The News Matrix: Thursday 7 June 2012

Man deported for democracy protest

A man detained in the United Arab Emirates after calling for universal suffrage is to be deported to Thailand, despite having never set foot there. Ahmed Abdul Khaleq is one of thousands of stateless "bidoons" in the oil-rich state, which is trying to suppress calls for democracy. MORE

Ex-Met boss's fears of police funds cut

A former head of Scotland Yard has warned that Theresa May's reforms and cuts to police funds could force officers to return to "outdated" working methods. Lord Blair of Boughton said that police would be forced to react to crime rather than try to prevent it.

Lords starts inquiry into Warsi expenses

The House of Lords Standards Commissioner has begun a formal inquiry into allegations that Baroness Warsi claimed for accommodation expenses while staying at a friend's house rent-free. Labour had demanded a criminal inquiry, but Scotland Yard said it was not a police issue.

At least 86 killed by regime's forces

Opposition forces claimed at least 86 people, including women and children, were killed yesterday by pro-government forces in Syria's Hama province. The opposition Syrian National Council said there had been a massacre in the villages of al-Qubair and Maarzaf. MORE

Walker victory is a blow to Obama

President Barack Obama appears to be facing an even tougher re-election battle than he had expected after the Republican Scott Walker became the first governor in US history to win a recall vote. MORE

Free-labour firm to supply fire marshals

Close Protection UK, the firm that ordered unpaid workers to sleep under London Bridge before stewarding the Queen's Jubilee celebrations, has been handed a leading role in fire safety at the London Olympics. i has learnt that the security company will supply fire marshals to the Games next month after winning a tendering process. MORE

Widower overcome during murder trial

The widower of an Irishwoman strangled while on honeymoon in Mauritius broke down in tears yesterday as he gave evidence at the trial of two men charged with her murder. John McAreavey told of trying to revive his wife, Michaela, after finding her lying in a bathtub in their hotel. MORE

Netanyahu defeats settlement plan

An attempt to legalise Jewish settlement on privately owned Palestinian land in the West Bank by members of Israel's parliament was defeated, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu threatened to sack ministers who backed the plan.

Only 3 in 10 want Scotland to leave UK

Only three in ten people in England and Wales want Scotland to leave the UK, a ComRes poll for i has found. Asked whether Scotland should become a fully independent country, 28 per cent agree, 57 per cent disagree and 15 per cent are "don't knows". MORE

Yoga retreat ends in death in the desert

The death of a yoga student who lived in a cave in the Arizona desert after being thrown out of a Buddhist retreat is under investigation. Efforts to find out what happened to Ian Thorson are being hampered by students on the silent retreat refusing to talk. MORE

New proof of abuse of Tamils' rights

New footage of Sri Lankan soldiers gloating over Tamil corpses has evidenced the brutal treatment of Tamils in the civil war. Yesterday, demonstrators protested outside Marlborough House, where Sri Lanka's President attended a Jubilee lunch. MORE

Hackers decrypt LinkedIn passwords

Users of the professional social networking site LinkedIn have been urged to change their passwords after almost 6.5 million login details were reportedly posted on a Russian hackers' website; 300,000 of the encoded passwords are thought to have been decrypted.

'Screaming wife' PR campaign dropped

A Japanese research agency has dropped a PR campaign that compared radiation to the screaming voice of an angry wife. The Japanese Atomic Energy Agency wanted to "make the hard words used in the nuclear power industry" easier to understand, particularly for women.

Portrait crosses ocean to London

The National Portrait Gallery in London has acquired a portrait of a male transvestite that was last seen in 1926. Thomas Stewart's 1792 painting of Chevalier d'Eon, a mainstay of 18th-century high society, was found in a small auction in upstate New York. The Gallery bought it for £38,000.

Author Bradbury is dead at age 91

Ray Bradbury, US author of sci-fi classics including Fahrenheit 451, has died at the age of 91. Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wright, said: "Our imagination will be dimmer without him." MORE

'Friend of the stars' dog passes away

A dog declared by the Guinness Book of World Records to have been photographed with more famous people than any other has died of cancer. Lucky Diamond died on Tuesday in New York. The Maltese was about 15 years old, according to her owner, Wendy Diamond.

Thames Water may lift hosepipe ban

The UK's biggest water company has said it could lift its hosepipe ban sooner than expected after wet weather reduced the risk of drought. Thames Water said unless the weather takes "an unexpectedly Saharan twist" it no longer expected to keep the ban in place until autumn.

Archers will not get Albert Sq makeover

The BBC has promised that The Archers will not become more like EastEnders. John Yorke, Controller of BBC drama production, said his mother would "kill" him if changes were made. Earlier, he told Radio Times that the Radio 4 soap would become "bigger and darker".

Old hospital attracts ghost hunters

A derelict Saudi Arabian hospital has drawn hundreds of ghost hunters who believe it to be haunted. The macabre fascination with Riyadh's Irqa Hospital, which treated Gulf War combatants in 1991, began with tweeted rumours, which saw youths smash windows and start fires.