The News Matrix: Saturday 8 November 2014

‘Ebola outbreak could end in 2015’

The global response to the Ebola crisis in recent weeks has raised hopes that the outbreak could end in 2015, the UN’s Ebola chief said. But David Nabarro cautioned that the job of beating the epidemic, which has now claimed the lives of 4,960, “is not even a quarter done”.

Inquiry after accused woman kills herself

An investigation has been launched into the case of a woman who was prosecuted over an alleged false rape claim and then took her own life. Eleanor De Freitas, 23, killed herself days before she was to appear in court on claims she falsely accused a man of rape.

Rebel group ready for independence

A rebel group which has seized oil ports in the past in pursuit of regional autonomy says it will declare independence in the east if the world recognises its parliament. Libya has been divided since an armed group seized the capital Tripoli in August, setting up its own parliament and creating a rump state.

City regulator to impose £1bn in fines

The City regulator is to impose penalties totalling more than £1bn on banks caught up in the foreign exchange (forex) market rigging scandal in an announcement that could come as soon as next week. Six firms have been in talks with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Councils to supply electricity and gas

Local authorities are working on plans to set themselves up as electricity and gas retailers, pledging to undercut the traditional suppliers. Some are promising to cut at least £100 from the average household dual-fuel bill of about £1,300 a year.

Remains of movie executive found

The remains of a 20th Century Fox executive have been found two years after he went missing. Gavin Smith’s car was discovered in 2012, with his blood and body tissue, in a facility linked to a drug trafficker with whose wife Smith may have been in a relationship with.

Row over who fired fatal Bin Laden shot

Debate has erupted over which Navy Seal fired the shot that killed Osama bin Laden, after former Seal Rob O’Neill told The Washington Post he was responsible. But the claim was countered by a source who said the fatal shot was fired by one of two other men.

Suspect denies Afghan terror plot

A Russian man charged with leading a Taliban attack against US forces in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges yesterday and was ordered to be held until his April 13 trial. Irek Hamidullin is the first military detainee from Afghanistan to be taken to the US for trial.

Single vote called into question

MPs have condemned Theresa May’s handling of the process for deciding on the European Arrest Warrant ahead of Monday’s Commons vote. Heads of three Commons committees have criticised a single vote to decide 35 EU measures.

‘Lost’ veterans miss out on support

Military veterans are missing out on vital care and support because the Government fails to keep track of them, council leaders warn. Millions are entitled to priority housing, and jobs and health support, but are falling through the cracks, says the Local Government Association.

Samaritans forced to suspend new app

The Samaritans have had to suspend a new Twitter app which monitors accounts for suicidal messages after a backlash from privacy campaigners. The Radar app, launched days ago, alerts users when people they follow post messages that could suggest depression or suicidal thoughts.

Four men arrested for plotting attacks

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack. The raids came after surveillance lasting several months in the capital and the Home Counties. The suspects, aged 19, 22, 25 and 27, were taken to London police stations.

French add va-va voom to ‘Top Gear’

The Gallic equivalents of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are set to hit screens across the Channel for the French launch of Top Gear. The series has been commissioned for the spring after the UK version proved popular in the country.

Fans pay $300,000 for Springsteen lasagne

Two Bruce Springsteen fans paid $300,000 each to eat lasagne at his house – and help a military charity. Springsteen had offered an acoustic set at auction and when bids reached $250,000, he added a lasagne dinner, a ride in his motorbike sidecar and the shirt off of his back.

Museum banking on Cold War bunker

Enthusiasts hope a huge abandoned Cold War-era bunker, in a forest near Berlin, can become a museum. The three-storey structure is known as Honecker’s Bunker after Communist leader Erich Honecker, whom it was built to protect in a nuclear war between the Soviet bloc and the West.