The News Matrix: Friday 12 August 2011

Bullet trains slowed after deadly crash

China has put the brakes on its flagship high-speed rail project, freezing approvals of new rail schemes and cutting the top speed of its bullet trains for a second time, after a crash last month that killed 40 people. The Railways Minister also promised a nationwide safety inspection. MORE

Youth who threw £1 coin fined £335

A 17-year-old youth arrested for throwing a £1 coin at a bus door is considerably worse off after being fined £335.22 by magistrates in Chelmsford. The teenager, from Loughton in Essex, was charged with causing criminal damage to a bus in Loughton High Road on 8 August.

Hospitalisations due to dog attack on rise

Dog attacks which hospitalise the victims have increased this year, according to NHS figures. Five per cent more people have been admitted to hospital for injuries caused by dogs. One in six of those admitted to hospital was a child under the age of 10.

Gandhi killers’ pleas rejected by president

India’s President Pratibha Patil has rejected the mercy petitions of three men sentenced to death for the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Mr Gandhi was killed by the Tamil Tigers for sending Indian peacekeepers to intervene in the Sri Lankan conflict.

Statue of Liberty to close for renovation

The Statue of Liberty will close for a year at the end of October as it undergoes a $27.25m (£16.8m) renovation to improve safety. About 3.5 million people visit the monument every year.

Teens face trial for baby boy’s murder

A couple accused of murdering a four-month-old boy have been remanded in custody. The baby was admitted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary last November after he was found collapsed at his home in Scotforth, Lancaster. He died of a bleed to the brain. Christopher Roberts, 18, of Great Dockray, Penrith, and Karen Irvine, 18, of Lark Field, Penrith, are accused of murder.

Depressed women at greater risk of stroke

Depression may increase the chances of women having a stroke, research suggests. A six-year study found that depression increased the risk in post-menopausal women by 29 per cent. Women who used antidepressants had a 39 per cent higher risk. But scientists urged women not to stop taking their medication.

Bali bomb suspect extradited for trial

A key suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people was escorted home to Indonesia yesterday under tight security to stand trial, six months after he was captured in the same north-western Pakistani town where Osama bin Laden was killed. Umar Patek had a $1m bounty on his head.

Why not get married inside the ‘Titanic’?

A wedding venue which replicates the inside of the Titantic is being built in Northern Ireland. Though the ill-fated ship may not be the best good luck symbol, it isn’t stopping couples queuing up to book in their big day. The centre, which opens next year, stands on the site where the ship was built over a century ago.

Brazilian soap star sues billionaire, 80

The ex-girlfriend of billionaire financier George Soros, 80, has accused him of breaking a promise to buy her an apartment in New York and has filed a $50m (£30.8m) lawsuit. Adriana Ferreyr, 28, a Brazilian soap star, alleges that Soros gave the $1.9m flat to his new girlfriend.

White House denies Bin Laden film bias

The White House has denied granting special favours to its friends in Hollywood after it emerged that officials are helping The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow to research a movie about the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Republicans claim it will be a pro-Obama film released just weeks before the 2012 election.

Tong gets restraining order against singer

Radio One DJ Pete Tong has been granted a restraining order against the Massive Attack singer Shara Nelson after she was found guilty of harassing him. Ms Nelson, whose group’s biggest hit was the 1991 single “Unfinished Sympathy”, claimed that she was his wife. She was also given 80 hours’ community service.

Deadly spiders kept in jam jar

Staff at an engineering firm kept a potentially fatal black widow spider in a jam jar – not realising what it was. Workers at TC Power, were stripping US-imported aircraft engines, when three spiders crept out. They kept them in jam jars with a piece of cardboard without realising they were two black widow spiders. MORE