The News Matrix: Wednesday 10 December 2014

Salmond won’t give £65,000 grant back

Alex Salmond is under pressure to hand back the £65,000 “golden goodbye” he received as a “resettlement grant” when he gave up his Banff and Buchan seat at Westminster in 2010. He is planning a return to the Commons after the next election. The Scottish Labour Party branded his refusal to return the money a “kick in the teeth” to hard-working families.

Nato planes and ships hunt for sub

The Ministry of Defence called in Nato spy planes to help in the hunt for a foreign submarine off the west coast Scotland, it has been reported. Five aircraft from four different nations with Royal Navy warships were involved in the search for the vessel, according to Aviation Week.

Madoff’s secretary gets six years in jail

The former secretary of the fraudulent financier Bernard Madoff was sentenced to six years in a New York prison yesterday. Manhattan judge Laura Taylor Swain said she believed 66-year-old Annette Bongiorno’s testimony that she was largely duped by Madoff.

Murphy leads race to lead Scottish Labour

Voting in the race to be leader of the Scottish Labour Party will close today. The shadow Scottish secretary, Margaret Curran, has backed Jim Murphy to be the next leader. Mr Murphy is the perceived frontrunner, but Neil Findlay may be closing the gap.

Markets plunge after election called

Greek financial markets plummeted yesterday as investors took fright at the prospect of the radical Syriza party taking power and forcing the country out of the single currency, after a presidential poll was called, increasing the likelihood of a general election.

Case against ‘SS man’ is thrown out

A court has rejected the case against an unnamed former SS soldier accused of involvement in the largest civilian massacre in Nazi-occupied France, saying there was not enough evidence to try the 89-year-old. At least 640 people were massacred in Oradour-sur-Glane.

Hostage’s widow forgives his killers

Yolande Korkie, wife of the South African hostage who was killed during an attempted rescue operation in Yemen, said yesterday that she forgave those responsible for Pierre Korkie’s death.

Life sentence for murder is quashed

A man sentenced to life for the murder of a teenager was cleared of the offence at the Court of Appeal yesterday. Dwaine George, 30, was jailed in 2002 after teenager Daniel Dale was shot dead in Manchester. His conviction was quashed after analysis by law students.

Science Museum gets Moore archive

The Science Museum in London has acquired a unique collection of memorabilia from the archive of the late TV astronomer Sir Patrick Moore. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of Sir Patrick’s death. The astronomer presented the BBC’s The Sky at Night for more than half a century.

Third of children plead for a puppy

Nearly a third of children aged four to 15 have pestered their parents for a puppy for Christmas, a poll by the RSPCA revealed yesterday. The animal charity said it feared that many families could fall foul this year of unscrupulous traders selling sick, unsocialised or illegally imported puppies.

Bakery can call itself ‘oldest pasty maker’

A bakery has been cleared to call itself the “oldest Cornish pasty maker in the world” – despite being unable to prove that it began trading in 1860. Warrens Bakery, in St Just, Cornwall, had the claim investigated – and cleared – by the Advertising Standards Authority after a complaint was made to it.

Arsenal owner gives back Nobel medal

A Russian billionaire who bought the Nobel gold medal of the US scientist James Watson has announced that he is giving it back to Dr Watson as a gift because he is its “rightful owner”. Alisher Usmanov, who is a co-owner of Arsenal football club, paid nearly £3m for the Nobel medal last week.

‘Poohsticks’ image sells for £300,000

A familiar image of Winnie the Pooh as he played “Poohsticks” with Piglet and Christopher Robin has sold at auction for more than £300,000. The illustration by EH Shepard, first published in 1928, had been expected to fetch up to £150,000 but finally went for £314,500 at the sale at Sotheby’s auction house in London.