The News Matrix: Thursday 30 April 2015

Scrapped tax means cheaper flights

Family holidays will cost less from tomorrow when airport departure tax is scrapped for under-12s. The abolition of Air Passenger Duty means parents with two children will save as much as £142 on long-haul trips. APD is to be scrapped for under-16s from March 2016.

Campaigners hail air pollution ruling

Campaigners claimed a victory yesterday after the Supreme Court ruled that the next government must tackle air pollution as a top priority. In a verdict that could lead to tight controls on diesel vehicles, the court said a plan to cut emissions must be agreed by the end of 2015.

Watchdog orders GCHQ to destroy files

The Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham has been ordered to destroy documents illegally intercepted from communications between Libyan dissident Sami al-Saadi and his lawyers. Britain’s intelligence watchdog ruled the listening station had breached his human rights.

Runners trapped by animal snares

A landowner is under pressure to remove 100 snares from a property in the Derbyshire Peak District after an investigation found that several people had been injured, along with scores of hares. In the past five years, four runners claim to have been caught in traps on moorland at Stanage Edge.

Trader arrested over £130m ‘Ponzi’ fraud

Fraud squad officers are questioning a currency trader from Yorkshire linked to a suspected global “Ponzi” investment scam that netted £130m. Nearly 400 people from the UK and around the world have come forward with complaints, with one investor having handed over £4m and another putting in £830,000.

‘Hebdo’ satirist will not draw Prophet

The French cartoonist Luz, who drew Charlie Hebdo’s cover picture of the Prophet Mohamed after the Islamist killings at the satirical weekly in January, has said he will no longer draw the prophet. “He no longer interests me,” he told Les Inrockuptibles in an interview published on its website yesterday.

Shia cleric threatens US over budget plan

The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to attack American interests in Iraq and elsewhere after Congress said it was planning to send arms to Sunni and Kurdish fighters. The proposal would hand a quarter of the $715m (£460) authorised to train and equip the Iraqi army to non-governmental forces.

National Trust mansion wrecked

Dozens of firefighters were battling last night to save an 18th-century mansion. The fire is believed to have started in the basement of Clandon House – a National Trust property near Guildford – before spreading to the roof. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said more than 80 firefighters were on the scene.

Is it a bird? Is it a bat? No, it’s a dinosaur

A small dinosaur resembling a cross between and a bird and a bat was one of nature’s early experiments with flight, scientists believe. The dionsaur, named “Yi qi”, Mandarin for “strange wing”, was discovered in China. The creature, which lived 160 million years ago, is thought to have had leathery, bat-like wings never before seen in a dinosaur.

Accent on the past for hip-hop’s Jay Z

Hip-hop artist Jay Z has inserted an umlaut above the “y” on his name and a hyphen on Tidal (his music streaming service), making him Jaÿ-Z on Facebook. Music magazine Fader said it could be a nod to his early days - when he occasionally used the umlaut - to promote a tour where he will perform all his B-sides.

Hilary Duff falls in love with Tinder

The dating app Tinder has captured the heart of the actress Hilary Duff. She told a US radio station that she was messing around with friends when she joined. But the 27-year-old said she had found swiping left and right “wildly addicting” and revealed she was speaking to several men on the app. i100.co.uk

African ‘Spartacus’ to hit the stage

A new South African production of the ballet Spartacus, entitled A Spartacus in Africa, will incorporate African dance styles. Its producers say the story resonates on a continent that has its own history of oppression. The production opens in Johannesburg in June.