The News Matrix: Tuesday 16 October 2012

Millions face higher energy bills

Millions more households across the UK will face higher energy bills this winter after ScottishPower became the latest major firm to announce rates would go up. An average customer's annual dual fuel bill would now cost 7 per cent more, the firm said. Four of the "Big Six" energy companies are facing a customer backlash after announcing bill increases.

Legion boss resigns over arms deal boast

The president of the Royal British Legion resigned yesterday ahead of the organisation's inquiry into his conduct. Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely stepped down after allegations of former commanders offering to lobby for defence contracts on behalf of arms companies.

Girl shot by Taliban in UK for treatment

Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old girl shot by the Taliban last week, has been flown to the UK to receive medical treatment. It follows the attack on Yousafzai for "promoting secularism" after she wrote a blog about a campaign for girl's education in Pakistan's Swat valley. MORE

Costa Corcordia captain in court

The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship was in court yesterday to hear the evidence against him, watched by families of the 32 who died. The case of Francesco Schettino, 51, generated so much interest that a theatre had to be turned into a courtroom in Grosseto. MORE

College bus rolls carrying 56 students

A college bus carrying 56 students crashed and rolled into a field in Dorset yesterday. The double-decker bus crashed on the A350 near Poole, while travelling to Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester yesterday morning. Five pupils were taken to hospital along with the driver.

Breast cancer figures for over-65s to rise

The number of pensioners living with breast cancer is set to quadruple in less than three decades. Researchers at King's College London have found that by 2040 there will be 1.2 million women over 65 living with the disease.

Seven heaven for Hughes

Jockey Richard Hughes won an exceptional seven out of eight races at Windsor yesterday on a day of misery for the bookmakers. One Ladbrokes customer won £159,430 after winning a series of acculumlator bets on Hughes. The odds on the champion rider's seven-timer were 10,169/1. MORE

Qatada 'unlikely to receive fair trial'

Terror suspect Abu Qatada is unlikely to receive a fair trial in Jordan if deported, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission heard yesterday. The 51-year-old cleric is fighting extradition to the country where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence more than a decade ago.

Speed cameras do reduce accidents

They may be hated by motorists, but speed cameras and traffic schemes do reduce crashes, a survey shows. The number of fatal and serious accidents on the 10 most-improved routes fell from 541 in 2001-5 to 209 in 2006-10, saving £35m, the Road Safety Foundation found.

It's TV's make and bake time...

The winner of the hit BBC2 series, The Great British Bake Off, will be announced tonight after weeks of culinary competition. Favourite to win is 21-year-old medical student James Morton, who faces fellow amateur bakers Brendan Lynch, 63, and John Whaite, 23.

Girl lashed 60 times for talking to men

A teenage girl received 60 lashes in Timbuktu after Islamist extremists convicted her of speaking to men on the street. The girl, about 15 years old, was allegedly caught standing alongside men by the Islamists of Ansar Dine, who now run Timbuktu.

Heads roll after border breach

Fourteen army officers have been disciplined after their troops failed to spot a North Korean soldier defecting across the heavily-guarded border. The man scaled barbed-wire fences and knocked on the door of a South Korean barracks last month to say that he was seeking asylum.

This may not be the last time...

After a five-year hiatus, the Rolling Stones have announced they will play four concerts in London and New York. The two London dates will take place at the 02 Arena at the end of the year, but fans hoping to get within earshot of the veteran rockers face ticket prices of up to £375. The cheapest available tickets for the long awaited live show will be £90.

Pilot grounded after airport mix-up

A pilot has been suspended from flying after landing an Indonesian jet at the wrong airport. The Sriwijaya Air plane, carrying 96 passengers and six crew, was meant to land at Minangkabau airport in Padang, but instead descended to the Tabing air-force base seven miles away.

Some lemur species down to 19 members

Illegal hunting and habitat destruction in Madagascar has led to lemurs becoming one of the world's most endangered groups of mammals. A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature now shows some species have a known population of as little as 19.

Six policemen die in gun battle

Six policemen were killed when more than 100 militants attacked a police station in north-west Pakistan. Two of the police officers were beheaded. Police spokesman Ishrat Yar said the attack near the city of Peshawar started late last night and triggered a gun battle.

Expert's re-bicycled cardboard plan

A bicycle made almost entirely of cardboard has the potential to change transport habits from the world's most congested cities to the poorest reaches of Africa, says its Israeli inventor Izhar Gafni, 50, an expert in designing automated mass-production lines.