The News Matrix: Friday 30 May 2014

PM acts on stoning of pregnant woman

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has demanded to know why police apparently stood by while a pregnant woman was stoned and beaten to death by her family in front of one of the country’s top courts. Farzana Iqbal, 25, was attacked on Tuesday. MORE

Policeman’s gun fires at safety talk

A Chinese policeman’s gun fired as he gave a safety talk, injuring five people. The incident occurred yesterday morning in the central city of Zhengzhou in Henan province. It is unclear how the shooting occurred or whether those injured were children or adults.

Eating white bread can lead to obesity

White bread can considerably contribute to obesity, according to researchers, and eating three or four slices of it a day puts you at a 40 per cent higher risk of becoming overweight. Researchers studied the diets of more than 9,000 Spanish university graduates. MORE

Flight MH370 – robot search finds nothing

The area where acoustic signals thought to be linked to the missing Malaysian plane were detected can be ruled out as the final resting place of flight MH370. The Bluefin- 21 submersible robot has finished its search of the area and found nothing. MORE

One person missing as tanker explodes

The 998-ton Japanese oil tanker Shoko Maru exploded outside the south-west port of Himeji yesterday, leaving one of the eight people onboard missing and seven injured, the broadcaster NHK reported.

Commons spends £1.4m on booze

The House of Commons spent more than £1.4m on alcohol to sell in Palace of Westminster bars, restaurants and shops in 2012 and 2013, official figures have shown. A Freedom of Information request response published online by the parliamentary authorities showed that this included the purchase of more than 8,500 bottles of champagne.

Police warn about missing offender

Police are warning the public not to approach a violent offender who has disappeared after being released from prison on licence. Edward Stirling was released on licence from HMP Stocken in Leicestershire on Wednesday and failed to report to his accommodation as directed.

Police clash with youths in Barcelona

Police have clashed with gangs of hooded youths who threw rocks and set fire to dustbins in the third night of violence in Spain’s north-eastern city of Barcelona. Police said the disturbances began after a peaceful protest the previous evening in the central Sants district.

Classical trio want a sleeping ovation

A classical trio hope to send their audience to sleep with the performance of a new work in concert. They have written the piece especially to encourage listeners to start snoring and are even supplying cushions and rugs at the venue in Salisbury. The work is titled simply Sleep.

Beastie Boys want $2m damages

The Beastie Boys are happy to allow their music to be used for sports videos but not to be used by commercial companies, a court in New York has heard. Adam Horovitz said: “We like sports.” The Beastie Boys are suing Monster Energy for using their music without permission. The band seeks $2m damages.

More couples choose to holiday separately

Growing numbers of British holidaymakers are opting for “me time” and going away without their partner, according to a new survey. The survey found that last year 27 per cent of people had left lovers behind and made trips alone or taken holidays with friends, compared with 10 per cent a decade ago. MORE

Lennon creations to sell at auction

Drawings, poems and prose created by John Lennon for his books In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works are coming to auction. Among the highlights of the 89-piece collection to be sold by Sotheby’s in New York is a cartoon of a boy with six birds. It appeared in A Spaniard in the Works, published in 1965.

Sue’s high society role in ‘Downton’

Sue Johnston is swapping the Royle Family for high society with a guest role in ITV’s hit costume drama Downton Abbey. The actress will play Denker who is lady’s maid to Dame Maggie Smith’s Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham. She is the latest famous name to sign up for a guest role in the show.