close after nine years. The publication earned plaudits, but sold just 25,000 copies a month. Publishers blamed the "dramatic changes in the media and the music business" which have made it more difficult for independent titles to survive.

Erotic novel rockets to top of best-sellers

E L James' erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, dubbed "mummy porn" by the British media, has become the UK's fastest paperback to reach one million sales. The book took 11 weeks to reach the milestone, 25 weeks faster than the previous record holder, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

Student loses fingers in chimp attack

An American graduate student is in hospital in South Africa after being mauled by two large male chimpanzees. He lost several fingers as he was dragged into their enclosure in the Chimpanzee Eden in Nelspruit.

One man's skyjack is another man's scrap

Passengers and crew on a Tianjin Airlines flight clashed with six ethnic Uighurs who stand accused of trying to seize the aircraft. The Uighurs, part of persecuted ethnic group, say a seat dispute triggered the ruckus.

Buy the CD, keep the secrets coming

WikiLeaks is branching out into the entertainment industry, announcing a "Beat the Blockade" CD to help keep the online transparency advocate afloat. The group said the CD would feature 12 songs including "Where There Are No Secrets" and "The Ballad of Julian Assange".

Adele expecting someone like her

The Grammy-winning singer Adele is expecting a baby with her boyfriend Simon Konecki. In a message on her blog, the 24-year-old wrote: "I'm delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together. Obviously we're over the moon and very excited."

U2 assistant guilty of embezzling

The former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton has been found guilty of embezzling £2.2m from him to fund a lavish lifestyle. Carol Hawkins was convicted on 181 counts of theft from the bassist's bank accounts at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin.