The News Matrix: Wednesday 21 August 2013

Salary is top priority for school leavers

The Class of 2013 value money above all when it comes to priorities on leaving school, according to research published today. A survey of 300 GCSE students by the professional services firm KPMG reveals 66 per cent put earning a good salary as their top post-school priority. MORE

Man found dead at Newton-John house

A man has been found shot dead at the Florida home of Grease star Olivia Newton-John. Police confirmed the victim was a 42-year-old man who did not live at the house and was not related to Ms Newton-John or her husband, who were not at home at the time of the incident.

Activist quits Femen due to ‘Islamophobia’

Amina Sboui, the Femen activist who was detained by authorities for almost three months after protesting topless, said she has left the radical feminist group because she believes it is Islamophobic. Ms Sboui sparked controversy by posting topless pictures of herself on Facebook.

Give organ donors priority, says expert

The NHS should consider giving surgery priority to patients already on the organ donor register to address the problem of “free riders”, amid a “huge failure” in boosting organ donation rates among ethnic minority groups, one of the leading experts in the field has said. MORE

Now Bloom picks on feminist supporters

Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom, accused of racism for his “bongo bongo land” slur, has described men who support feminists are “slightly effete, politically correct chaps who get sand kicked in their face on the beach”.

SOCA chief under pressure from MPs

The head of the Serious Organised Crime Agency is facing fresh questions over his evidence to Parliament after he provided MPs with contradictory statements over the unit’s activities regarding corrupt private investigators. Trevor Pearce has admitted SOCA handed Scotland Yard key computers seized from rogue PIs in October 2011 – months after he originally claimed. MORE

School evacuated as gunfire is reported

A suspect was arrested following reports of gunfire at a primary school in Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday. Officials conducted a head-count to ensure all pupils at Ronald E McNair Discovery Learning Academy were safe. Television footage showed students being evacuated from the school. No one was injured.

Pair rescued from river after boat fire

Two people were rescued from their boat when it caught fire on the River Ouse near East Yorkshire. Humberside Fire and Rescue said the boat was carrying a gas cylinder and 125 litres of diesel fuel. It was engulfed in flames as the pair were pulled from the water, and later sank. The cause of the fire is unknown.

LinkedIn reaches out to young teens

LinkedIn, the professional networking website, has launched a push to recruit career-minded youngsters by lowering its minimum age requirements, targeting users as young as 14 in America as it seeks to expand its reach. In the UK, the age requirement for the website, which has become a favourite hunting ground for employers, will drop to 13.

Hope for rare giant ibis as nest is found

There are believed to be only 345 giant ibis in the wild, but there is hope for conservationists after a nest of the endangered species was discovered in a hitherto unknown habitat in Cambodia. The country is home to 90 per cent of the world’s giant ibis population, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Plans for virginity tests dismissed

Officials in Indonesia have dismissed a proposal by an education official on Sumatra island that would require female senior high school pupils to undergo virginity tests to discourage premarital sex and protect against prostitution. Muhammad Rasyid, head of the education office in South Sumatra’s district of Prabumulih, said he wanted to start tests in 2014.

Woman dislocates jaw eating big burger

A woman, 25, dislocated her jaw trying to eat an enormous burger. Nicola Peate had her jaw moved back into place by medics after she attempted to eat a “triple-patty” burger at Liverpool’s Almost Famous restaurant on 8 August. A spokeswoman invited her back but recommend ordering “something a bit more manageable”.