The News Matrix: Friday 03 January 2014

70% discount on sale of council houses

Council houses will be available to buy at a discount of 70 per cent this year, the Government has announced while pledging to invest the proceeds in new properties. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said a £75,000 cap on the cash value of the discount would also begin increasing in line with the CPI rate of inflation in a bid to revitalise the right-to-buy scheme.

Sunni clashes with government escalate

Sunni Muslim fighters have clashed with Iraqi troops trying to regain control of two western cities in an escalation of their confrontation with the Shia-led government. Tension has been running high in Anbar province since police broke up a Sunni protest camp on Monday, killing 13. MORE

Complicated tariffs to be made simpler

Complicated energy tariffs are to be simplified to create a clearer market for consumers. Industry regulator Ofgem hopes that the “radical reforms” will rebuild customer trust by limiting suppliers to four core tariffs per customer for both gas and electricity. MORE

Rwanda’s former spy chief murdered

Rwanda’s former spy chief has been found dead in a hotel in South Africa, prompting allegations that he had been assassinated on behalf of President Paul Kagame. Mr Kagame’s government vehemently denies claims it is killing off dissidents. MORE

Worst offenders ‘to be jailed until death’

The Prime Minister has insisted that British courts must retain the right to sentence the worst offenders to stay in prison until they die. The government is considering giving judges the right to pass 100-year jail terms to get round a European ruling against whole life sentences. MORE

Pope Francis pulls in the crowds in 2013

Pope Francis drew more than 6.6 million people to his audiences, Masses and other Vatican events in 2013, more than twice as many as his predecessor Benedict XVI did in his first year as pope, the Vatican has said.

Schumacher ‘will not give up’ says family

Michael Schumacher’s family has broken their silence following his skiing accident. “We would like to thank the people from all around the world who have sent their best wishes. We all know he is a fighter and will not give up,” they said. Schumacher, 44, is in a critical but stable condition with brain injuries in a hospital in France.

Big drug firms keep trial results secret

Big drugs firms are routinely withholding clinical trial results from doctors, forcing public-health decisions to be made in the dark, MPs have warned. A report by the Public Accounts Committee said that their behaviour, albeit legal, was of “extreme concern”.

Quarter of men give up on diets

More than a quarter of men who made a new year’s resolution to lose weight will have already given up on their diets, a poll suggests. Some 26 per cent of men abandon their diets after one day, according to the survey by health firm Bupa.

Donkey laced with fox in food scandal

Donkey meat sold in China has been recalled after it was found to contain the DNA of foxes and other animals. Wal-Mart said it was “deeply sorry” for selling the contaminated “Five Spice” donkey meat in Shandong province. Donkey is a popular snack in parts of China.

New Year fireworks show a hit for BBC

BBC One’s coverage of the New Year fireworks display achieved the biggest average television audience of the past year, new figures revealed yesterday. The New Year programme pulled in an average audience of 13.7 million viewers and 14.1 million at its peak.

‘Dead’ banker held on fraud charges

A Georgia banker who left a suicide note and vanished 18 months ago after being accused of embezzling $21m (£12.7m) has been arrested. Aubrey Lee Price, 47, was caught after police noticed the windows of his pick-up were tinted too darkly.

Project focuses on multi-married man

A man who has tied the knot eight times is to have his life turned into a film by a British production company. Ron Sheppard, 65, from Somerset, first walked down the aisle in 1966 and has fathered eight children.

Netflix loses 85 blockbuster films

Up to 85 popular films disappeared off web streaming service Netflix on 1 January as licensing deals expired and movie studios jacked up prices. Among the titles purged from the Netflix library were Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis (pictured), and True Grit. MORE