The News Matrix: Wednesday 3 August 2011

DNA could link more murders to Bundy

Ted Bundy, the serial killer who confessed to murdering at least 30 women in the 1970s, could soon have more victims added to his toll. Police have found a vial of his blood, allowing them for the first time to create a full DNA profile that they hope will help tie up unsolved cases. MORE

Multi-billion IT system is scrapped

A computer system intended to link all parts of the NHS will be scrapped, after costing taxpayers billions of pounds. Ministers are expected to announce they are abandoning the £11.4bn programme after a committee said the Department of Health lacked the capacity to deliver it. MORE

A crushing blow to illegal parkers

Arturas Zuokas, the 43-year-old mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, has filmed a stunt in which he crushes a car with an armoured vehicle to stop motorists parking in cycle lanes. MORE

Court upholds jail term for dissident

Vietnam’s highest court upheld a seven-year jail sentence for the legal scholar Cu Huy Ha Vu, one of the country’s highest-profile dissidents, who had sued the Prime Minister and called for an end to one-party rule. Vu was convicted of spreading propaganda against the state in April.

Army cuts threaten security, PM warned

Britain’s armed forces are in crisis and the nation’s security at risk because of budget cuts, David Cameron will be warned today. The Commons Defence Select Committee says the cuts would mean, by 2015, they may not be able “to undertake all that’s asked of them”. MORE

World steps up pressure on regime

The international community increased the pressure on Syria as Italy recalled its ambassador from Damascus and Russia dropped its opposition to a UN Security Council resolution condemning its Middle Eastern ally. The moves came as the Syrian security services continued their operation in the city of Hama, where it’s claimed scores of civilians have been killed. MORE

Games site housing complexes named

The names of five housing developments to be built on the Olympic Park site after the 2012 Games have been revealed as Chobham Manor, East Wick, Sweetwater, Marshgate Wharf and Pudding Mill. Some 8,000 homes will go up over 20 years, with the first available in 2015.

Couple rescued 40 people from killer

A married couple have been hailed as heroines of the Utoya island massacre after it emerged they rescued 40 youngsters from fjord waters as their boat was sprayed by Anders Breivik’s bullets. Hege Dalen and Toril Hansen made four rescue sorties. MORE

UK birds at risk from avian pox

An infectious disease that can be fatal to great tits, blue tits and coal tits is spreading throughout the UK. Experts have asked the public to look out for garden birds showing signs of avian pox, a virus that leaves great tits riddled with lesions that stop them feeding.

Conman posed as Peter Kay’s brother

Police are hunting a fraudster who allegedly posed as the brother of comedian Peter Kay and conned pub landlords, claiming he was raising money for charity. Peter Stead, 48, is one of the UK’s 10 most-wanted fraudsters revealed by police yesterday. MORE

World’s tallest tower to be built

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has teamed up with the Bin Laden Group to build the world’s tallest tower in the port city of Jeddah. The proposed skyscraper will soar more than 1km into the sky. MORE

Priest-rating website gains mass appeal

German priests can now be rated for their performance at church services, on projects for youths and the elderly, on their credibility, and on how up to date they are. Hirtenbarometer, or the “shepherds’ barometer”, is the first online platform where priests can be rated – 8,000 clerics have signed up.

Poundland to open six budget stores

Bargain shopping chain Poundland is to open six stores in Ireland, with plans to expand into mainland Europe as well. The stores’ name will be Dealz – with Euroland rejected to avoid tying prices to the volatile common currency. Ireland’s first four branches open in October.

Heathrow’s writer-in-residence checks in

Novelist and journalist Tony Parsons will take his place as Heathrow airport’s writer-in-residence today. The author will stay in a hotel at the London airport for a week, spending his days talking to travellers and staff. He will publish a collection of stories based on their experiences. MORE

Sect leader says God has told judge to quit

The American polygamist sect leader, Warren Jeffs, has claimed that God has ordered the removal of the Texas judge overseeing his child-sex assault case. Mr Jeffs, is accused of sexually assaulting two girls, aged 12 and 15, he took as brides in “spiritual marriages”. MORE