The News Matrix: Thursday 22 August 2013

Badger cull set to begin on Monday

The controversial badger cull is due to begin in Gloucestershire or Somerset on Monday night. Attempts by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to ban protests against the culls within trial zones were condemned as undemocratic by opponents of the scheme yesterday. The NFU has applied for an injunction that will be heard in the High Court today that would ban protests in the area.

Pakistan and India exchange fire

Pakistani and Indian troops have traded fire along the Kashmir border. The Pakistani military said one of its army captains was killed and another soldier seriously wounded. The two sides have accused each other of a series of deadly attacks along the border over the last two weeks.

Humans responsible for climate change

Humans are the cause of climate change, according to the draft of the most comprehensive and authoritative report ever conducted into climate science. The findings of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are expected to be published next month. MORE

Whistleblower gets 35 years in jail

Bradley Manning, the former US army intelligence analyst, has been sentenced to 35 years in jail for passing 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks. The 25-year-old’s lawyer said he would petition Barack Obama to pardon his client or commute his sentence. MORE

Road-rage suspected in UK tourist’s injury

A road-rage incident between a taxi driver and a bicycle courier may have been the cause of an accident which left a British holidaymaker with severe leg injuries. Sian Green, 23, lost part of her leg after being hit by a taxi in New York on Tuesday morning. MORE

UK drug smuggling suspects refused bail

Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid, arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5m out of Peru, have been refused bail and could spend up to three years in jail awaiting trial, it emerged last night.

Farage to lie low and ‘get a grip’ on Ukip

The Ukip leader Nigel Farage has announced he is to have a lower public profile while he attempts to “get a grip” on his party. The move follows the departure of the party’s chief executive, Will Gilpin, who warned Ukip was in danger of remaining a “bunch of enthusiastic amateurs” because of Farage’s dominance.

Protesters target gay bars during rally

More than 100 young people in the capital posted anti-gay signs on gay-friendly bars during a rally organised amid mounting violence targeting sexual minorities. The rally called for stricter enforcement of anti-gay laws even though the country already prosecutes more gay people than any other in sub-Saharan Africa.