The News Matrix: Thursday 23 October 2014

Sick and vulnerable see their benefits cut

The Department for Work and Pensions is slashing the benefits of more than a third of people with degenerative conditions because it claims they will recover enough to look for work. Thousands of vulnerable people who have become too ill to work are being denied full Employment Support Allowance despite the fact that their conditions are worsening.

Parties not telling truth about policies

The three main political parties have been criticised by the thinktank IPPR for withholding information from voters concerning spending cuts and tax rises after the General Election. It analysed pledges made by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Graduates ‘should pay back universities’

Graduates should pay universities a proportion of their earnings rather than take out loans to fund their studies, according to a report. The paper, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, argues that the current student loans system is “very badly designed”.

Mercenaries guilty of shooting Iraqis

Four American Blackwater employees were found guilty yesterday over the shooting of unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. One of the men received a conviction for first-degree murder. A total of 14 people were killed and 17 injured in the shootings.

Guard ‘stole gold teeth from graves’

Police in the tiny Balkan country say a 52-year-old guard at an Orthodox Christian cemetery was detained after alleged opening graves to prize gold teeth and dentures. The suspect, identified only as JK, was held in Tetovo after police found him carrying 12 pairs of dentures.

Drug successful in killing cancer cells

A drug that kills cancer cells as they try to divide has shown “dramatic” results in early research, paving the way to potentially curative treatments. In the laboratory the drug, OTS964, eradicated aggressive human lung cancers transplanted into mice.

‘Fake’ Chelsea star jailed for fraud

A failed footballer who masqueraded as a Premier League star to enjoy a luxury lifestyle has been jailed for fraud. Medi Abalimba stayed in the finest hotels in London, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Mother will plead guilty for freedom

An American mother extradited from Britain to the US to face trial for leaving the country with her three children nearly 20 years ago is to plead guilty today. Eileen Clark, 57, has arranged a deal that means she will avoid prison but will have to pay retribution to the father.

Love of loom bands rings in hefty bill

Philip Groves was hit with a £1,792 phone bill after his 10-year-old daughter, Trinity, downloaded 28 hours of videos – about loom bands. He didn’t know she was watching hundreds of the tutorials on her premium rate Nokia phone after the Wi-Fi at the family’s home in Shrewsbury stopped working.

Working women are on the rise

Two-thirds of working-age women have jobs and most of these posts are in highly skilled occupations, research shows. There are 14.4 million working women, a rise of 368,000 in the last year and 771,000 since 2010. The female employment rate of 67 per cent compares with 63 per cent in the US.

Why the natural world glitters

Researchers have offered an explanation for the dazzling, silvery reflections in the natural world. The team from the University of Bristol revealed that disordered layers of crystals that are responsible for the silvery scales of fish reflect light in the same way as coloured, iridescent insect wings and carapaces.

Drunk who ‘only spoke Welsh’ freed

A 26-year-old man arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Manchester was freed after insisting he would only speak in Welsh, ITV News reported. Officers spent four hours looking for an interpreter but failed and decided to let him go without any charge. It is believed the man could speak English.

‘Arab Idol’ winner lends hand to Gaza

Last year’s winner of the TV singing contest Arab Idol said yesterday that he wants to give help to Gaza, where he grew up, by setting up an arts centre nurturing young musicians, writers and actors. The centre would be funded by Palestinian Americans who have pledged support, Mohammed Assaf, 24, said.