The News Matrix: Wednesday 16 November 2011

Britons are throwing away fewer leftovers

The amount of food thrown away in British homes has declined by 1.1 million tonnes since 2007, according to a Government waste survey. However, we still throw away 7.2 million of the 38 million tonnes of food we buy – enough to fill Wembley Stadium nine times. MORE

Police storm Occupy Wall Street camp

Hundreds of police officers stormed the Occupy Wall Street camp in a New York park in the early hours of yesterday. Defending the decision to move in on the camp in the dark, mayor Michael Bloomberg said the operation had been to "reduce the risk of confrontation". MORE

Markets uneasy as PM continues talks

There was panic in the markets when Italian bond yields again passed beyond 7 per cent – the level at which bailouts followed for Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Mario Monti, Italy's new Prime Minister, continued talks about forming a government, expected to be named by Friday. MORE

Baby boy is saved by new cell technique

Doctors in London have saved a baby boy whose liver was being destroyed by a life threatening disease. Using a new technique, the team at King's College Hospital injected cells into eight-month-old Iyaad Syed to act as a temporary liver and allow his damaged organ time to recover.

Jesus fan Cliff: 'I was bigger than Beatles'

Sir Cliff Richard has rebuked a new radio station for banning his songs. Absolute Radio 60s said his records "don't fit the cool sound" they want. Sir Cliff said: "I sold more singles in the UK than The Beatles."

Banks told to bring back cheque cards

British banks should renege on their plans to scrap cheques, the Treasury Select Committee will urge today. It suggests that the cheque guarantee card scheme, which had been phased out, should be reintroduced so that shops and other businesses can feel confident in accepting cheques. The Payments Council plans to phase out cheques by 2018.

Putin honoured by rival to Nobel Prize

Russia's Vladimir Putin has been named as the winner of the Confucius Peace Prize, which was established after Nobel Peace Prize honoured a Chinese dissident last year. Organisers have pledged to hold a prize ceremony next month despite official disapproval. MORE

NI denies The Sun hacked phones

News International denied that phone hacking has spread to The Sun at the Leveson Inquiry yesterday. Rhodri Davies QC questioned the claim that up to 28 News of the World journalists were involved in law-breaking, saying that the figure "certainly does not add up". MORE

Six Palestinian activists arrested

Israeli police arrested six Palestinian activists who tried to enter Jerusalem yesterday without permits. The six were dragged off a bus and taken to a police station, according to witnesses. They had been accompanied by reporters for the 30-minute journey. MORE

BBC Trust concerned by editorial failures

The BBC Trust is "deeply concerned" by 15 breaches in editorial guidelines, including the decision to purchase documentaries for £1 from a company that was working to promote the deposed Egyptian regime of Hosni Mubarak.

70 die on uprising's most violent day

More than 70 people died in Syria yesterday, making it one of the most violent days in the nine-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Activists on the ground said that most of the dead were defectors from the Syrian army. MORE

Animal researchers must reveal studies

Universities with animal testing laboratories may have to reveal details of their research, including study on primates. The Information Tribunal ruled that Newcastle University must respond to Freedom of Information requests regarding Home Office licences for its monkeys. MORE

Arrest over pigsty of presidential posters

Police arrested a man for "abusing the presidency" after he built a pigsty out of old election posters featuring the President's face. George Kiberu, a 35-year-old taxi dispatcher, said he did not know he was breaking the law in building his pigsty out of images of President Yoweri Museveni.

Glastonbury named best major festival

Glastonbury has been named the UK's best major festival at an awards ceremony last night. Bestival on the Isle of Wight and Cambridgeshire's Secret Garden Party also took home gongs at the UK Festival Awards, held in London. Ed Sheeran was awarded best breakthrough artist.

Congresswoman in TV interview

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head in January, has displayed her recovery in a television interview. While she can't speak in full sentences, she turned to her husband and called him "brave", a compliment he returned. MORE

Cain's memory fails over Libya attacks

Herman Cain has become the latest Republican presidential candidate to forget his lines. A week after Rick Perry couldn't remember the name of a third government department he was planning to abolish, Mr Cain couldn't remember his stance on the military attacks against Libya.

Queen to celebrate Bible's birthday

The Queen will attend a service at Westminster Abbey today to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who advised Britons to read the 17th century book to get an idea of "the big picture", will give the address.

Girl who looted two left shoes is jailed

A teenager who looted two left-footed trainers from a Wolverhampton store during the August riots has been detained for a month for each second she spent inside the premises. Danielle Corns, 19, will spend 10 months in a Young Offenders Institution after pleading guilty to burglary.

Lucky in love – but only if you're a man

The odds favoured the men as thousands gathered to look for love in Shanghai at the city's largest-ever matchmaking party. Census data shows a rise in the percentage of older single women over the last decade, while the percentage of older single men has fallen, according to the China Daily.