The News Matrix: Tuesday 24 February 2015

Living wage issue embarrasses Welby

The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted that the revelation that the Church of England pays some workers less than the living wage is “embarrassing”. He said the “move towards” having the living wage paid across all parishes, cathedrals and diocese would take time.

Britons give housing market major boost

The improving UK economy, and the strong value of sterling over the euro, is encouraging Britons to return to the joys of sun, sea and sangria of Spain. House-buying among expats in the country, with the biggest group the British, is fuelling a growth in the Spanish property market.

Divorced mothers ‘should go to work’

Divorcees with children aged over seven should work for a living, a judge has told the ex-wife of a millionaire surgeon. Lord Justice Pitchford rejected an application by Tracey Wright, 51, to continue to receive the same level of maintenance support despite not working since a divorce in 2008.

Pro-democracy activist sentenced

One of Egypt’s best-known activists, Alaa Abd el Fattah, was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday over an unauthorised but peaceful protest, a day after President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi vowed to release “wrongly jailed youths.” The ruling was condemned by defence lawyers and supporters.

Ebola victim nurse under investigation

A British nurse who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone is being investigated following allegations about her conduct and that of four colleagues. Pauline Cafferkey was diagnosed with the disease in December. A report this month said Ms Cafferkey possibly caught the virus by wearing a visor and not goggles.

Scottish heads must pass qualification

All new headteachers will be obliged to complete a specially-designed masters qualification, the Scottish government says. The qualification will become compulsory for new headteachers in 2018. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said strong leadership in schools could be key in helping to improve attainment by pupils.

Progress made in US-Iran nuclear talks

The United States made “some progress” in talks with Iran on its disputed nuclear programme and managed to “sharpen up some of the tough issues”, a senior US official said yesterday, but both sides said much remained to be done. Negotiators from Iran and six major powers agreed to resume talks next Monday.

Hitting the sauna can save a man’s life

A sauna does more than build up a sweat – it can be a life saver, new research suggests. Middle-aged men who take frequent saunas are significantly less likely to die from heart conditions than those who do not, scientists have found. Those who visited saunas most often – once every day – experienced the greatest benefit.

Palestinian groups blamed for attacks

The Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority were the catalysts for a series of terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in Israel that killed or wounded several Americans, a US jury found yesterday at a high-stakes civil trial. Jurors awarded the victims $218.5m (£141m) in damages for the bloodshed.

Clarkson ‘a buffoon’, says angry Mayor

Jeremy Clarkson is an “oaf” and “buffoon”, Liverpool’s City Mayor has claimed. The comments made by Joe Anderson followed derogatory remarks about Liverpool made by the Top Gear presenter in his Sunday Times column. The mayor added he would be raising Clarkson’s comments with the BBC.

€8,000 raised to pay for hooligan damage

A Dutch woman has raised nearly €8,000 (£5,800) to pay for destruction in Rome by Dutch football fans after a recent match. More than 300 people pledged via a crowdfunding website entitled “Scusa Roma” (Sorry Rome), set up by the woman, who lives in Tuscany. Hooligans reportedly did €3m worth of damage.

Fifty shades of red faces at Oscars

Dakota Johnson had an awkward encounter with her mother, Melanie Griffith, on the Oscars red carpet – over her new film Fifty Shades of Grey. When the pair arrived for the event together, Griffith was asked if she had seen her daughter in the racy movie. “No” Griffith replied. “I don’t think I can... it would be strange.”

Athletes act as human escalators

Athletes in Sweden have been carrying people up and down escalators, after a suspected manufacturing defect meant that 39 were shut down across the subway stations in the capital, Stockholm. The escalators were stopped over the weekend after an elderly woman fell through a faulty step, seriously injuring herself.