The News Matrix: Thursday 16 August 2012

 

Thursday 16 August 2012 01:00 BST
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Regime is guilty of war crimes, says UN

Syrian government forces and allied militia have committed war crimes including murder and torture, UN investigators said yesterday. Their report came as violence continued, with a government air-strike killing 30 in Azaz and a bomb wounding three in Damascus. MORE

Christian hoteliers take gay row further

The Christian owners of a guesthouse, who refused to rent a gay couple a double-bedded room, have won permission to take their case to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeal had dismissed a challenge by Peter and Hazelmary Bull, who run Chymorvah House in Marazion.

BoJo hits out at PM's 'totally mad' decision

Boris Johnson criticised David Cameron's "totally mad" decision to delay a new airport in the South-East. The London Mayor suggested Chancellor George Osborne was "up for" big construction projects, but was being thwarted by Whitehall's "institutional capture" of the PM. MORE

Pussy Riot protest at Moscow cathedral

Ski-masked protesters have gathered at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in support of punk band Pussy Riot. The trio, who face jail sentences of up to seven years for a 30-second anti-Putin performance in the cathedral, will learn their fate tomorrow. MORE

Prince Philip back in hospital

The Duke of Edinburgh was in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary last night as "a precautionary measure" following the recurrence of a bladder infection while at Balmoral. He is expected to remain in hospital for a few days.

More in work but 8m are part-timers

Unemployment has dropped to its lowest level for almost a year – but more than eight million Britons are now only working part-time. Official figures showed a 46,000 fall in unemployment to 2.56 million in the quarter to June. But the figures also underlined the increasing number of part-time workers, which jumped 71,000. MORE

Carole Waugh: two charged with murder

Two men were charged yesterday with the murder of businesswoman Carole Waugh, 50, whose body was found inside a lock-up garage more than three months after she went missing. Rakesh Bhayani, 40, and Nicholas Kutner, 47, will appear before Croydon magistrates today.

Singh confirms Mars mission next year

India plans to send a spacecraft to Mars next year on a £52m mission that critics say shows the government's skewed priorities when homes lack power and drinking water. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled the move on the 65th anniversary of independence from Britain. MORE

Found: the mother of all galaxies

Scientists have found a galaxy that gives birth to more stars in a day than ours does in a year. They used Nasa's Chandra X-Ray telescope to spot the distant galaxy creating about 740 stars a year. By comparison, our Milky Way galaxy spawns about one star each year. The galaxy is about 5.7 billion light years away.

Punch and Judy put fighting behind them

The traditional puppet show Punch and Judy is returning to seaside resorts across the UK, but without the domestic violence or dropped baby. Punch and Judy Rebooted, which features puppets including Simon Cowell and London Mayor Boris Johnson, begins its tour later this month.

£148m winners fly off... on easyJet

Adrian and Gillian Bayford have just won £148m on the EuroMillions lottery, but taking their children abroad for the first time, the Suffolk couple opted to fly on budget airline easyJet from Stansted Airport to an undisclosed location in Europe. "Their core values as people will not change too much," a colleague said.

'Shameless' star on cannabis charge

Former Shameless actor Jody Latham, 29, has appeared in court charged with producing cannabis. He is accused of growing 24 plants with a value of £14,000 at a Lancashire address. He attended Burnley Magistrates' Court today with co-defendant Sarah Melia. Both were granted bail until a Crown Court hearing in October.

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