The News Matrix: Tuesday 09 July 2013

Doreen Lawrence to address smear claim

Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, is set to address the Home Affairs Select Committee following accusations that police tried to smear her family. The claims have been made by a former undercover officer who said that attempts had been made to search out damning information.

Fugitive found after 13 years on the run

A fugitive who had been on the run for 13 years was found hiding naked in the panic room of his villa near Malaga. Mark Lilley, 41, a convicted drug smuggler who skipped bail during his trial, hid after being alerted to the arrival of 40 armed police by his guard dogs. MORE

Forty people missing in oil train blast

Forty people remained missing last night in the small Québécois town of Lac-Mégantic, after a driverless crude oil train derailed and exploded over the weekend. Police said they had been unable to examine much of the town centre yesterday because the area was still too dangerous.

Bribe charges move beyond Murdoch

The first journalist employed by a non-Rupert Murdoch newspaper is to be charged as part of an investigation into improper payments to officials. Tom Savage of the Daily Star Sunday will be charged alongside journalists Chris Pharo and Lucy Panton and two prison officers.

How Bin Laden stayed hidden

Osama bin Laden was able to hide undetected in Abbottabad because of a “collective failure” of “military authorities, the intelligence authorities, the police and the civilian administration”, according to a report kept secret by the Pakistani government until now. PAGE 26

Another royal baby on the way

Zara Phillips, granddaughter of the Queen, has announced she is pregnant for the first time. Along with her former England rugby player husband Mike Tindall, she revealed they are expecting in the new year.

Boris under attack over ‘sexist’ joke

Boris Johnson has landed himself in hot water for joking that women only attend university to find husbands. The Mayor of London, who is known to have had two affairs, made the comment at the launch of the Islamic Economic Forum. He came under fierce attack when it was reported. MORE

Protest stops women praying at Wall

Seven thousand Orthodox school children prevented members of a women’s group, who are campaigning for equal worship rights, from praying at Jerusalem’s Western Wall yesterday. The Women of the Wall want to wear prayer shawls at Judaism’s holiest site, which Orthodox protesters say are for men only.

Oldest man avoids being ‘too careful’

Britain’s oldest man has said he thinks there is no secret to a long life. Ralph Tarrant, who celebrated his 110th birthday on Sunday with a glass of whisky, smoked until he was 70. The great-great-grandfather, who lives alone in Nottingham and cooks for himself, said: “There’s no need to live too carefully.”

Let your fingers do the shopping

Forget chip and PIN, some supermarket shoppers in France are using their fingerprints to pay for their weekly shop. As part of a six-month trial at the supermarket chain Auchan and DIY store Leroy Merlin, shoppers have been placing their finger on a special reader that links their prints with their payment details.

Mid-life crisis – or just men behaving badly?

Most American women think a mid-life crisis is just an excuse for men to behave badly, according to a survey released yesterday. But the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll of 1,186 adults also showed that more than 60 per cent of people questioned disagreed when asked if chivalry was a thing of the past.

One for the ladies? Well, nobody told me

A Chelmsford fundraiser was the only man of 4,950 competitors to complete a 10k walk – because the online application form did not recognise his gender. Tim Newman said he “didn’t know” the Race for Life event was “ladies-only”. He said yesterday: “I think some women thought I had had a sex change.”

Lance returns to cycling circuit

Six months after his sensational doping confession, Lance Armstrong, pictured below, has announced a low-key return to the cycling circuit. The disgraced athlete will take part in an annual recreational ride across the Midwestern state of Iowa, organised by The Des Moines Register local newspaper. MORE