The News Matrix: Thursday 5 July 2012

Two children in every class go hungry

Two children in every school class go hungry because their parents can't provide proper meals, new research has claimed. The Kids Company and Netmums joint study claimed an estimated one million children live in homes where there is not enough to eat. MORE

Majority opposed to housing benefit cut

Almost six out of 10 people believe more young people will end up homeless as a result of David Cameron's plan to end housing benefit for under-25s, a poll for i can reveal. The chief executive of Shelter said there was no excuse for "abolishing the entire safety net for young people". MORE

Online anti-piracy act is thrown out

The European Parliament overwhelmingly defeated an international anti-piracy trade agreement yesterday after concern that it would limit internet freedom sparked protests across Europe. The vote appeared to deal the death blow to the EU's participation in a treaty it helped negotiate.

Entwistle to take over as BBC D-G

Former Newsnight editor George Entwistle has been chosen to succeed Mark Thompson as the Director General of the BBC. Entwistle, 49, will be paid a salary of £450,000, which is up from his current £270,000 pay packet. MORE

Tom's troubles are certainly not fiscal

Embattled actor Tom Cruise pocketed £50m over the past year, making him Hollywood's best paid film star. His earnings were largely down to the success of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. MORE

Bodies of pilots shot down by Syria found

Turkey's armed forces said yesterday they had found the bodies of two pilots of an F-4 jet shot down by Syria and they are trying to retrieve them from the seabed. Relations between Ankara and Damascus hit a new low after Syria shot down the Turkish reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean on 22 June. MORE

BBC is accused of hacking TV website

Iran's state TV has claimed the BBC hacked its website to change the results of a poll about Iran's nuclear programme. The BBC's Farsi service reported that the poll showed 63 per cent favoured halting uranium enrichment to end the West's economic sanctions. But state TV said the actual figure was 24 per cent.

Al-Qa'ida-linked cell broken up

Yemeni authorities have arrested about 13 members of an al-Qa'ida linked cell tasked with killing government officials and intelligence officers. "This was one of the most dangerous al-Qa'ida cells in Sanaa," an Interior Ministry source said, adding that the group was behind the killing of an intelligence officer.

Thousands of illegal migrants 'still in UK'

The UK Border Agency is unaware of how many of the 150,000 migrants refused permission to stay in Britain have actually left the country, its chief inspector admitted yesterday. John Vine said the issue needed to be dealt with in a "more proactive manner". Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described Mr Vine's report as "damning" for the Government. MORE

Power cuts scupper Independence Day

More than a million homes and businesses from Indiana to Virginia were without power yesterday, five days after deadly storms tore through the region. The outage meant no 4 July Independence Day holiday for thousands of utility workers who scrambled to restore lingering power outages.

Bang goes another Northern artwork

It was meant to represent a brave new Manchester, but the core of a £1.7m sculpture from the 2002 Commonwealth Games has been sold as scrap for just £17,000. B of the Bang was unveiled in 2005, but technical problems with spikes protruding from 183ft creation meant it had to be dismantled four years later.

Inmates denied fruit with their porridge

Prisoners in Catalonia, north-east Spain, will no longer be given evening snacks as part of cost-cutting measures aimed at tackling the country's economic crisis. Inmates will stop getting the customary evening piece of fruit or pastry as part of a scheme to save ¤2m a year, the regional justice department said.

Champion goes to the dogs (again)

Joey Chestnut has won his sixth straight Coney Island hot-dog eating contest. The man known as "Jaws" scoffed down 68 hot dogs to win the prize, taking home $10,000 and a mustard-yellow champion's belt. The total tied his personal best and the record. Last year, Chestnut won with 62 hot dogs.

Politics is finally Rotten to its core

Former Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited frontman John Lydon, below, could add some anti-establishment fire to tonight's Question Time, after it was confirmed that the anarchic singer would appear on the panel. Also booked are former Home Secretary Alan Johnson and Conservative MP Louise Mensch.