The News Matrix: Wednesday 18 July 2012

Government admits Mau Mau torture

The Government has admitted publicly for the first time that Kenyans were tortured and sexually abused by colonial forces during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s. The admission came as a trio of elderly Kenyans told a court how they were beaten and castrated.

Ofsted inspectors thrown out of college

Ofsted inspectors were ordered to leave Newcastle College on Tyneside, one of Britain's "outstanding" further education colleges, after clashing with senior staff amid allegations of unprofessionalism and aggressive behaviour during an inspection. MORE

Similarities in Air France crashes

A judge is examining evidence that the Rio-Paris Airbus crash might have been prevented if the pilots had been briefed on a similar incident the previous year. Air France and Airbus failed to notify pilots about a crisis aboard a Paris-to-Madagascar flight in August 2008.

Mofaz resigns over draft exemptions

The leader of Israel's Kadima party, Shaul Mofaz, has formally pulled out of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government in protest over the continuation of automatic draft exemptions for tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students. MORE

Madonna hoping time stands still

Madonna was under strict instructions to keep one eye on the clock last night as she performed at London's Hyde Park. Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen were cut short on Saturday after breaching the venue's curfew.

Hidden charges can halve growth

Hidden charges are ravaging people's pensions pots while finance firms are misleading savers about the effect of fees, a leading think-tank warns today. The RSA says an extra 2 per cent annual charge can result in halving of pension benefits. A year-long investigation uncovered such extras as audit and custodial costs, and other hidden charges including broking commissions. MORE

New drug offers Alzheimer's reprieve

Scientists have hailed a new drug for Alzheimer's disease after a trial successfully halted the mental decline of the condition for three years. Researchers found patients who had injections every two weeks of the drug immunoglobulin, made from antibodies in blood, showed no decline in cognition, memory or mood. MORE

Firefights continue in Damascus

Intense clashes between rebels and government forces backed by helicopters spread to new areas of the capital, Damascus, yesterday, including a brief firefight near parliament. It was the third straight day of fighting that has posed an unprecedented challenge to government rule in the city. MORE

New app to keep tabs on livestock

A new smartphone app to help farmers keep tabs on their livestock's feeding is to be unveiled at the Royal Welsh Show next week. The farmGRAZE application, developed at Aberystwyth University, allows farmers to calculate the grazing available in any particular field, saving money on feed and fertiliser.

Policeman fired for cutting up President

Philippine authorities have sacked a policeman who tried to cut in front of a vehicle carrying President Benigno Aquino in a motorcade, officials said. Presidential guards took officer Ricardo Pascua into custody and turned him over to his superiors who fired him after the incident in Manila on Monday.

Indian dialects in danger of dying out

Mexico's top Indian language official says 64 of the country's 364 Indian dialects are at "high risk" of dying out, with less than 100 speakers of each of those remaining. The head of Mexico's National Institute of Indian Languages says speakers of dying dialects are dispersed and no longer live in a single community.

Hotel offers guests £10 for each rain day

A Bournemouth hotel owner plans to pay guests £10 for every day it rains on their holiday. Sarah Uzzell, owner of the Arlington Hotel, will run the offer in August after a drop in bookings due to the wet weather. "What I'm trying to do is persuade anyone who hasn't booked a holiday in August to take the plunge," she said.

Clinton racks up the air mileage

If diplomatic achievements were measured by the number of countries visited, Hillary Clinton would be the most accomplished Secretary of State in history. When her plane touched down near Washington yesterday, the former First Lady had completed a 13-day journey of 27,000 miles through Europe and Asia. MORE