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The News Matrix: Friday 21 April 2015

 

Monday 20 April 2015 22:48 BST
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E-cigarette users ‘no more likely to quit’

Only 11 per cent of smokers who use “cigalike” electronic cigarettes quit smoking, compared with a third of those who use “tank”-style models two studies suggest. The reports also found that users of e‑cigarettes were no more likely to quit smoking than non-users.

Channel 4 offers an election alternative

Channel 4’s election night coverage will be presented by Jeremy Paxman and the comedy actor David Mitchell. “Alternative Election Night” will also feature contributions from the presenters Cathy Newman and Richard Osman. “Elections matter. But that doesn’t mean the coverage has to be dull,” said Paxman.

Armenia slaughter was ‘genocide’

The German parliament will use the term “genocide” in a resolution marking the slaughter of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago. The government says it “stands behind” the motion, to be debated on Friday. It says the Armenians’ fate is an example of 20th-century genocide.

Landlords get £9bn in housing benefits

Private landlords receive £9bn of taxpayers’ money in housing benefit every year. A third of the money goes to landlords providing poor-quality homes. Mustafa Kemal Mustafa received £12,000 in benefits a month for a five-bedroom property in London which was once estimated to house 40 residents.

Zulu king appeals for calm after attacks

A Zulu king has asked for an end to violence after attacks against migrants in South Africa. Goodwill Zwelithini told crowds in Durban that reports that he said foreigners should “go back to their countries” were distorted. He has been accused of fuelling attacks in which at least seven people died.

Scientology rehab centre sparks row

A 40-acre retreat in rural Maryland that stood in for Camp David in The West Wing TV series is at the centre of a row between locals and Scientologists, represented by the Narconon group, which plans to turn it into a drug rehabilitation facility. Residents’ objections centre on controversial rehab techniques.

Two Britons among seven killed in crash

A plane crash in the east of the Dominican Republic has killed seven people, including two Britons. The single-engine Piper PA-32 tried to make an emergency landing shortly after take-off. It crashed into a golf course near the airport before bursting into flames yesterday.

Auschwitz survivor to confront guard

An Auschwitz survivor, Eva Pusztai-Fahidi, is one of several witnesses set to appear at the trial of former Nazi SS guard Oskar Gröning, 93, in Lüneburg. He faces charges of complicity in the murder of 300,000 prisoners. It is likely to be the last Auschwitz trial.

Prime Minister offers to resign

Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, who has rejected claims that he took illegal funds from a businessman who committed suicide, has offered to resign. In a scandal that threatens to weaken President Park Geun-hye, Mr Lee has denied that he received 30 million won (£18,600).

Jeb Bush plans European tour

George W Bush’s brother, Jeb, is to visit Germany, Poland and Estonia in early June to get a first-hand view of European economic and security challenges as he prepares his bid for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2016.

Delhi gets its first female bus driver

The first woman recruited to drive a bus in Delhi says her priority is to ensure the safety of female passengers. Vankadarath Saritha, 30, received messages of support on her first day – but also had to deal with malfunctioning doors. Ms Saritha has previously worked as a private chauffeur.

Street View joins in the hunt for Nessie

Google’s Street View software can be used to search for the Loch Ness Monster in the Scottish Highlands. “I hope people are inspired to travel to Scotland,” said Adrian Shine, a Loch Ness expert. Tourists hoping to spot the mythical creature are estimated to boost the Scottish economy by more than £40m.

Woman finds her birth mother at work

An adopted woman began a search for her birth mother – and discovered she had been working with her for four years. La-Sonya Mitchell-Clark, 38, got her mother’s name from the Ohio Department of Health, looked her up on Facebook and found that she worked at the same company in Youngstown, Ohio.

Belly dancer faces jail for ‘flag insult’

A popular Armenian belly dancer faces six months in jail for “insulting the Egyptian flag” after she wore a tight dress in the national colours of red, white and black. Sofinar Gourian was fined £15,000 but also granted £10,000 bail pending an appeal against her conviction at a court in Agouza, west of Cairo.

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