The News Matrix: Friday 31 October 2014

UK aid ‘supports corruption abroad’

The Department for International Development (DfID) needs to “significantly improve” its work tackling corruption in countries to which aid are sent, according to a report from a Government watchdog. It also warned that DfID sometimes provided support for government agencies and programmes that were known to be corrupt.

Sarah Payne’s father found dead at home

Tributes have been paid to Michael Payne, father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah, after he was found dead at his home on Monday. Friends said Mr Payne, from Maidstone, Kent, spent years struggling with his “demons”, after eight-year-old Sarah was murdered in 2000.

EU carries out huge cyber-security drill

The EU yesterday carried out its biggest ever exercise to prevent cyber-attacks on Europe’s public utilities and communications networks, with 29 countries and 200 agencies dealing with attack scenarios against “critical infrastructure”.

Demand to trawl paper’s emails

Lawyers have called for deeper trawls of the Mirror Group Newspapers digital databases, following the discovery of emails, which appear to suggest that voicemail interception was used in the Mirror group’s newsroom.

Ebola quarantine for all visitors

North Korea has upped its safeguards against the outside world over fears of Ebola, though the virus has yet to reach Asia. Pyongyang yesterday declared all visitors must submit to 21 days of quarantine. It recently banned tourists over fears of the virus.

Army retakes ruined town from Isis

The victory of the army in retaking the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, south west of Baghdad, from Isis is undermined by the depth of devastation in the city. The aftermath of the battle for the town reveals some of the struggles the country is likely to face in rebuilding for the future.

Protesters shot after parliament torched

Burkina Faso’s parliament was on fire yesterday, in protest at an attempt by the President to extend his 27-year term. At least three protesters were shot dead and many more wounded by police.

Person missing in fireworks blast

A person was missing last night after a large fire broke out at SP Fireworks factory in Stafford. Two others were taken to hospital after emergency services were called to “an explosion” at about 5pm. Staffordshire fire service said the incident was “an escalating fire”.

Proof in the pudding for frugal festive fare

Discount store Lidl has done as well as posh food specialist Waitrose in a blind-tasting of Christmas foods. BBC Good Food compared more than 240 festive treats from 11 supermarkets and both Lidl and Waitrose topped three categories. Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s topped the list with four gongs each.

Clue to mystery of missing Earhart

A scrap of metal could be the key to solving the mystery of disappeared pilot Amelia Earhart. A photograph from 1937, the year she went missing, shows a scrap of aluminium that an investigator says matches one found on a deserted island in the Pacific, suggesting she and her navigator may have landed there.

More shameless fun please, we’re over 40

Over-40s are increasingly choosing 18-30-style holidays over traditional getaways, a survey has found. All-in clusive packages to destinations such as Magaluf and San Antonio were the third most popular type of holiday among the age group, according to the online travel agent sunshine.co.uk.

Richer Asian nations getting happier

Emerging Asian nations are finding out what developed ones did years ago: money – and the stuff it buys – brings happiness. Levels of self-reported wellbeing in Indonesia, China and Malaysia now rival those in the US, Germany and the UK, rich nations that have long topped the happiness charts.

Jailbirds take to the catwalk

Israel’s only women’s prison hosted its first fashion show this week where models on towering heels strutted on a red catwalk, below, showcasing clothes designed and made by inmates. The prisoners were all part of a rehabilitative project meant to grant them skills they might use upon their release.