The News Matrix: Tuesday 12 June 2012

Regime bombards centres of opposition

The UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said he was "gravely concerned" about the escalation of fighting in Syria, citing the shelling of opposition areas in Homs province and reports of mortar, helicopter and tank attacks near the coast. Violence has spiked in recent weeks, as both sides ignore a ceasefire. MORE

Department spent £11m on consultants

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has laid out nearly £4m more this year on external consultants, with the amount spent jumping from £7.5m in 2010-11 to £11.4m in 2011-12. Admitting the increase, the department said the money is "managed and monitored" in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.

Opposition leaders rounded up by police

Russian police raided opposition leaders' homes yesterday and summoned them for questioning, disrupting plans for a protest against President Vladimir Putin and suggesting he has lost patience with unrest. The early morning searches ahead of today's rally signal a tougher approach to dissent. MORE

Gordon Brown: 'Sun' invaded my privacy

The former Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an emotional appearance at the Leveson Inquiry attacking The Sun for invading his family's privacy. Mr Brown criticised the paper's story which reported Mr Brown's four-month-old son Fraser had cystic fibrosis. Mr Brown vehemently denied The Sun's claim that he had explicitly approved the story before it was published.

Teen charged with murder of 91-year-old

A teenager has been charged with the murder of 91-year-old Tom Lang at a sheltered housing complex in Launceston. Mr Lang suffered multiple fractures after an incident on 17 April and died in hospital. Stephen Lang, 19, believed to be related to the victim, will appear at Truro magistrates' court via videolink from prison this afternoon.

Brits can't get out of bed, claims survey

British adults bed down for nearly seven and a half hours sleep a night, but struggle to get up, claims a survey. A poll of 5,463 people found adults lingered for 20 minutes in bed after waking. More than 70 per cent use an alarm clock on week days, while only 12.5 per cent do on days off.

Apple Retina display 'sets new standard'

Apple is introducing a laptop with a super-high resolution "Retina" display, setting a new standard for screen sharpness, the firm has said. The new MacBook Pro will have four times the resolution of previous models, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in San Francisco. It will cost at least £1,419.

Women banned from talent show

Saudi Arabian starlets hoping the latest spin-off of the Got Talent franchise will launch their careers are likely to be disappointed, with both women and music banned. The city of Buraydah is organising a talent show that observes the ultra-conservative Wahhibism branch of Islam. MORE

London is world No1 destination in 2012

London heads the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2012, coming out as the top world destination for visitors in 2012. With a summer of celebrations under way, and the Olympics to come, visitor numbers are set to increase by 1.1 per cent and visitor spending by 10.3 per cent.