The News Matrix: Thursday 24 July 2014

Peaches Geldof ‘died of heroin overdose’

Peaches Geldof died of a heroin overdose, an inquest heard yesterday. The 25-year-old TV presenter had been taking the substitute drug methadone but relapsed and began taking the class A drug again two months before she died, the inquest heard. MORE

Bill Clinton: the end of Aids is in sight

The former US President Bill Clinton has declared that an “Aids-free generation” is within reach, but better care must be provided around the world for mothers with HIV and their babies. He was speaking at the Aids 2014 Conference in Melbourne, Australia. MORE

Police break up gang of cyber fraudsters

An international ring of cyber fraudsters has been broken up after police held ten people in the UK, US and Canada after they allegedly hacked into a ticket resale website. The gang is accused of targeting eBay’s StubHub site and using the accounts of more than 1,600 people.

Broadband users shun porn filters

The vast majority of new broadband customers are opting out of “child friendly” filters when prompted to install them by service providers. Ofcom has said that fewer than one in seven households have installed the feature, with 36 per cent of TalkTalk customers, eight per cent of Sky customers, five per cent of BT customers and four per cent of Virgin Media customers opting for the filter.

Plane crash kills at least 40

A passenger plane has crashed after a failed emergency landing in Taiwan, killing more than 40 people. The domestic flight crashed near Magong airport on the outlying Penghu island. Transport minister Yeh Kuang-Shih said that 47 people were killed and 11 were injured.

Dozens killed by two bombs in north

Dozens of people were killed yesterday in two bombings in the northern city of Kaduna, one aimed at the opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari and another at a moderate Muslim cleric. Reports of the number of dead in the blasts ranged from 39 to more than 80.

Ex-MEP accused of money laundering

Former MEP Nikki Sinclaire, 45, who represented the West Midlands for Ukip and then as an independent, has been charged with money laundering and misconduct in public office. She is accused of making false expense submissions and transferring the proceeds through a bank account.

New South Sudan envoy named

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named Danish diplomat Ellen Margrethe Loj as special envoy to South Sudan and head of the peacekeeping mission in the world’s newest nation.

Academies failing disadvantaged pupils

Almost half the academy chains assessed by the Sutton Trust education charity failed to do better than mainstream local authority schools in helping disadvantaged pupils to achieve five A* to C grade passes at GCSE including maths and English, research shows. MORE

LeBron James keeps neighbours sweet

Basketball player LeBron James sent neighbours in Akron cupcakes to apologise for problems with fans caused by his announcement he is returning to Ohio’s Cleveland Cavaliers team.

PG Tips wins teabag war with Tetley

Tetley has been sent packing by the Advertising Standards Authority after complaining that PG Tips “denigrated” its round teabags in a TV advert. The watchdog backed its rival’s claims that its pyramid bags are better at releasing flavour than Tetley’s round ones.

Crowdfunded novel may win Booker

A novel funded directly by its readers has been longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is the first work to be nominated for the award to be published using a crowdfunding model. Mr Kingsnorth said that while it was the first such novel to make the list “I’ll bet [it is] not the last.” MORE

Hunt for mystery snake in lake

Reports of a 16ft exotic snake slithering through New Jersey’s largest lake has led to searches and questions about what exactly is in the water. Traps have been set in Lake Hopatcong, while animal control officers and a private reptile expert have been hunting for the creature.

Designer launches modernised Bible

A designer has raised nearly £330,000 on Kickstarter to create a modernised “readable” Bible. Rebranded “Bibliotheca”, typographer Adam Lewis Greene has pre-sold 5,500 copies of his improved Bible through his crowdfunding appeal. Mr Greene’s version is an attempt to produce a clearer look for the book.