The News Matrix: Friday 6 April 2012

Teenager dies after being stabbed twice

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenage boy was stabbed to death near a pub, police said. The 17-year-old was knifed twice in the chest and though paramedics fought to save his life at the scene in Hastings, East Sussex, he died.

Prison hunger striker nears death

Bahrain's best known human rights activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on the 57th day of a hunger strike, could die in jail at any moment say those who have seen him recently. "His heart could stop at any time or he could slip into a coma," said his daughter Maryam. MORE

Hard-left candidate attacks capitalists

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the hard-left candidate and surprise third favourite in the presidential elections, has attacked "les Anglo-Saxons" and their "stinking" money and "doomed" free markets at a rally. MORE

Worrying rise in starving children

There is a "silent epidemic" of malnutrition among thousands of Britain's children. Kid's Company, which helps 13,000 children in London, reports a dramatic rise in the numbers coming to their walk-in centres not in search of shelter or safety, but food – a situation mirrored nationwide. MORE

Regime attacks despite ceasefire

Ferocious regime assaults on Damascus and the shell-battered city of Homs were reported by activists inside the country yesterday, despite claims that the Syrian government had begun withdrawing troops ahead of the agreed ceasefire deadline next week. MORE

Malaria drug starting to lose its power

The world's most effective malaria drug is losing its power, threatening the lives of millions of people around the globe. Tests on the border between Thailand and Burma show that the most deadly form of the malaria parasite has developed resistance to artemesinin, the gold standard treatment for the disease. Experts warned the effects could be "devastating". MORE

Capital idea to help out struggling city

The once-proud city of Detroit, cradle of the American automobile industry, has reluctantly and angrily agreed to share control of its future destiny with Lansing, the state capital. The move is the latest attempt to help to drag Detroit out of a financial hole. MORE

Appendix ops can be mostly phased out

Surgery for appendicitis, one of the most common operations performed in Britain, can mostly be replaced with a course of antibiotics, experts say. Researchers who reviewed 900 appendicitis cases found almost two-thirds were successfully treated with the drugs. MORE

Diwali date for the Conservatives

In a strategy pioneered in Canada, Conservative Cabinet ministers could be ordered to attend Diwali festivals, Eid celebrations and other ethnic community events. It's hoped this would broaden the party's electoral appeal ahead of the next election.

Man City striker Balotelli in car crash

Footballer Mario Balotelli was involved in a car accident yesterday. The 21-year-old Italian, who drives a Bentley, was in a collision with another car near Deansgate in the centre of Manchester. The Manchester City striker was unhurt, but a passenger from the other car was taken to hospital for checks. MORE

King wants cows for his birthday

Swazi King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, has ordered his impoverished subjects to give him cows for his upcoming 44th birthday celebrations. Chiefs from the Shiselweni region, where celebrations will be held, will ask their subjects for cattle to be slaughtered for the king.

Corden's hit show has 'tweak' for Broadway

Tonight marks the Broadway debut of the West End smash hit play One Man, Two Guvnors – a quintessentially British comedy starring James Corden. But playwright Richard Bean and director Sir Nicholas Hytner have been working on a trans-Atlantic "translation" in an attempt to make it more American-friendly. MORE

Egyptian mummy mask 'not stolen'

A 3,200-year-old Egyptian mummy's mask can stay at a US museum, a federal judge has ruled. Prosecutors said the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo about 40 years ago and that it should be returned to Egypt, but the St Louis Art Museum said it was legitimately bought from a New York art dealer in 1998.